One Woman’s Lived History from the Second Wave I’m interrupting the distant past for a glimpse of the more immediate past, the 50th Anniversary of Service Women at the Academies, and specifically the USNA Women’s celebration in Annapolis. More than 800 women and men, spanning five decades, gathered to mark this milestone. What unfolded over four days was the result of more than a year of effort, a true labor of commitment and care. There…
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The rest of the story
Published April 13, 2026
If you are old enough, you may recall the sonorous voice of radio broadcaster Paul Harvey. He told the most amazing stories and always ended them with, “And now you know the rest of the story.” A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post called “Stress Fractures” about the strain one of my female classmates endured during our Plebe Summer, particularly during a meal that required eating a thick peanut butter sandwich. At a recent…
1 CommentThe Return of the Brigade
Published April 6, 2026
As Plebe Summer drew to a close with the reunions and celebrations of Parents Weekend, the First Class had one final reminder waiting for us on the heels of our final goodbye to family – Hell Night. As it sounds, it was a flurry and fury of uniform races, physical demands, and, of course, a lot of yelling. It was our detail’s way of making sure we didn’t get too comfortable after seeing our families…
2 CommentsStress Fractures
Published March 30, 2026
Stress fractures don’t start as breaks. They start as murmurs: small, invisible warnings the body gives before something finally gives way. A stress fracture is a tiny crack, or deep bruising, in a bone caused by repetitive, overloading forces. It usually shows up in the legs or feet when fatigued muscles stop absorbing shock and instead pass that stress directly to the bone. But not all stress fractures show up on X-rays. After eight weeks…
3 CommentsThe Tuck, The Slit, The Weird
Published March 23, 2026
Learning to wear a Navy uniform that wasn’t made for us I wore a uniform long before the Navy ever issued me one. From kindergarten through high school, I attended parochial schools where uniforms were simply part of daily life. For girls, that usually meant jumpers or skirts, pleats pressed, hems checked, shirts tucked (or retucked), and a quiet understanding that how you wore the uniform said something about you. So when I arrived at…
Leave a CommentSailing Directions
Published March 16, 2026
I’ve already admitted in an earlier post that I was not a great sailor. Sensing the wind never came naturally to me. Some people could feel it instinctively, the subtle shifts that told them how to trim the sails or change course. I could learn the mechanics, but the wind itself never quite spoke to me. What I did learn was another kind of navigation. I learned to read a room. I learned when to…
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