Alumni News - Interesting Info about Nawee

3/21/05 Dignity and respect

Email message from VADM Rodney Rempt regarding the Naval Academy policy regarding dignity and respect.

Ladies and Gentlemen - You well know that our mission at the Naval Academy focuses on developing midshipmen morally, mentally and physically to become combat leaders of the highest character to lead Sailors and Marines.

With this in mind, we endeavor to develop a professional command climate that fosters dignity and respect amongst midshipmen, while also encouraging personal responsibility and accountability. We expect our midshipmen to live and uphold the highest standards, just as they will be expected to do so as junior officers. These standards are expected to be upheld by our Faculty and Staff as well.

The standard we set for midshipmen is simple yet very clear: zero tolerance for sexual harassment, misconduct and assault. Our goal is to prevent these unacceptable behaviors from ever occurring by comprehensive education, awareness training and the consistent enforcement of standards.

Off-color jokes, sexual innuendo and other disrespectful actions tear at the very fabric of unit cohesion and teamwork. If allowed to persist, the climate in Bancroft Hall could quickly erode into one that is coercive and hostile instead of one that is professional and cohesive. We work to educate all hands about expectations and implement standards through easily understood procedures. When necessary, we enforce our standards and hold individuals accountable through counseling, punishment and remediation. In order to make these standards real, our leadership, including military and civilian faculty, staff and midshipmen, are expected to set the example by personally meeting our high standards and by demonstrating professionalism both on and off duty.

We strive to develop a positive, professional command climate by using parallels found in the Fleet and Fleet Marine Force. Rooms in Bancroft Hall equate to staterooms on a ship, not dorm rooms; they are professional working and living areas. King Hall compares to a wardroom mess, requiring officers and midshipmen to observe appropriate manners and conduct with each member of the mess. The midshipman company chain of command is likewise similar to a typical ship or Marine unit command structure, relying on the distinction necessary in view of increased responsibility from one level to the next. Liberty off the Yard bears the same responsibilities as liberty ashore from an active duty unit; all hands must realize their actions and behavior while on liberty reflect directly on the Naval Academy, the Navy and Marine Corps, and our Nation.

In the past 18 months the Naval Academy has briefed several groups, including the DoD Inspector General; the Defense Task Force on the prevention of sexual harassment, misconduct and assault at the Service Academies; members of the Tillie Fowler Commission; our Board of Visitors; and the other Service Academies on our prevention, deterrence and response programs. We welcome review of our programs and the collection and sharing of data we can use to improve our efforts to prevent and deter sexual harassment, misconduct and assault. Our approach has always been one of full cooperation.

We anticipate the DoD Inspector General (IG) report on Sexual Assault and Leadership at the Service Academies will be released shortly. The DoD IG conducted a survey onboard the Naval Academy nearly a year ago. The same survey was conducted at West Point and Air Force. Most of the data collected involves what midshipmen think other midshipmen think (perceptions), what they believe or their personal opinion (beliefs/opinions), and in some cases, actual experiences.

Not surprisingly, a portion of the data indicates some of our midshipmen have experienced harassment and assault over the four years covered by the survey. It shows that midshipmen's perception of the Honor Concept is weaker than the other academies, and it shows men and women midshipmen believe the other gender receives preferential treatment. It also provides specific data about the number and nature of sexual assaults involving both men and women.

Annually the Naval Academy also conducts a survey to measure midshipmen's attitude and experiences in a variety of areas, including sexual harassment, misconduct and assault. Our most recent survey, conducted in October 2004 shows that we're making steady progress in several areas such as sexual harassment, assault, perceptions of fairness, and overall satisfaction. These issues require sustained and constant attention, but we are encouraged by the most recent survey results.

Sexual harassment, misconduct and assault are not tolerated in the Navy and Marine Corps and they are not tolerated at the Naval Academy. Preventing and deterring these is a key focus for us in Annapolis. We strive to establish a climate which encourages reporting of these incidents, so we can support the victim and deal with allegations fairly and appropriately. One incident of sexual harassment, misconduct, or assault is too many. However, when incidents do occur, we want to encourage reporting so that we can provide maximum support to the victim and resolve the issue appropriately.

The very idea that anyone here at the Naval Academy could be part of an environment that fosters sexual harassment, misconduct, or even assault is of great concern to me; it keeps me awake at night. Preventing and deterring this unacceptable behavior that I and all the Academy leaders take to heart. Each of us expects our peers and subordinates to uphold the highest standards, and in so doing, set the very best example of leadership for our midshipmen to emulate.

I ask for your continued help in ensuring that our policy gets out to our Alumni and parents. Thank you.

VADM Rodney Rempt, USN Superintendent

12/3/2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lawrence Heyworth III
Vice President, Communications
410-263-4448, ext. 104
410-212-7543 – cell
Skid@usna.com
 

NAVAL ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION REAFFIRMS
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS
 

ANNAPOLIS, MD, December 2, 2004 – At its semiannual meeting held today in Annapolis, the board of trustees of the U. S. Naval Academy’s Alumni Association opted against certifying the proposed Castro District Chapter, concluding that it served a narrow constituency and that it violated the requirement that Alumni chapters be organized geographically. By its own definition, the proposed Castro District Chapter request would have established an official gay Alumni chapter.

According to U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association President and CEO George P. Watt Jr., the board of trustees’ decision reaffirms the Alumni Association’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. The denial means that chapters will continue to be drawn from the membership-at-large, not from Alumni groupings determined by personal characteristics or particularized goals.
The push to establish the proposed Castro District Chapter comes from Jeff Petrie, a 1989 graduate of the Naval Academy and the proposed chapter’s president. He is also a member of the Alumni Association’s San Francisco Chapter and currently serves as secretary of that organization. However, Petrie maintains that some gay graduates do not feel comfortable or welcome in the existing structure and need their own chapter.

Although the proposed chapter’s bylaws appear to be consistent with the mission and bylaws of the national organization, in recent media interviews, Petrie has made it clear that the chapter exists to serve the special interests of a narrowly-defined membership. In press statements released in advance of this week’s vote, the petitioners describe the nascent chapter as a “gay Alumni group” and a vehicle through which gay former officers can reconnect with their alma mater, serve as role models for current gay midshipmen, educate Alumni on gay issues and promote the accomplishments and heroics of gay veterans.

The Alumni Association believes that a chapter based on special interest or personal characteristics is unnecessary and runs counter to its traditional geography-based organizing principle. The Alumni Association executive leadership points to increasing participation in Alumni affairs by openly gay graduates as evidence that the current structure is working. They also question Petrie’s premise that the group would help to reconnect gay graduates with their alma mater. In addition, the proposed move could have precisely the opposite effect: it could potentially isolate gay graduates from the membership-at-large.

In explaining the decision to deny certification to the proposed Castro District Chapter, Watt states, “We are an organization that exists to serve the nation, the naval service and the Naval Academy. In fulfilling this mission, we are guided by the principles of inclusiveness and unit integrity. Geography-based Alumni chapters support this mission; special interest chapters would not.”

Watt emphasizes that Alumni Association chapters are fully inclusive – both as to their membership and the interests they serve – and do not favor one group of Alumni or midshipmen over another.
He adds that the Alumni Association welcomes and encourages the members of the proposed Castro District Chapter to join and support their local Association chapter and continue to act as advocates for the Naval Academy, the Alumni Association and the naval service in the community in which they live and serve. He visited San Francisco last summer and delivered a message of inclusiveness to the Academy’s Alumni there.

Chet Kolley, president of the San Francisco Chapter, confirms that the group has several gay members and that about one-third of the chapter’s officers are openly gay. “None of them has mentioned to me that they feel unwelcome here, and I certainly have seen no evidence of it at any of the many chapter events that I have attended,” says Kolley. “The chapter would not benefit from the loss of some of its members to a new splinter group,” Kolley adds.

Of the 93 current Alumni Association chapters, all are tied to a specific region throughout the United States and the world. By rule members of a chapter live within the region served. Not one of the current chapters is organized around the race, nationality, gender, academic major, varsity sport or other personal characteristic of the members.

The only Alumni Association chapter that has a broad geographic base is the “RV Chapter,” which comprises graduates owning recreational vehicles and who migrate to different regions of the country at different times of the year. For members of this chapter, full participation at a fixed location would not be possible. Instead the chapter congregates on a pre-determined schedule at campground locations across the country. The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association board of trustees approved the RV Chapter’s application in May 1999 because it concluded that the RV Chapter satisfies the geographic organizing principle and that, in contrast to the proposed Castro District chapter, the migratory group’s stated aims do not serve a narrow constituency or purpose.
According to Watt, the Association’s geography-based approach to national organization furthers several important goals. When members of a chapter reside within a natural, defined region, travel distances between them are reduced, and chapter meetings can be held more frequently. Further, this approach helps to ensure that Alumni chapters develop diverse memberships. In drawing from the full graduate population within the region served, chapters formed by location are able to recruit alums of varying backgrounds and beliefs. Diversity of membership promotes vigorous discussions at chapter meetings and fosters input from a full range of graduate viewpoints. In addition, geography-based chapters help to create a cadre of informed advocates in the communities where they live and serve.

The proposed Castro District Chapter does not satisfy the Alumni Association’s requirement that chapters be based on geography. Although ostensibly formed to serve the predominantly gay “Castro District” within the City of San Francisco, only 12 of the 51 charter members live in that district, while most of them reside outside of California, with one residing in New Zealand.
At Thursday’s semiannual meeting, the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association board of trustees approved the applications of two new chapters – the Tulsa, OK, Chapter and the New Jersey Chapter.

The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association is a non-profit, independent, self-supporting, non-discriminatory corporation with more than 51,000 members and 93 chapters around the world. For more information, visit www.usna.com.
 

7/27/04 Comments on Shipmate Magazine Changes

                                                                                    July 21, 2004

To: Rear Admiral Jack Adams:

I have seen a handful of the remarks that the recent email to your regional members has generated and would like to correct several misunderstandings. If I had the opportunity to comment earlier, many of the replies you have received may have been unnecessary. More significantly, the validity of your survey is at best questionable since it is based on erroneous information.

1. Your email was written to “solicit…input and feelings with regard to cutting the length of the subject articles in SHIPMATE in half as a cost savings measure.” This is an incorrect premise. The length of CLASS NEWS columns was not cut in half; instead, the limit on SHIPMATE articles was changed to 2,000 words, a very different and pragmatic approach to a management issue. The change is being implemented as the most responsible way to increase the number of issues of SHIPMATE back to ten issues per year, a clear input from last year’s survey, and remain within budget.

Before implementing this new limit, as the Chair of the Communications Committee, I conducted an impact study concerning the 2,000 word limit on CLASS NEWS columns. A random selection of three SHIPMATE magazines was used. Collectively, there were 222 CLASS NEWS columns contained in the 3 issues I checked. Among all these columns, there were only two columns that contained 4,000 words and only ten columns that contained 3,000 words. All told, there were 54 columns of the 222 studied that contained 2,000 words. Also of note, there were only 4 classes that averaged 2500 words per issue and frankly, each of these classes could have met the new word count criteria with minimal, reasonable editing. Admittedly, a few classes were impacted but 70 classes were already under the required word count, on average, with their current articles. In my sample, 94 percent of the classes would not have been impacted by the new guidelines.

Class Corresponding Secretaries have been asked to support the yeoman-like efforts of the magazine staff while they are preparing to mail out a first class, state of the art magazine (the July-August issue). The reinvented format and content of SHIPMATE will make major strides toward answering most aspects of the survey. During its recent meeting, the Communications Committee members were extremely pleased with the reinvigorated, redesigned SHIPMATE.

In summary, CLASS NEWS columns, on average, are within the word count guidelines already and some Class Corresponding Secretaries may need to do more editing. SHIPMATE continues to be an outstanding publication and will continue to live within a budget appropriately established by management and supported by the Joint Finance and Audit Committee.

2. You stated that “this reduction will enable SHIPMATE to print other diverse articles and midshipman features.” I do not agree with this characterization. The work that the very talented SHIPMATE staff has done during the past twelve months will enable SHIPMATE to be mailed to your homes ten times this year compared to six West Point and four Air Force Academy alumni magazines. Among major colleges and universities, only Ohio State (8 issues) and MIT (10 issues) mail out more than six issues of alumni magazines annually. In the judgment of the Communications Committee of the Board of Trustees, our alumni are receiving a state of the art SHIPMATE magazine, the “flagship of our communications fleet”, at a greater frequency than most of the colleges and universities in the nation, with top quality printing and binding, responsive to an extensive survey of alumni AND each class has the space needed to publish 20,000 words per year with news about their fellow classmates.

3. Your Class Corresponding Secretary, W.S.Walters’ Issue Paper implies that the 2004 Operating Plan increases Alumni Association budgets by 4% while decreasing the publications budget by 22%. The proposed expense reduction to SHIPMATE has been estimated to be in excess of $500,000.00 annually. This information is wrong. There is no 22% reduction; there is no $500,000 expense reduction. The SHIPMATE publication budget for the current fiscal year (2005) is level with the 2004 fiscal year budget. I am a member of the Joint Finance and audit Committee and I chair the Communications Committee. The numbers you distributed to your region are simply not correct. The challenge for the staff is to produce ten issues of SHIPMATE on the eight issue budget of FY 2004.

4.  Walters’ ISSUE paper: “The ongoing highly successful financial campaign, conducted by the USNA Foundation, has done nothing to support the alumni.” This is not my view of the Leaders to Serve the Nation Campaign. I trust that most of our alumni understand that all of the programs, projects and faculty chairs that have resulted from the campaign bring great credit upon Naval Academy alumni. The initiatives collectively contributed by alumni support our needs in a way far superior to the narrow focus of ‘alumni support’.

5. Walter’s ISSUE paper: “SHIPMATE cost could be a benefactor of the Foundation’s efforts.” SHIPMATE cannot be a benefactor of current efforts. As you know, most campaign dollars are designated for specific program goals. For example, along with my classmates, I contributed to the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics. The money I donated must go toward the Center and may not be designated for SHIPMATE. There is no SHIPMATE program among the many needs established by the Naval Academy Strategic Plan, the roadmap that was used to focus our campaign on the most significant needs for the Academy. SHIPMATE need not be a benefactor of the Foundation’s efforts.

6. Walter’s ISSUE paper: “The executive decision to reduce word count in SHIPMATE should not have been executed without full membership approval.” Taking a vote of 50,000 USNAAA members regarding this word count limit is just poor governance and not the appropriate way to manage an organization such as ours. If the limit in word count is not the correct strategy, we will know that within six to eight months and adjust accordingly.

The Communications Committee has been actively engaged with USNAAA staff and external firms that provided professional services to the Alumni Association during the past twelve plus months. During this time, the Communications organization has redefined its role vis-à-vis current alumni needs while continuing to support ongoing Alumni Association and Foundation goals and objectives. The redesigned SHIPMATE was a huge portion of this effort. I am very pleased with the efforts of the entire Communications Committee and I applaud the efforts of the Alumni Association in bringing about much needed changes.

Please forward this to your regional members and especially to those who have already responded to your informal survey.

 Bernie Maguire

7/27/04 Changes in upcoming Shipmate Magazine

This message is being sent to USNA AA Trustees, Communications Committee members, Class Presidents and Class/Chapter Corresponding Secretaries.

The July-August issue of Shipmate is being mailed this week. I'm pleased to report that this issue will debut the magazine's new design.
Launching Shipmate's new look is a great step forward, but the redesign process is a work in progress; planned changes will be phased in as time allows.

Let me describe a few of the significant changes in this upcoming issue of Shipmate, expected in your mailbox within a week or two. Immediately, you will notice the updated Shipmate masthead on the front cover.
Inside, the new design is more open with more white space on each page to help enhance readability, which was high on the list of wants discovered as a result of our survey. The name of George Watt's "President's Call" has been changed to "Over the Wall" and this column is now repositioned at the front of the Class News section. The redesign effort has added color to the Class and Chapter News sections to improve readability. You will also be intrigued by the inclusion of several short profiles in the Class and Chapter News sections. This feature enables us to showcase achievements of specific individuals, classes or chapters in a location that is most widely read by their class or chapter members.

The Shipmate staff has done an outstanding job working with the redesign. While putting together the July-August issue, we learned from our prototype use of a new production process, and the staff is working hard to implement lessons learned as we go forward. For example, we are working to adjust the magazine's templates for the September issue to maximize the space available for text on each page. We also realized that the new design did not allow us to print a photo of a large group in two columns, if needed. This will be changed effective with the October issue.

Finally, we are exploring the possibility of upgrading the paper used in the Class and Chapter News and Last Call sections. Switching to a whiter paper could help improve the reproduction of photographs in these sections.

One other thing that you will certainly notice about the July-August issue of Shipmate is that it is much larger than normal; there was quite a bit of content that was important to get in this issue.

Over the next several issues, we will continue to refine Shipmate's redesign. We welcome your input and hope that you continue to enjoy this first-rate publication.

Lawrence Heyworth III '70
Vice President, Communications
Editor-in-Chief, Shipmate
U. S. Naval Academy Alumni Association

skid@usna.com
(W) 410-263-4448, Ext 104
(H) 410-757-9177
(C) 410-212-7543

Visit us at www.usna.com
 

4/5/2004

3/31/2004

BILLY LANGE NAMED HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY
 

ANNAPOLIS, Md.-Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced Friday that Billy Lange will be the 19th head men's basketball coach at the Naval Academy. Lange comes to Navy from Villanova University where he has been a member of the Wildcats' coaching staff for the last three seasons.

"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to coach at what I believe is the finest educational institution in the country. The Naval Academy possesses the best student-athletes in the nation and together we will create a positive environment that is built on teamwork and respects the tradition of the Academy and Navy Basketball," said Lange.

"The men and women of the Naval Academy are proud to welcome aboard Coach Lange and his family," said Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt. "Athletics play a major part of how we accomplish our mission to prepare our nations future combat leaders.
Successful sports programs led by outstanding and proven coaches like Coach Lange foster decisive leadership, teamwork, character, mental toughness, a passion for winning and lifelong physical fitness. We look forward to Coach Lange's energy and contributions in leading our midshipmen to victory on the basketball court."

"To meet Coach Lange is to be immediately impressed with his energy, demeanor and enthusiasm for this important opportunity," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "Everyone we talked to that has worked with him, for him, or played on his teams has the highest compliments regarding his successful professional relationships and motivating style of leadership. I strongly believe our players will enjoy playing for Coach Lange and will compete to the best of their abilities for him. He will be a wonderful role model for our midshipmen, those within the Naval Academy family and throughout the community."

While at Villanova, Lange played a vital role in the daily operation of the men's basketball program where he served as both an assistant coach and coordinator of basketball operations.

In his three years at Villanova, Lange has been part of a staff which led the Wildcats to three-straight appearances in the National Invitational Tournament, including a berth in the NIT Quarterfinals this year.

"Billy Lange is one of the great young basketball coaches in the country," said Jay Wright, head men's basketball coach at Villanova.
"He understands from his years at Kings Point and Villanova how to run an entire program. He was invaluable to us in everything we've done to try and build our program at Villanova in one of the toughest conferences in the country, the Big East. I've known him through his years as a high school coach, college assistant and college head coach and he has a tremendous understanding of the game, a great passion for the game and an outstanding ability to relate and inspire young players.
Everyone at Villanova wishes Billy the best and we're all rooting for Navy."

"He is easily the most passionate and energetic coach I've ever worked with and I know that his teams will play with that same passion that he has," said Joe Jones, head basketball coach at Columbia University and former assistant at Villanova. "He's the whole package, he's energetic, knowledgeable and hard working."

At the age of 32, Lange already owns an impressive coaching resume.
Appointed head coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1999, Lange led his team to a 39-19 (.672) record in two seasons, while claiming two Skyline Conference crowns and a berth in the 2001 NCAA Division III Sweet 16. Lange was named the New York Metropolitan Basketball Writers Division III Coach of the Year in 2001.

"During his time at the Merchant Marine Academy I thought he was a special coach," said Vice Admiral Joseph Stewart, Superintendent of the Merchant Marine Academy and a 1964 graduate of the Naval Academy. "He's a strong leader, has unbelievable energy, cares about people and is a winner. I was proud to be associated with him in his tenure at Kings Point, and in my view, he will do a great job at the Naval Academy."

"Navy couldn't have found a better person to be its head men's basketball coach," said Susan Petersen Lubow, Director of Athletics at the Merchant Marine Academy. "He has energy, he has passion and he has integrity. While at the Merchant Marine Academy, he embraced the entire military academy system and understood the mission of the institution.
From what he learned about Academy life and the Academy system, it makes him a perfect fit for the Naval Academy."

"Honor, courage and commitment, the Navy's core values, along with integrity, character and discipline are a few of the characteristics required of a coach who represents the Naval Academy," said Nate Barton, who was the captain of Lange's Sweet 16 team at the Merchant Marine Academy. "Those words and their meanings are all what defines Coach Lange. You will not find another coach out there that cares more about his players, who is more passionate about the game of basketball and who is more capable of winning than Coach Lange."

A native of Haddon Heights, N.J., Lange played basketball at Bishop Eustace (N.J.) High School for his father, Bill Lange Sr., and at Rowan College before moving into the coaching ranks in 1995. In his first and only season as the head coach, taking over for his father who was in a life-threatening accident just one week into the season, Lange led Bishop Eustace to a 20-6 record and an appearance in the state New Jersey State Championship game.

In 1996, Lange joined the staff at Philadelphia University where he spent the next two seasons working for head coach Herb Magee. In 1998, he moved into the Division I ranks as an assistant coach at La Salle University where he helped tutor forward Rasual Butler, who is now in his second season with the Miami Heat.

Lange and his wife, Alicia, have a son, Will, who was born December 15, 2003.

The Lange File

Birthdate: Feb. 11, 1972
Hometown: Haddon Heights, N.J.
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Rowan University (1994)
Experience:
Head Coach, Bishop Eustace Prep (1995-96) Assistant Coach, Philadelphia University (1996-98) Assistant Coach, La Salle University (1998-99) Head Coach, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1999-2001) Assistant Basketball Coach/Coordinator of Basketball Operations, Villanova University (2001-2004)

3/7/2004 Home Depot stores, through volunteer program "Project Home Front," are providing up to $1,000 for home repairs to families whose military sponsors are deployed. There is an application process at their website: www.projecthomefront.org.

3/7/2004 - Sword Stolen in 1931 Is Back at Naval Academy

By Nelson Hernandez Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, January 13, 2004; Page B01

The ship is now better remembered than its captain, but both changed the face of naval warfare at Hampton Roads, Va., on March 9, 1862.

Navy Lt. John L. Worden suffered a head wound from Confederate cannon shot as he led the USS Monitor against the CSS Virginia (originally called the Merrimac) in a four-hour standoff between the world's first two iron-plated, steam-powered war vessels.

Worden, who survived his wound to become the seventh superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, enjoyed a flicker of renewed fame yesterday as the FBI announced the end of a 73-year-old mystery. It has recovered a missing sword awarded to him by his native state of New York in recognition of his valor.

The 37-inch-long ceremonial sword, designed by Tiffany & Co. with a silver hilt depicting Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, and a gold scabbard with an inscription praising Worden's "gallantry and skill," was stolen from the academy's memorial collection in 1931. Despite an intensive investigation, it remained missing until the FBI began to investigate the dealings of three appraisers on the PBS television show "Antiques Roadshow" in 1998.

According to Jeffrey A. Lampinski, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia division, the break came when a family that had owned the sword since the 1930s offered to sell it to one of the appraisers. The appraisers worked by understating the value of an item, the FBI said, purchasing it on the cheap and then selling it to collectors for its actual value, which could be as much as 10 times the price they paid.

Lampinski said that after one of the appraisers bought it, it was sold to a collector of Civil War artifacts. The collector, unaware that he was holding stolen property, voluntarily returned the sword after he was contacted by the FBI, Lampinski said.

Lampinski said that the appraisers were indicted on federal charges, including mail and wire fraud, and were convicted and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines. He would not name the family or collector in question. The original thief or thieves are almost certainly dead.

The Worden sword "is part of our history and heritage, and should be on display," Lampinski said. He declined to estimate the value of the sword -- which cost $550 in 1862 -- but another Civil War sword made by Tiffany & Co. fetched $250,000 a few years ago.

"If you read about this in a novel, you wouldn't believe the plot," said an ecstatic Scott Harmon, director of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum. "I perhaps read too much Tolkien -- this is 'The Return of the Sword.' " ("It doesn't take us much to get excited," he added.)

Capt. Charles J. Leidig Jr., the academy's commandant, stood at attention as Lampinski formally returned the sword. The men shook hands as cameras flashed, illuminating a room ringed with old naval uniforms, medals and paintings of sea battles.

"Sir, thank you very much," Leidig said. "We are proud to have it back."

For a handful of midshipmen assembled to watch the proceedings, the return was only slightly less meaningful; most didn't even know the sword was missing until a few weeks ago. But Worden is a daily presence in their lives. Their parade ground is known as Worden Field, and they all learn about his exploits commanding the Monitor in their naval history classes.

Eric Scherrer, a fourth-year midshipman, saw a clear connection between Worden and his classmates. "We really see a legacy," he said. "We walk in the footsteps of all the great officers that walked before us."