Amy O?Rourke, of Michigan, couldn?t avoid crying when the Navy?s top admiral spoke of war, duty and leadership as her little brother was days away from his first military assignment.
“I couldn?t help but being proud. … It is scary that he might see a battle, but Kyle?s always stood up for what?s right, and he?s willing to be a leader,” said O?Rourke, 32, who watched her brother, Kyle Corry, go from U.S. Naval Academy midshipman to a naval officer and future helicopter pilot.
Corry joined more than 1,000 other midshipmen who earned bachelor?s degrees and commissions as either Navy or Marine Corps officers during Friday?s ceremony at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a commencement address focused on integrity ? questioning misguided actions of superiors, admitting mistakes and learning from them ? especially as many of the midshipmen would be leading service members in the war on terrorism.
“When you stop learning form your mistakes, you stop leading,” Mullen said.
“Don?t be afraid to questions your seniors. … Pose tough questions, especially when things aren?t going well.”
Some midshipmen found Mullen?s words reassuring as they enter the fleet as the future leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps.
“You need to be able to question things. How can you lead others when you yourself aren?t sold?” said newly commissioned 2nd Lt. Jesse Burdick, 21, of San Francisco.
Commissioning Day had all the usual fanfare: the six F/A-18s of the Blue Angels screaming overhead, the amnesty of minor demerits and tossing of hats to symbolize their exit from the academy and into military service for the next five years.
Mullen also spoke of tradition and keeping the military “alive,” noting that the country was not as supportive of the military when he graduated from the academy in 1968.
Tacoma, Wash., native Crosby Washington watched his son, Ojala “O.J.” Washington, a wide receiver on Navy?s football team, become a naval officer and continue a family tradition of military service. Crosby Washington retired from the Army after serving in the first Gulf conflict more than 10 years ago.
“[Mullen] may have sounded like an old soldier, but I?m proud my son is carrying on tradition, and hopefully we can keep it going,” Crosby Washington said.
CLASS STATS
Of the 1,227 plebes inducted into the class of 2008 by the U.S. Naval Academy, 1,037 graduated Friday, and most were commissioned as Navy ensigns or Marine Corps second lieutenants.
The graduates include:
- Men: 823
- Women: 214
- Navy: 785
- Marine Corps: 233
- Foreign students: 16
- Hispanics: 93
- Blacks: 51
- Asian-Americans: 49
- Native Americans: 17
Source: U.S. Naval Academy
