Herndon Climb
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€23.99
A01=James McNeal
A01=Scott Tomasheski
academy ceremonies
academy folklore
academy initiation rituals
academy milestone events
Annapolis Maryland
Annapolis naval history
Author_James McNeal
Author_Scott Tomasheski
Category=NHK
Category=NHW
class traditions naval
Commissioning Week
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
greased monument climb
Herndon Climb
Herndon Monument
Herndon Monument climb
maritime heroism
midshipmen culture
midshipmen experiences
midshipmen history
midshipmen life
military academy rituals
military school traditions
Naval Academy history
Naval Academy traditions
naval esprit de corps
naval heritage
naval hero biography
naval institutional culture
naval leadership traditions
naval officer training
naval sacrifice stories
naval training culture
plebe traditions
plebe year
Plebes
SS Central America
student military life
team building rituals
U.S. Naval Academy
US Naval Academy
William Lewis Herndon
Product details
- ISBN 9781682474389
- Weight: 263g
- Dimensions: 127 x 203mm
- Publication Date: 15 Oct 2020
- Publisher: Naval Institute Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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The Herndon Climb is an important and meaningful ritual in Naval Academy culture. Scaling of the heavily greased, 21-foot tall Herndon Monument as a group at the very end of the year for ""plebes,"" or freshmen, the Climb marks a major turning point in the lives of all Midshipmen, who are relieved of their low status at the moment they complete the task. The book is culled from interviews with over fifty subjects, including participants in Climbs over the past six decades, with personal observations from the 2019 and 2018 events. Co-author James McNeal recalls the joyful pride of participating in the Climb as a plebe in 1983, and his experience helps bring vivid detail to the memories and reflections of his fellow Midshipmen.
The book also includes a discussion of the career of William Lewis Herndon, whose heroic sacrifice at sea inspired the monument, and also traces the history and development of the modern Climb to its roots in the earliest plebe celebrations, which happened concurrently with every Graduation ceremony at the Academy, as early as 1904.
The book also includes a discussion of the career of William Lewis Herndon, whose heroic sacrifice at sea inspired the monument, and also traces the history and development of the modern Climb to its roots in the earliest plebe celebrations, which happened concurrently with every Graduation ceremony at the Academy, as early as 1904.
Rear Adm. James R. McNeal, SC, USN (Ret.) was born in Hawaii and raised in Southern California. The son of a 1962 USNA grad, he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1986. After six years on Active Duty in the Supply Corps, he transitioned into the Reserve component, retiring in 2017.
Scott Tomasheski is a Los Angeles-based novelist and writer, author of three books in the Time Defenders series.
Scott Tomasheski is a Los Angeles-based novelist and writer, author of three books in the Time Defenders series.
