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Plebes, assemble! Naval Academy freshmen mark end of year with monument climb

Hundreds of members of the U.S. Naval Academy's freshman class worked to climb the greased Herndon Monument. The annual tradition began in 1940.
Credit: U.S. Naval Academy website
Members of the U.S. Naval Academy's freshman class scale the Herndon Monument.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WVEC) -- Building a human pyramid, members of the U.S. Naval Academy's plebe class worked together to scale a vegetable shortening-covered Herndon Monument on Monday to mark the end of their freshman year.

The annual exercise is supposed to demonstrate the teamwork and perseverance the plebes learned as they work towards one objective: remove a "dixie cup" that's placed on top of the monument and replace it with an upperclassman's hat. After hours of climbing, slipping, and falling the class succeeded in its goal.

The monument, which is 21-feet tall, is named for Commander William Lewis Herndon (1813-1857) who went down with his ship after it encountered a three-day hurricane off the coast of North Carolina. The tribute was erected shortly after his death, recognizing his qualities of discipline, teamwork, and courage.

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