We're back, people! What started as something to kill time during Covid has turned into an amazing engagement opportunity for all of us as we bring you the stories BEHIND the stories of how our alums make In happen from the Fleet to the C-Suite. Men and Women of character and consequence sharing their visions...their perspectives...and their leadership advice on this Ted Talk-like pod. This week...Chris and John bring the pod back where it all started - Dry 85. We chat about Plebe Parents Weekend and the upcoming Ac Year. And our guests this week break it down on the impact of giving back. Setting the "BLUE AND GOLD STANDARD" is the great class of 1972. Jeff Beard and John Dillon join the pod to talk about class giving and their thoughts on what makes USNA special today. That and more on Sing Second. Beat Army. Always.

In this episode, John Schofield, Jimmy DeButts, and Emily Lucht discuss the July/August issue of Shipmate Magazine, featuring the iconic Herndon Climb on the cover. They catch up on I-Day for the Class of 2030, recap the successful Entrepreneur Summit that welcomed more than 200 attendees to the Fluegel Alumni Center, and follow Flat Bill on his latest adventure to the Brickyard in Indianapolis—so keep those photos coming!

The center piece of the conversation, a remarkable interview with Charlie Duke '57, USAF (Ret.), the last living Naval Academy alumnus to walk on the moon, as he shares memories from his historic journey into space. Plus, we are adding to the Sing Second Fleet of podcasts, Voices from Orbit, launching in August and dedicated to sharing out-of-this-world stories from Naval Academy astronaut alumni.

And that's not all. The team also takes listeners inside The 19th Hole, the new restaurant and gathering space at the USNA Golf Course, made possible through alumni philanthropy and led by CDR Jim Kelly '77. It's a new place for alumni and friends to connect, relax, and enjoy the camaraderie that makes the Naval Academy community so special.

All this and more on Sing Second Shipmate. Thank you for reading—and listening to—Shipmate.

That’s a wrap, party people. Like Bill Murray in Ghostbusters…We came…we saw…we kicked it’s butt!! What a season. We journeyed into June for the first time in our Pod career. We stopped talking about the Orioles…because they’re an abomination…and we built a legion of loyal followers getting their updates and interviews here on Sing Second. 20,000 of you can’t be wrong. We end Strong Like Bull with a discussion about the new Plebe Class and the triple digit temps that await the young plebes in their first week on station. Chris and John also preview next season, which comes your way in early August with interviews from the newly-opened 19th hole at the golf course, conversations with our new Distinguished Graduates and a continued focus on our alums in the C-Suite with our Entrepreneur series. And our interview this week is with Dave Cuthbert ‘97. Dave joined us from the mountains of Colorado to chat about his amazing company - Top Cups. He chats with us about his time in EOD and his transition to the civilian community. And - as always - we chat leadership. See you on August 11th on Season 7 of Sing Second. We…are….OUT. Beat Army. Always.

It’s I-Day! And the Sing Second team welcomed the Class of 2030 and their parents to Naptown with a live recording from the Pod's original sponsor - Dry 85. Grant Vermeer '17 of Academy Insider joined John Schofield for a discussion about I-Day with parents and alums in attendance at Annapolis' best Bourbon Bar. Jason Salata '94 dropped his son, Leo, off today. He talks about his experience...the emotions...and the leadership lessons he gleaned from his plebe summer experience. Isaac Phillips '19 joins the pod, as well, to talk about his I-Day experience and some of the programs we have in place at AA&F to engage Mids and their parents now and in the future. That and more on the best Alumni Pod there is. Beat Army. Always.

It’s I-Day week here at the Alumni Association & Foundation, and we welcome the Class of 2030 to Annapolis with gusto. Chris and John talk a little about I Day and some podcast fun we have planned for the big day. We talk about the new Commandant, too. Capt. Clint Cornell ‘01 took the helm as the Dant June 22nd in a ceremony in Dahlgren Hall. We wrap up a successful week at Fluegel with the Entrepreneur’s Summit and we chat about the ceremony to present the Ripley family the Medal of Honor last week at the White House. Our feature interview brings us a conversation with three alums. Chance, Spencer and Bonnie work at Academy Securities. They talk about the company, their mission and their experiences as alums. That and more on the best Alumni Pod there is. Beat Army. Always.

We arrive at mid-June with an awesome pod updating you on the summer happenings in Annapolis. The big one this week is the Entrepreneur Summit. This annual event takes place at the Fluegel Alumni Center and features an all-star lineup of panelists, graduates and experts in the entrepreneurial journey. This is the true connection and support the Alumni Association & Foundation is here for. We preview the summit. We also chat about the AA&F Travel Program...our amazing service to alumni allowing them to connect all around the world through incredible vacations and excursions. John Schofield talks about his recent trip on the Historic Rivers of Europe. Our interviews this week feature AJ Bauer...our Teammate at the Alumni Association & Foundation. AJ is the Associate Vice President for Development. She talks about her amazing team...the national and global reach of the development team and the impact of philanthropy at USNA. Get to better Know one of our amazing teammates. And we chat with Valhalla Sailing's Mike Wood and Michael Kuiper '06. They discuss the organization's critical mission of the organization to help vets...period. They deliver the camaraderie and sense of belonging that many veterans struggle to find after transitioning to civilian life. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

June is here…and the pod keeps on keepin on. We jump into the summer season with a little discussion about the progress on the yard with McDonough Hall and the other major NAAA announcements about the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium south end zone renovation project and the new Naval Academy Athletic Foundation Pavilion. Chris and John discuss. We chat about the travel program and some of the happenings on the calendar in June. And our Alumni interview this week is with Clint Carroll ‘89. Clint is a proud member of the Class of 1989. Served as a SWO. Came back to USNA to serve as the DepDant as a Captain. And now he’s in the Pentagon…retired…working as a civilian for the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Jim Kilby ‘86. Clint and John talk Black Shoe Navy…what makes the Academy so special…and a little about Warren Zevon. Clint is a worldly guy with amazing perspective. We loved this interview. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

Don’t like reading magazines? Want to hear some of the behind the scenes of how the greatest Alumni Association & Foundation Magazine comes together? Tune in for Sing Second Shipmate…where Emily Lucht, John Schofield and Shipmate Editor Jimmy DeButts talk about the stories in the latest issue. From the amazing cover photo to discussion about the continued 50 Years of Women Legacy of Valor series, this pod dives deeper into the content of your magazine. Jimmy breaks down the details of his exclusive interview with Tom Ripley about his father’s medal of honor…and we dish about the great Sandy Spadaro, who is featured in the magazine on the occasion of her retirement from AA&F after 29 years. Tune in for a great conversation.

Commissioning Week came and went. The Blues did their thing. The graduation speakers were spot on. And the Class of 2026 joined the Fleet and Marine Corps. John and Chris recap the Ac Year and preview the summer ahead. Our featured interview this week involves a little conversation with two alums about Quantum Computing. Gib Armstrong ‘91 and Capt Peter Brereton ‘01 join John Schofield for a conversation about their thoughts on Quantum Computing and how they are advancing Quantum Computing forward from industry - Gib - and from the classroom - Peter, a Professor at USNA’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. What will happen when Quantum meets AI? Are the Mids postured and educated in this environment to meet the challenges of Quantum and speed of information? A fascinating discussion. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

Commissioning Week marches on…and the threat of rain is real. There is a forecast for rain for graduation, but the Sing Second team has your graduation day content in case you’re riding out the graduation in the rain. John and Chris talk about the graduation speaker - spoiler alert…there is no set schedule of speakers, so it wasn’t an oddity that POTUS didn’t speak. We shout out Maren Louridas ‘26 as the recipient of the annual Naval Academy Alumni Association Award, and we send an appreciation to the Class of 1976 as they see off the 2026ers as their Link in the Chain mentors. And our interviews this week are three mini-panels with our Thriving As Leaders Awardees. Hear from Bob Kuberski ‘93, Adrienne Griffen ‘87, Kevin White ‘92, Jake Harriman ‘98, Tom Schram ‘69, Kerwin Miller ‘75, John Schmorhun ‘77, Stefanie Goebel ‘80 and Lou Giannotti ‘69. These three panels drop the knowledge on leadership, resilience, giving back and continuing to serve. These panels are special. We also chat with Angela Domingos '00 this week about how to nominate amazing alums for these awards going forward. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always