News & Events

News, Events & More

Greater DC Alumni Chapter Members: Join the Inaugural Monthly Bike Ride Saturday 19 Sep

Posted: 9/17/2020

When: 19 Sep 2020 08:30, EDT
Where: Falls Church – American Legion Post 130 – 400 North Oak St Falls Church, VA 22046

This will be a group ride to get us together and outside.  We will vary the locations to maximize exposure to area resources and get members of the GWC together.  Ride #1 will be on the W&OD trail, road bikes are preferred but not required.  We will group by bike type and ability.  

See the flyer for more details, including meeting location, ride distances, and parking information.

Calling All Broadside Fans: Interview with Jeff Bacon on the Cartoon’s Origins

Posted: 9/15/2020

Interested in the story of Broadside? (If you’re not, you better be in front leaning rest.) I totally missed the live event earlier this month, which was hosted by Ringknocker (Virtual Meetups), but luckily there’s YouTube in our lives. Click below to access the recorded interview:

The Broadside Origin Story

Original post: Jeff Bacon is the creator of BROADSIDE, the comic strip that captured every aspect of the Navy experience in the Navy Times for over three decades. Here Jeff shares the story of how it all started. Are you a current or former United States Military officer? Join a RINGKNOCKER Virtual Meetup! Learn more at https://www.ringknocker.net/meetups.

Article: Harrison Schramm on Creating a Digital Service Academy (in War on the Rocks)

Posted: 9/13/2020

Check out Harrison’s most recent publication, which advocates the creation of a Digital Service Academy. At a time when much of the DoD struggles to adequately and appropriately implement Artificial Intelligence (AI), this is a timely article addressing a critical knowledge and capability shortfall. It was recently published in War on the Rocks. Whom from the great Class of 1996 will be first in line for a second Plebe Year at USDSA? Great work, Harrison!

MAKING A U.S. DIGITAL SERVICE ACADEMY WORK – Schramm, Lyons (10 Sep)

 

Epic Pass: Ski or Ride at 34 North American Resorts (Lowest Price if Purchased by 17 Sep)

Posted: 9/12/2020

Five days left! Shout out to Brian Reardon for posting the Epic Pass reminder on our class FB page. If you’re not familiar with the program, this pass gives you access to ski or ride at 34 North American resorts throughout the 2020-2021 season. For Active Duty/Retired, it’s an insane deal at only $169. For Veterans it’s still a great deal at $559. Dependents can purchase passes at the same categorical rates. Check out all the military deals here and military pass FAQs here.

For the lowest rates, complete your verification and purchase the pass by 17 Sep. Time for a ’96 reunion on the slopes!

Epic Pass Information

*NEW* Reservation Policy for 2020-2021 (due to COVID-19; may be suspended later in the season)

Article: Kim Mitchell Writes About the Importance of Veteran Re-Training Skills

Posted: 9/10/2020

If you haven’t seen Kim’s latest publication, which ran online/in RealClear Policy on 26 August, please check it out here. Great article, Kim!

Executive summary: Most workers have never been faced with the prospect of re-training for entirely new roles and industries to remain economically relevant – and employed. However, there is a segment of our economy for whom re-skilling – and reinvention – is commonplace. In the military, lifelong learning is part of the mission. For the 80 percent of active-duty military retire or leave the military before full retirement eligibility, reinventing themselves to thrive in “second” or even “third” careers is a way of life.

Tune in One Hour Early Tomorrow to Hear Remarks by Supe, AD, and USNA Alumni Assoc CEO

Posted: 9/6/2020

When: 1900 (EDT) Monday, 07 Sep 2020

Where: Virtual (hosted on Facebook Live by the USNA Alumni Association and Foundation)

Link: https://www.facebook.com/USNAAlumni/

From the USNA Alumni Association: Calling All Navy Fans…Navy Football is back! Are you ready for the season opener on Labor Day? The Midshipmen will face BYU for this historic game in Annapolis at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. We wish we could welcome you all in person but are excited to invite you to tune into our FB live event on our page with remarks from Byron Marchant ‘78, CEO of the USNA Alumni Association and Foundation, Superintendent VADM Sean Buck ‘83, USN, and Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk.
Tune in to the event on the Alumni Association and Foundations’s Facebook Monday Night at 7 p.m. EDT . #GoNavy

 

Malcom Perry Makes the Official Miami Dolphins Roster Following Preseason Camp and Cuts

Malcom Perry survived the Miami Dolphins’ preseason camps, and after the last round of cuts was made final, is officially on the initial early season roster. He is currently listed as a RB, although he’s been playing as a wideout all summer. Regardless of where they put him, Perry will likely continue to shine. Looks like we are not done watching Malcom Perry play football! And I bet there’s a lot of grads boosting Dolphins jersey sales. Read Bill Wagner’s full press release in the Capital Gazette.

Navy vs. BYU: Navy Football Kicks Off the Season in Primetime on Monday Night

Posted: 9/5/2020

Just a reminder to tune in and watch Navy kick off the 2020 season with a matchup against BYU. Although no fans – or even Midshipmen – will be at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the game will be televised on ESPN starting at 8pm on Monday (07 Sep 2020). This game was ranked No. 1 matchup for the opening week of college football (USA TODAY), so we’re already winning. Hope all have a safe and fun Labor Day weekend, and don’t forget your Shipmate submissions – photos in game day gear wanted!

Read the Naval Academy Athletic Association Press Release here.

ESPN game summary here and commentary by ESPN’s Rece Davis here.

This Thursday: A Discussion on Mentorship with David Smith, PhD (’87)

Posted: 8/23/2020

Event: Mentorship in 2020: A Discussion with David Smith, PhD ’87, sponsored by the USNA Alumni Greater DC Chapter

When: 27 Aug 2020 19:00, EDT
Where: Virtual (Link to be sent to registrants)

REGISTRATION

If you are interested in discussing mentorship, or signing up to be a mentor or mentee through this new chapter endeavor, don’t miss this event!

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Please join us in celebrating National Women’s Equality Day with a timely discussion on the role of mentorship in 2020 – across genders, throughout organizations, and in the time of social distancing- with CAPT David Smith, USNA ’87. 

This event will culminate in the launch of the USNA AA GWC mentorship program where alumni will have the opportunity to be both mentors and mentees. 

David Smith, PhD, is Associate Professor of Sociology in the National Security Affairs Department at the United States Naval War College. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including bias in performance evaluations, retention of women, dual career families, military families, and women in the military. Dr. Smith is the author of numerous journal articles and 2 books in the area of gender in the workplace and inclusive mentoring relationships. These books include Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (October 2020 with Brad Johnson) and Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (September 2016 with Brad Johnson). 

Some of Dr. Smith’s recent works on mentorship can be found below:

Social Distancing Doesn’t Have to Disrupt Mentorship

What Men Can Do to Be Better Mentors and Sponsors to Women

 

Lucky Bag of Books: Add to Your Summer Reading List (And Bonus History Lesson)

Posted: 8/22/2020

Just plucked from the July 2020 edition of Wavetops: an interesting tidbit buried in the sidebar… a book title collection. Looking for reading material? Check out the Lucky Bag of Books, an electronic collection of reading material championed by the Alumni Association and Foundation, with links to purchase (via Amazon). There are over a hundred titles to peruse. Surprisingly, the subject matter varies greatly beyond the expected sea chronicles, histories, and new-era “Clancy-esque” novels. There are children’s titles, as well, and an interesting looking fantasy series by a ’10 grad that harkens back to Carnival Row, a binge-worthy Amazon Prime series that debuted last year (and which I may or may not have watched in a single weekend). Check this collection out if you need more Kindle fodder (and who doesn’t?) or are looking for gifts.

From the Alumni Association: “The Lucky Bag of Books is a varied collection of fiction and non-fiction books, some written by alumni, some are about alumni and subjects of interest including children’s books. When you purchase through the Alumni Association and Foundation partnership with Amazon, they will provide a 4-8% share of your order total to our organization.”

In other book-related news, the Fall 2020 collection being released by the U.S. Naval Institute press is available for pre-order now (view/order here).

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I was intrigued by the reference to a Lucky Bag, so I took a little side trip through the halls and stacks of Wikipedia to dig in a bit more. The 1940 edition of Bluejacket’s Manual reminds us to keep track of our articles, lest they become loose and cause us strife in accountability. [Triggers dim reminders of Plebe Year.] As printed: “The lucky bag is a place where the police petty officers stow for safe-keeping effects that are found adrift about the ship. All clothes, etc., found about the decks are placed in the lucky bag. When clothes are piped down, the police petty officer attends and takes care of all clothes not called for and places these in the lucky bag. All effects in this bag belong to the person who lost them. At frequent intervals the lucky bag is opened and the effects distributed to the owners. Where persons have been guilty of carelessness in leaving their effects adrift, they are placed on the report.” According to the log of the USS Yosemite, on June 24, 1898 several sailors were given 72 hours extra duty for having an article in the lucky bag.

“Every man-of-war, you know, has her Lucky Bag, containing a little of every thing, and something belonging to every body. For variety of contents, a regular Lucky Bag may vie with the caldron that witches boil and bubble “at the pit of Acheron.”                   horse of middy and waister’s sock,
dresses of a cat mouse game
Purser’s slops and topman’s hat,
Boatswain’s call and colt and cat,
Belt that on the berth-deck lay,
In the Lucky Bag find their way;
Gaiter, stock and red pompoon,
Sailor’s pan, his pot and spoon,
Shirt of cook and trowser’s duck,
Kid and can and “doctor’s truck,”
And all that’s lost, and found on board,
In the Lucky Bag is always stored.”

Printed under the column “Scraps from The Lucky Bag,” Southern Literary Messenger Vol. VI No. 4, Richmond, April, 1840

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