News From the Yard
United States Naval Academy Alumni Association
Alumni News:

   From the CNO:

Beginning Sunday, April 27, PBS will air a reality-TV documentary entitled
"CARRIER", filmed while the production company was embarked during the
entire USS NIMITZ's 2005 deployment.  The program will air over five nights
from Sunday, April 27, to Thursday, May 1, 2008, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET. Ten
hours of film will be aired, selected from almost 2,000 hours that were
shot over the course of a 6-month deployment to CENTCOM.  I have viewed the
production and want to share context and some thoughts with you.

While "Carrier" shows the outstanding work our young Sailors do every day
and the opportunities the Navy offers, it also shows Sailors making
mistakes in their personal and professional lives. The snapshot is frank
and may be somewhat disconcerting to some who came into the Navy some time
ago. However, that said, I believe it will also resonate with a significant
segment of our country, especially potential recruits and young Sailors
serving today.

1.  What we did.  We provided unprecedented access to our Sailors, and this
production tells their story in a very personal way.  There is no narrator
– the stories are told by the Sailors themselves.  You get unvarnished
views from junior personnel about their hopes, aspirations, and challenges
of life in the Navy aboard the carrier.  We did not get between the film
crews and the Sailors.

2.  What we got.  The production highlights the racial, gender, religious,
and socio-economic diversity of our Navy.  The hard work our Sailors
perform and the remarkable feat of forging thousands of individuals on a
carrier into a truly unique team really shines through.  Culling through
hundreds of hours of video, the producers created a 10-hour reality-TV
documentary that shows selected aspects of our Sailors' personal and
professional challenges. The cinematography is very high quality and the
visuals and music are sure to appeal to younger audiences.

3.  What we did not get.  We did not get a Navy "commercial" in the
traditional sense.  "CARRIER" is very different from the hardware
documentaries we have supported in the past. This program focuses on our
people and the reality-TV approach gives it a sense of authenticity and
credibility.  Since we did not monitor the individual interviews and
ongoing production, the program contains material that does not always and
fully represent the discipline, values and mission of the U.S. Navy.  You
will see some Sailors making personal and professional mistakes, and
expressing opinions that are different from the Navy's.  However, the
production shows that these are the exception, not the norm, and that
leadership is engaged to shape lives and appropriate outcomes.   There are
abundant examples of how the Navy changed Sailors' lives for the better by
giving them opportunities and a disciplined environment.

4.  Why did we agree to the project?  This production, although not an
all-inclusive picture of the Navy, will give potential recruits and those
who influence them a glimpse of what life is really like in the Navy.  We
want the American people to know, understand and appreciate the
contribution our Sailors make each and every day while deployed around the
world.  We also want them to know us, not as a monolithic bureaucratic
entity, but as a diverse organization of individual Americans who have set
aside the comforts of home and have put themselves on the line to serve a
greater cause.  You already know how inspiring our people are, but few in
our Nation get to see our people in an operational environment.

Some of you may be called upon to offer public comments about this film to
the media or to community groups.  We will soon distribute PA guidance to
support your efforts and will be putting additional information on
www.navy.mil in the near future.  If you need any additional information,
please contact CHINFO, RDML Frank Thorp.

Thank you for all that you do.


All the best,

Gary Roughead


 
Alumni Association Controversy (Foundation, Elections, By-Laws, Governance)
30 July 2007
 
    As members of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, you may or may not have been aware of an on-going controversy between the current Alumni Board of Trustees  and other non-board Alumni members.  Some of the emails that have been sent between these two groups have been somewhat nasty to say the least.
 
    After conferring with some of the members of our NM Chapter's Executive Committee, we decided to stay above the fray.  Most of this information is available to you for your perusal on the two primary web sites referenced below.
 
    Also available to you is a concise summary of the on-going controversy as published in the Baltimore Sun (reference link below).  This article pretty well sums up what has been going on in regards to the bitter bantering. 
 
  Also linked is a summary of the issues as defined by Pete Savage, '63.  To express your opinion in these matters, you are encouraged to write to your "Decade Representative" for your Class and/or the Western Regional Representative on the Board of Trustees (Stephen Andres '67).  E-mail addresses for these representatives are provided in the Pete Savage summary linked below.  Meanwhile, if you are not currently receiving the Chapter Newsletter by e-mail, please contact Hank Schwartz with your new/correct e-mail address.
 
Link to Reference
 Description of Reference
"Alums Caught in Tug of War" 
The Baltimore Sun published this article on 29 July 2007 which characterized and publicized the controversy nationally.
Summary by Pete Savage, '63:   (PDF)  (MS Word)
 The Class of 1963 has captured the essence of the arguments from both sides.
NAAAG.org
 The (unofficial) Naval Academy Alumni Activities Group has published many of the e-mails and arguments from both sides.  This site was established to present the dissidents view and positions.  To access the site, use User ID "member" and password "bancroft" - all lower case, no quotation marks.
USNA.com
 The Alumni Association has published its own position on the Election and the controversy.  From this Home page, click on:  About Us - Association - Association Fact Sheet
AA and Foundation By-Laws
 If you want to familiarize yourself with the governing documents of the Alumni Association and the Foundation, they are all linked from the NAAAG.org site.
Central Region Newsletter
 Barry Howard '58 suggests that the information provided here by Len Wass, the current Central Region Trustee, is relevant and important for our members to read:  "... all of our membership should be aware of what goes on in Annapolis."
Meanwhile, Life continues:  Recent Alumni Association Announcements     2008 Football Schedule  
 Alumni Association answers questions 
    on recent (opened 27 Jan 2006) movie "Annapolis"

The following information is provided by the USNA Alumni Association concerning 
the recent released movie "Annapolis".

"The Naval Academy has received questions regarding the upcoming Buena Vista 
Pictures movie "ANNAPOLIS" (scheduled for release later this month) and any role 
the Academy may have had in developing this motion picture.  The Superintendent 
asked that we provide the following information to answer these questions and 
clarify what has occurred.

The Naval Academy's mission focuses foremost on developing young men and women 
morally, mentally and physically into future leaders of character for our Navy 
and Marine Corps.

"ANNAPOLIS" is a fictional film that purports to take place at the Naval 
Academy.  The movie was filmed in Philadelphia and was made without the support 
of the Naval Academy, the Navy or the Department of Defense.  No midshipmen, 
Academy staff or active duty Navy personnel took part in the filming.

This movie did not receive the Academy's support because the advance scripts 
that were reviewed in 2004 did not realistically portray the Naval Academy or 
how the Academy develops and trains future Navy and Marine Corps officers.  
Early in this project, the Academy offered suggestions for ways the script could 
realistically portray Academy life, its mission and the midshipmen.   The 
Academy provided research, facilitated visits to the Academy, afforded contact 
with midshipmen, and provided extensive script notes to the producers.  Their 
objective was to help the film-makers develop a script that could receive 
official support.  Ultimately, the film-makers made the decision to shoot the 
film elsewhere and forego further contact with the Naval Academy.

Some talking points on the Academy's mission are included for your use.  You may 
also find reviewing previous issues of Shipmate magazine as well as the official 
Naval Academy (www.usna.edu) and Alumni Association (www.usna.com) websites are 
helpful sources of current, factual information on the Academy.  Any questions 
can also be referred to the USNA Public Affairs Office at 410-293-2292 or email: 
mediarelations@usna.edu."

Bob Stevenson '60
Western Region Trustee
USNA Alumni Association
The following is an unofficial Movie Review as of 29 Jan 2006 by "A Patriot of the Class of '48 "
I saw the movie Annapolis yesterday and was very, very disappointed.
Certainly do not recommend it, unless to someone who is a boxing fanatic.
That subject made up over half the show. They had only one actual
three-second shot of USNA from across the river where they had "constructed"
a shipyard. The people of Annapolis must be cringing over that.

It was filmed in Philadelphia and the setting was more specifically at
Girard College there. Its drab buildings with large Greek columns looked
nothing like the old school. I was hoping for a few Navy songs, but there
were exactly none. There were a lot of different Navy and USNA athletic
shirts, which I hope they bought at the Midshipmen Store, so that somehow
the Academy could make some money out of this whole deal. The Academy and
the Navy were not even acknowledged in the ending credits, as far as I could
see. There was no Navy liaison person listed either. I saw one Beat Army
sign in a dorm room, but other than that no mention of football or any other
additional sport, except tennis when the female lead threw tennis balls at
the Plebe to help him with his jabs while preparing for the Brigade Boxing
Championships, in which he lost to a Firstie! Can you imagine a Plebe year
without a march-on at an Army game, particularly with most of them having
been played in Philly?

Somehow there must have been some alumni input, however. They did show
hazing rituals (of course wouldn't Hollywood like that?), including some
recitations out of Reef Points, such as How's the Cow? One clue to alumni
involvement was that the producer of the film was Mother B Productions! I
can picture that some grad got to Hollywood and gave his company that name
"honoring" Bancroft.

Save your bucks and watch for a rerun of Navy Blue and Gold from the
thirties! The one starring Jimmy Stewart, Robert Young, Tom Brown and Lionel
Barrymore. I still have it on tape and watch it every now and then. There's
a movie I can honestly say had a positive effect on my life!!! Movies of the
21st century - forget 'em!

Beat Army, anyhooo. And beat 'em often and at everything. FGB

GoNavyRadio.com
On 1 November 2005, during a special Homecoming broadcast, George Watt, president and CEO of the Alumni Association and Foundation, welcomed Captain Jeff “Murph” McCarthy ’00 and Roger Staubach ’65 to www.gonavyradio.com, a monthly radio show brought to friends of the Association and Foundation, live from historic Ogle Hall in Annapolis.

 

McCarthy, who just returned from deployment to Iraq, discussed what life has been like for him since graduating five years ago, and also about how his class is looking forward to its five-year reunion this weekend at Homecoming.  Watt was then joined by Staubach, a Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate who is known for winning the Heisman Trophy and as a leader in the National Football League.  Staubach’s class is returning for its 40th reunion this weekend.  He spoke about looking forward to Homecoming and about today’s Brigade of Midshipmen, as well as the impact of private support.      

 

We encourage you to tune in and listen to the archive of this month’s show at www.gonavyradio.com to learn more about homecoming festivities and the lives of two very interesting and intriguing graduates.  Please visit www.usna.com for more information on upcoming shows on gonavyradio.com!

The Capital, Annapolis, Md. 110105 (C11-1)
Football: Navy picks up travel costs for Tulane
By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer

Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson hasn't held a staff meeting in months.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, it essentially shut down the university that has been based there since 1834. With its facilities destroyed or damaged, Tulane's entire athletic department has been forced to pick up and move. Dickson is based in Dallas while his basketball team is across the state in College Station. Meanwhile, Tulane's football team is operating out of Ruston, La.

Dickson was personally affected by the hurricane, losing his home in New Orleans along with most of his personal belongings. "Rick asked if he could come casual to dinner on Friday night because he currently doesn't own a necktie," Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said.

Gladchuk has an emotional attachment to New Orleans and especially Tulane University since he served as the school's athletic director from 1987-90. Hearing that such a great institution is in danger of financial collapse sends shivers down his spine. Tulane is coming to Annapolis this weekend to play Navy in football, and Gladchuk is making certain the trip doesn't cost the visitors a dime. With the support of Adm. Rodney Rempt, the Naval Academy Superintendent, Gladchuk has wiped out all the travel costs normally associated with a football road trip. "We've tried to come up with a way to make this trip on Navy," Gladchuk said. "We're just doing everything we can to help them, to support them." Visiting teams are normally guaranteed an average of $120,000 from the host school. Gladchuk upped that amount by $50,000 and sent the check to Dickson in advance. Tulane is using the additional money to cover air fare for the entire football traveling party.

"Everything involving Tulane athletics is so disjointed right now. There's no cash flow and the school president has basically told Rick Dickson to figure it out," Gladchuk said. "They're really worried about losing everything. We feel compelled to do what we can to help ease the burden."

Navy has come up with ways to save Tulane approximately $50,000 more in expenses for this trip. At the academy's urging, the Wyndham Hotel in Baltimore is providing complimentary rooms for the entire traveling party. When players, coaches and support staff arrive at their hotel rooms, they will find gifts bags filled with all sorts of goodies as a welcome offering from the Naval Academy. Navy has also arranged for free bus transportation for the team throughout its stay in the area. The entire Tulane traveling party has been invited to a dinner at the academy on Friday night. Finally, all Tulane students that wish to attend the game will receive a free ticket by simply presenting a valid student identification card.

Gladchuk estimates the total relief Navy is offering the Tulane athletic department to reach roughly $200,000. "We just want this entire trip, except for the 60 minutes on Saturday, to be very enjoyable for the Tulane folks," Gladchuk said.
Prayers to Continue at Naval Academy
"The Naval Academy will continue its mandatory lunchtime prayer service despite a new policy issued last month by the Air Force to discourage most public prayer among its ranks.  The Naval Academy is the only military institution to conduct a formal prayer service at lunch for its roughly 4,100 Midshipmen.
    However the American Civil Liberties Union and the Anti-Defamation League have asked the Navy to stop the academy's lunch prayer. Their arguments are based on a 2003 ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which found that mealtime prayers at the Virginia Military Institute violated the First Amendment.
    The Air Force's new policy, which says prayers should not be allowed in staff or office meetings, classes or other officially sanctioned activities, could prompt the Pentagon to establish new rules governing religious sensitivity for all the military services."
 (article from Sea Power, 2005)

2005 Distinguished Graduate Award Announcement      [26 January 2005]

On behalf of 2005 Distinguished Graduate Award Committee Chairman Admiral Bob Natter '67 and our colleagues on the award selection committee, I am pleased to announce this year's recipients of the Alumni Association's Distinguished Graduate Award.

Captain Slade Cutter '35, USN (Ret.): Slade Cutter was an undefeated heavyweight intercollegiate boxing champion and All-American football place kicker and tackle at the Academy.  During WW II he commanded two submarines and was awarded four Navy Crosses, two Silver Stars and one Bronze Star.  He returned to the Naval Academy as athletic director and played a significant role in the construction of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Rear Admiral Robert "Bob" Wertheim '46, USN (Ret.): Bob Wertheim has a reputation as one of the nation's most distinguished strategic weapons engineers and managers. He is best known for the central role he played in the conception, development, production and operational support of the submarine-launched fleet ballistic missile systems POLARIS, POSEIDON and TRIDENT, which were, and remain,  the nation's most secure and effective deterrents to nuclear war. RADM Wertheim is a charter member of the Robert Means Thompson Society.  He is also a life member of the President's Circle donor society and has been active in the program to build the Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel at the Naval Academy. 

Admiral Ronald J. Hays '50, USN (Ret.): Ron Hays was a combat aviator and Navy test pilot whose many awards include the Silver Star (three), Distinguished Flying Cross (seven), Bronze Star with combat "V" and Air Medal (18).  Admiral Hays' long and distinguished naval career culminated in command of all Pacific forces (CincPac).  In retirement, he was chairman of the USS MISSOURI Memorial Association and led a four- year effort to establish the USS MISSOURI near THE USS ARIZONA as a major Pearl Harbor Monument.  Additionally, he is chairman of the board of the Military Aviation Museum of the Pacific, an ongoing $50 million project destined for historic Ford Island.

Mr. H. Ross Perot  '53: Following his active duty service in the Navy, Ross Perot went on to become a nationally known and extremely successful captain of industry. Additionally, he has received national and international recognition as a philanthropist, humanitarian, national political figure and a continuing major contributor to the Naval Academy.  As a midshipman, Perot was president of the Class of 1953 and an active member of Midshipman Bill Lawrence's committee that developed the USNA Honor Concept.  Last year Mr. Perot received the Business Executives for National Security's (BENS) prestigious Eisenhower Award in recognition of the exceptional efforts he has made, often at the expense of his corporate and personal fortunes, to help people who could not get help by regular means.

Please join us as we congratulate these four outstanding Alumni. This year marks the seventh time a group of peers has met to discern those few of more than 50,000 living graduates to be honored by their alma mater. The task of the committee is not an easy one, as this year the members thoroughly reviewed nearly 30 nomination packages of highly qualified and truly distinguished Naval Academy graduates in their own right. This year's selectees will be formally recognized at a ceremony at the Naval Academy on 15 April 2005 that will also include the Brigade of Midshipmen.

Go Navy!

G. P. Watt, Jr.
George P. Watt, Jr., President and CEO
U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation
410-263-4448 Ext. 102
247 King George Street
Annapolis, MD 21402
GPWATT@1973.usna.com
Visit us at www.usna.com
 

Wednesday's Parade

[Annapolis, MD, May 2005] 
Today we were treated to the most entertaining parade I have seen at
the Naval Academy.  Seated around me were alumni from the 50's and
70's, and they agree it will become legendary.

The setting was perfect:  blue skies, a nice breeze, the cherry trees
around Hospital Point in full bloom, the sailboats with their blue and
gold spinnakers in the background.  The Brigade began to march onto
Worden Field.  All looked normal at first, but then we noticed one of
the Mids in the Second Regiment who runs ahead to guide the company to
its place was confused and moved here and there before finding the
spot.  Soon the companies were coming into their slots on a slanted
path.  It became apparent that there would not be room for them all on
the field.  One company (14, I think) squeezed into a small spot that
was meant for the Color Guard.  30th Company arrived with no room left
on the end, so they continued on to a gap and came to rest between the
21st and 22nd Companies.  The 15th Company, finding no room at all,
gave up and marched back to Bancroft Hall!  The Color Guard, left with
no way through the brigade, squeezed through single file, then spread
out to present the Colors.  After the National Anthem, they returned
smartly, furled the Colors, and squeezed back.

What happened?  Since there are 22 days until Herndon, the 22nd Company
Plebes had moved/painted over the markers on the field indicating the
placement of the companies!  The consensus in our viewing area was it
was the best show since the Class of '52 all left their shoes on the
field and marched off in their socks.  Well done 22nd Company Class of
2008!

News from the Yard:  updated 7 April 2008                         Return to New Mexico Chapter Home Page