The U.S. Naval Academy received an early Christmas present — and it wasn’t a football win over Army.
The Navy awarded its Meritorious Unit Commendation to the entire academy for its academic, athletic and operational success between June 2007 and August 2008.
“This shows team success,” said Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler, the academy’s superintendent, on Wednesday. “They’ll get to wear a ribbon … that shows the excellence this brigade has shown through their hard work.”
The award, which was created in 1967, is bestowed on a ship, a unit or, in this case, the academy for its unparalleled achievement.
Unlike the National Defense Service Award that every military service member receives, the Meritorious Unit Commendation is rare for the academy, which has won the award only one other time, in 1998 for its community service efforts.
Even Fowler, who has been in the Navy for 30 years, has only received the honor once before.
The award cites the academy’s recent success this past year in having:
» The lowest plebe — or freshman — attrition rate ever;
» The highest graduation rate of all commissioning programs and service academies;
» The second-highest number of language and cultural scholarship winners;
» A record number of athletic league titles;
» The Mideast peace summit and U.S.-China Economic Summit with noted success;
» Diversity outreach.
Most of the honors came during Fowler’s first year at the academy, but Fowler said his predecessors had established the groundwork and pushed for these efforts that advanced the brigade.
Each midshipmen and staff member from the past year will get a red-, green-, yellow- and blue-striped ribbon and medal. A flag bearing the same colors hangs from the academy’s masts from the previous award. A second honor is denoted with a bronze star.
Vice Adm. Mark Ferguson III, deputy chief of naval operations, announced the award to the brigade during lunch Wednesday at King Hall on the academy grounds in Annapolis.
Some midshipmen didn’t know much about the award but nonetheless felt honored, especially the seniors.
“They asked a lot of the upper class this past year, and that has given us the real-world aspect we’ll be facing when we leave the academy,” said first-class midshipman Ryan McFadden, 22.
Other midshipmen were thankful for the honor, but their thoughts turned to their brethren fighting out in the field.
“It’s nice we’re being noticed like this, but the real credit should go to those out there working to protect our country and keep us safe,” said first-class midshipman Andrew Clayton, 22.
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