"We are the Girlfriends Club," said Kristyna Partain, of Arnold, whose boyfriend, Midshipman 4th Class Gary Beier, also of Arnold, is one of the plebes. The two have been a couple since eighth grade.

Ms. Partain stood under a shade tree as she waited for Midshipman Beier to emerge from the academy's massive dormitory, Bancroft Hall. She was accompanied by about five other young women who called themselves "the girlfriends."

Members of the Girlfriends Club said they have had a few phone calls from their plebes, and received some letters from behind the academy's walls.

"We have all been running to the mailboxes everyday," Kelsey Larson, from California, said of those letters.

All of the young women agreed it has been a lonely summer, but said that belonging to the Girlfriends Club has been a great help.

"We talk every day - crying," Victoria Szczesniak, from Ashburn, Va., said of the sisterhood.

Nicole Thomas, of Fort Myers, Fla., girlfriend of Midshipman 4th Class Jon Branch, said of her new friends, "Without them, I don't think I could have made it … It's been a loooong summer."

Upon arriving in Annapolis for Plebe Parents' Weekend, 19 of the girlfriends got together Thursday night, and went to dinner at Rams Head on West Street. It was the first time many had met face-to-face.

The Girlfriends Club has about 35 members who, through the Web site Facebook, have been sharing personal biographies and photos of themselves and their mids.

While they're using modern technology, these young women are doing what warriors' families have done since the beginning of time, banding together for mutual support.

The Girlfriends Club started last year, when plebes' girlfriends found each other over the Internet.

This year, the group has made up shirts to wear at today's parade. On the back is the individual plebe's name followed by "lets me rock his cover," speaking of midshipmen's hats, or covers.

As the group settled in yesterday to wait for their plebes, one topic of conversation was how the guys have fared this summer.

"All of them have 'plebe plague,' a hacking cough," one young woman said of her boyfriend's experience.

"Chaffing," another threw in, when listing the afflictions plebes have had to endure during boot camp.

"He said it was really intense," another added, describing Plebe Summer in general.

"Nick was really excited about being able to shoot guns," Ms. Larson said of her plebe, Midshipman 4th Class Nicholas Carver. "But he is very homesick."

One club member, Cassie McKee, from Aiken, S.C., arrived a bit late, dressed in an attention-getting blue summer dress.

"If you haven't seen your boy in a whole month, you have got to look good," she said with a southern accent. "The hardest part for him has been 'missing me,' and that's a direct quote."

Ms. Partain, a student at Anne Arundel Community College, laughed and said, "We get consumed being 'a girlfriend.' But, once school starts, you can get your own schedule."

For now, though, Ms. Partain seemed quite contented to talk about her plebe.

Midshipman Beier applied twice to enter the academy, and attended Virginia Tech for a year before being admitted, she said.

"He wanted to be here so bad, on I-Day he smiled all day long," Ms. Partain said, herself smiling and tearing up at the same time as she recalled the day.

"Everyone else was crying and here he was, smiling," she said. "We thought he was going to get into trouble for smiling so much, but his mom said, 'Everyone should feel that way one time in their life, to accomplish what they really want.'"

As time passed, the girlfriends became more nervous, shifting from one foot to another, hugging each other and looking toward Bancroft Hall.

"This is awful!" one said of the waiting.

"I have butterflies," another said.

"I'm going to vomit," still another added. "The last five hours have been the worst of the summer, worse than the last five weeks."

Most of the girlfriends said they didn't want to join the military themselves, but one, Mekko Fojas, was an exception. She is an Army ROTC cadet at Kent State University in Ohio, and wants to be a nurse.

"I didn't know that about you," one of her new friends said.

Some young women who were waiting for their plebes yesterday stood alone, not part of the Girlfriend Club.

Elisabeth Freeman, from Boone, N.C., was waiting for her boyfriend, Midshipman 4th Class Chris Wehner.

"It's been his goal as long as I've known him," she said, noting that Midshipman Wehner attended another college while waiting to get admitted to the Naval Academy.

Now, she also is enrolled in college, and wants to attend the Naval Academy. Both hope to become doctors.

"He said it is mentally fatiguing, but he is one of the strongest people I know," she said, confident that her boyfriend would succeed.

On July 2, Induction Day, 1,261 freshmen entered the academy, and as of yesterday only 23 have dropped out, according to the Naval Academy.

Back at the Girlfriends Club, the young women continued to wait, until suddenly, the Class of 2012 was dismissed, free to meet their parents and boyfriends and girlfriends and little brothers and baby sisters, and fill the restaurants of Annapolis.

Midshipman Beier eventually emerged from the crowd, and his first stop was to pick up Ms. Partain and give her a long embrace. His next stop was to hug his mother, Nanci Beier.

"I've been interviewed by the newspaper," Ms. Partain told him.

"Oh, God," he said grinning, indicating some nervousness at what secrets she might have revealed.

Meanwhile, hundreds of plebes strolled across the Yard with their loved ones, smiling and laughing, and telling about the challenges of Plebe Summer.

It was obvious that these plebes were a different bunch from the civilians who entered the academy just five weeks ago.

Midshipman 4th Class Caitlin Schemenski, from Woodbury, N.J., for example, stood rigidly at attention when speaking even to civilians, and served up all her answers in what midshipmen sometimes call a "sir sandwich," such as "Sir, yes, sir."

"I really haven't found the worst part yet," Midshipman Schemenski said.

She added that she "absolutely" likes being at the academy, and "loved - absolutely loved" - training on Yard Patrol boats, the 108-foot, twin-engine boats used to teach seamanship and navigation.

"It is challenging, but you can get through it one step at a time," she said. "Anyone who wants to come here has to do their best every day … I am definitely in the top physical shape of my life."