“The Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy takes great pleasure in recognizing with this Certificate of Accomplishment the selection of (insert name) for an Offer of Appointment to the United States Naval Academy with the class of (insert class)”

That’s a big sentence full of opportunity and pride not easily swallowed in just one bite. For kids who’ve enjoyed this affirmation afforded by those words, which are strung together by threads of hard work and accomplishment, their buckets are brimming with promise to pursue their dream and a hope to fulfill it.

There’s no guarantee, written or implied, that our precious dumplings will one day become Captain America.

There’s no guarantee, written or implied, that our precious dumplings will one day become Captain America. However, the genes you bequeathed, coupled with the Naval Academy’s purposed plan to create commissioned officers who meet the pinnacle of moral, mental and physical standards, are the ingredients needed to bake a super hero cake “imbued with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty”.

CBS once said, “It Takes a Different Kind of Kid”. Truer words have rarely been spoken. Our children have made the decision to accept their appointment, knowing all the hard work, the risk and the sacrifice. Doing hard things well is how they roll. They’re signing up to lay down their lives to protect others they’ve never met, both foreign and domestic. When those massive bronze doors slammed shut, we knew Tecumseh now had the watch. Though the port from which they sailed will forever welcome them home, they’ve made a personal choice to moor their lives in Annapolis, four years by the bay, out from under the watchful eye of mom and dad. They belong to the Navy now. What once felt like ninety seconds to say goodbye on I-Day, now seems like an eternity between visits. They are our heroes and ones we will forever cherish.

What once felt like ninety seconds to say goodbye on I-Day, now seems like an eternity between visits.

So, this young lady here is our 22’er. She’s now an ENS and our delight. We are blessed with her fervor, commitment, and her will to serve. She’s an inspiration to me and is becoming someone I could never be. She’s imperfect, has flaws and sometimes gets it wrong, but like others in the brigade, she’s learning how to right the ship, steady the rudder, and set the sails, as the sailors she leads someday will depend on her knowledge, skill and lessons learned while at the academy. We’re blessed, as are all of us parents, to have been invited to just sit along the roadside of Navy life and watch our kids endure the pain that can come with N*ot College, participate in the joy of all its grandeur, and cheer loudly, without any shame, when they reap their enormous reward.

It really does take a different kind of kid… ⚓️