Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-04-18
YOUNG MEN ARE ENLisTlNo
IN THE u. s. NAVY
ing May Reach Top Of Worlds
Greatest Fleets.

Greatest Fleets.
The need for additional officers in
the United States Navy is being more
keenly felt, with the commissioning of
every new dreadnaught. One Of the
last Acts of the Congress which ceas-
ed to exist on March 4, 1917, was to
provide that 100 midshipmen at the
Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.
were to be drawn from the enlisted
personnel of the Navy. Every enlist
ed man under twenty years of age.
with one years sea service, is eligible
for one of these vacancies, and the ex-
aminations are entirely competitive,
the highest 100 young men receiving
the appointments.
The average young man in the Navy
like the average young man in civil
ian life, has not had a high school
education, and this fact is inducing
high school boys to enlist in the Navy,
as it is practically certain that anv
two years or more high school train.
ing, who really desires to enter An
napolis, can do so.
men with this preliminary training
s%AO1I VI pe1A IANuAoA VdAU0, dS LuolI
knowledge of Naval Affairs give such
young men much better grasp Of the
possibilities of their future career.
than is held by the candidates ap-
pointed directly from civil life by
congressman. The men appointed
from the enlisted personnel must be
recommended by their commanding Of
ficer, and an Officer jealous of main
tanning the best traditions of the Nav
al Service, will give preference to the
ablest men under him. This places
the highest honors of the Naval Ser
vice within the grasp of any young
man who has future fitness to win"
The Regiment of midshipmen are
always the personnel guard of the
President at his Inauguration. The
Academy course being for four years,
every midshipman participates in one
inauguration, and generally, in later
life as Commissioned Officer, in
many more.
Midshipmen make three cruises dur
ing their Naval Academy career, each
cruise held during the three summer
months. The 1tenary Of these cruises
is laid out: Germany, Norway, Eng
land, Gibraltar, etc. In 1915, it was
considered inadvisable to send the
training squad in European waters on
account of the war, and they were
therefore sent to San Francisco, thru
the Panama Canal, to view the Pan
ama-Pacitic Exposition.
The standards of living, discipline,
of manhood, and of scholastic ability,
are maintained at high level. The
pressing need of Officers has not low
cred these standards, as was recently
shown when the usual percentage of
the midshipmen were obliged" (forced
to resign) for deficiency in studies
The young man who has an apti-
tude for the sea; who wishes to enter
the Naval Service under the best con.
ditions, who has the ambition to reach
the top, and is willing to do his ut
most to realize such an ambition
such type makes the successful
Naval Officer. Such man has with.
in his grasp the chance to become the
COmmander-in-Chi of one of the
Worlds Greatest Fleets.
Americas future is linked with sea
power. Our merchant marine must
become reality, not vague hope.
Our Navy must be powerful enough to
keep the seas open, and our coasts
safe, at all times. The men at Annap.
oils today will be the moving figures
in few years, in carrying out our ma
tiOnal aspirations on the seas.