Color Parade

  It's hard to believe that the month of May is nearly over.  It seems like just yesterday I was dying for May 7th to arrive so I could begin my internship.  And now it's nearly June 1st.  I guess that's what I get for wishing my days away, my grandmother always told me never to do this after all.
   I've been talking a lot about what's been going on at the USNA these weeks, but little about what I've actually been doing besides ducking out of the office to peak at everything (I recently discovered a great patch of window space in the ladies room that you can see the field from where a lot of activities take place, this will be so great when Plebe summer begins!).  I promise I've actually been getting work done.  The highlight of my week was on Wednesday watching the Color Parade.  I snuck out of the office and watched for the Brigade Commander to start the march (from the ladies room of course).  When I saw him finally come down the cobble stone street, I bolted out of the ladies room, down the steps, ran through the hallway (thank God no one was around), quickly composed myself and walked outside my building.  Every midshipmen is divided into Companies which marched together from Bancroft Hall (their dorm) to the field.

Once they all assembled on the field, for an hour or so they did various presentations with their rifles, the bugle corp, and of course their colors.  There was a large to-do with the transferring of the colors from the company who hosted them this spring semester to the company that will host them the upcoming fall semester.  This is based on the company with the highest marks in academics, merit and athletics.  Quite fascinating.  Unfortunately, though the temperature was mild, the humidity was intense and quite a few midshipmen were dropping like flies.  

   As soon as they marched back to Bancroft Hall, literally seconds later they were out of their dress uniforms and back in the white ones.  I've never seen a wardrobe change that fast in my life.  I heard one overbearing mother begging her son to keep in on for 5 more minutes to pose in front of the Herndon Monument.  "Mom, this thing is like 10" thick, you put it on then."  Mothers will be mothers. I'm just grateful my school didn't have as many scenic places and monuments to pose by when I graduated as the USNA. It must take hours for the mothers to pose their sons and daughters here.

   Yesterday there were a ton of different awards ceremonies all over the yard.  I was actually impressed by my ability to give a few sets of parents directions on my lunch break. Tuesday the Mids will graduate and commission. They will become Ensigns in the Navy or 2nd Lieutenants in the Marine Corps (the lowest ranking officers), and then they will go off for more training (i.e. Naval Aviation training in Pensacola for 2 years).  At 10:00AM the ceremony begins down the street at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium and at 10:04AM the Blue Angels are flying over.  I am going to sneak out of my office one last time and try to witness this!!