United in our Story

by Audrey Talbot, USNA class of 2014

Have you seen the award-winning hit Ted Lasso? The show follows the story of a football coach from the US who takes a job as a Premier League soccer coach in England. Coach Lasso knows little to nothing about the game of soccer, what he does know is people and teams.

“All people are different people.” – Coach Ted Lasso

His point here is that the beauty of people is in the uniqueness of an individual. He goes on to describe how awe-inspiring it is for those individuals to be united by a common goal (no pun intended). Creating this bond and forging this unity amongst his new team is his mission.

a rare moment on worden field, 12”x12” painting based off a photograph by Katie Gideon

It is difficult to think of a circumstance in which this sentiment rings truer than in four years by the Bay at the United States Naval Academy.

Bright-eyed young people arrive for Induction Day on the Yard, and how can they be described? Different. They come from different parts of the country. Different schools. Different families. Different backgrounds. Different experiences. Different histories. Different paths. Different hopes. Different plans. Different dreams.

The beauty in the USNA-experience is the unity that is formed together with the difference. Surely, we don’t surrender what makes us different. Instead, we aim to leverage our differences as we are united by a common purpose, a common aim, a common mission.

At first, this unity can be difficult to understand. I recall a time over Plebe Summer where my roommates and I proudly hit the bulkhead being the first to complete our rack race. Expecting to be praised for our proficient bed-making skills, we were instead reprimanded for not helping our shipmates who were still working #lessonslearned.

Our simultaneous differences and our unity, at their best, are incredibly powerful and undeniably wonderful. When faced with a challenge we are quick to remember another lesson from Coach Lasso, “But hey, I shouldn’t bring an umbrella to a brainstorm.” With our differences and unity working hand in hand we understand the power in every opinion, with the ultimate mission at the forefront.

The unity we experience is fundamentally formed on the Yard. It is here that the foundation is built. It is here at the groundwork is laid. The unity born here, in this place, is long-lasting. It carries us through our four years and beyond.

Following a story about a dog from his childhood Coach Lasso laments, “It’s funny to think about the things in your life that can make you cry just knowing that they existed, can then become the same thing that make you cry knowing that they’re now gone.”

As proud members of the USNA-community, perhaps thinking about our time on the Yard induces tears. Makes us cry, both for the good times and the bad. Perhaps realizing that these four years are behind us also makes us weepy and leaves us reaching for a tissue. And yet, the unity found in the USNA-community is life-long, everlasting in a sense. We are forever united, bonded, beholden to our individual USNA story.

And while our individual stories and experiences will always be different – because “all people are different people” – let us forever celebrate our unbreakable bond forged in our time as Midshipmen at the one, the only, United States Naval Academy.

REFLECT:

So much of the USNA-experience is about learning to work and come together. Reflect on an “aha” moment you had on or off the Yard when it comes to unity and oneness.

This may be something off the Yard for other members of the USNA-community!

What was so special about it? Who was a part of it? Why do you think it sticks out in your memory?

CONNECT:

Is there someone or something that especially connects you to this important moment?

A photo from your time at USNA?
A uniform item you have tucked away in your closet?
A journal entry from years ago?

Find that thing that connects you to this important moment.

CREATE:

Collect those things and photos that help you reflect on the team concept forged in four years by the Bay. Create a still-life and take a photo. (Need some inspiration? I happen to know a still-life pro ;)