Naval Academy celebrates graduation by throwing hats in air

By Dean Murray

There were traditional hats in the air, scenes of jubilation as the U.S. Naval Academy celebrated the graduation of its Class of 2025.

A total of 1,049 midshipmen received their diplomas in a ceremony at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

Graduates from all 50 states, along with 14 international students representing 13 countries, took their oaths and were commissioned as Navy ensigns or Marine Corps second lieutenants at the 23 May event.

Vice President JD Vance, a former Marine, served as the guest speaker with a message that future warfighters will always have a clear mission, with clear goals, before heading out to do the nation's business.

He said: "We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defense and the maintenance of our alliances for nation building and meddling in foreign countries' affairs, even when those foreign countries had very little to do with core American interests."