I had the privilege of attending the National Debutante Cotillion in DC this year. The event, hosted every year at the nation’s capital, is a gathering of beautiful young ladies from around the country, and strapping young lads (such as myself) from selected service academies and military institutes. In attendance this year were cadets and midshipmen from the Coast Guard Academy, West Point, the Naval Academy, The Citadel, Maine Maritime Academy, and of course Kings Point!
A group of ten of us drove down the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We were able to get a team movement (“TM”) approved, so the Academy provided us with an 18-passenger government van. Considering the taxpayers were funding our petroleum, and we had government plates protecting us from any prowling law enforcement, we turned a 6-hour road trip into a 3-hour one.
A group of ten of us drove down the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We were able to get a team movement (“TM”) approved, so the Academy provided us with an 18-passenger government van. Considering the taxpayers were funding our petroleum, and we had government plates protecting us from any prowling law enforcement, we turned a 6-hour road trip into a 3-hour one.
Wednesday night there was a welcoming dinner and cocktail party. Both events were held on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. In fact, the after dinner party was held in the same room that some of the Watergate proceedings took place. Those of us who had been chosen to escort debutantes, myself included, were paired up with our dates. Because it is such an exciting event for the debs, it is not uncommon for them to bring their families and an entourage of rather attractive friends. As a result, it was open season for those of us who did not have dates.

That evening, and for the rest of the week, we set up base camp at the Washington Hilton. I would like to extend an apology at this time to any of the patrons who might have been staying on the fifth floor during that week. The shenanigans and rowdiness that took place were of epic proportions. But, I suppose that is to be expected when you take 200 of the most competitive young men in the nation, isolate them on one hotel floor, and throw good looking young women into the equation.
Thanksgiving for me was spent with my good friend John Murphy (aka “Murph”) at his family’s house in Fairfax, VA. Murph and I were assigned to the same ship during our second sailing period, and are also in the same company at the Academy. Momma Murph cooked up some fantastic Turkey Day vittles. Although I would have loved to have been home with my own fam, the Murphy’s certainly took care of me!
Friday night was the main event. After enduring 3 hours of pictures, I was fairly confident my face would be stuck in the cheesy smiling position it had been molded into since 2000 (8pm). At 2300 (11pm) they served a pretty ritzy dinner. The kind that require like 10 forks and 7 spoons….bread plate on the left, start outside and work in. The dinner was followed by spinning the ladies on the dance floor as the live band jammed. Sorry to disappoint the Metallica fans out there, but Enter Sandman was not on their play list. The formal ball ended at 0300 (yes…morning) only to be followed by an after party until 0600 (again, morning) with pizza, beer, and a DJ.
By the time Saturday rolled around, the entire gang was feeling a tad rough needless to say. Some of the rowdier individuals in the group managed to shatter a picture and break the leg off the chair in our hotel room the night before. No worries, these items were promptly swapped out with the West Point room down the hall. Hey…we’re still NAVY midshipmen! That evening we had to muster up the courage to attend the fair well cocktail party, and as you probably already guessed, that was followed by an after party.
When Sunday rolled around, there was no conceivable amount of monetary currency on Earth that would have gotten us to stay for another night. Tired, broke, and with no clean laundry, the gang saddled up in the G-Van for the depressing 6 hour drive back to New York. It did in fact take us 6 hours this time, as a storm cloud seemed to follow the van the entire trip back. I always seems to work like that. Good times were had by all, Kings Point was represented within the highest traditions of the Academy, and we will certainly be invited back next year!
1 comment:
Midshipman 2/c Bradley:
It is quite gratifying that you represented your service Academy to the utmost. Our Nations' Capital is a better place, I am sure.
It also is quite gratifying that you managed to complete this expedition with no additional fiscal requirements from your parental units, and there was no requirement for a taxpayer bailout.
When I was a young Midshipman I never took the opportunity to broaden my social horizons with activities such as this. Boy did I miss out! (0600 AFTER party?!)
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