Op-Ed: Time to Appoint an Alum to Run USMMA

 

There are five United States Federal Academies - the United States Military Academy at West Point, The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, The United States Coast Guard Academy at New London, The United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, and The United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point (USMMA). Of the five, four typically have one of their own graduates serving as academy superintendent. Only USMMA sends its midshipmen into war zones - on ships laden with beans, bullets and bunker oil for our military - yet it most often has someone other than one of its own grads as superintendent.

142 of our cadets were lost at sea during World War Two. We are the only one of the academies authorized to have a battle standard replete with pennants from the battles in which we participated. We are the only academy whose graduates are licensed to serve as officers and who graduate with reserve officer commissions in the USNR, USMCR, USAR, USAFR or USCGR.

Unfortunately, we are also the one academy whose superintendent is most often not chosen from among its own graduates. This is unfair to the brave men and women who will serve as cadets or as officers aboard our ships in the next war's battle zone.

We, the undersigned, ask that you please take an active part in promoting a Kings Point graduate to be our next USMMA Superintendent. Our midshipmen deserve a leader who has sailed on his/her license, who knows our traditions and understands the future needs of our nation.

Respectfully,

Kings Point Class of 1975, co-signatories, family and friends

Kevin Coulson

Mike Morris

Mark G. Baranello

Larry Kelly

Russ Bauer

Neal McCraw

Steve Ackley

Robert C. Baldwin

Larry Cosgriff

Thomas Heffernan

Joseph Dixon

Nick Weltmann  

Peter DeChadenedes

Warren Heidt

Michael Masciale

John ReShore

Don Fogel

Bill Vallaster

Richard Bense

Mark Brannigan

Jeffrey Hakala

Frederick Leo Ebers

Skip Dubrin

Donald Pastor

Eddie G. Maxwell

Robert Baldwin

Keene Little

Clifford Jagoe

Frank Atcheson

Kenneth Nelson

Chris Nelson

Mike Corney

Robert Herman

Jim Knoepffler

Donal L. Staples Jr.

Stuart Pitts

Charlie Cheatom

Thomas A. Fedoration

Frederick C. Berg III

Thomas A. King

James Brodt

Peter Wishart

Eric Schiller

Steve Meyers

Kathleen Tanton

Mark Brannigan

Francis X. (Biff) Broderick

Alan Pelletier

Gregg Runkel

Kennett Backus

Jim Shettig

Dave Petty

William Leigh

Charles Anthony Nunez

Alexander Barry Williams

Ken and Debbie Halsall