With the rapid graying of the United States, due to extended lifespans and declining birth rates, concerns among older adults are also on the rise. Their worries range from financial concerns to physical and mental health issues to healthcare and housing. Most older adults would prefer to stay in their own homes throughout their golden years, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. But aging in place is not that simple.
For those interested in living their lives at home as they age, we have posted this recent article from The Harvard Gazette that may be helpful: Click HERE for the article.
’66 Classmates, spouses and widows are invited to attend the Class Luncheon on Wednesday 11 March at the Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis. The event will begin at 1130, buffet lunch at 1200, and our Guest Speaker at about 1230. Cost of the luncheon is $45 per person.
President and CEO of the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, Jeff Webb, ’95, will be our Guest Speaker.
Jeff has a very interesting background. He is a 1995 graduate of the Naval Academy and spent 5 years in Naval Special Warfare as a SEAL. As a civilian in CIVLANT, he spent 15 years in the wealth management industry. During his career, he has been involved in a couple of non-profits honoring Veterans and students.
Contact Mike Baird by Monday 9 March if you plan to attend (pmbaird@verizon.net). As always, should you be able to attend at the last minute, please come as there is always room for one more!
LtGen Michael Borgschulte ’91, USMC, 66th Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy, sent the correspondence below to the Brigade of Midshipmen 28 February following the start of U.S. military operations against Iran. This is being shared with the Alumni and Daily Shipmate readers with the permission of USNA.
Brigade of Midshipmen,
As you have seen in the news, our Joint Force has begun military operations against Iran. For decades, Iran has waged a proxy war against American forces and our partners across the Middle East. The events now unfolding are historic. They are consequential. And they demand serious reflection from all of us.
For some of your company mates who have only recently graduated, this is no longer theoretical. It is not a case study. It is not a classroom discussion. It is real. They are likely participating in these operations today, standing watch, flying sorties, leading Sailors and Marines, executing missions on behalf of our great country. They are carrying the weight of decisions that matter.
Soon enough, that responsibility will be yours.
This moment should sharpen your perspective. The fate of nations, the stability of regions, and the lives of your fellow Americans are not abstract ideas. They rest in the hands of officers who are competent, disciplined, and morally grounded. The fate of the Iranian people, like so many populations caught under regimes that choose hostility over peace, will ultimately be shaped in part by how professionally and decisively American forces conduct themselves.
You’ve heard me talk about warfighting and our focus on it. What you are seeing in the news is an example of why we must be ready. Warfighting is not a slogan. It is the core purpose of our Navy and Marine Corps. It requires intellectual rigor in the classroom, physical toughness on the field, and professional seriousness in every training evolution.
It requires leaders who understand history, technology, human behavior, and the moral weight of command. It requires officers who can think clearly under pressure and act decisively in uncertainty. This is not a time for distraction. It is not a time for complacency.
It is a time… to double down.
Double down academically, master your disciplines. Whether you study engineering, cyber, political science, or literature, your ability to think critically will shape your effectiveness in combat.
Double down athletically, physical resilience underpins combat effectiveness. The demands placed on junior officers in operational units are unrelenting. Double down professionally, treat every formation, every brief, every watch, and every leadership opportunity as preparation for the day when the stakes are real.
Our mission remains clear: to develop midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically and to imbue you with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty. Those ideals are not ornamental. They are operational necessities.
History does not ask whether we feel ready. It simply arrives. We are not simply another college, our responsibility is far greater. We will continue to prepare you accordingly.
With Respect,
Your SupeLtGen Michael J. Borgschulte, USMC66th Superintendent
The 2026 season is shaping up to be electric for the Navy Midshipmen football, who return a veteran core after an 11-win campaign packed with trophies and momentum.
Fans will pack Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for five home games, while big road tests and two neutral-site showdowns add intrigue. Highlights include a Halloween clash with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football at Gillette Stadium and a stretch run featuring Memphis and Charlotte. The season crescendos with college football’s most iconic rivalry, the Army-Navy Game, Dec. 12 at MetLife Stadium—setting the stage for another thrilling chapter.
Click HERE for the 2026 schedule. Remember, our Class 60th Reunion is Saturday, 1 October against Air Force. Join your Classmates in Annapolis at the N* Room to cheer the Mids on to victory!
Some of you may have heard but for those intending to attend Pat Muldoon’s funeral at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) on Monday, 9 February and are concerned about the freezing weather, please note that, while ANC may be closed for visitors, funerals will continue as scheduled. Please follow the instructions previously sent regarding attending. Questions? Contact usna66webmaster@gmail.com.
The USNA 1966 “Band of Sisters” celebrated Valentine’s Day in their semi-monthly zoom. In addition to donning festive colors and sharing favorite Valentine’s memories (did you know Jane Marrone met her husband, Sam, on a Valentine’s Day blind date?!), the group discussed the upcoming Book Chat.
All ’66 wives, widows and friends are welcome to join the Feburary 18 zoom at 4 pm Eastern time. The gals will catch up on all the news and then enjoy a lively Book Chat conversation starting at 4:30 pm.
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley. A fascinating, revelatory portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard. In the tradition of classic workplace memoirs, it is a surprising, inspiring portrait of a great museum, its hidden treasures, and the people who make it tick, by one of its most intimate observers. (We encourage you to visit an art museum or gallery before the book chat!)
Maisie Dobbs (#1) by Jacqueline Winspear. The first in a series of 18 historical mystery novels. The novels, set between 1929 and 1945, follow the adventures of private investigator and former World War I field nurse Maisie Dobbs, and examine the impacts of war on ordinary people. The entire series is engaging and easy to read, with terrific writing and great character development. The Book Chat will only cover the first book.
Kathy Prout, widow of USNA 66 Jay Prout (1st Company), was recognized for her service and leadership by the City of Coronado with a proclamation deeming that that Mayor “does hereby recognize and proclaim January 20, 2026, as ‘KATHY PROUT DAY’ in the City of Coronado.”
Kathy, a regular on the USNA66 Band of Sisters bi-weekly zooms, founded and led national advocacy organizations for military surviving spouses and has served in leadership and advisory roles with the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
Her advocacy has ensured that surviving spouses are informed of their benefits, given a voice in public policy and provided a seat at the table in state and national discussions affecting military families.
Kathy also was recognized by MOAA as a national changemaker. Click HERE to learn more about this and several other recent advocacy activities in which Prout is spearheading.
Proclamation City of Coronado Mayor, John Duncan, presents Proclamation to Kathy.Cookies were a gift from one of the city councilwomen (wife of a retired Navy SEAL Captain.)
Rear Admiral James G Prout III, 1st Company, USNA’66, died on active duty in 1995. At the time of his tragic death he was one of the most highly decorated Naval Officers in the Navy. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with V for Valor for his heroism in Vietnam where he worked with Navy UDT and SEAL team One and the Distinguished Service Award among his other many medals.
Jay’s widow, Kathy, is built of the same “stuff”. While navigating through her grief she experienced systemic gaps in survivor benefits and vowed to help other surviving spouses avoid going through what she did.
Kathy helped start the Gold Star Spouses of America for the surviving wives and husbands of servicemembers who died in the line of duty or from a service-related injury or disease.
“By working on trying to fix things that were obviously wrong, it honored my husband’s death, service, and sacrifice,” she said.
May we live in a way that honors their sacrifice. May we never forget the cost.
Gold Star Spouses of America is part of The Military Coalition and is also a support system that points surviving spouses in the right direction to obtain benefits for which they might not even know they’re entitled. Indeed, Prout has been active with ’66 widows sharing her lessons learned and pointing to resources she has helped develop. Click HERE and scroll down to “Survivor Benefits” for the MOAA Survivor Guide and Resources.
Kathy was selected as one of 5 national CHANGEMAKERS by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).Its magazine, Military Officer, featured Kathy in its cover story for the January 2026 publication. Click HERE for the article.
She also was asked to speak, representing Gold Star spouses and families, on December 13, 2025 at the Wreaths Across America ceremony at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego (Pt. Loma). She spoke about Jay and what happened to him, the notifications, and how Jay lived. Click HERE for a copy of her speech.
What’s next for Kathy Prout? She is advocating for a new bill that is funded but needs cosponsors. The “Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Benefits Expansion Act”, HR 6047, would increase the benefits for a forgotten group of veterans and their families for the first time in over 20 years. It also would raise the monthly benefits rate for catastrophically service-connected disabled veterans with a traumatic brain injury or other severe disabilities that require regular, round the clock, in-home medical care.
The Bill is named for Sharri Briley, surviving spouse of CW3 Donovan Lee “Bull” Briley, an Army Special Operations Blackhawk helicopter pilot who was killed in a mission in Somalia that inspired the movie “Blackhawk Down”, and Sgt Eric Edmundson, USA RET who, as a result of his service during deployment near the Iraq/Syria border in 2005, sustained life altering injuries including permanent damage from anoxic brain injury which ended his ability to speak or walk.
Kathy encourages people to call their Congressperson and ask them to cosponsor, not just support, the bill. She supplied information about the bill to Congress. Click HERE for a briefing on the bill. The bill language is on Congress.gov.
USNA-66 Classmates, wives and widows will gather 1-4 October 2026 by the bay where Severn joins the tide. The Executive Committee has planned an amazing weekend complete with a banquet, a football watch party in the N* Room at the stadium (everyone’s favorite “Taste of the Chesapeake” will be the fare of the day) and more. Details on all the Reunion Events and Reunion Registration will open soon.
Hotel Reservations are NOW AVAILABLE. Click HERE for the webpage describing the 3 hotels with special 60th Reunion Rates.
The Westin is the host hotel. Stay close to the action! Our official Host Hotel offers easy access to the Reunion receptions, banquets and breakfasts. Special Reunion Rate: $339/night. Click HERE to book!
The Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn in Annapolis are part of the same dual-branded hotel, sharing facilities, but offering different types of rooms (suites for Residence Inn, standard rooms for Fairfield). Special Reunion Rate: Residence Inn: $239/night (suite). Fairfield Inn: $229/night (standard room). Click HERE to book!
Please note:
It is important to use the special reunion weblinks to book your room online.
The links help ensure that you receive the discounted reunion rate.
Your support by staying in the block also helps the Class earn complimentary banquet space to help keep the event costs lower than they would otherwise be.
Book early! Our group block has limited rooms at the special conference price.
REUNION EVENTS AND REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON!
