NStar Articles

You’ve waited weeks—okay, let’s be honest, it’s felt like months—to see your plebe again. After all those silent days and long-awaited phone calls, the time has finally come: Plebe Parents’ Weekend is here! It’s not just a chance to hug your plebe again, it’s a full-blown celebration of everything they’ve accomplished during the arduous Plebe Summer—and a fantastic opportunity for you to show your support.

Formal USNA parades have been an exciting tradition at the U.S. Naval Academy since it was founded in 1845. Not only do these parades inspire pride and patriotism in all involved, but they also bring USNA midshipmen together as one unified Brigade, teach them the crucial drilling skills important to military precision and engage important dignitaries and the public in a meaningful way. On the Yard, USNA parades are an exciting show of strength, highlighting USNA midshipmen’s unceasing dedication to professionalism, military discipline and teamwork—all tenets they build at the Academy and then rely on extensively in their careers as naval officers. 

If you have a plebe starting at the U.S. Naval Academy this summer, then you know that Plebe Summer can be a real test of their mental, physical and moral strength.  It’s a time of total transformation, and plebes need every bit of encouragement they can get as they embark on a life completely different from the one they’ve always known.