Photo courtesy of Hunter Carroll
Hunter Carroll II, a 2024 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School, was inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy.
Hunter Carroll II, a 2024 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School, in June was inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy.
Carroll and 1,169 other young men and women were selected for the academy from among more than 15,000 applicants.
At the end of June, he began six weeks of basic midshipman training. In their summer training time, the “plebes” have no access to television, movies, the internet or music and restricted access to cell phones. They are only permitted to make two calls during the six weeks of their “plebe summer.”
As the summer progresses, the new midshipmen attempt to learn basic skills in seamanship, navigation, damage control, sailing and handling yard patrol craft. They also learn infantry drill and how to shoot 9 mm pistols and M-16 rifles.
Other daily training sessions involve moral, mental, physical and professional development and team-building skills. Activities include swimming, martial arts, basic rock climbing, and obstacle, endurance and confidence courses. Forty hours are devoted to the instruction of infantry drill and five formal parades.
Once the summer training is completed, the midshipmen begin four years of study at the U.S. Naval Academy. Founded in 1845, the Naval Academy prepares midshipmen to be professional officers in the naval service. More than 4,400 men and women representing every state in the country and several foreign countries make up the student body, known as the Brigade of Midshipmen.
In 2022, U.S. News and World Report rated the Naval Academy as the No. 1 public school, No. 4 undergraduate engineering school, and No. 6 national liberal arts college.
Midshipmen learn from military and civilian instructors and participate in intercollegiate varsity sports and extracurricular activities. They also study subjects such as leadership, ethics, small arms, drill, seamanship and navigation, tactics, naval engineering and weapons, and military law. Upon graduation, midshipmen earn a bachelor’s degree in a choice of 26 different subject majors and go on to serve at least five years as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps.
