Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

Bancroft Hall is huge!

U.S. Naval Academy, MD

“Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power!” (Psalm 145:4)

We are a military family. My dad served in the Navy. My husband is in the Army. My sister is retired reserve. My nephew and niece (and their spouses) are military. I have two uncles who sailed in the Navy and Tim’s dad and uncle each served briefly in the Navy. Something we have come to appreciate: military life gets in your blood. No matter the branch, we are more similar than not.

Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

The boys and Ande pose with a Blue Angels jet.

When we visited the United States Naval Academy (USNA) last summer, I just kept thinking about the Bible passage telling older generations to proclaim of God’s mighty acts to the next generation. It’s about leaving a legacy. This legacy-building idea can apply to military families too. It might look a little different, though.

The Family Business

We, as military families, rarely have the opportunity to experience the benefits of multigenerational living and of the inheritance that comes from it. It used to be that grandparents would live nearby or even in the same home as their grandchildren, helping to care for their grandchildren. The time grandparents could spend with their grandchildren meant the young ones benefitted from their grandparents’ wisdom. Sometimes this generational wisdom resulted in future generations taking over the family business, whatever that may have been.

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The boys and their grandfather gather in front of Bill the Goat.

Fortunately, today there is summer time and the opportunity for generational adventures. This is a great chance for grandparents to tell the next generation all the stories of days past and lessons learned. In our case, it was a chance to learn more about “the family business” from our family’s patriarch.

My dad is a USNA alumni. It must have felt like yesterday to him, as we walked the “yard”, USNA’s term for campus. My 84-year-old father was eager to tell the stories of his youth. He even told us stories I had not heard before, like how he and a friend helped a fellow midshipman pass the swim test, giving him boosts as my father and his buddy breathed between strokes.

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Dad tells stories about his time at USNA.

Our time together on this trip to USNA started at the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center where we paid for our tour and met our guide. There were several exhibits in the visitor center that we investigated while we awaited our tour time.

Our guide met us and the other 15-20 people in our group, introducing himself as an alumnus. He was quite a bit younger than my father, but retired Navy, nonetheless. It was fun to see my dad interact with our guide. He was excited to introduce himself – identifying himself by his class year, even while he was sporting his class’s 50th reunion hat from several years prior. The bond with his fellow midshipman was immediate. They had something meaningful in common.  That’s the way it is with the academies. They are “brotherhoods” where those who attend teach the next generation of student leaders “the way” so that the understanding of team and loyalty prevail across time.

The Pride of the Midshipmen

Our tour featured several stops in various buildings that almost shout with the pride of the midshipmen. The first was the LeJeune Physical Education Center where we walked past the coaches’ offices and some glass trophy cases that featured athletes like Joe Bellino (Heisman trophy winner in 1960) and Roger Staubach who played football for the Dallas Cowboys after USNA. This building particularly interested my boys, as it housed the large Olympic pool (where my dad helped his classmate) and the wrestling arena. My young wrestler would have liked to see more, but time was limited.

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The academy uses Dahlgren Hall as an activity center with a restaurant on the bottom level.

Next, we headed to Dahlgren Hall. This large hanger-like hall is often used for midshipmen formal and social events. It felt almost like a museum with all of the memorabilia hanging on and around the open space. The upper floor overlooked the lower floor, so that anyone downstairs could enjoy the view of the Wright B-1 Flyer that was hanging from the ceiling.

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Again, Bancroft Hall is huge!

Bancroft Hall is the place my dad talked about the most in my growing up years. It must have to do with all the memories of studying and simply living life in that building. After all, it is the largest dormitory in the United States, so ALL the midshipmen live there. It is still true today. All of the students are housed in this one building.

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Visitors can see a sample midshipman’s room.

While private quarters are off limits to the public, visitors can check out the sample room in the public-facing area of Bancroft Hall. Dad said that the room was a lot bigger than he remembered. I’m not sure if it is bigger or not, but I figure now the rooms have to fit computers and some modern amenities.  When he was at the Naval Academy in the middle of the 20th century, they required fewer “necessities” since computers were not available yet.

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The eye is immediately drawn to more Navy inspiration in Memorial Hall.

Bancroft Hall also has some space for lecture-type events that are open to the public. Amazingly enough, my boys got to experience the Rotunda and Memorial Hall the way my dad did: no air conditioning. The giant fans in these spaces made it difficult to hear our tour guide, but the artwork spoke for itself. These spaces remind the onlooker of the enormity of the seas, the vastness of the skies and the beauty of creation.

Next, on to The Main Chapel.

Our family was stationed at West Point during the covid years and, when not in quarantine, we attended the chapel there. The West Point Chapel is a cathedral with artwork that reflects the “Christian Soldier” motif.

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The USNA’s Chapel overlooks the beautiful Yard.

The Main Chapel at USNA likewise reflects the Bible from the standpoint of its academy. All of the artwork points to the water motif of the Bible. The artwork alone makes a visit to the Main Chapel worthwhile, from the beautiful paintings to the ornate stained glass designed by Tiffany and Gorham studios prior to 1908.

Finding John Paul Jones and Other Heroes

Downstairs in the chapel, we found the crypt of John Paul Jones. One of the few memories I have from visiting USNA in elementary school involved the crypt, probably because on that hot day the crypt gave some much needed relief from the heat. After that visit, I couldn’t have told you what John Paul Jones did, but I could tell you I saw his resting place.

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John Paul Jones’ final resting place is in the lower level of USNA’s Chapel.

In case you are unfamiliar with naval history, John Paul Jones was one of the most significant naval heroes of the Revolutionary War.

You might know the quote, “I have not yet begun to fight!”

That was attributed to John Paul Jones.  While his remains were lost for decades, in the early 20th century the United States acquired Jones’ remains and enshrined them here. It was an attempt to honor a Naval Revolutionary War hero whose contributions had been overlooked for more than a century.

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The quarters along Captains Row remind me of the colonel’s houses at West Point.

This concluded the formal part of our tour, so we walked on, continuing to look around the Yard. I noticed beautiful, historic homes that reminded me of the colonel homes at West Point, except the brick was painted white to reflect the decor of all things Navy.

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The museum’s ship models are very impressive.

We went on to the US Naval Academy Museum in Preble Hall. Here we saw artifacts, artwork, and antique models. We ran out of time, as the museum closed about 45 minutes after we got there.  But we didn’t miss much since the docents helped us make the most of our time by suggesting how to order our visit.

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An impressive WWII Japanese torpedo is on display on USNA’s grounds.

By the time we finished touring the Yard we were tired and hot. Like most teens, the boys were ready to go shopping. We went to the Midshipman Store, a larger bookstore / gift shop than the one at the visitor center. The boys found postcards and I found a Christmas ornament. There were plenty of other bobbles and do-dads for anyone’s taste in kitsch.

As I reflect on the time we spent learning about the United States Naval Academy, I can safely say the best part was reliving my father’s formative years with him and watching my children start to understand a bit more about their grandfather.

No matter the topic or station in life, the time that grandparents, parents, and mentors spend pouring into the next generation is invaluable. While my boys might not go to USNA, spending time learning from their grandfather might be the best way for them to best appreciate their own family history. My hope is that they feel empowered that they too, might be able to find their purpose in this world and continue the family legacy of service

If You Go:

• I was surprised that there was not a “perspective student” tour. The only tour offered was the paid tourist tour.
• If you are interested in the admissions process, there is usually a brief upstairs from the visitor center desk twice a day.
• If you wish to learn more about John Paul Jones, I suggest this podcast: “America’s Forgotten Heroes: John Paul Jones sails Back from the War” by Bill Whittle.
• The Midshipmen store was not listed on my map. You can ask just about anyone how to get there. It’s popular (and air conditioned!) You can also find them online.