Senior Austin Lam looks up from his plate as he glances at the friendly faces around him. Sitting in the historic King Hall of the United States Naval Academy, Lam marvels at his surroundings, honored to have such a privilege.
The Secretary of the Navy, George Bancroft, established the United States Naval Academy in 1845. The Academy is a highly competitive college that provides free education and military training to its students, known as midshipmen, who will serve in the United States Navy or Marine Corps as officers after graduation. The academy has a multi-step application process, which includes obtaining a nomination from a political figure, and accepts an average of 7% of its applicants.
Lam was also accepted into the Naval Academy Summer Seminar his past summer. From June 15-20, Lam was given the privileged opportunity to experience the life of a midshipman at the Academy. Lam immersed himself in the moral, academic and physical aspects of midshipman life. As one of the training activities, Lam and his squad members participated in a log physical training exercise that required all members of the team to lift a heavy log.
“I learned at Candidate Visit Week that life at the Academy is like a delicate balancing act,” Lam said. “It’s mandatory for midshipman to take at least 15 credits a semester, participate in intramural sports while developing as officers, scholars and warriors.”
On Sept. 5, Lam was invited back to the Academy and stayed for two additional nights as a guest for the Candidate Visit Week. The Week is a highly selective program that allows promising candidates to shadow his or her plebe, freshmen at the Academy, who acts as a host. Participating in classes, drills and physical activity during this time allowed Lam to able to fully experience midshipman life.
“I already knew 110% that a service academy was the place for me before I even visited one, but when I first stepped foot on the Naval Academy campus I knew I would do anything to be accepted,” Lam said. “I love almost every aspect of academy life from waking up at 0500 to the close knit camaraderie. I can’t explain the feeling of walking on the same ground that some of this nation’s top leaders and admirals walked on years and years ago.”
Aside from his experiences at the Academy, Lam has also brought a bit of the military onto our campus. As founder and current supervisor of the Military History Club, Lam shows his love and admiration for the military.
“Ironically, I detest war, violence and bloodshed,” Lam said. “I started the club in order to promote peace by demonstrating and teaching that military history is full of conflicts that really shouldn’t have ever happened had people understood each other, taken time to settle their differences and found alternatives to violence.”
Lam uses his contacts at both West Point and The United States Naval Academy to get officers, cadets and midshipmen to speak at Military History Club meetings. The cadets and midshipmen are able to give personal stories and experiences when it comes to the admission process like what life is like on each of the campuses.
Through his experiences with veterans both at the service academies and at places closer to home, Lam learned how open and supportive the military community is towards young men and women who are interested in military history, as well as dedicating a career to protecting our country and freedom.