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Navy photo by MC2(SW) Alexia Riveracorrea.
Midshipmen from the Class of 2010 raise their right hand during the Oath of Office during the 2010 Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony, May 28. The Class of 2010 graduated 755 ensigns and 257 Marine Corps second lieutenants in front of an audience of nearly 30,000 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. U.S. |
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On May 28, men and women of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Class of 2010 received their diplomas and became commissioned officers in a ceremony held at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
The commissioning and graduation ceremony was the culmination of the four-year education and training of the men and women of the Class of 2010. Each of the 1,028 graduates received a Bachelor of Science degree and took the oath of office as they were each commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy or as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Since 1845, approximately 76,800 midshipmen have graduated from the Naval Academy; this ceremony marks its 160th traditional graduation.
Vice President Joe Biden delivered this year’s graduation address to the Class of 2010.
‘‘You're writing a new chapter in a long history of a strong tradition of this great Naval Academy,” said Biden. ‘‘You’re all going to be part of a fraternity that goes back 165 years and binds you together like little I have seen in my experience.”
In his address, Biden also stressed the importance of the academy’s traditions and pride.
‘‘It’s an awesome sense of pride and patriotism that comes over you all when you sing ‘Navy Blue and Gold.’ It’s a feeling that few have a right to share like all of you. This place is special, even to those of us who didn’t attend it. This place is special. And you’ve had a special experience that has given you a bond that’s going to last you a lifetime. You will be amazed how tight that bond is and how long it will last.”
After his remarks, the 755 graduates to be commissioned as Navy Ensigns were given the Oath of Office by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead. The Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenants were given the Oath of Office by Director of Marine Corps Staff Lt. Gen. Willie Williams.
The top graduates for this year’s class were newly pinned Ensigns Michael J. Campbell, Scott A. Carper and Kyle R. Englund-Krieger.
The Class of 2010 also nominated three honorary graduates: Cmdr. Keith Hoskins, USN, Naval Academy Third Battalion Officer, Capt. Peter W. McGeory, USN, Naval Academy Command Chaplain and Col. Michael Paulovich, U.S.Marine Corps (ret.).
An estimated 27,000 people attended the ceremony.
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