#020 - Army Week at the United States Naval Academy with Captain Eddie Pilcher '96

In this episode, your host Grant Vermeer speaks with United States Navy Captain Eddie Pilcher '96 and Grant's sponsor dad about what it is like as a midshipman in King Hall, Bancroft Hall and on the Yard during their years at the academy during Army Week.

Captain Pilcher joins the podcast while serving as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Facility, Washington - Joint Base Andrews. He was in the 31st Company and an ocean engineering major. He is from Tigard, Oregon.

This episode is a recording of a 2017 conversation on a facebook live on Grant's facebook page Academy Insider.

Over the course of the interview, they give some great information about some of the things that may change during this week for midshipmen.  They also share many hilarious stories and pranks.

You will learn so much about the academy and after listening to this interview, it will give you many prompts to start a really interesting and funny conversation with a midshipman or an alum about what are some of their best memories of Army Week.

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The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families.

Grant Vermeer your host is the person who started it all. He is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast and the USNA Property Network Podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four year member of the varsity basketball team. He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.

He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a boutique residential real estate company that specializes in serving the United States Naval Academy community PCSing to California & Texas.

We are here to be your guide through the USNA experience.

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Transcript

spk_0:   0:03
This is your host Grant Vermeer Naval Academy Class of 2017 and I'm your Academy Insider. It's my goal to be your guide through the Naval Academy experience. By sharing my stories and providing you inside information into the life of a midshipman. Academy insider is in no way officially affiliated with the United States Naval Academy. All over the content on Academy Insider is my own. It does not reflect the views of the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy, nor the Department of Defense. Everyone. And welcome to the academy insider podcast. T his episode is actually a recording of a Facebook live video that I did with my sponsor Dad Captain Eddie Pilch, er, couple years ago. But I wanted to put it on the podcast anyway, because I think it has a lot of really great information. And we share a ton of really entertaining stories about all of the chaos and shenanigans that go on during Army week. So make sure to check out the episode. Let me know what you guys think, and I hope you enjoy these stories. Hey, Welcome, everyone. Glad students say we're gonna give you some inside information looking into a really fun special week at the Naval Academy Army Navy football game, so you'll hear it referred to as Army Week at the Naval Academy. So the week leading up to football game is referred to as Army Week. And there's a lot of fun things that happened with Army Week. That a lot of fun that we we want to explain to you today. So we're gonna take the time today to talk about one a little bit about the football game, but to mainly what happens in the week leading up to it at the Naval Academy. There's a lot of fun stories that we're gonna tell, I think probably a lot of things that are similar. Problem class of 96 to class 17. Some things that say the same, but also things that change. We want to get some fun stories out there, as always. Why should you listen to us? My name is Graham from here. I appreciate you know, if you've never seen one before U s and a class of 2017 I just My family never knew much about a naval academy, even during my time there. So I wanted to take the time. Now a zit graduate to share my perspective in order to assist midshipman their families, friends, anyone who loves and supports them as well as any future mission out there that might want to learn about the academy. So that's why I'm here.

spk_1:   2:16
Yes. So Eddie Pilcher Class of 96. And then, uh, honestly, I was grand sponsor, dad, and so just a small chance to get back. But just like Grant, my parents are from Portland, Oregon. And so they had no idea what the academy was and what they're getting me into now, 21 years ago, 25. Wait, They're scary days. But, uh, this is one of my most most exciting weeks, though. I love army weak, and it is also in your kids, especially please, or gonna

spk_0:   2:45
buy that. Yeah. So well won't talk about what makes a ton of fun. I'm, as always your comments shares likes all that stuff. Really helps me get this message out. Everyone who's interested it eso thank you so much as always. If you think this information is useful in any way, please feel free to share this. Please share this. This we can get this word out and make it happen. And lastly, put your questions below. If you have any questions about anything we say today, please comment that on this threat bolos. That way everyone can see it. We really appreciate that. We'll do our best to answer questions at the end as well as write in answers at a later date. So if you're watching rebroadcasts, please, so much are please comment below, and we'll still get back to those as best we can.

spk_1:   3:25
I probably going 16 years in a row up to the game where it is. Both more FedEx, Philly. So will be the lead. My son Griffin and I were going up this weekend. So if you have any questions about any of that, you could also put those in the threatened. I can help answer him, uh, tailgating of parking or whatever you want. You know, even still were to stay. There's not much close, but we can still help you get something up there. So yours?

spk_0:   3:45
Definitely. Awesome. So what is army weak like? Why are we having a special podcast about Army week? I'm just gonna say I'm gonna go out and I'm just gonna put it in very simple terms. Army Week is chaos. It is fun. It is hectic. There are what I would like to put a lot of shenanigans going on, I think is probably the correct word, all encompassing of everything that happens during Army week. So that's probably the biggest thing. They're just a ton of shenanigans going on. So what we're gonna do for you today is we're gonna talk about three areas. Were Army Week is unique compared to the rest of time. So we're gonna talk about what? Special Army weak and King Hall. That's where we eat. We're gonna talk about Army Week in Bancroft Hall, and we're gonna talk about Army Week around the art, including pranks and spirit rallies and pep rallies. That's gonna be our plan today. If you have any questions where there's anything else you like us to talk about, please come with that blows. We can take note of that and helpfully answer your questions without further ado. And what do you think if you describe Army Week in just like once that every like, just a short brief thing. What would you say?

spk_1:   4:46
I think what's funny is you just nailed that pure chaos is the best way to say it. And his grand start saying I never jumping a lot of areas. But my favorite memory going back was as a please. So I was a 31st company down the third company that needs to change. And we have 36 companies. But all the please we got together and we snuck out, went through the Ho Chi Min trail, which is all the steam tunnels underneath. And then we snuck up on top of Rick over. And then we hung our really cool 31st company sheet poster. And so we'll talk about those. But just that camaraderie with a group of please might kill Marie Day. Frasier Rob Peel, Kevin Snow. Tall Westermann. I could go on for hours. I had a great company with great friends. I love him all still. Do you still talk to all of them? Just those chances to get together and really just a bond is what made my academy time just special.

spk_0:   5:33
Oh, yeah. I have tons of fun story, sense of memories. Really, really thought so. We're gonna start off a king all which is probably my favorite. I absolutely loved King called Army Week. We're gonna talk about that. So as we all know, we've had a lot of discussions about how the academy is not college. And there are a ton of rules and all this is hat life. It's pretty straight to pretty regimented life. There's not a lot like everyone eats at the same time. All the steps going on, I've actually had a couple post about King. Also, if you're new to Academy and Saturday, I encourage you to go toe outside and check him out. But King Hall during Army weak and Air Force weak. So everything I'm saying here just says no. Pretty much is the same during Air Force. Weak. It's just kind of almost on steroids during army weak like Air Force, we could find the abbey, get airforce cool, whatever, But Army weeks, the big one, we go all out for every week. So in King Hall, I'm just gonna use the word again, that kind of shenanigans going on it is crazy. It is the time for please to let loose and get I wouldn't use the term like get back in a like a target way, but just, like more. Have fun with upperclassmen, especially the ones that are really hard nosed trainers and get on him and take a lot of pride in training, which can kind of run, please run away. Sometimes. I mean, every you're gonna let me call

spk_1:   6:42
the serious tools and call it whatever you want.

spk_0:   6:44
Thanks. Whoa. Hey, this is a family friendly show. Yeah. So, uh, yeah, pranks on something happens during King Hall. So I'm just gonna go through and talk about it like I'm telling you, it is absolute chaos now. In the past couple years, there have been some safety concerns, so they have been trying to really focus, and I am containing and making these events a little more safe. But I'm telling you, at least as of last year, it's still it's still pretty wild and extremely fun. So I'm gonna go through a name, a couple of king Hope rights if you have more pleasing. But my personal favorite and one I have been a victim of is what we call the Princess Leia. Eso. What the princess lays is a plea will generally get two pieces of bread. And usually if we have a pretzel rolls, those are the best. You get pretzel rules. You swiped peanut butter on both sides of her on the inside of the rent, and then basically, you sneak around King Hall till you find the person you want to hit, and then basically you come up behind them and just smack him with the peanut butter on so the buns actually stick on your ears and they just hang there. So it looks like you have Princess Leia like buns in your hair because of the threats rolls. That is what we call Princess Leia, so you'll often see people with bread on their ears covered with peanut butter. Getting over there nice black uniforms that they let have to go get dry clean because there's peanut butter all over him on Dhe. Usually it causes that chase. After that, the chase ensues, breaks out. So the minute you hit someone with something like Princess Leia, usually the police will that take off. I'm talking about a full spread faster than they've ever reign in their life, working all out the side doors and back to the back to where they live in a crop. Also, I don't know how actually true this is, but I mean, rumor has it more fun, just, like actually engaged in the chaste. But rumor has it that if you get back to Bancroft or you get back to your room before upperclassmen catches you, then you're good to go like they can't do anything about it. But if you get caught, you don't run fast enough. Upperclassmen catches you, then the upper class and has a little more freedom and how they can respond. I personally was hit by a Princess Leia, actually, by one of my really, really good friends, Nate Messer. He was on the basketball team and 26 company, and I thought I was safe. It was like Thursday, Army because, like me and I've survived three days like this is going pretty good. And I'm telling you during Army week, especially the Percy, like you're sitting in your chair eating like constantly on a swivel, like trying to check what's going on like it's crazy Thursday, I've started to relax a little bit, and that was I mean, what am I doing? What am I thinking? How am I gonna relax. I relaxed. Name answer gets me chasing down for all those wondering. I did catch up when I got back to his room. You best believe it. So that was a ton of fun. Yeah. Do you have any good ones or fun memories?

spk_1:   9:27
Yes, they may change the rules a little bit, but my feral was called a wild man. And so we like you would get a pitcher of water or, you know, So you do we do water and then say money or grants. Right? So the trick for your please, if you're talking in with recommendations, pick an upper class that is in the aisle way, which has the widest space where you can run and take off. And you want to pick one, if you can, that, you know, you would have to be someone you know. So it's fun, obviously. But you want someone that's kind of close to one of the doors. You're exactly right. Just so you could escape escape pretty well. It's the wild man. You basically walkabout. I'm same idea. You pour of the whole picture of freezing cold water on them and you yell wild man and you take off running as fast you can. Yeah, What's good is everyone will stand up when they see what happens, and in that causes chaos the person gets dumped on, or Princess Leia. They're usually so confused that laughing themselves that it's you get about a 12th head start before you can do it. But honestly, if you're quick enough, you can always catch up to him. Yeah, but a wild man is obviously all in good fun. For all its flashes, at least four or five people around you is good,

spk_0:   10:37
and I'm telling you, like he's funding. A lot of people laugh about it. You'll get a lot of mixed reactions. Are a lot of people that that will just, like, sit there just like I can't I don't even get up there. A couple of people who are like excited, like waiting for it to happen in like the moment they feel anything touch on there like up in sprinting like jumping over tables to chase. There, a couple people laugh about a couple people get mad, which, if you're if anyone out there future mission and whatever, I don't get mad because you just target to yourself for the rest of the week is that I mean, if you get mad, people are gonna want it again. I've seen also a combination. So I've seen someone get Princess Leia and they stand up in there, Dang it. And then out of nowhere, another people come up with a pitcher of water and like splashing their face already is they have the princess later on. And I mean, I'm telling you like it is a kind of find it straight chaos. It's It's It's pretty.

spk_1:   11:25
I was in the wild, man. Now those are the eyes of the overt ones. My favorites over the covert one sneak nation s Oh, my favorite was just we just call it the peanut butter and so same idea you would low crawl as he would talk to you. In the middle is where the youngsters are. The sophomore sit. At least you're stooping exchange so you could get a couple of soft ones you like, and they would spread out a little bit and he would low crawl under the table and everyone kind of feel your feet. But they knew it wasn't. Then it was getting hit say Okay, And you you should get the first use usually the first years of seniors, the ones we're going after and you would get the peanut butter and you would spread it on their nice black leather shoes. And then if you do properly, they have no idea what's going on. And you suddenly low crawl back out. You back out your P P p. Get out of there. You go back to table on yourself like nothing happened. And then when they get up there, like what eyes, they look down on me and now they have peanut butter. If you know what you said, the uniforms, there's oil on peanut butter's. It will ruin all leather, our core fram, or even though you know we're working blues. It's pretty devastating at some point. But the covert ones are my favorite. The cover and awesome.

spk_0:   12:32
It's It's what you said that cause I would call my dad before there's talk about it on my outline had sneaked missions because I had the same thing. But instead of peanut butter, they like straight mustard and catch up home. Sit around, just like as fun as you could, just finding like funny ways. Thio covertly sneak around. So, yeah, Stig missions are possible if you have any other stories about Oh, also, also recently, we've had people like Dress Up is the crab race, and we talked about swallowing, too. But what? People dress up like crabs from the football game and like.

spk_1:   13:02
And if you don't have to talk about every third quarter of our second quarter, they have a blue, red and green crab that screen long. Just think of every big screen football game or sporting. You've been, too. There's a race. It is. The goofiest thing is totally random, but all of the man's and all the crowd pick their color and freak out. So doing King also and the crab race through. And so if your kid gets picked, you're especially pleased he was picked to be the green crab blue crab on the red crab that is a huge honor. That means they actually like him or her, and they could actually scurry Italian hole and be the crab gonna share. Forum's pretty good. It's good stuff, so I always good,

spk_0:   13:36
always good, but yeah, if you if you had a midshipman that's told you stories about great things out of King Hall comment this blow. We just want to see all of those and I want it. I want to make sure, especially we're talking about this topic to make sure one it's all fun, like there is no Malin Tent or any hostility in this, too is on our side. We're just We're talking about our experience of the Naval Academy. I'm not sure how to talk to people about what the rules are. This year. I know way officially represents in any official capacity, represent the Naval Academy. I hope I do a good job representing in a positive light, but we do not officially represent the Naval Academy in anyway. So what I'm saying is simply my perspective in my experiencing with him and our stories from the economy just to try and give you guys an inside look into what it is. It's what makes

spk_1:   14:22
you know what I would say. It's so back in the back in the day went broke, believe years always s so we would beat army drinks, beat those Do they really toned those down a lot? Accounting is being on this so well We did it at a lot of Tabasco and stuff that would really you can actually die. But you would definitely like burns your throat. It would hurt a lot. And so, at some point it down it now where it's like a lot of milk or milk with water. Very chocolatey milk that's pretty thick. I mean, it'll be some kind of a that's a challenge, and usually that's off a dare is that's different? The 1st 1 to talk about your pranks? Yep, this is now like a terrace you'll make in a cup or glass, some kind of the Army concoction. And that's approved Kind of how you know how tough you are on the surface. But again, I mean, it is all good fun. This is not a hazing activity. This is a this we've done rid of all the hazing courts of it. Now we're just down. What's good fun? Let's not hurt kids, but let's see what they can drink. It's usually pretty entertaining and, you know, the Naval Academy. Also, King always done a great job of getting healthier and healthier foods

spk_0:   15:30
like this racial thing. This is awesome. Boyfriend on the record playing Mario Kart King Hall. That's awesome. That's great. I can't wait to hear about all the stories that happened this upcoming week. There's probably gonna be even more that's creating. Thank you so much for Perfect Mario cart through King Lot. Haven't seen love work that's original. I like that. That's awesome. Check Well, King all again, if you have any, Any place. Where is backing off? Keep coming the blow. We're gonna move on to Bancroft. So what makes what makes Army be crazy? In Bancroft Hall, there's three things I really want to talk about. The first Is that all? Please just have carry on. So this is just a small topic we talked about carry on before but basically carry on. Just like all their fourth class. Restrictions and duties are waves, so no child calls. They can watch TV, listen to music, do anything that really want. Like it is a carry on week as well as there is no pro. No, I believe I don't wanna be a sensor on that, but person there's no product. They can relax and have fun, so carry on is pretty much draft brigade. But there's two things I want to talk about the first pranks in the second carrier landings. Eso price with Bancroft Hall can get pretty creative and lead to crazy messes. So I do want to say in my plea beer Army Week the first night Army Week was honestly like a brawl. It was almost like you were trying to protect your decade. Any cost. These people from every company from other companies would challenge you and try and destroy your deck. And when I say destroy the duck, I literally mean, like, people have been taking milks out of King call for months and living on like rod and curl up under there stinks through the entire semester. So that way, during Army Week, they can pour like rotten spoiled milk down to your deck. So it smells disgusting. Intercompany rivalries. So as people would try and get on your death, you would have instruction from the upper class minutes, please, like don't let anyone destroy our debt. And so that led to a lot of like crazy, like shaving cream bombs, like rolling everywhere, shaving cream, flying everywhere, like paint going like I mean, it was absolute chaos. Now there were a couple of, unfortunately, a couple of injuries that happened here in my please year, and that's pretty much been completely shut down. So the for any future or excuse me past Naval Academy alumni, that pretty much has gone away. Those like brawls have grown away brawls a strong word but protecting your death. Protecting your death defense defense is 100% defense. Okay, that is pretty much gone away. But prices are still a very big thing as long again, not hazing. Like if there's anything that even borders hazing, it isn't dressed. And it just taking care of all these prints are done in good nature and good fun. There are a lot of prints that you can do. Do you want

spk_1:   18:23
my favorite drink? And I know it is probably name, which is that I should know this, but my upper class whore, great class of 93 Class 94. I still despise both of them, and they all know I could go on all kinds of funny names there, and they just come back and haunt me. But I just picture reminds they taught me already. So what they would do is they literally would take our entire room, and then it would be in the hallway, and so that's obviously pretty standard. But it would just be a room. You could call it a room bomb or whatever, but there's literally like you took all this time. You have an inspection right before on the weak and ensure. Now, if you go in and then your whole room, like you walk back to your buddies from a pep rallies usually happen. So you come back. You're excited. School spirit, go. Navy beat Army, and then all of your underwear, socks, uniforms, whatever is in a huge mess there. And then, of course, they'd be like, Hey, room inspection, 20 minutes, Whatever. So it was fun. You betrayed your journal back together and you don't be laughing about it. It was always entertaining. That was my favorite one. Always involve all did a great one. So

spk_0:   19:23
nice. I have a couple pretty good. When I saw it, when this year actually its own. My company sent me a picture. The please literally moved an entire rack from Mac D like when I say Iraq, I mean like a weight lifting rack with ah full bar bench and, like they had it set up with life. Like literally. I was to 45 plates on the side. So June £25 literally just a branch press set like put in the guy's room. And it was just like you wanted things like lies there, a bench press saying so their stuff like that I've literally come out of my room. Thio, our company officers door completely blocked by bricks like an entire brick wall coming. Our company officers will our doors, they couldn't get in. Uh, I've seen chairs home from, uh, the shower around with a rifle lock. That's pretty cruel, because if you don't have the right awful lot combo, you're pretty much out a chair for that week. That's good. Uh, I've seen man some crazy ones. My personal favor probably, though, is our please literally did a covert, uh, mission. As, um, our upperclassmen were out of the room and literally set up, so we all get issue during clear someone, we get shoot alarm clocks that no one really ever uses. Once you get past keeps on therapies, you can have your phone on your watch and you set timers. What not? But we have these alarm clocks that just generous in our locker. Class 2017 may or may not have gone into one of our upper classes room and set the, uh, each alarm clock for a different time. Like 10 minutes. Britt spread out through the entire night. So basically in, like all in different locations, like in the ceiling, under beds like everywhere, so basically threw the throughout the entire night. This guy just had alarms going up in this room the entire time, which was pretty entertaining. We also we had a lot of coordinated strikes as well, so we had one where we had people. Bunch people blast music outside of one of our upper classes. Room it around 2 a.m. To the song that they woke us up with every morning during the summer. It's called the best friends off my toy box. Completely annoying. It's every time I hear it, I just get like shivers in my spine that cringe like I hate it. Our upper Cosmo is up to a drink. Leave summer every single time, so we decided to go back. Wake them up with that like two in the morning as our upperclassmen come out to yell at us live that they know we actually had, like, 100 water balloons, all like all ready to go when we have, like, 20 please ready to go. And we just started, like pelting them with the water balloons, and that was probably one of my favorites. That was a pretty good one. But prankster, just like Constant throughout Bancroft Hall. It's a ton of fun. Yeah,

spk_1:   22:00
I'll say, What's funny? It's that work. Obviously we're bankrupt All right now, but Simon and 21 years and pranks still go. So tomorrow I'll go to the Pentagon and there's gonna be a huge go Army flag will fly out of court or two. And when I was all before 09 to 11 hours on the joint staff. And so Geoff Rogers and Steve Knight and raw banter you guys, all you West Point guys I work with, we would mess each other all week, and so we would fill drawers with sour with shaving cream, and we would still empty out desks. Put it on the courtyard, all kinds of things. So this fun rivalry goes your entire career. So started errors. A Please bill. Don't tell your whole career and have fun. It's a good

spk_0:   22:38
weekend screen on the last name On the cover of Bancroft Hall is carrier landings carry ladies air fun. So basically, it's only allowed during Army Week. I'm not even sure if it's really loud, but you do carry landings. So basically what Caroline Zara's you literally like flood all way and you just get a ton of water and soap and, like anything you can to make the floor extremely slick and you just dump it all over the floor and what we call the plead shaft, which is like the main shaft going vertical down on, you have to horizontal like passageways, like going there. So you have a full running speed to go ahead. You grab one of the issues boxing home, and so you get it and you put him on like gladiator on dhe. Then you literally start opposite ends of the hall sprint at each other, literally go full extension, dive onto a match. Oh, yeah. So you bring that person's into the hall as well. Sorry I left that part out. You bring matches into the hall. And then so you dive on your mattress in the floor so slick when you die like that, naturally, just hate song and you go at each other. And then I don't know if there's like, a proper technique, but you basically you tryto win the collision in the middle of the carrier landing. So basically, you sprint, you run at each other, you're sliding on on the mattress is coming at each other, and then you try and win the battle in the middle way on. Those are I mean, you go for, like, two hours like you're blasting music in the hallway. It's a whole company event. A lot of times upperclassmen going against, please. It's a ton of fun.

spk_1:   24:16
Yeah, usually for that one that said that kind of designate. Hey, like Wednesday night, We're doing Caroline because you don't need to do it all the time, obviously, And it is the fun part about Army Week is you can clean up everything. That's a good group, Effort says. He just said, like you got silky water in the halls, these halls A pretty old, but they're also pretty well sealed, and so you know, slide on the old, you know, marble cruise down, and then just slam into each other with your, you know, your kind of back. So it's really the math is the natural state. Why over, you know, whatever. It's all fine, but, uh, you know, not recommended. Always. But like Wesson, oil gets a little bit more seeing you. Sylvie Water's good now, but you really want that Pushed you here. You can have you tryingto wait. Actually, cereals? Yeah, it's good stuff. So, yeah, And then, like a good sweatshirt with some pattern. Always,

spk_0:   25:02
always. Yeah. And so the police will actually, like, seal their doors. So you all the planes will tuck like towels under the doors to make sure the water actually rips into the room. So it's completely just the just the hallway. And he says, a group effort. If my group effort, you mean just the sleeps? Yeah. It's a group effort. Monster, please.

spk_1:   25:21
I thought that was

spk_0:   25:22
the campers have fun. They go, they hit, they do a couple care, ladies, and they tell the police cleaning up always always sets. That's good stuff. All right. And 1/3 and final topic tonight is gonna be around the art. What's fun about Army Week around the yard? So I'm gonna talk about first. You wouldn't talk about it. Just a spirit rally. A pep rally? What do you do against West Point during the week during the week, there's a lot. There's a couple like in rural competitions. I think, too. So we'll play West Point in some real competition.

spk_1:   25:53
Well, then, I think the hard part is, what for? Enough, already. It's You have to get up there. Some of the guys in the fleet will do some things. Historically speaking, we dropped like ping Pong balls on the West Point or information before. We always have big planes. They don't. So that all depends on your squadron and how active you want to get on it. But at the academy, you remember the one I would say is you have exchange students, and so some kids from West Point or Smart after no, like man, I should have gotten a Navy. I'll be down at Navy and we'll do the prisoner exchange what we call it during halftime of the games. Have you never wash it before? It's pretty good and they'll put, you know, beat Army, the Navy on the back of their shirts and jackets, and we'll go. We'll do a big prisoner exchange. But during the week, those guys and girls kind of sent for their lives, not receive again. It's all good fun. No hazing. But I would say probably duct tape and some lack of movement would happen at some

spk_0:   26:48
point. At some point, we don't know where, but yeah, you don't You definitely don't want to be an exchange kid at a CZ. Well, I'm sure you don't want to exchange a shipment at the Naval Academy during that week, so yeah, those air, those aerial things. Um, but yet I just wanna really comment on that. Points us to the prisoner exchange. So, like, he was saying, every year there's around five or six cadets, all second class. So in their junior year that come down to the naval cavity for an exchange semester. They lived with us. They'd go to class of us all that during the Army Navy game at halftime, Like he was saying, all of them will line up on like the navy side and walk out all with tape on their back. That spells out something I know in years past. Some of them are funny, some November and remembrance for people who, uh, who may have passed or whatnot anything. They take the time to send a message, whether it's funny or sentimental or whatever it is. And they write that on their back the brigade, the brigade commander who's also a viable, really good friend of mine and then the highest ranking cadet at the West or at West Point, First Connect. I don't know. I'm so I'm sorry. I don't I actually don't know the term for that. Sorry, but their highest ring mention basically like salute or shake. Hands on they feel, and then they'll they'll exchange prisoners. So basically, all the West Point cadets will get a run back and watch the game from the West Point side. All the midshipmen will get a run back and watch the game on the midship inside. All right? Yes. You depend around actually. Get on Burnham. You'll have full I'm listening. Music, usually navy beats, which is kind of like our music club. They do like deejaying. All that well played music kind of turn into a concert. It's a lot of fun. Usually drinks food out there. That's good time. Um, and then around the yard won't talk about outside cranks. We talked about pranks inside Bancroft Hall. Now there's pranks outside Bancroft Hall and was saying earlier that they climbed up

spk_1:   28:41
there, rigged over

spk_0:   28:42
yet Rickover and hung a banner that sweet I know my class cost 17. 26 company. We, uh we took a sailboat out of the harbor and actually moved it into, uh, Stripling walk and then hung up our 26 companies banner on a sailboat just sitting in there as everyone was walking to class in the morning just to let everyone know that we took the time in the middle of the night to literally move a sailboat from the water to shriveling walk eso a lot of fun. Those pranks are more like group pranks where you try and, like, show off your company. So those prints are usually a lot of fun. They have to be cleaned up for in the morning

spk_1:   29:18
and you're trying out d'oh! So again we can't be changed over time. So back when I was there with file Oh, which is like a which is Ellen said, historic midshipman. But it was a battleship that we would take to, like the all the all the Navy Home games. And so a guy like company, Matt, I want to see the first name because he's still in active duty. Another Navy captain, so I won't get in trouble. Then he still file. Oh, And like was driving around in a golf cart with a battleship and drove it around and parked in the middle of the court, you know, with third company all over it. So the statue of limitations

spk_0:   29:52
there's gonna be our last night, I think. Probably 23 years after you guys bring in the army pranks. You should be a cinch. Yeah. Uh, yeah. Okay.

spk_1:   30:06
And not say the other one is outside, so obviously we don't endorse. We're just telling stories. So there are things you can also have your please. Because obviously you're locked on the academy inside the wall. So the other one is You will actually get outside the count. Me somehow I could tell you how to do it here, and then you will go on a spirit mission and you can hang your sheet poster along Rowe Boulevard or somewhere you up from the state Capitol something you can't create creative want, but same ideas you have, like 1/3 company says, Go Navy beat Army. You have something clean and nice and fun. But the fact that you was a group got out and did it somewhere else just shows that extra effort and this pretty cool.

spk_0:   30:43
Yeah, but that's all we really wanted to comfort tonight. If you have any funny stories about anything we talked about, please come with those below So everyone can read, Have a good time seeing those. Otherwise, if you have any questions about anything that happens during Army, whether it being King Hall, Bancroft around the archers, anything in general, a happy story, our mommy, please feel free to let us know if you have questions about the game. Specifically, what makes it different that prisoner exchange is a big one. And the heart John is just a little bit different cause Army marches on two. But if you have any questions about that, yeah,

spk_1:   31:12
go on. The game is a warning, so the game starts at three. But the march on will happen at, like noon, and someone could probably tell me exactly what time that used to run around noon. So you're hard. Part is you're going into the game very early, but I'm gonna tell you it's well worth it. So both the margins are great and in both Army and Navy do flyovers. A lot of stuff that's going on there for this couple hours, but also getting there early enough like that. You don't get caught in the lines that people are trying to come in. The last second, there's going to be metal detectors, no matter what, because they'll be some kind of V. I. P s there. Trump was there last year. Is a presidential elect who knows will be here by think pencil probably. Come on, It's just a warning light. Get there early, get in the game early and just enjoy it all being lot in or Ama. That's what most of us will be so you can recognize the salt will find it, and we'll have a beer for you

spk_0:   31:59
again. I appreciate you guys so much if you felt like this was a fun podcast or entertaining informational, any way, shape or form. Please fit. Please share this video. We want to get all this information out there. We want to really get a you know, just attention out there. So they will kind of especially for perspective, Michigan people who might not know about the cabinet. But my catch a video on this and just make it happen on I hope you guys really get something out of this. I have a blast doing this. So if you could get a little bit of knowledge and that is something that might help your understanding of the Naval Academy a little bit, then it makes it all worthwhile for me so that you guys so much please share like comment. Recommend this to a friend. Otherwise that you got anything for them. Last minute

spk_1:   32:38
going have you being remembered

spk_0:   32:39
going and you beat Army. Let's have a good one. And good luck to the Navy football team on Saturday. It'll give us thank you to all of you for listening to the podcast. Please leave me a review on Apple podcast to be sure to subscribe. If you want to learn more about the Naval Academy or the life of Midshipman, you could find more articles, videos and content on my Web page. Www dot academy insider dot com And make sure to follow me on Facebook at Academy Insider I'm Grand Premiere, the Academy insider and thank you so much for letting me be your guide to the Naval Academy.