Sing Second Alumni

Season 6 - Episode 15. It’s December! Wow...say goodbye to 2025. We hardly knew ya. The Sing Second boys are gearing up for a full week of Army-Navy pods by bringing you an amazing double interview. First we chat with USNA parent Cortney Ellish. Her daughter is navigating Plebe year, and the Ellishes are navigating watching her diving career and living in Phoenix. On top of all that, the Ellishes support the USNA Foundation with their philanthropy. We chat to Cortney about it. And are you ready for the Terminators to roam the streets like Schwarzenegger? That's what happens when AI starts making your Army-Navy spirit music. We interview Cris Neish about his mastery of the AI prompts and his awesome songs that you just might hear at M&T Bank stadium for the big game on the 13th. Those interviews and a discussion about Giving Tuesday, a big win at Memphis and POTUS attending Army-Navy. That and more on the very best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army...always.

Just in time for your Thanksgiving drive to Grandma's house...we bring you the latest issue of Shipmate Magazine. Now...the Mag won't be in your mailbox until next week, but Emily Lucht, John Schofield and Jimmy DeButts bring you the magazine in audio form. Now...HOLD YOUR HORSES. This isn't an audiobook. But we walk you through this latest issue of the Mag, give you some behind the scenes context to the stories and add some additional color to some great articles. Featured in this issue of the Mag...The New Supe! Featured on the cover, Lt. Gen. Borgschulte allowed total access to Jimmy for an introductory interview. He lays out his priorities and introduces himself to the Alumni. We also discuss a great feature on 50 years of the Prisoner Exchange program. We hear from some of the OGs who spent a semester at West Point in 1975-1976...and some recent alums. We also chat about the latest Vietnam Legacy of Valor stories and 5 Good Minutes with VADM John Nowell, USN (ret) '85 about being the President and CEO of the Navy Memorial. Enjoy the discussion. Thank you for reading - and listening to - the best Alumni Magazine in the country.

It’s Thanksgiving week…so here’s a little double dip of interviews for you. Dave Gendell, an Annapolis native, wrote Battle at Annapolis…a great book about two Army-Navy games contested on the grounds of USNA in 1893 and 1942. Gendell chats about the games and the impact USNA continues to have on the country through the spectacle of the Army Navy game. And William Spears just released his book two weeks ago. In Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy: Insights on the Morality of Military Service, Spears presents a compelling case for Stoicism as the moral framework warriors need. He joins the pod to talk about his foray into being an author and a little more about the tenets of stoicism. Chris and John also chat about the upcoming Memphis game...Giving Tuesday and some other great events awaiting us after Turkey Day. That and more on the very best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army...always.

Wow…what a win over South Florida! And we got Star wins from Sprint Football and Men’s Rugby. We’d call that a successful weekend. Beyond that, the AA&F dedicated the Taylor Family Event Wing at the FAC, celebrated the families of our fallen alums with our annual Honor our Fallen Heroes (HOFH) event and we welcomed in the trustees of the Athletic & Scholarship Programs (A&SP) for their Fall Meeting. The Army Navy uniforms dropped. We love the historical 250 theme! We chat with USNA Museum Director Capt. BJ Armstrong ‘99 about his unique role in the making of the uniform. And we chat with ADM Tim Keating USN (ret) ‘71. “Timbo” was a 3-time Combatant Commander…and he’s an A&SP Trustee. ADM Keating chats with Chris and John about retired life, being a USNA grandad and the importance of supporting USNA. That and more on the very best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army...always.

Season six, episode 12. We’ve reached mid-November, and there’s plenty happening at the Alumni Association & Foundation. Our team got on the road this past weekend for the Notre Dame game…meeting with the Chapters and Parents Clubs in Chicago and in and around South Bend. The game didn’t end the way we wanted, but it was great connecting with our audiences. Back here at home, we honored Chet Gladchuk at our Foundation Board of Directors meeting with SecNav awarding Chet the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. We also welcomed the Class of 1980 for their 45th reunion. DGA Janie Mines ‘80 and Class Prez Tony Verducci ‘80 join the pod to chat about the reunion and the togetherness the men and women experienced as the “first co-ed class at USNA.” Chirs and John also chat about a busy week ahead…Veteran’s Day, the Fall A&SP meeting and our annual Honor our Fallen Heroes (HOFH) event and the last home game of the year vs South Florida…a team new AD Michael Kelly might know a little about. That and more on the very best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army...always.

Season six, episode 11. The undefeated Navy Football season is over, but Sing Second still drives on. We break down the North Texas game and preview the upcoming matchup in chilly South Bend. We talk about Brandon Tseng’s ‘08 Forrestal Lecture, the upcoming Veteran’s classic and a great reunion weekend coming up for the historic Class of 1980. And our alumni interview this week dives deep in doctoring. Doctor…doctor…doctor…DOCTOR! Sean Simmons ‘98, Ryan Checchi ‘09 and Jake Cole ‘12 took untraditional routes out of USNA and ended up as practicing doctors in the Navy. The Medical Corps isn’t talked about enough as a critical part of our Navy and Marine Corps. Sean, Ryan and Jake introduce us to an untraditional community with some truly amazing alums making a difference. That and more on the very best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army...always.

Season six, episode 12. Well...we survived Homecoming week. The Anchors Aweigh Golf Tournament, the Fluegel Alumni Center Welcome Home Event. The Live podcasts from the Alley Restaurant with NABSD and the Live Pod from the FAC. And a huge win for Navy Football over FAU. Chris and John break it all down and give a little preview of the North Texas game and the amazing roadshow events we have in Austin and with the North Texas chapter before we take on the Mean Green Saturday at Noon EST. Our interview this week is with Abby Boretto. Abby was just 15 months old when her father passed away on Sept. 23, 1972. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Henry N. Pilger '7 died in a helicopter crash over Grytoya Island, 200 miles above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway. In October 1993, a Norwegian doctor named Hans Krogstad discovered a gold ring with a blue star sapphire on Grytoya Island. Engraved with "Henry N. Pilger" and bearing the insignia of the U.S. Naval Academy, the ring led Krogstad to metal fragments and a green military glove, remnants of the helicopter crash 21 years earlier. The ring eventually found its way back to Abby. She shares her amazing story with us. That and more on the very best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army...always.

Sing Second Live Homecoming Podcast from Fluegel Alumni Center with Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley, Athletic Director Michael Kelly, new Head Men's Basketball Coach Jon Perry and Nasdaq SVP Brandis DeSimone '05. Our last live pod until Army-Navy game did not disappoint. More than 500 alums, parents and friends of USNA showed out to the FAC Saturday for a Welcome Home event and the Live Pod. Don't Miss an hour of fun and interviews as Bill Wagner, Chris Servello '99 and John Schofield preview the game and discuss the fall season in Annapolis, a little Navy basketball preview and some Oktoberfest cheer. That and more on a world’s best Alumni Association & Foundation podcast. Thanks for listening. Beat Army!

Season six, episode 11. It’s Homecoming week, and the Sing Second Pod has all the gouge on what’s going down this coming weekend. We have the Anchor’s Aweigh Golf Tournament, the reunions for the classes of 1965, 1975 and 2005 and a big Welcome Home event here at the Fluegel Alumni Center. Chris and John chat about that and some amazing members of the Class of 1975 arriving for their reunion after riding their bikes all the way from Florida! Our alumni interview this week is Alana Abernethy ‘10. Alana was a SWO, but after medical retirement from naval service, she joined the entrepreneur space and founded Evergreen Women’s Holistic Care to create the kind of healing space that honors the whole woman: body, mind, and story. Alana and Evergreen support active-duty and veteran women, mothers, creatives, and high-performing professionals alike. Don’t miss our amazing conversation. And we preview the big game this weekend vs FAU. That and more on a world’s best Alumni Association & Foundation podcast. Thanks for listening. Beat Army!

Season six, episode 10. Phew...what a weekend in Philly! We celebrated 250 years of the Navy...180 years of USNA...a soccer doubleheader and a thrilling football win over Temple University. Chris and John break down the action from the weekend as they try to recover from multiple cheesesteaks consumed and multiple heart attacks endured during the football game. We also chat with ADM Stuart Munsch...most recently the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Africa/Commander, Allied Joint Force Command, Naples. The Admiral talks about leading sailors in a busy AOR, being a dead-eye pistol shooting champion and being a Rhodes Scholar. Don't Miss the pod's first interview with an active duty 4-star. We end with thoughts and prayers to the James family. Midn 2/c Kyle Philbert James was found dead in Annapolis over the weekend. Rest in peace, shipmate. We have the watch. That and more on a world’s best Alumni Association & Foundation podcast. Thanks for listening. Beat Army!