thedrifter
03-01-07, 06:46 AM
Undersea? On a Ship? In the Sky?
Graduating Midshipmen Choose Their Military Assignments
By Raymond McCaffrey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 1, 2007; AA01
Members of the U.S. Naval Academy's 2007 graduating class made their decisions months ago, opting to become surface warfare officers, Navy pilots, Marines and submarine crew members -- among other jobs -- after they graduate this spring.
Last week, the midshipmen, in sometimes dramatic ceremonies on the grounds of the academy, chose what ships they would serve on, where they will train and -- sometimes just as important -- whether they would serve with their friends or be close to their significant others.
Perhaps the most evocative ceremony involved those choosing ships. One by one, in order of class rank, the midshipmen pulled magnetic strips with the names of their future ships from a big board in front of their classmates.
"You pull that sticker off the board, and you're pretty much married to the ship for the next couple of years," said Daniel O'Neill of Kensington.
O'Neill picked the USS Seer.
"It's a brand-new ship," he said. "You can't get much better than that."
O'Neill was drawn by another aspect of the assignment: The ship is docked in San Diego.
Timothy Emge also picked a San Diego-based ship, the USS Preble. Raised in Salisbury, not far from Annapolis, he was ready to move on.
"I want to get away from here," Emge said.
Nicholas Mararac of Fort Washington said he wanted to get even farther away. He picked the USS Harpers Ferry in Japan.
"I chose Japan because I wanted to live outside the U.S. and learn Japanese," Mararac said.
Cassandra Bushong of West River picked the Farragut in Florida. She didn't necessarily want to be far from home; she wanted to be close to her fiance, who is stationed near there.
"I was lucky," she said.
For others, the choices were simpler. Because Robert Porter of Clinton chose the Marines, he only had to pick a training date. Porter, who comes from a military family, said he had always wanted to be a Marine -- he almost enlisted after graduating from high school.
"I like their camaraderie," he said. "Their brotherhood."
Scott Buchner of Cockeysville also picked the Marines.
"I want to be on the front lines," Buchner said. "I want to be in the fight."
Some midshipmen were looking far ahead. Douglas Jarl of Silver Spring decided on submarine duty, saying "the top-secret mission was kind of enticing."
Though Jarl couldn't divulge much more about his assignment than that, he acknowledged that key civilian industries such as nuclear power are filled with experts who served on submarines. "It's a win-win situation," he said.
For some mids, location was secondary to assignment.
Christine Campbell of Baltimore chose to become a Navy pilot. Though she will start flight school June 22, in Pensacola, Fla., the only location she talked about was the sky.
"Being up there," Campbell said.
The same went for Ryan Brown of Ellicott City, who chose to become a Navy pilot, though a sailor in his family told him to "go ship -- that's the real Navy."
His father, an academy graduate who specialized in cryptology, was fine with his son's decision.
"He doesn't care, as long as I'm doing something that I like," Brown said.
Ellie
Graduating Midshipmen Choose Their Military Assignments
By Raymond McCaffrey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 1, 2007; AA01
Members of the U.S. Naval Academy's 2007 graduating class made their decisions months ago, opting to become surface warfare officers, Navy pilots, Marines and submarine crew members -- among other jobs -- after they graduate this spring.
Last week, the midshipmen, in sometimes dramatic ceremonies on the grounds of the academy, chose what ships they would serve on, where they will train and -- sometimes just as important -- whether they would serve with their friends or be close to their significant others.
Perhaps the most evocative ceremony involved those choosing ships. One by one, in order of class rank, the midshipmen pulled magnetic strips with the names of their future ships from a big board in front of their classmates.
"You pull that sticker off the board, and you're pretty much married to the ship for the next couple of years," said Daniel O'Neill of Kensington.
O'Neill picked the USS Seer.
"It's a brand-new ship," he said. "You can't get much better than that."
O'Neill was drawn by another aspect of the assignment: The ship is docked in San Diego.
Timothy Emge also picked a San Diego-based ship, the USS Preble. Raised in Salisbury, not far from Annapolis, he was ready to move on.
"I want to get away from here," Emge said.
Nicholas Mararac of Fort Washington said he wanted to get even farther away. He picked the USS Harpers Ferry in Japan.
"I chose Japan because I wanted to live outside the U.S. and learn Japanese," Mararac said.
Cassandra Bushong of West River picked the Farragut in Florida. She didn't necessarily want to be far from home; she wanted to be close to her fiance, who is stationed near there.
"I was lucky," she said.
For others, the choices were simpler. Because Robert Porter of Clinton chose the Marines, he only had to pick a training date. Porter, who comes from a military family, said he had always wanted to be a Marine -- he almost enlisted after graduating from high school.
"I like their camaraderie," he said. "Their brotherhood."
Scott Buchner of Cockeysville also picked the Marines.
"I want to be on the front lines," Buchner said. "I want to be in the fight."
Some midshipmen were looking far ahead. Douglas Jarl of Silver Spring decided on submarine duty, saying "the top-secret mission was kind of enticing."
Though Jarl couldn't divulge much more about his assignment than that, he acknowledged that key civilian industries such as nuclear power are filled with experts who served on submarines. "It's a win-win situation," he said.
For some mids, location was secondary to assignment.
Christine Campbell of Baltimore chose to become a Navy pilot. Though she will start flight school June 22, in Pensacola, Fla., the only location she talked about was the sky.
"Being up there," Campbell said.
The same went for Ryan Brown of Ellicott City, who chose to become a Navy pilot, though a sailor in his family told him to "go ship -- that's the real Navy."
His father, an academy graduate who specialized in cryptology, was fine with his son's decision.
"He doesn't care, as long as I'm doing something that I like," Brown said.
Ellie