Can you name the five U.S. service academies? Three are easy enough -- the Naval Academy, the Military Academy at West Point, and the Air Force Academy, and the winter break offered a chance for Arkansans attending one of these academies to gather with their families and friends at the All Academies Holiday Celebration on Dec. 27 at the Little Rock Marriott.
After a cocktail hour, cadets and midshipmen were formally presented. An invocation was given by Bruce Hurlbut, and Brittany Fichter sang the national anthem. This was followed by a symbol-filled ceremony that honored and remembered prisoners of war and troops missing in action. The honor guard for this ceremony was Cadet Michael Volpe, Midshipman Hannah Adams, Midshipman Bridget Lee, Cadet Christopher Kiernan and Cadet Taylor Holland.
Did you guess a fourth service academy? The Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. But the fifth? Ah-ha! Keep reading.
Dinner was served after a traditional round of military toasts and salutes. The evening ended with a video honoring the graduating classes of 2016.
The yearly event is sponsored by the parent associations of each academy and was hosted by the West Point Parents' Club.
The fifth service academy is the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. It graduated Joe Rizzo, starting linebacker for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, and former astronaut Mark Kelly.
High Profile on 01/17/2016