Personally, I don't have a lot invested in the Herndon ceremony - I'm a NROTC guy - but a lot of my readers do.
Well, tradition was good while it lasted.
As they have for 70 years, students at the U.S. Naval Academy are celebrating the end of their grueling first year by scaling a 21-foot obelisk. But this year, without lard coating the monument, they did it a lot faster than usual.Lame.
For years, the Herndon Monument was slathered in lard to make it harder to climb. It often took hours for a group of first-year students, or "plebes," to hoist a peer on their shoulders to place an officer's hat atop the obelisk.
On Monday, to make the tradition safer, the obelisk wasn't greased and plebes scaled it in two minutes and five seconds flat.
How instructive. To take a tangent - this is a perfect example of the Boomer's soft bigotry of low expectations when it comes to younger generations. From the same Boomer mentality that gave us "Everyone gets a trophy
," "We don't keep score, we just let them play" and my favorite "Dodge ball is bad for self-esteem and Red-Rover is too dangerous ... so is PE. We have cancelled them all" - we now have a dry monument.
In comments, a MIDN pegged it at 1.5 minutes. 1.5, 2.5. What is the difference? At this point, why bother at all. It is all kind of lame ... about as lame as the injury reason.
If there is so much concern about injury - then by all means we should stop all football - NOW. On top of that, women's b-ball has a high injury rate too. CANX that ... and so on ... and so on ...
Being that climbing an hunk of dry granite is about as unique as throwing a hat in the air - do something else. From the outside, a dry Herndon is almost like watching an young, healthy adult on 3-wheel bicycle.
I would recommend instead that the MIDN save up some money and some leave time. Get on a plane. Rent an apartment in Paris, Berlin, or Amsterdam (if you get enough people together - it is very affordable) for a week. The drinking age is 16 there. No one will care what you do or don't do. Everyone will treat you like an adult and will treat you with respect due an emancipated adult. Do a battlefield tour so you don't feel guilty (if you want a recommendation or two - I will be glad to help for either the tour or apartment locations). Return to the USA when you have to. Counsel next year's MIDN to do the same.
My $.02. Your school, your call.
UPDATE: A regular reader sent a link to the pic above. She is the official Salamander MIDN of the Month. Well done! (Sorry, no parking space goes with it)
UPDAT II - Electric Boogaloo: A member of the extended Salamander network sends along what is unquestionably the best quote to the day from a Firstie;
," "We don't keep score, we just let them play" and my favorite "Dodge ball is bad for self-esteem and Red-Rover is too dangerous ... so is PE. We have cancelled them all" - we now have a dry monument.In comments, a MIDN pegged it at 1.5 minutes. 1.5, 2.5. What is the difference? At this point, why bother at all. It is all kind of lame ... about as lame as the injury reason.
If there is so much concern about injury - then by all means we should stop all football - NOW. On top of that, women's b-ball has a high injury rate too. CANX that ... and so on ... and so on ...
Being that climbing an hunk of dry granite is about as unique as throwing a hat in the air - do something else. From the outside, a dry Herndon is almost like watching an young, healthy adult on 3-wheel bicycle.
I would recommend instead that the MIDN save up some money and some leave time. Get on a plane. Rent an apartment in Paris, Berlin, or Amsterdam (if you get enough people together - it is very affordable) for a week. The drinking age is 16 there. No one will care what you do or don't do. Everyone will treat you like an adult and will treat you with respect due an emancipated adult. Do a battlefield tour so you don't feel guilty (if you want a recommendation or two - I will be glad to help for either the tour or apartment locations). Return to the USA when you have to. Counsel next year's MIDN to do the same.
My $.02. Your school, your call.
UPDATE: A regular reader sent a link to the pic above. She is the official Salamander MIDN of the Month. Well done! (Sorry, no parking space goes with it)
UPDAT II - Electric Boogaloo: A member of the extended Salamander network sends along what is unquestionably the best quote to the day from a Firstie;
"No grease? It's a lot less gay nowadays. That's bad!"
Dry? Does that count? Do the mids thinks it counts? I am sure the jokes will follow.
ReplyDeleteSad Day in Mudville. Fowler gets his last shot.
As mentioned in another thread, maybe grads should withhold funds until they like what they see.
So the symbolism of having to work together to accomplish a difficult task, and having to work hard to do it, is not something we want inculcated into the young cadets? You remember something that it took a small herd of you 2 hours to do a lot longer than something that was over and done in less than 120 seconds. What's the point of doing it at all? I recently read in a late 1950's Polulap Science, that the original name that cherry pickers were marketed under was Giraffe Truck. In order to make sure that the hatting of the monument has no chance of any danger ( to military personnel ), will me make them place the hat from the bucket of a Giraffe?
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the class of 2013, I can tell you that we had all heard before today that Herndon might not be greased this year but had hoped this was nothing more than rumor. While 2 minutes, 5 seconds is an impressive time, we are now mocked as the first class in over 50 years that didn't complete a "real" Herndon ceremony. And this, just hours after an inspiring lecture by General David Petraeus calling on us to seek out challenges and tackle difficult tasks...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the "lets not unduly put at risk the poor dears" attitude, fueled in no small part by the sane legal considerations that have seen diving boards removed from public, YMCA and HS swimming pools all over the country, is everywhere. Years ago Eastern Illinois had, as part of its spring Frosh vs upper class events. a greased pole climb where a freshman beenie was retrieved, among other things like tug-of-war across campus lake, etc. Alas, the greased pole climb was discontinued decades ago in the 70s. for the self-same "safety" considerations.
ReplyDelete*same* viz "sane"
ReplyDeleteI am given to understand that next year, the class will hire a cherry picker to hoist a middy picked at randum up to a suitable hight from which an officer's cap with a rainbow emblem will be placed upon the point of the obelisk.
ReplyDeleteThe next year, in the spirit of diversity and safety, an avatar of a middy composed from all the various ethnic groups will use an online simulation to place the cap on a representative obelisk in a virtual world.
All the middys will be able to watch the virtual placing online, and afterwards have a facilitated discussion on the use of covers placed upon phallic symbols in a paternalistic environment, and whether the modern Navy should not address the obvious sexual overtones and their relation to the Sacred Feminine.
Jesus wept.......
Are you kidding me VADM Fowler?
ReplyDeleteMaybe the new 'Dant and new Sup' will fix this.
A Concerned Sailor and Grad
PS: And I agree with Sal. People get hurt playing div 1 ball.... =-O
Sorry anon. The label has been given and will stick. Blame the supt - let the new guy know you are up for the challenge and hopefully common sense will prevail.
ReplyDeleteFor the alumni, Fowler needed to go when he blessed the drug dealing football player, yet no one of power stood up. We get what we deserve I guess.
Good grief. They've signed up for a military academy in time of war, but are deemed to be too fragile to climb the statue in the traditional way? Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tradition. Not easily explained to those outside the tradition but meaningful to those within it. Sure, it's frivolous in the clinical explanation. Brother and Sisterhood in the best sense. A bond.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this a threat (to the Supe - and why does he care? Forced retirement after a ghastly record this year)?
Why is this even an issue? Why reduce a crazy, no-explanation, comradarie-building tradition to a direct-threat to the senior leadership? It's fun. They love it. A couple get hurt. WTF Fowler? is this some kind of last minute snipe?
Please. focus on the important.
Sometimes the connections between learning to lead and leadership are not a straight line.
Would there be any possibility of some unknown persons greasing it in the middle of the night, followed by the posting of flyers declaring an unofficial climb at dawn? Such a thing would make for quite a statement, as well, as accomplishing some degree of redemption.
ReplyDeleteDoes the Supe forget his own Herndon experience? The VADM was quoted as saying "allowing [plebes] to scale the 21-foot-tall, greased obelisk serves no useful training purpose and subjects midshipmen to possible serious injuries." No useful purpose? It was a teamwork exercise (and a long standing tradition), different than "Sea Trials", but still constructive. It takes teamwork from the class as a whole to get the dixie cup off the top and replace it with the combo cover. If just one person tries to climb up without the foundation being properly set, it all comes down.
ReplyDeleteGood idea! They can't fry everybody, right? do it barefooted, don't want to be associated with a mutiny.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, congrats to those who finished plebe year. One step complete, many more ahead.
S/F,
REDEYE
Well-said. I agree with you, and not just because I am afraid of you. :-P
ReplyDelete2013 Mid,
ReplyDeleteDo you and your classmates really want to overcome what some may see as an injustice? Here's what you might do: get your class together, preferably at about 0500 any morning you want. Grease up Herndon yourselves. Climb it yourselves. Have an upperclass time it.
Initiative.
Adapt. Overcome. Stand proud.
Agree with holding back the $$. Why give to an organization who cares not about you... unless you play football of course, or a minority, or some other statistic waiting to be counted. I hope they all have deep pocketbooks because that will be the only source of $$ for some time.
ReplyDeleteI suppose he must feel even more strongly about other "useless" traditions such as the shellback crossing the line ceremony. The supt is irrelevant now, retiring in weeks. But he sure did a number on "honor courage commitment" in his time. This sets the tone for Commissioning Week. It'll culminate in some illuminating wisdom from Joe Biden on Friday. Hooray for USNA!
ReplyDeleteSad, I walked through an exceptionaly well designed fire fighting/damage control trainer at Great Lakes a few weeks ago. Live fire in the facility was not allowed and the flooder was not exactly challenging. Still, these are the troops who kept the Cole afloat. Right, that was a few years before the changes were implemented.
ReplyDeleteSorry, wrong site to post. I was thinking that it isn't only the future officers, but the sailors who deal with fire and flood. The obelisk serves a purpose and so does building x, but that was a damn well built building. What the heck where they thinking, when realistic training was cut to a lame standard?
ReplyDeleteNo grease. Dry hump. Doesn't count - in either case.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you blame this on the Boomers? I don't get the connection. Its wrong to do away with this tradition and nobody knows that better than the midshipmen themselves. They are more acutely aware of what the traditions were and most of them want to prove themselves up to the challenge. They don't want to be an asterisk in some history book.
ReplyDeletePut the blame on Fowler and the culture Uncle Vern created-where metrics alone matter. Tradition? Its not even a Navy core value-whatever the hell they are.
"... F<span>owler and ... Uncle Vern ...<span>" are of what generation?</span></span>
ReplyDeleteWhat generation has made its stamp on society by overly protecting children from everything?
What generation has moved that age of being an adult from 18 (which was good enough for them, but not for later generations, I guess), to 21 to now 26?
What generation is in power?
Q.E.D.
For '79, the class of '76 prepped Herndon with spray silicone followed by an inch of purple axel grease followed by an inch of this nasty yellow grease the crew team used on their oarlocks. The sod had been removed, the ground roto-tilled and a hose left going overnight. The cover on top was held down by two part epoxy. We got it in 59 exhausting minutes of successive attempts. The sense of accomplishment, comraderie and unity was overwhelming. That is what this plebe class was robbed of. I tie it back to the good General's interview about the need to cultivate a culture that seeks and values risk.
ReplyDeleteFirst they came for the aviators, I didn't speak up because I wasn't an aviator...
ReplyDeleteThen they came for the Chiefs, I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Chief...
Then they came for the Mids, I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Mid...
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up.
Apologies to Pastor Niemoeller...
"What generation is in power?"
ReplyDeleteThe generation that promised they'd die before they got old. >:|
My fear is that they will take the rest of us with them....
ReplyDeleteClass of 81 did it in one hour, twenty one minutes (i.e., 81 minutes - pure coincidence). It was an exercise in teamwork, and through pure, grueling physical exertion gave us a visceral feeling that Plebe year had come to a pinnacle, and was over. I think a 2 minute scramble up a dry monument is neither an exercise nor a pinnacle. Why not just pass the word over the 1MC that there are no more Plebes?
ReplyDeleteIt is bad enough that Maryland is a Nanny state, we don't need a Nanny Academy (or a Nanny Supe).
2010 1.5 min*
ReplyDeleteWhat was that phrase? The fearful die a thousand times, the brave only die once?
ReplyDeleteOf course, what if the Class of 2013 would have simply stood there and not even attempted to scale Herndon . . . until it was greased. Some plebe had to start scaling Herdon and the rest just followed.
ReplyDeleteWith the Class of 2013 not having a real Herndon climb, I guess they are still technically plebes. What a legacy, going through USNA for 4 years and never stop being a plebe.
Should not have read this while drinking coffee - you owe me a new keyboard Tim!
ReplyDeleteBoomers.....they couldn't shut their mouths for five minutes about how they were going to change the world and do things better than their parents who won World War II...and what do we have to show for?
ReplyDeletemids aren't allowed to operate a cherry picker- it's too dangerous.
ReplyDeleteWhich they lied about that, too.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Class of 2013 doesn't realize is that even 'though it wasn't their fault the "Greaseless Herndon Climb" will be thrown back in their faces for years to come.
ReplyDelete"Safety first" doesn't exactly work with "Damn the torpedoes."
ReplyDeleteEmphasis on anything eventually develops a corresponding mindset. Prior to WWII, many exercises taught sub commanders that detection=destruction. When it came to actual war, many proved overly cautious. More recently, the Israelis found that years of dealing with the Intifada and situations where casualty avoidance caused many officers to automatically choose less militarily effective options. There is no basis for assuming that a culture that emphasizes risk avoidance, that fudges or manipulates standards, that avoids talking about certain subjects, and that denies it is doing any of this, will produce large numbers of effective leaders. But, until we fight a competitive enemy, this won't be clear.
I refer you to the "Dutch Method of Soccer Instruction." <span> </span>All players are given the same level of instruction and opportunity; score is kept of every game, at every level. No special traveling teams; just letting kids play with as little adult interference as possible. Every game has a winner and a loser. Kids get shuffled from team to team and the facilitators strive to keep the teams as evenly matched as they can. That healthy Dutch egalitarianism demands all players are be treated as equals and have the same opportunity to play the game.
ReplyDelete<span> </span>The result: a nation smaller than Miami; plays at the highest level of the world’s sport.
Or, as George said, "<span>When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American."</span>
Bubba, I'm with you there. My high school track team operated on the same principle. Everyone who stuck it out through the workouts and practices got a varsity uniform and ran in all the home meets. Lots of freshmen and sophomores went out for track and many developed into decent athletes by the time they were seniors. As a result we were the undefeated independent school champions from my sophomore through senior years and our coach, a former member of the 82nd Airborne who jumped into Normandy on June 6, 1944, was well respected in the state.
ReplyDeleteNo, but "safety first" sure works with "Global Force for Good".
ReplyDeleteAM, There's nothing wrong with paying attention to safety factors especially during training. I used to require my Midshipmen to "ORM" (operational risk management) training events for the new student orientation so they'd become familiar with the process. The problem develops when you become so preoccupied with safety that your "default" is inaction and you water down the event to the point that it becomes meaningless. As I used to tell my XO, "You can't pad the world".
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the same lawyers and PAOs who turned the color guard incident into the moment of naval leadership that it was were involved in the Herndon event too.
Congratulations, USNA leadership. You've managed to upset the most level-headed member of Phib's porch. -1 Internets for VADM Fowler.
ReplyDelete;)
What a tragedy. The USNA Administration owes the Brigade and the entire Alumnae Association an explanation of exactly why they saw fit to ignore a tradition that has worked so well to paint the object lesson of teamwork and class epirit for over 70 years. My expectation is that they will be too cowardly to defend the indefensible. Let's be real - - we need some REAL MEN - some of them may even be female - to take back our military.
ReplyDelete<gasp> I "like" an Anon posting!</gasp>
ReplyDeleteas my brother- a almost midn 2/c- remarked, "quick and dry" is never the way to go.
ReplyDelete<span>I went to AOCS so trade school traditions don't mean much to me, but it's always sad to see another tradition going the way of the chiefs initiation. We're so busy being kinder, gentler more inclusive and considerate that we've forgotten the Navy is supposed to be a group of warriors.</span>
ReplyDeleteNot feeling the love here guys and girls. Maybe Skippy San and I can beg consideration as "righteous boomers" ( see wikipedia, righteous gentiles) along with a few others who went where where they were sent (SEASIA ) and did what they tasked to do in the 60's and 70's. Many of them at age 18. Like Skippy, I don't, or won't be convinced that birth in a certain era alone fosters dumbing down of expectations or disregard for the significance of established traditions. Boomers as loud mouths, liars, fearful, overly protective, many but not all. Just like X'ers, Y's, Millenials, too have their slackers. Tounge firmly in cheek, I advise all to avoid "hate speech" directed at Boomers or we will have yet another protected class to be lectured on the care and feeding of. OTH, being a protected class might feel good and bring some new entitlements my way.
ReplyDeleteMy final thought ? Is it possible the problem is one of Boomers in civil leadership ranks who were not tempered by service to their nation, who do not justly value the desire of those who choose to do so by willingly accepting routine and extraordinary risks? Their acolytes in uniform do their bidding in order to gain what?
C14,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you all the way on this. Paying attention to safety is one thing; letting it become the only concern is counterproductive. Some things are inherently dangerous; this is a well-known tradition at USNA (certainly known outside of it) and it seems a reasonable way to teach a few legitimate lessons. Seems pretty late in the day to discover it is so especially dangerous that it has to be shut down.
I think you're also right about the "continuity of leadership" in this and the color guard episode...
You don't like when I blame Gen X, Y, and Z collectively-I submit the same thing is true here. All it means is the wrong Boomers are in power. I might also point out that the last three Superintendents have been Shoes. Does that make every SWO bad?.
ReplyDeleteBesides, if I have my age bracket for you pinned right-you didn't miss being a boomer by much.
Guest was me...
ReplyDeleteDamn, dude, y'all earned that one! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI sent this link to a friend of mine, an alumn of the USNA. He went on a 20 minute rant about teamwork, sense of accomplishment, tradition, and his very fond memories of the Herndon Climb some 30+ years ago.
ReplyDeleteI seriously thought he was going to have a stroke.
So...does this mean that the Firsties won't be jumping in the reflection pool after the Color P-rade this year? Somebody could drown you know.
ReplyDeleteEhhh that's not really allowed either anymore... as of '08, you could throw them in the Lejuene indoor pool but nothing outside
ReplyDeleteSounds like more of a "public image" concern than anything else.
ReplyDelete<span> Somebody could drown you know.</span>
ReplyDeleteSomebody did, some years ago, off the sailboat docks.
When my dad went to Annapolis in the late 40's, Herndon wasn't greased. The photo in the Lucky Bag looks almost staged, and everyone is fully clothed. Gay still meant joyful back then.