CHALLENGE #26 – ANSWERED – Where am I?

I guess without hints, this one may be a bit difficult. So, I will offer you this…its undergraduate housing in a city that has been featured in my blog during 2021. Enough said.

Where am I? ANSWER – Bancroft Hall of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD

Full credit if you name the building. Partial credit if you at least name the institution involved.

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The CHALLENGE picture above is the historic rotunda of Bancroft Hall at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Sure, this dormitory is far grander, nicer and cleaner than the dump that I stayed in as an undergraduate. Beyond that, Bancroft Hall holds about 4,000 midshipmen, making it the largest set of academic dormitories in the US. And, the floor was not sticky at all.

Also, off in the distance, you can see the sign reading “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP.” This unofficial motto of the Navy is actually a historic flag that reverently hangs in this hall. The hall would be Memorial Hall which is a tribute to the over 2,600+ Naval Academy alumni that have lost their lives in defense of this country. “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP” were the dying words of Captain James Lawrence aboard his ship during a naval battle in the War of 1812. Upon hearing of Captain Lawrence’s death, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry made his final words into this flag. This flag became the battle cry of the navy as Commodore Perry went on to dominate the waterways during the War of 1812.

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Now, if I were a wiser man, I would end this post right here. But, I wanted to tell you just a bit more about my tour of the Naval Academy. I figure no one reads this far past the answers to my CHALLENGES, so I am safe sneaking in some final dialog. Please do NOT confuse any of my comments with disrespect for the men and women of our armed services. I have the utmost respect for the armed services and thank everyone for all they have done to defend our country. That said, I can not help myself from adding a few comments on things that amused me during the tour.

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The tour starts with a look at their sports complex. It was a nice complex. In addition to seeing the complex, the guide goes over all of the key points of the Naval Academy’s sports history. As you might guess, the most important aspect is the 120+ times that Army and Navy have battled in football. The guide naturally points out that Navy is winning the series and has the golden footballs to prove it. As for the remaining historic highlights….Roger Staubach and David Robinson went here. End of sports highlights.

At some point in the tour, we went to the Naval Chapel. There is a plaque in the entrance to the Chapel that has me wondering to this day. There is a young cadet handing over a bomb to some ancient scholarly kind of guy. I assume there is a story here. But, I have never been able to find it. Any help?

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My final point is about their “Tecumseh Statue.” Most times, I am a person that thinks we have gone too far on political correctness. However, in this case, I think the Navy may need to up their sensitivity game a bit. First, the statue is not really Tecumseh. Its a Delaware Indian chief named Tamanend. But, the midshipmen thought Tecumseh was better, so there you go. You are now the Tecumseh statue. Further, they like to occasionally decorate Tecumseh before the Army-Navy game. I am no expert on what is “culturally appropriate.” However, I am willing to bet the paycheck that most Native Americans do not consider painting their chief as the Incredible Hulk is appropriate. Just saying…

EDITOR’S UPDATE: I visited the Naval Academy in 2019 which happened to be the last year of this tradition. In the following year, the Academy ended this practice for all the usual reasons. Perhaps my somewhat judgmental questions during the tour were the catalyst to this change….but, I doubt it.

Have a safe and wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. PT