Captain James F. Brooke, III Memorial Division of Humanities & Social Sciences Award: Midshipman 1/c Cara M. Edwards, for her paper “Navy Shipbuilding Programs and Force Structure: Achieving a 355-Ship Navy.” Joining RADM Loren and the award recipient in are Naval Academy Academic Dean and Provost Dr. Andrew T. Phillips and Chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division Colonel Jon Aytes, USMC.
The Naval Order of the United States Senior Division History Award: Midshipman 3/c Joseph N. McGraw for his paper “Territorial Claims in the Polar Regions”
The Naval Order of the United States Junior Division History Award: Midshipman 4/c Justine A. Ransdell for her paper “Eradicating Mandatory Chapel at the Naval Academy: A Fight for Constitutional Rights”
United States Naval Academy Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Awards are presented during the Academy’s Commencement Week activities. The Naval Order of the United States presents three awards to Midshipmen who have written the best essay on current national or international affairs. Instructors representing the Academy Division of Humanities and Social Sciences which includes the Departments of Economics, English, History, Languages and Culture, and Political Science nominate finalists. Award recipients are chosen by a committee of the Division professors. The Naval Order awards are:
The Captain James F. Brooke, III Memorial Division of Humanities & Social Sciences Award
The Naval Order of the United States Senior Division History Award
The Naval Order of the United States Junior Division History Award
This year's awards were selected from 21 finalists. The 2018 recipients were Midshipman 1/c Cara M. Edwards, Midshipman 3/c Joseph N. McGraw, and Midshipman 4/c Justine A. Ransdell.
2018 is the 84th consecutive year that the Naval Order Prizes have been presented. National Capital Commandery Life Member and Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs, RADM Don Loren, US Navy (Ret.) represented the Naval Order at the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Awards presentation on 23 May. Admiral Loren has presented these awards for the past four years after taking over this responsibility from long time award coordinator, the late CAPT Jim Brooke, US Navy (Ret.). This year marks the first year that the senior division award has been officially named in CAPT Brooke’s honor. RADM Loren is a 1974 graduate of the Naval Academy, served as Deputy Director, J-5, for Political-Military Affairs on the Joint Staff and has a long history of national and international security assignments on the OPNAV, Joint, and Secretary of Defense staffs.
Submitted by CAPT Paul Crissy, USCG (Ret.)