The Naval Academy on Sunday posted photos of midshipmen getting tossed into the Severn River. It’s part of a Final Fall Parade tradition, in which plebes chase their company commanders to the river. Once at the dock, the commanders are hoisted up and tossed in. The temperature topped out in the high-50s over the weekend in Annapolis, Md., so you know that water was cold. The academy posted an album from the day’s festivities on Facebook, with the accompanying description: Midshipmen marched in the final fall parade of the 2013 season on Friday, October 25. However – this parade did not end…
Browsing: hazing
All navies have traditions. Some of these traditions involve Neptune, who had a good run as “god of the sea” a few years back, according to an online reference of note. Ask any shellback. Changes to such traditions have stirred up strong emotions throughout the fleet, with terms like “hazing” and “political correctness” often finding their way into the debate — and the debate often finding its way onto the cover of Navy Times (Subscribe now!) But you rarely see a religious leader wade into the fray and call out the Navy for encouraging “dark spiritual powers,” or have a…