Life as a Naval Academy Girlfriend

Dating is hard. Dating someone attending the Naval Academy, or the other service academies for that matter, is next to insanity. So why do hundreds of girls and guys go through the heartache of dating an Academy student? No, it is not masochism, just plain old-fashioned true love, made all the more attractive by, of course, the uniform, and the life lived to higher ideals.

I started dating my now-husband the summer after his "plebe" or freshman year. That summer started off a long series of good-byes that continue today. Since we did not start dating until after his first year, I did not get to experience life dating a plebe. Let me give you the general idea: plebes are stuck in Annapolis for the entire school year, excepting Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Breaks. Their schedules are exceedingly regulated, and while they can communicate with the outside world, they do not have a lot of extra time to do so. Johannah McCammant, whose boyfriend just finished his plebe year, gave me some insight into the difficulties and the rewards of dating a first year academy student: "Plebe year was extremely intimidating. Randy and I had been together for three years before the Academy. I remember the first time I went on the yard [campus] with Randy's family and him, and he met a firstie [senior, or First Class] and the firstie asked him if I was his girlfriend. He said yes, and the firstie told Randy that he had a girlfriend during Plebe year...but they went their separate ways after that. I remember while he was telling Randy this story I was hanging onto his hand for dear life, in some way trying to tell him that that wasn't going to be us. Well, obviously it wasn't, but the year did not come without its challenges. There were times I wondered if this was really what I wanted for myself, but at the end of the day, I knew I wouldn't have it any other way. In many ways we've become closer to each other, but at the same time more of our own person, a chance to develop into who we are, but still able to lean on each other across the miles."

VP Cheney addressing the graduates in 2006.

Credit: Kate F.

Copyright: Kate F.