Aloha to the United States Naval Academy

For Veterans Day, I drove my guests to the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in historic Annapolis.  From its website (link),

Through the efforts of the Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, the Naval School was established without Congressional funding, at a 10-acre Army post named Fort Severn in Annapolis, Maryland, on October 10, 1845, with a class of 50 midshipmen and seven professors. The curriculum included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French.

We joined the free tour for veterans ... our first stop brought us to Bill the Goat.  

Long before midshipmen began tossing the pigskin around the site of old Fort Severn, goats were an integral part of Navy life. Over 200 years ago, livestock was kept aboard some sea-going naval vessels to provide sailors with food, milk, eggs and, in some cases, pets.

It was not until 1893, however, that a live goat made his debut as a mascot at the fourth Army-Navy game. Again, it was young naval officers who supplied the mids with their sea-faring pet. The USS New York dropped anchor off Annapolis and the ship’s mascot, a goat bearing the name El Cid (The Chief), was brought ashore for the service clash. The West Pointers were defeated for the third time, and the midshipmen feted El Cid along with the team.

The Chapel Dome (left) overlooks the Commandant's House (right with green stripped awnings).

Walking to the midshipman dorm, we spotted a midshipman ...

... in front of the submarine memorial.

Have you visited any of the service academies?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 22, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 23, at SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City