The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience

Send us Fan Mail P reparing for Plebe Summer at the United States Naval Academy: Insights, Advice, and Real Stories This episode of the Academy Insider podcast focuses on providing insights, advice, and sharing experiences related to plebe summer at the United States Naval Academy.  This episode features Grant Booker, a 2023 Navy Academy graduate and former regimental commander of Plebe Summer, sh...

Send us Fan Mail Academy Insider is back!  Academy Insider started back in 2017 in an attempt to give back to the Naval Academy community, sharing experiences & perspectives as a recent graduate to help the next wave of midshipmen and their families. As Grant hit the peak of my operational duties, Academy Insider had to pause – Four Submarine Deployments in a three year span will do that!  Gra...

Send us Fan Mail Drum and Bugle Corps I'm joined by Andrea Howard who is a class of 15 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a submarine officer. Andrea was an Arabic and Political Science major at the academy. She is a Marshall Scholar and pursued graduate education directly after graduation.  She earned a MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy from Oxford and...

Send us Fan Mail Rear Adm. James McNeal '86, U.S. Navy, Retired and is an expert on the Herndon Climb. He joins Grant on the podcast and tells the story of the Herndon monument and most specifically the tradition of the climb which he considers the Naval Academy's greatest tradition. Rear Adm. McNeal is "the expert" on this topic. He is humble, funny and a great storyteller and...

Send us Fan Mail Margaret "Peg" DeLuca Klein '81, Rear Adm, U.S. Navy, Retired is the Dean of the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI.  A native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Rear Adm. Margaret Klein was commissioned in May 1981 upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. Klein completed a 35-year Navy career in March 2017. As Rear Admiral Kl...

Send us Fan Mail Angela Bailey is the Protocol Advisor to the Commandant of Midshipmen and Brigade Social Director. Angela Bailey once attended Ring Dance, and was impressed by the etiquette and manners of the Midshipmen. Her date informed her that Etiquette and Protocol is a part of a Midshipman’s curriculum all four years, and that they had an instructor for it all. Angela, having received forma...

Send us Fan Mail United States Marine Corps 101 This podcast is the audio recording of a video interview with Major Lowell Krusinger.  Major Krusinger was the officer representative on the men's basketball team when I was at the academy.  He is a great mentor to me. He attended the University of Utah where he completed his bachelors degree in English literature with the German minor and was c...

Send us Fan Mail Caroline Johnson '09   She began her military career at the United States Naval Academy in 2005, bristling against the strict rules but loving the friends she met along the way. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 2009, she joined the elite Naval Aviation community and began flight school in Pensacola, FL.  In 2011, she was awarded her wings of gold and...

Send us Fan Mail Katie Ann (Higgins) Cook Katie who is a 2008 graduate of the Naval Academy, joins the podcast while serving as a United States Marine out of Houston, Texas.  She was in the 13th Company and a political science major with a minor in Spanish . She was a member of the women's swimming team . Katie has a deep connection to the Naval Academy as her father, uncle, brother and siste...

Send us Fan Mail Brigade Boxing I'm joined by Stephanie Simon who is a class of 17 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a United States Marine Corps Officer. Stephanie was a general science major at the academy. Stephanie is the best if not one of the best boxers in Naval Academy history. She's a three time national champion, a two time brigade champion,...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is author Ricky Conlin .  Ricky returns to the podcast as one of my most popular guests ever.  He is a proud member of the mighty class of 1999, was an economics major and a member of the sixth company. Ricky describes himself as a very mediocre midshipman. He graduated smack dab in the middle of the class militarily and was relatively quiet. He did stand 14 days of colle...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm joined by Captain L. David Marquet who is a class of 1981 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.  Captain Marquet was a Physics major at the academy and a member of the Fencing Team and 27th Company . In this episode, we discuss leadership through the lens of his time at the academy, his time in the fleet and his subsequent career as a New York Ti...

Send us Fan Mail I'm joined by Jarred Reid-Dixon who is a class of 17 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a Supply Officer in the United States Navy. Jarred is from a big military family with both his parents in the US Air Force.  His brother is a United States Marine and his sister is an Officer in the Navy and also a USNA grad.  JRD was an economics major a...

Send us Fan Mail I'm joined again by my guest in episode #023 Rob Roy who is a class of 2011 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.   He is a Navy pilot and currently serves as on the Commandant's staff at the Academy as the conduct officer. Rob was in the 9th Company .  Rob and my conversation on this episode has nothing to do with conduct and all about ADVENTURE.  Rob loves the...

Send us Fan Mail I'm joined by Rob Roy who is a class of 2011 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.   He is a Navy pilot and currently serves as on the Commandant's staff at the Academy as the conduct officer. Rob was in the 9th Company .   One of the unique aspects about life at the Naval Academy is we do have a conduct system, and it's not just for big things. We talk mid...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm joined by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff who is a class of 1982 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.  Captain Abrashoff was a Political Science major at the academy and a member of the 29th Company. In this episode, we discuss leadership through the lens of his time at the academy, his time in the fleet and his subsequent career as a New York Time...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, your host Grant Vermeer speaks with United States Navy Officer Rebecca Richmond '16 about what it is like as a midshipman in the 13th Company tradition of running the game ball to the stadium. Rebecca who is a 2016 graduate of the Naval Academy, joins the podcast while serving as a Navy pilot out of Virginia Beach flying the E2-C . She was in the 13th Company...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, your host Grant Vermeer speaks with United States Navy Captain Eddie Pilcher '96 and Grant's sponsor dad about what it is like as a midshipman in King Hall, Bancroft Hall and on the Yard during their years at the academy during Army Week. Captain Pilcher joins the podcast while serving as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Facility, Washington - Joi...

Send us Fan Mail The Army-Navy Football Game - Insider Information In this episode, Grant is joined by Dishan Romine '17, Calvin Cass Jr. '17 and Alex Barta '17 all who are graduates from the United States Naval Academy.  The Army-Navy game is the most celebrated rivalry in college football. It is frequently attended by sitting U.S. presidents and it is well known to be a "buck...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, your host Grant Vermeer speaks with Karl Smith the creator of the blog My Kid the Mid and the author of the book Anchored in Tradition . Karl is a USNA parent (Noah '20) and has a daughter exploring attending service academies.  (She chose to attend the Air Force Academy) He has been of great service to the USNA parent community through his book, blog, and pa...

Send us Fan Mail Jessie Iwuji '10 - USNA Grad, Navy Football Player, Navy Officer,  & NASCAR Driver So today we're joined by Jesse who is a class of 2010 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and was a member of the football team in 2007 when Navy beat Notre Dame in South bend for the first time in 43 years in triple overtime . So we talk, we talk about that story, but we als...

Send us Fan Mail Service Academy Exchange Opportunities at the USNA I'm joined by Matt Meltzer who is a class of 17 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. Matt is from New York City and was a political science major at the academy and in currently stationed in Hawaii. Matt was a guest on one of our most popula...

Send us Fan Mail Halloween Night at the USNA I'm joined by Jeremiah Harding who is a class of 17 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. Jerry was a history major at the academy and joins the podcast from Okinawa, Japan. In this episode, we give a peek of what Halloween is like at the Academy for a Mid.  Do w...

Send us Fan Mail I'm joined by Andrea Howard who is a class of 15 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a submarine officer. Andrea was an Arabic and Political Science major at the academy.  She is a Marshall Scholar and pursued graduate education directly after graduation.  She earned a MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy from Oxford and a MA in Science and...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is author Ricky Conlin.  He is a proud member of the mighty class of 1999, was an economics major and a member of the sixth company.  Ricky describes himself as a very mediocre midshipman. He graduated smack dab in the middle of the class militarily and was relatively quiet. He did stand 14 days of collective restrictions. He played varsity football at the Naval Academy....