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| Were You a Prisoner at West Point? |
The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association is working on a story about the annual “Prisoner Exchange” prior to the Army-Navy football game. We’re looking for alumni who participated in the exchange program and spent a semester in “enemy” territory during their time at the Naval Academy. We’d like to know what midshipmen got out of the program and how it helped shape their careers. If you participated in the exchange program and would like to share your memories, please email Senior Writer Jimmy DeButts at jimmy.debutts@usna.com. |
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| Come Home for Homecoming |
 Planning to be in Annapolis to watch the Midshipmen take on the Tulane Green Wave on Homecoming on 26 October? Stop by the Alumni Association Open House at Historic Ogle Hall first. Join us for complimentary light fare and drinks, family-friendly games and activities and visits from a few surprise guests before heading to the stadium for tailgates and the game. The fun kicks off at 10:30 am and lasts until 12:30 p.m. Register here. |
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| Midshipmen Fly Through Eye of Hurricane Dorian |
 Three midshipmen and their Oceanography department instructor spent Labor Day weekend flying seven missions with the U.S. Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (53rd WRS) “Hurricane Hunters” through Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. The midshipmen served as mission specialists, contributing to the scientific effort on each flight. The data they collected was not only part of their research coursework, but part of a larger joint-interagency effort combining the Naval Academy’s oceanographic data with the Air Force’s atmospheric data collection effort in order to improve the accuracy of hurricane forecasts. |
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| Grad Wraps Up Innovative Air Force Training |
 ENS Seth Murphy-Sweet ’18, USN, and ENS Charles Hill, USN, just became the first two Navy pilots to complete the Air Force’s “Pilot Training Next (PTN),” a course designed to train military pilots cheaper, faster and with a higher level of proficiency leveraging emerging technologies to create a dynamic training environment. PTN individualizes training, adjusting to each student pilot’s strengths and weaknesses. It integrates virtual reality, advanced biometrics, artificial intelligence, and immersive training devices with traditional methods of learning. |
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| Head to the Himalayas with this Midshipman Video |
 Midshipmen Andrew Malick ’20, Frey Pankratz ’20, and four others spent a few weeks this summer on a Language, Regional Expertise and Culture expedition to northern India led by Joe Thomas, director of the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. But don’t let us tell you about it—their video does a much better job. |
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| U.S. Open Honors LT Joe Hunt ’42 |
 “A champion gives his life,” read the cover of American Lawn Tennis magazine back in 1945, when LT Joe Hunt ’42, USN’s, plane crashed off the Florida coast. Hunt won the U.S. Nationals title in 1943 but was unable to defend it due to his military obligations. He died before he had a chance to return to competition, the only U.S. Open or U.S. Nationals Champion to die in service. On 2 September, the U.S. Open renamed its annual military appreciation day the “Lt. Joe Hunt US Open Military Appreciation Day” in his honor. |
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| Tailgates at Tulsa, UConn, Notre Dame and Houston |
 Is Navy football playing in your neck of the woods this season? Or just someplace you’ve always wanted to visit? Follow the team on the road and check out the tailgates and other events sponsored by parent clubs and chapters. And of course … mark your calendar for Army-Navy and surrounding festivities in Philadelphia on 14 December. |
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| Barnes ’11 Joins First Class of Bass Scholars |
 Vanderbilt University’s Bass Military Scholars Program kicked off this year with the arrival of seven new scholars, all of whom are U.S. military veterans, including Ken Barnes ’11. Barnes is a former submarine officer now pursuing an MBA at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management. Each recipient currently receives $25,000 per year toward annual tuition costs. Once fully endowed, the program will support up to 40 scholarships and programming. The Bass program is the latest in a range of internships and fellowships open to veterans and service academy grads. |
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| O’Donnell ’19: “Saw at a Young Age What Sacrifice Is” |
 ENS Gavin O’Donnell ’19, USN, was just five years old when his father, a New York City detective, called home and asked the boy to look after his mom and sister-to-be if Dad didn’t make it back home. Fortunately, Detective Rob O’Donnell did, but “It's a conversation a father and son should never have,” and the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and the 18 funerals the two attended together made an impression. Today, the younger O’Donnell is bound for Naval Aviation Schools Command in Pensacola, FL. |
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| Modly ’83 Casts Doubt on 355-Ship Navy |
 Among the goals established during President Trump’s 2016 campaign: growing the Navy to 355 ships. Now, the Navy’s No. 2 civilian has acknowledged that goal won’t happen “within a reasonable amount of time” or without a $20-30 billion increase in annual funding. |
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| Travel with Navy from England to the Eagle’s Nest |
 One of our most popular itineraries, this journey is based on the best selling book Band of Brothers and the award winning HBO miniseries. On this unforgettable 13-day travel experience, you will follow in the footsteps of Easy Company, part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Make your reservation by 27 November and save! |
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