GreekChat.com Forums - Annapolis: Thumbs down from Annapolis

This is the email that my father sent me yesterday concerning the movie...I know it is long, but even I found out some very interesting facts that I didn't realize about the USNA.

Personally, it can count in this long list of achievements - my father! The best dad I could have asked for who served and DEFENDED our country as an officer in the US Submarine Force (during the Cold War) for 28 years.

Quote:

Classmates,

I am passing on to you a message I just received from our Alumni Assn.

Depending on what the final version of the movie is (no one has seen it yet) and how USNA/midshipmen are portrayed, we as alums will need to do all we can to correct what will rapidly (unless the movie tanks the first weekend) become “common knowledge” about our Academy. Remember, after getting the full story of how USNA is and how it operates, the Hollywood crowd made the choice to go on their preconceived way…remember…making a buck is Hollywood’s God, and, IMHO, anything they can do to discredit the military and the military family is fair game.

The included talking points and statistics are a very good resource to give you a good review of USNA, and arm you to counteract any adverse publicity you may encounter.

Dave (a classmate of my father's)

David E. Church '67
CDR USN (Ret.)
Director of Alumni Services and Career Programs
U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association
Annapolis, MD 21402-5068
XXX-XXX-XXXX
XXX-XXX-XXXX fax

-----Original Message-----
From: Cam Bosworth
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 2:14 PM
To: Dave Church
Subject: "Annapolis" -- The Movie

This email is being sent to USNA Alumni Association Board of Trustees, USNA Foundation Board of Directors, Chapter/Class Presidents and Corresponding Secretaries and Parents Club Presidents.

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.

L. Heyworth III ‘70
Vice President, Communications
USNA Alumni Association

THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY

Producing Leaders of Character for our Navy and Marine Corps

Through a rigorous four year program, the Academy develops midshipmen so they can achieve the highest moral, mental and physical standards to meet the combat leadership challenges that face them in the Fleet and Marine Expeditionary Forces.

USNA Mission: To develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to provide graduates who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

USNA Vision: The Naval Academy is the Nation’s premier source of leaders for the Navy and the Marine Corps who embody the highest standards of character and professionalism, and who aspire to lead and serve their country in peace and war.

Vision for Midshipmen: As Midshipmen we exemplify the highest degree of personal integrity and ethical behavior.

-We aspire to lead in combat; commit to our personal best; and have the moral courage to hold others to a high standard of excellence.

-We lead by example from the front, build teamwork, persevere against all odds, and strive to win.

-Our focus is a strong technical foundation and critical analytical abilities.

-We maintain the highest level of physical conditioning and mental toughness; take complete responsibility for our personal actions and professional decisions; and treat others with dignity and respect.

Vision for Faculty and Staff: Our Naval Academy is composed of a highly cohesive team of military and civilian faculty and staff.

-We strive to be role models of ethical behavior and conduct for the Brigade, and we set these standards through educating and mentoring midshipmen.

-We are proud of our professional competence and performance; and we are dedicated to working to successfully accomplish the Naval Academy’s mission.

-We foster a culture in the Yard that focuses on the educational, cultural, recreational, and spiritual development of the Naval Academy team, all aimed at pursuing excellence in pursuit of our mission.

1. Developing Midshipmen Morally. Underlies the importance that our Navy and Marine Corps place on moral leadership – acting on the principles of right and wrong, and embodying exemplary character and personal conduct.

As future Navy and Marine Corps combat leaders, midshipmen are encouraged to set high personal standards of integrity and character, to respect both subordinates and superiors, and to measure their own actions with how well they mirror officers and leaders they respect.

Our future naval officers will be expected to make morally correct decisions under pressure. The toughest decisions are made under stress, when the stakes are high and the temptations to take the easy path or follow the conventional wisdom are strong.

Character development and ethics is incorporated throughout every aspect of USNA’s four year program. Character is practiced, for example on the athletic field, where midshipmen compete with everything they have in difficult situations, in pain and often against seemingly insurmountable odds. True character comes to the front when your team is down by 7 with 3 minutes left to play. The desire to persevere and overcome, to pull a mid-semester grade of a “D” to a final grade of “B+”, while maintaining one’s personal honor and integrity, is a mark of character in a 19 year old... and lays the foundation for the making of a moral leader.

2. Developing Midshipmen Mentally. The Naval Academy’s motto, “Ex Scientia Tridens” – “From Knowledge, Seapower” remains as relevant for our 21st Century midshipmen as it did for those in the early days of our Academy’s history. Then, as now, the effectiveness of our naval officers and combat leaders depends on their ability to process vital information quickly and deal with an increasingly technical battlefield.

·A technical education enables them to lead the high-tech Navy and Marine Corps. Shortly after commissioning, our graduates will find themselves on the bridge of a ship, in the control room of a submarine, in the pilot seat of an aircraft, or assaulting an enemy stronghold.

·To lead and succeed in this demanding environment, we teach our midshipmen the fundamentals to understand how complex systems fit together, their strengths and limitations, and how best to leverage new technology on the battlefield.

·We want to develop in our midshipmen the skills they need to become critical thinkers who can address tough problems and perform under pressure. They need to be able to discern fact from fiction, question basic assumptions, rapidly analyze vast amounts of information and assess chaotic situations with clear logic in order to make good decisions in the most stressful situations. We want our combat leaders to know facts, grasp basic principles, be able to apply the information they have, and be confident in taking decisive action.

3. Developing Midshipmen Physically. This is about hard work, stamina, and physical and mental toughness. Our junior officers will be expected to lead their troops and continue the fight after 24 or 36 hours without sleep in the midst of battle. They will have to make their most critical decisions when exhausted and pushed to the breaking point. We cannot replicate the actual stress of combat at ANNAPOLIS, but we can develop toughness and dogged determination through a physically competitive environment. Aggressiveness, perseverance and toughness in the face of adversity are qualities we want them to demonstrate as second nature.

4. Importance of athletics in developing our future combat leaders.

A successful team builds confidence, pride, unity, intensity, focus, spirit and an understanding that we expect to win in everything we do as a member of the United States Navy.
The Navy and Marine Corps wants their officers to be team builders and learn how to motivate others to excel. They want them to keep going when the chips are down and hope is gone. They want them to compete on the athletic field – and ultimately fight on the battle field – to win.
Through intramurals, club sports or varsity athletics, each midshipman is required to fully participate, to play on a team and strive to win. The fundamentals of analyzing an opponent and then bringing their own team’s strengths to bear against the other team’s weaknesses are taught through competition on the athletic field.
Coaches play an integral role in developing midshipmen. Naval Academy coaches direct a daily classroom that teaches goal setting... taking direction... leading/following... example setting... peer motivation... overcoming challenges... dealing with adversity... achieving success. Athletic competition helps build leaders.

5. Notable Graduates:

1 President of the United States
2 Cabinet Members
6 Ambassadors
19 Members of Congress
5 State Governors
5 Secretaries of the Navy and 1 Secretary of the Air Force
4 Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
26 Chiefs of Naval Operations
9 Commandants of the Marine Corps
2 Nobel Prize Awardees
73 Medal of Honor Awardees
52 Astronauts
43 Rhodes Scholars (including 7 in the last two years)
15 Marshall Scholars
93 Olmsted Scholars
25 Fitzgerald Scholars
830 Burke Scholars

6. College Rankings.

2006 US News & World Report -

#4 Best Undergraduate Engineering program,
#3 Best Aerospace Engineering Program;
#5 Best Electrical Engineering Program.

Each of these rankings was based upon the judgments of deans and senior faculty familiar with the specific programs.

2006 Princeton Review Best 361 Colleges -

The Naval Academy placed in the top 20 in 12 of 64 categories including:

#5 "Stone-cold Sober";
#3 "Accessible Professors";
#13 Community Relations.

Princeton Review derived these rankings based upon surveys of college students at colleges and universities across the country.

7. Latest Plebe Class Profile – Class of 2009

CLASS SIZE ON JUNE 29, 2005

Men 9,008 - APPLICATIONS
Men 984

Women 2,249 - APPLICATIONS
Women 236

Total 11,257 - APPLICATIONS
Total 1,220

SCHOLASTIC ASSESSMENT TEST I & AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTING SCORES

SCORE RANGE

>700 (31-36)
Verbal - 28%
Math - 34%

600-699 (26-30)
Verbal - 45%
Math - 53%

<600 (<26)
Verbal - 27%
Math - 13%

WOMEN & MINORITIES.

The Class of 2009 includes 236 women (19.3%) and a total of 272 minority midshipmen (22.3%) with ethnic backgrounds as follows:

Ethnic background - Number

African American - 69
Hispanic - 115
Asian American - 40
Native American - 29
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - 19

FOREIGN NATIONALS

The Class of 2009 includes 11 international students from: Guyana (two), Honduras, Ireland, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

ALUMNI SONS AND DAUGHTERS.
The Class of 2009 includes 53 sons and 16 daughters of Naval Academy alumni (5.6%).

HIGH SCHOOL HONORS AND ACTIVITIES

·Student body/council/government president or vice president 9%
·Class president or vice president 9%
·School club president or vice president 25%
·School publication staff 24%
·National Honor Society 59%
·Varsity athletics 91%
·Dramatics, public speaking, debating 85%
·Leader of musical group. 9%
·Eagle Scout/Gold Award 13%
·Boys/Girls State or Nation 14%
·Reserve Officer Training Programs 10%
·Sea Cadets 2%

RANK IN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS

First fifth 81.5%
Second fifth 13%
Third fifth 4%
Fourth fifth 1.3%
Fifth fifth 0.2%

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND. The Class of 2009 includes 33.8% percent (412) from college and post‑high school preparatory programs, which include:

·235 from Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) in Newport, R.I.
·16 from Nuclear Power School Program in Goose Creek, S.C.
·80 from the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Program (66 from preparatory schools and 14 from other colleges under Foundation sponsorship).
·81 additional students have completed at least six months of study at a college or university (76) or a private preparatory school (5).

MILITARY BACKGROUND.

Total Former Enlisted:
Navy 62
Marine Corps 14
Total 76

(These figures include 27 who entered directly from the Navy (22) and the Marine Corps (5). Additionally, 49 prior enlisted attended a year at the Naval Academy Preparatory School (40 from the Navy, 9 from the Marine Corps).