Josh Ohl and more

each year in May at the United States Naval Academy

in Annapolis

this phallic feast unfolds

Herndon Monument Climb

the official end of plebe year at the Naval Academy

when the plebes raise a classmate to replace a dixie cup sailor cover

with the combination cover traditional to Midshipmen

Herndon Monument. Every year as part of the year end festivities, this monument is covered with lard and "Plebes" (freshmen or Fourth Class Midshipmen) attempt to climb the monument, remove a "dixie cup" (the headwear of a plebe) and put a hat ("cover") on top. This symbolizes the successful completion of their first year. Legend also has it that the midshipman who places the sailors cap upon the monument will be the first member of the class to reach the rank of Admiral. The Monument was commissioned by the Officers of the U.S. Navy as a tribute to Commander William Lewis Herndon(1813-1857) after his loss in the Pacific Mail Steamer Central America during a hurricane off the North Carolina coast on 12 September 1857. Herndon had followed a long time custom of the sea^{[citation needed]} that a ship's captain is the last person to depart his ship in peril. It was erected in its current location on 16 June 1860 and has never been moved even though the Academy was completely rebuilt between 1899 and 1908. In 2008, both the dixie cup removed and the cover placed on Herndon to end the climb belonged to Midshipman Kristen Dickmann, Class of 2011, who died a few days before the Herndon Climb. Midshipman Dickmann's dixie cup and cover were the first women's caps used for the Herndon Climb.^[37]

040520-N-9693M-012 U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. (May 20, 2004) - Fourth Class Midshipmen lock arms and use ropes made from uniform items as they brace themselves against the Herndon Monument at the U.S. Naval Academy in an attempt to scale the obelisk. The monument was smeared with 200lbs of lard and the Midshipmen were hosed down during the annual event that teaches them much about their own abilities and limitations, as well as the advantages of working as a team. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Damon J. Moritz. (RELEASED)

Josh Ohl

Josh Ohl

courtesy of

http://gaybodyblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/josh-ohl.html