I was five years old when I became instilled with a love of the Navy. Every aspect of that faithful occurrence remains fresh in my mind, as though it had occurred in the very near past. In reality, more than thirteen years have passed since my conversion and the present. My desire to attend the United States Naval Academy began in May 2003, on a particularly beautiful day along the Hudson. A gentle breeze grazed my skin, the sun shone strongly, and the river coursed powerfully before my eyes. I was an excited child, using a waterfront rail as a jungle gym while breathlessly anticipating a “surprise” my parents had promised but were cruelly vague about. The only information I had was that it somehow involved the river, but this trivial piece