U.S. Naval Academy's newest plebes ready for "challenging summer" starting with Induction Day

BALTIMORE- The U.S. Naval Academy held its Induction Day, or I-Day, Thursday in Annapolis where a selected number of candidates each year are offered appointments to become midshipmen.

It marks the official first day of 'Plebe Summer' and the beginning of a transformation for nearly 1,200 candidates as they work to become fourth-class midshipmen or freshmen. 

More than 15,000 applicants applied to be a part of the class of 2028, according to the U.S Naval Academy.

Midshipmen were admitted from every state in the country, as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

"You got this," said Debbie Scott, hugging her daughter Sandy.

Sandy Scott is saying goodbye to one family and hello to another. 

"I am excited to meet people from all over the country. I'm excited for a challenging summer," said Sandy Scott, an incoming candidate at the U.S Naval Academy. 

I-Day is an emotional time for many families because it is the last time they will see each other until August. 

"I'm going to miss her a lot," said Ally Scott, Sandy's younger sister. "It's gonna be weird not having her in the house, but it's going be really good for her."

"Ten years ago, someone, a friend asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up," said James Scott, Sandy's father. "And I thought she was gonna say a princess. She said I will be an aerospace engineer. Well, here we are at the Naval Academy and she's going for aerospace engineering." 

 "I am ready to get out here and get started," added Benjamin Franklin, a U.S. Naval Academy football candidate from Tennessee. 

Incoming freshmen, also known as "plebes," are processed through various stations, getting everything they need for the summer ahead. 

"They've been admitted and we get them into the military with the United States Naval Academy," said Lt. Kate Richardson, the U.S Naval Academy's Induction Day Coordinator. 

Induction Day also marks the start of "Plebe Summer," which is a challenging six weeks of basic midshipmen training. Over the summer, they will prepare for their first academic year and remaining years at the U.S. Naval Academy. 

"A lot of them are civilians. Many of them are prior enlisted and they're about to come in and be pretty much freshmen or what we call plebe, the fourth class regiment of the brigade," Lt. Richardson said. 

The incoming plebes are issued uniforms, receive medical examinations and learn how to properly salute. 

"I am very very excited," Franklin said. "I get to be a part of something bigger than myself." 

The incoming midshipmen are also given a copy of Reef Points, a  book that serves as a thorough introduction to the Navy and Naval Academy, including its mission, history and traditions. 

Plebes are required to memorize more than 1,000 facts outlined in the small blue book. 

The Scott and the Franklin families know I-Day is not a goodbye, 

it's more so a "see you later" and a step in a new chapter in their child's life.

"This is a fulfillment of a lot of different things. We want it for Ben," said Joseph Franklin, Ben Franklin's father. 

Induction Day wraps up with a ceremony when the new midshipmen take an oath of office in front of their friends, families and new classmates. 

The new midshipmen will pledge to "well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which (they) are about to enter." 

"You worked hard to get here. Go strong, push through. You'll make it," James Scott said.