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Fowler: Military mission academy's first priority

Superintendent says some extracurricular activities being scaled back

By EARL KELLY, Staff Writer

Published 10/08/07

Naval Academy midshipmen will spend more time with sailors in the fleet and have less time for extracurricular activities such as music programs and sailing, the school's new superintendent said Friday.

Paul W. Gillespie - The Capital Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler said midshipmen will spend less time on some worthwhile activities to make time for more training. The superintendent said change may be difficult, but it is necessary to better prepare the mids for military service.

Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler said during a meeting with the editorial board of The Capital that less time will be spent on some worthwhile midshipmen activities, such as building homes for Habitat for Humanity, to make time for more training.

"I don't want my midshipmen missing class, going to build houses for the homeless," Adm. Fowler said. "My midshipmen need to take care of their own business, their own mission, first....

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It's the MILITARY! - 2007-10-16 18:18:21

Please realize the young folks at USNA are getting paid to obtain a very good college degree. Their pay back is the privelage of service in the Navy or Marine Corps. They have a responsibility to become good officers, good leaders and in turn someone thier troops can count on in a pinch. USNA is NOT a college, did they sign up for a free degree thinking it would be a cake walk? Why are we worried some Mid might have to work hard, what about all the enlisted folks they will be leading. Too long we have had spoon fed USNA graduates coming to the fleet with bad attitudes an no work ethic. As a prior CO afloat, I am glad to see someone finally stepping to the plate and trying to correct this.

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Robert A. - annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

Review of Comments - 2007-10-11 07:32:15

As a graduate of USNA, My opinion is based on years of experience in the Navy and as a businessman. I can sum all of the comments into one sentence. This is a military installation not an Ivy League wannabe. Get over it!

Emil Di Motta USNA'62

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Emil DI Motta - Lakeland, FL - Karma: Bad

Mistaken approach - 2007-10-10 18:05:01

After all but eliminating most ECA's, Adm. Fowler now wants to stop the Midshipmen from building homes for the homeless and instead "take care of their own business". As Marley stated to Scrooge "mankind is my business". Our military people all around the world are not just engaged in destroying the enemy -- they are actively helping the victims of violence and war. They are building schools, hospitals, and repairing infrastructures. To say helping our less fortunate citizens is not the "mission" of our Mids seems hypocritical.

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Debbie C. - Bloomfield, NJ - Karma: Bad

Too Much - 2007-10-10 11:04:19

This is not a black-and-white issue. It is true that there has been a lack of discipline at the Naval Academy in recent years. However, Fowler is overcompensating. The Academy is a military institution, but it is not boot camp. Extra-curricular activities were available, even seemingly frivolous ones, during other major wars and conflicts, and somehow the Academy turned out some of the finest officers you could read of in the history books, not to mention those of whom we do not hear so much. If Fowler wishes to improve the Naval Academy, he ought to find a better balance between discipline and recreational activities.

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C. Gross - Riva, MD - Karma: Bad

Changes - 2007-10-10 09:11:39

I think VADM Fowler is right in line with what needs to be done. The simple fact is that the Academy is a military institution, charged with preparing men and women to lead sailors and marines in the war on terror. That being said, graduates in recent years have been woefully unprepared to do this.

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N. Olish - Arnold, MD - Karma: Bad

Poor Leadership Training - 2007-10-10 08:56:43

The new leadership at the Academy seems to think they make better leaders by taking away the responsibility of midshipmen to make their own choices. A key element of a good naval officer is the ability to take responsibility for his actions and make good choices. It is unfortunate that the new leadership think they can dictate responsibility. Very shortsighted.

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John Scot - Denver, CO - Karma: Bad

Mistake - 2007-10-09 12:20:12

ADM Fowler is wrong, and in fact, I am deeply offended by his views--how can a man in uniform, dedicated to serving his country, suggest that those serving at the US Naval Academy are somehow above serving their communities? Admiral Fowler: we want well-rounded Naval officers! What are you doing to our young people? You are steering them down the wrong path, extinguishing any creative or innovative flame and making them yes-men. You are taking the best of our nation and stifling all of their drives at the prime of their lives. You are hurting, NOT HELPING, this nation...ADM Fowler is so wrong that I would like to call for his resignation. At times in life, it takes a big man to admit when he has made a mistake.

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Eric Genover - annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

Bad Choice - 2007-10-08 21:16:56

The only problem Adm Fowler doesn't seem to notice is that by restricting those areas that mids have as outlets only leads to anger and rebellion, NOT better behaved mids. He is easily causing more problems then good at this school, why else is the 6week projected grades of the brigade lower than they have been in 5 years? Even with his mandatory new study hour policy, grades are WORSE and moral is the lowest its ever been for any mid currently. I think its time for the CNO to realize he messed up on picking an Adm that would pull the academy out of the newspaper because he only put in an Adm that is making headline news for his mistakes and deliberate actions to "fix" something that didn't need fixing

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L B - Ashburn, VA - Karma: Bad