United States Naval Academy (Reel 1, 1940s)

[Applause] [Music] to we to the you for [Music] [Applause] [Applause] oh [Music] dear Bob I know that you and mother are anxiously awaiting my advice as to whether you should try to get into the Naval Academy I've deliberately taken a few days to think it over and have decided to tell you something of my 4 years there then let you decide for yourself the day I piled on of a bus at the Naval Academy I realized that all the candidates were just average American Boys sons of farmers Bakers Bankers ministers and from every state in the Union the guard told us where to check in and we learned right there that midshipman don't enter the yard they come aboard the United States Naval Academy once inside the gates the Navy became our world a very happy one filled with cheerful fellow candidates our first stop was to get a complete physical examination physical fitness and good health is a must at the [Music] Academy all we hoped here was that these two couldn't see each other the eye test for color perception required us to pick out numbers hidden in color patterns of these cards the figures stood out like a sore thumb once you saw them [Music] I still remember taking the oath of office it's one of the most dramatic moments in a naval officer's career your right hands having been appointed midshipman in the United States Navy you do solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic that you will bear Tru faith and allegiance to the same that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that you will well and Faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter so help you God I do good luck to you we were carefully measured for our uniforms and were issued socks shirts jumpers underwear leggings gloves hats and countless other items it got so we could hardly count them let alone carry [Music] them and there were still blankets pillows sheets and Towers to get we were assigned quarters in boft Hall named for George boft founder of the Naval Academy they were roomy well-lighted comfortable I shared my room with a swell guy from Oklahoma and this is how our friendship was born [Music] [Applause] [Music] once we done the uniform we were fourth classman pleads uniform looks the same on every midshipman but looking like a midshipman and marching like one are two different matters we soon corrected that and it taught us to be alert quick in attention and motion then we W on to the manual of arms you were getting to be pretty good and discovered that practice May perfect well almost [Music] perfect days went by before we had an opportunity to look over the place that was to become our home for 4 years the fine buildings and grounds are among the most beautiful in the world there's also dignity here and something more there is tradition one feels it senses it every moment the word that describes bencroft Hall is Splendor 40 acres of floor space and 3 and 1/2 mil of corridors make it the largest single dormatory in the world once inside the massive bronze doors one's eyes follow the grand marble staircase that leads to Memorial Hall enshrined here are treasured paintings and statuary of Naval Heroes such as John Paul Jones fighting Bob Evans David faragut Oliver Hazard Perry George jwy James Lawrence whose Immortal dying words don't give up the ship still echo throughout the naval service the chapel which dominates the grounds is known all over the world world for the beauty of its architecture and magnificent stained windows [Music] way for beneath the chapel in a hallowed Crypt are the remains of the immortal naval hero John Paul Jones wielding his sword on the deck of the bonome Rashad he shouted the famous I have not yet begun to fight and snatched a great Victory from near defeat and there was the museum it gave us a pretty complete history of our Navy and thus our nation's history Priceless battle relics and War trophies brought to life the Epic of the American Navy from the days of its Beginning Upon This common mess table aboard the USS Missouri Japan signed the articles of surrender ending the second world war and there were the class rings symbols of Academy days together ship models alone are among its most precious possessions you'll see case after case of battle scarred Flags return from missions to the four corners of the earth yes the Dignity of the Navy's Heritage is all here the Academy's educational Halls are named in honor of American naval officers history has made room for them among her Heroes here we were instructed in courses from seamanship to jet propulsion and electronics studies designed to prepare us to man and later command fleets on the Seas above the Seas and beneath the Seas many monuments dot the GRS they are more than just Stone metal or marble in 1812 for instance this baleful looking Figure Head was on the British frigate Macedonian which was captured by the American frigate United States and the Mexican Monument dedicated to naval officers who lost their lives in the Mexican war this Monument was inspired by the Gallant action of naval officers against the barbery Pirates of [Music] Tripoli the station ship Reena Mercedes referred to as the fastest ship in the Navy because it has been fast to a dock for 35 years is a trophy of the Spanish American [Music] War one of the most impressive sits at the Academy is on Sundays when the entire Brigade of midshipmen answer Church call all midshipmen attend some kind of divine worship either in the nonsectarian chapel or in a church of their own choice [Music] the remainder of ple summer was spent getting in the groove from the instant we hit the deck at they all turned out something new was being added every [Music] minute we formed and marched to and from classes our good and faithful friend Chief dumpa god of the 2.5 the minimum passing grade stood by to accept our pre-exam prayers the left-handed salute in a sacrificial shower of pennies to theumer is supposed to help get one's gr up in the rigging loft of loose Hall there are the mysteries of such knots as the fisherman's bend the monkey fist and the Bowen on a bite it could be called learning the ropes the hard way in other classes we learned everything that a naval officer should know characteristics of ship design design the rules of the road tolling anchoring navigation moing radar Gunnery engineering and then boats who said the era of steam has come to stay a naval officer must be proficient in handling all types of boats first we were introduced to whale boats and learned to board and lower them without spilling ourselves into the drink we were pretty clumsy with the ORS but we got the hang of it and it became a great sport besides it build up our [Music] bodies later as upper classmen we handled trim little Ys and showed off a bit for our girls the end of CLE summer brought the return of the Upper classman from their summer cruise and our Academic Year [Music] began alert minds and strong bodies are products of good food a healthy environment and proper medical attention these go hand in hand at the Academy [Music] you've probably heard that the academic grind is tough at the Academy it's no tougher than the average college course leading toward a Bachelor of Science degree actually the small size of each class or section gave us an advantage in having individual instruction we were also given every opportunity to put into actual practice what we had studied in the classroom for instance delving into the mechanical mysteries of a Modern Diesel installation or learning to operate one of the Navy's latest torpedo tubes then getting on speaking terms with 5in dual-purpose guns we were always taught the things most needed in our Naval career such as how to handle a ship in a rough sea we not only received instructions in handling surface ships and submarines but were given a concentrated course in aviation the hours devoted to Aviation equal in time that given other academic subjects thus we learned the importance of Naval Air power and how to integrate it with ground surface and UND surface units beginning with basic structure and design problems we went through classes in aviation engineering jet propulsion gas turbin Communications and primary Flight [Music] Training if it's Sports you're interested in you'll find them at the Naval Academy and in keeping with its high tradition you'll find the champions from fencing to football from basketball to boxing the Navy is noted for its top-notch performance a leader in the win sports program is the basketball team annually it meets the best teams in the nation during my last year it earned an invitation to the National Collegiates at Madison Square Garden in New [Music] [Applause] York boxing which teaches a young man to take as well as to give is another of the popular sports down Annapolis world aggressiveness courage and physical fitness play their part in molding a naval [Music] officer in wrestling probably no other school possesses the fine record of the Navy the blue and gold Grapplers won four out of five of the last Intercollegiate championships a tribute to Top Notch coaching and conditioning [Music] handed down from the fighting days of old comes fencing where agility and adroitness symbolize the skill so necessary for this precise [Music] sport whether a young man has an aptitude for any one particular sport gymnastics provide the opportunity for the development of many talents here is presented the chance for one perform as an individual with skill Grace and precision demanding in its training gymnastics serve as a yard stick in measuring the advancement of a man's physical ability [Music] in the beautiful Natatorium at the Academy will be seen some of the nation's finest Collegiate swimmers leading universities send their swimmers against Navy merman not only it's Varsity crew but every midshipman passes highly rated tests to ensure his ability to perform well in the water [Music] it would be in congruous for the Naval Academy not to have a crew and not to have a good one in the spring sliding through the waters of the Severn can be seen many boats used in training the crew for their meats and gettas no Navy man feels out of place in a boat and so it's only fitting that the crew record stands at the top the first Eastern Intercollegiate Sprint Retta was held at the Naval [Music] Academy for those who like the links and who doesn't a beautiful 18-hole Golf Course has been provided proving as apt on land as at Sea the Navy scored five successive wins over the Army golf team thus pointing up their ability to handle a driver as well as a [Music] destroyer of course no sports program would be complete without the American national game baseball here in the Army Navy game has demonstrated the fact that the academy takes the diamond game [Music] seriously in in soccer our teams prove their ability to adapt themselves to the English game a game which calls for the use of the head as well as the feet it is fast spectacular and demands the utmost in [Music] teamwork one of the nation's favorite sports tennis gets its full quarter of attention at the Academy on these courts are seen matches between midshipman and some of the brightest stars from the nation's [Music] colleges though the American Indians started it the stick and the midshipman became friends quickly and Lacrosse is now one of the biggest Sports at the Academy rough rugged and demanding it has become a great spectator sport as well during my last year we beat the Army and won the national championship usually culminating the spring Sports and rounding out the year come The Men Who Run jump Vault and throw track men who train Against Time height and distance that they train well and thoroughly is evidenced by the Intercollegiate Championship which they are now defending great Sprint men have graced this track and in the field events the Academy's strength has long been predominant [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]