USNA Alumni Association Upper Midwest Chapter

The five of us from the RNC who went to Israel, presenting at this week’s RNC meeting.

Three days and counting until I depart for Israel. I continue to gather prayer requests from people which I will offer up when I am standing in front of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, each one being written on an individual slip of paper and prayerfully inserted into a crevice in the wall.

It is confirmed that our group will visit Sderot (the site of the Oct. 7 attack) and meet with the head of the Israeli unit that was first to respond, along with key members of the Knesset, the IDF, and Israeli intelligence. I am hopeful we will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well, which has been requested.

One day of our trip will be spent volunteering and delivering items to kids and family members of those affected by this war.

It’s not too late to join my team if you are so inclined (see my previous post)

Whatever was attempted to be posted at around 3:00 a.m. (yes, I was up at that time) was blocked by FB purportedly due to a violation of European privacy laws, having something to do with messaging links. Here’s what popped up -

“Due to new privacy rules in Europe and Japan, some messaging metrics may be unavailable. This means that certain performance reporting metrics for ads delivered to and from Europe or Japan will be unavailable. Other messaging features that will be affected include:

Messaging-related ad campaigns
Organic messaging features
Messaging API features”

So, to whoever posted it - can you repost in a way that it gets published and not blocked?

Instability, Tariffs, Trade War? How does what’s happening in the Western Pacific affect business and security interests in the U.S.? Join us in Minneapolis on Thursday, April 19, for an evening with former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, an acknowledged expert in international affairs, for dinner, Q&A, and his presentation of “Challenges and Opportunities in the Western Pacific.”

USNA Alumni Association Upper Midwest Chapter - (2018) Donald W. McCarthy Heartland Leadership Forum Parking is available in the adjacent University Avenue Ramp, connected by tunnel to the McNamara Alumni Center. For more information on directions, parking and rates, click HERE.

Bravo Zulu to Benilde-St. Margaret's High School and the families of FOUR students who got direct appointments to the Naval Academy this year. I have never heard of that occurring before ... not only in MN but anywhere as far as I can find. To put that into perspective, there are over 1300 high schools in the state which produces about 200 qualified candidates. Only 15 direct appointments were given in the state and BSM got four of them! Congratulations to them and all the other new members of the class of 2021.

Last week was an AMAZING gathering with a U.S. Naval Academy Hockey team victory over St. Thomas University. Here are our Alumni gathered on the ice after the game! Don't miss our next outing... go to - www.usnaaaumw.com

Suni Williams is a class of '87 Classmate! Anyone know her?? Comment here...

NASA Selects Astronauts for First U.S. Commercial Spaceflights NASA has selected four astronauts to train and prepare for commercial spaceflights that will return American launches to U.S. soil and further open up low-Earth orbit transportation to the private sector.

And so another class embarks on the journey of a lifetime!

Class of 2019 Oath of Office The Naval Academy inducted the Class of 2019 July 1. And so it begins ...

We are honored!

This Friday’s featured firstie is Midshipman 1st Class Alexander Johnson of Prince Georges County, Maryland. MIDN Johnson had a unique experience growing up as he was in a career military family and lived in seven different exotic places including Japan, Iceland, and Norfolk. The proximity to neighboring countries allowed a young Alexander to visit places like China and Norway, and the cultures and experiences he had growing up caused him to be adaptable from a very early age.

This year, MIDN Johnson served as 30th Company commander during the fall semester and as the company supply officer during the spring semester. MIDN Johnson is an Operations Research major and selected Navy Pilot. He heads to Pensacola, Florida for aviation training after graduation in a few short weeks. His career goals include accruing per-diem checks, hot pockets, and restroom breaks in the back of a P-8, but ultimately, he cannot wait to serve his country wherever in the world that may be.

His most cherished memories at the academy come from his time on the USNA Rugby team and serving as company commander during the fall.

“To me, the people here are what make the academy great, and I have been fortunate to meet, serve, lead and work with a tremendous bunch of men and women,” he said.

Looking back, Johnson said he didn't get to participate in as many of the great activities and opportunities the academy offers midshipmen.

“I would challenge everyone to step outside of your comfort zone, participate in something you normally wouldn't, establish some relationships outside of your immediate circles," he said. "You may be surprised with the results.”

What an amazing world! What cool (see what I did there :-)) things did you do as a mid?

Today is a day full of breathless moments... remember that if the "bustle" gets to much. Happy Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe WE were all there at one point in our lives!