USNA: Ceremonial swords on the prohibited list since after 9/11.

If you saw this story about how midshipmen’s ceremonial swords were on the prohibited list for graduation ceremonies, you were probably not pleased about it.  Neither was I – but I checked with the Public Affairs office for the Naval Academy, and they informed me that this policy was put into place in response to 9/11.  It is, bluntly, a stupid policy – if our midshipmen cannot be trusted to not assassinate the President, we’re in much worse trouble than we thought – but it’s also not the administration’s fault.

I encourage President Obama to change this policy and give his officers their swords back.  We are citizens of a Republic, after all – they are not subjects, and he is not a king.

Crossposted to RedState.

21 thoughts on “USNA: Ceremonial swords on the prohibited list since after 9/11.”

  1. Heck, he should go a step further. He should present them with their swords. (If he has time, that is. I being POTUS, means keeping to a busy schedule.)

  2. All recent photos of graduation at Annapolis shows middies wearing white uniforms and no swords. At West Point’s 2009 graduation, cadets wore full dress uniforms and swords.Cadets and all military at West Point wear combat ready fatigues and boots every day to class and on the post, unless another uniform is designated, like parades. I asked why ? The answer, “We are at at war, the global war on terror.” That was in 2008, so maybe this has been changed.

  3. Some days I don’t even trust Myself – Joseph Stalin

    Wonder how long it will be before the purges start and his girls are searched several times a day for weapons.

  4. People posting here are obviously ignorant about service academies in general. First Men AND Women graduate from our service academmies each year. As a parent of a West Point graduate I can tell you that this puffed up indignation against Obama and the security measures are just political bluster—the measures employed are not only justified but also commonplace. Service academy cadets and middies are and have been subjected to random drug testing, throughout their time at the academy as well, despite the fact that they are supposed to be trusted and on the honor system. The fact is that while the expectation of honor and trust is there, reality dictates that there are always bad apples in the barrel and the result of missing one of them could be catastrophic. Get off your high political horses and get real. Frankly I have havent seen a president so popular with the military in quite a long time, esp the leadership.

  5. Never seen a President so popular? Only with the brainwashed who voted for change for changes sake….

  6. Jim R. says:
    “A sword is not part of the navy officers uniform.”

    I am SO sick and tired of people replying to things like this who know absolutely nothing about what they are commenting on. This is a prime example. The ceremonial uniform for the Navy may be blue or white depending on the season. The sword IS part of the “Ceremonial Dress White” and “Ceremonial Dress Blue” uniforms, as are full size medals and white gloves. That is why those uniforms have an opening on the side of the Choker blouse (Whites) and the Service Dress Blue Jacket (Navy double breasted suit jacket). If you had ever worn one you would know this. If you do not not know what you are talking about you should keep your INVALID statements of presumed fact to yourself.

  7. Service academy cadets and middies are and have been subjected to random drug testing, throughout their time at the academy as well, despite the fact that they are supposed to be trusted and on the honor system.

    And those of us who served as Enlisted were subject to the same drug testing at random times.

    The fact is that while the expectation of honor and trust is there, reality dictates that there are always bad apples in the barrel and the result of missing one of them could be catastrophic.

    Yes. For the bad apple. Because he would be very outnumbered and dead before s/he got a chance to do something stupid to the President.

    A sword is not part of the navy officers uniform.

    Oh really? I disagree.

  8. Hey Shogun,

    You said: “Frankly I have havent seen a president so popular with the military in quite a long time, esp the leadership.”

    Put the crack-pipe down! If what you stated were true, why is it this occupant of the office does not get letters in the press from both the commissioned and decommissioned officers coming to his defense like the previous office-holder continues to do to this very day! Are the members of the military still re-enlisting at the same numbers and percentages as was the case under GWB? Go look for yourself. You won’t be so willing to stick your body-appendage out for this current-day dictator again once you have the facts!

    No wonder you stare at the heavens all night long! It’s amazing someone like you would produce a child who loves their country enough to devote part of their life defending it!

    Stick to your night-job, and leave the truth-squads to what they do best!

  9. wow such intelligent and thoughtful comments. How bout we stick to the topic at hand????

    Fact__>>Obama has nothing to do with USNA not using swords at graduation–they havent used them for anyone including Bush since before 2001. Ask a USNA grad if u dont believe me. In fact I heard from a ’74 grad who doesnt remember them used even back then at graduation. This decision was made at USNA by USNA. Get ur facts and then use them instead of falling back on the same old diatribes that the extremes of both parties seem to rely on these days. The military is apolitcal, and no attempts by one party or the other to hi-jack it’s loyalty or it’s vote will succeed. THATS what made this country so great, bubba.

  10. Pull your heqads out of the sand people and do your own research instead of relying on Newsmax for your mental nourishment. There are no pics of Middies at USNA graduation with swords, even before Obama (look at the pics when Bush was the speaker in 2005). Get a grip. Use your God-given brains.

  11. West Point cadets wear swords at graduation, USMA Midshipman do not. It has nothing to do with politics, the President, or the price of gas at the pump. These are policies and traditions unique to each service academy.

  12. All right, folks: everybody who isn’t being polite, start. Now. That explicitly includes you, shogun: you are beginning to become boringly rude.

  13. Oh, and Nor4 I hope the weather in Maitland, Fla., is better than here is SoCal. I cant get any imaging done this week with the clouds. Iam glad you were able to visit my website.
    Iam very proud of my WP cadet (now a 2nd Lt) and the fact that West Point DID do a great job teaching her to think for herself. She DOES love her country as much as I and the rest of her family does, (thank-you very much).

  14. How so, Moe?–I think had the author of that article had bothered to do his homework he wouldn’t have written it to begin with. How was I rude? I posted facts (and a way for readers to verify them for themselves–the internet is a wonderful thing), and the responses were (to put it mildly) a bit childish.

    Your readers seem to think:
    Swords are not allowed at USNA graduation becasue of Obama.

    FACT: Swords were not used for at least the last 8 years at USNA graduation (including Bush’s visit in 2005). Swords ARE used at USMA–always have been and will be (Obama will be there in 2010). The POTUS as well as VP, SECDEF, SEC of the Army rotate amongst the service academies at graduation. Each SA has their own graduation protocol. Swords at USNA graduation are not part of that protocol (and haven’t been for years).

    CONCLUSION: The comments above to the contrary are WRONG, no matter how much they don’t like the President.

  15. Moe, did you ban Shogun for defending his point? Why? He wasn’t rude to anyone. In fact, if you read some of the comments made toward him (“put the crack pipe down”), you should have banned those people, not Shogun. He said one thing that I think was bogus…that Obama is so popular amongst our military. He may think Obama is great but his point is that it wasn’t Obumble who banned the swords. You posted a confirmation of that. Now…BAN ME.

    1. No, I banned him because when I tell people to behave on my forum, they behave, or they leave. I certainly hope that people find the whole thing unfair: it’s meant to be, particularly towards schmucks.

      I also cheerfully ban people who seem to think that proclaiming BAN ME on private property is the equivalent of the last scene from Braveheart, so… nothing personal, really.

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