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Big news on the Plebe front!  Let me provide some background:

Plebes are the lowest form of life on the US Naval Academy campus (“the Yard”).  Plebes have no rights unless they earn them; plebes “rate” nothing.  Plebes “chop” indoors (a form of fast running/jogging).  Plebes can’t sit like normal human beings.  Plebes can’t use any outdoor path with a curve in it.  Plebes can’t use any stairwell in which they are able to touch both walls simultaneously.

Plebes are often faced with “one-way P-ways”, i.e. they can use hallways in one direction only.  Gotta go the other way?  Go to a different floor.

Plebes do “chowcalls”.  Don’t even ask for an explanation.

So earning a right to live a more normal life would be a very big deal, right?  I mean, no matter what, the class of ’12 are still plebes, and they’ll be plebes until commissioning. But maybe, just maybe (!), there’d be a way to be a plebe with a somewhat “normal” life?  Do ya’ think?

It turns out there is a way, but it’s a way fraught with danger.  Tradition holds that if a member of the plebe class can put a “dixie cup” (a plebe cover, or hat) on top of the chapel dome, plebes earn the right to “carry on”.  They’re still plebes, and the upperclass will make sure they remember that they’re plebes, but maybe they get a break here and there…

In 2000, a plebe scaled the dome with mountain climbing gear and managed to place a cover.  Unfortunately, he also did tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage, and his career suffered.  Since then, no one has tried to pull off the unthinkable.

But this year is different!  With the Commandant’s approval, 3rd Company came up with a plan to cover the dome without risk of damage.  The ‘Dant as often declared the class of 2012 one the the Academy’s brightest in history, and this effort certainly adds to that distinction.  3rd Company designed a remote controlled weather balloon that was piloted to the top of the chapel dome to successfully place a plebe cover.  Success!

This is the chapel.  That spire on top is the goal of the mission.

This is a plebe cover.  It’s a typical sailor’s cap as we think of them with a blue stripe on top indicating it belongs to a plebe.  This cover needs to go on top of the dome.

It’s off!  There are a lot of pictures floating around that document this process, but trust me on this: it took awhile.  This was no small effort.

Another shot.  The hard part is coming.

So close!  Close!  Damn wind!

Bam!  It’s on!  The chapel dome is officially covered!  The team used a remote release to free the weather balloon and leave the dixie cup in place!

The ‘Dant congratulates the man behind the project.  I wish I was sure of his name — I’d share it with all of you.  Regardless, he’s going down in history!

The Commandant is going to advise the fourth class (plebes) of their status during or after Spring Break.  Mark is sitting next to me as I write this, and he’s happy, thrilled, and anxious to learn how much of “carry on” they’re going to be able to really enjoy.

But when you think about it, classes end at the end of April.  Exams take up the early days of May.  After that, Plebe year wraps up, and with it, one of the toughest years of a midshipman’s entire Navy career.

Congratulations to the Cass of 2012!