I started researching about other books and some of them are quite good for anyone trying to enter a service academy like the Naval Academy. I found the "Naval Academy Candidate Book" and there are also others for each respective service academy.
This is a how to book based on hundreds of interviews with Naval Academy professors, administrators, admissions officials, midshipmen, graduates, congressional staffers and panelists, and parents from across the U.S. It is a complete guide that gives candidates everything they need to know to prepare for the Navy, gain admission to the Academy, and survive after they get there.
Written by a former Service Academy Admissions Officer, this book is a MUST HAVE guide on interviewing if you want to attend the United States Naval Academy. This book gets right to the point and teaches you how to be more than just a file. Ace Your Naval Academy Interview includes an easy to learn interview style that will impress both your Blue and Gold Officer and Nomination panels. In addition, this book contains sample interview questions and tips and tricks to make the best impression possible. Pick up your copy today and be ready to astonish your interviewer.
Chapter 13- Operation Desert Storm -Lonesome Dove Extracts from Marines in the Persian gulf 1990-1991 barely mentions the construction of the Lonesome Dove Expeditionary Airfield liken to the absence of reporting the highlights of the Tuskegee Airman in World War II. I gather here some other evidence of its existence but the true story of how the field was built is in my book Annapolis Creed.
Extracts from...US Marines in the Persian Gulf In December 1990, MAG-26 relocated in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, and to expeditionary airfield Lonesome Dove to support the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the 2d Marine Division in the liberation of Kuwait during Operations Desert Shield/Storm. The composite squadron included nine squadrons from MAG-26, MAG-29 and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. Al Khanjar Engineer Support Battalions (Reinforced) departed Kibrit westbound to begin construction of a huge support base located about 35 kilometers southwest of the corner of the heel of Kuwait. The battalions' many feats of construction over the next 14 days included 38 kilometers of blastwall berm which contained among other things the Marine Corps' largest-ever ammunition supply point, 151 cells in 768 acres, a five-million-gallon fuel farm, and a naval hospital with 14 operating rooms. The complex also included two 5,700-foot dirt airstrips capable of handling C-130 turboprop transports. The area was so remote from any settlement or feature that it had no name or designation on maps except "gravel plain."' General Krulak's staff dubbed the place "Al Khanjar," Arabic for a type of short sword, to the delight of Arab officers attached to the force. By 12 February Al Khanjar was providing combat service support to the divisions. A few kilometers west of the base was Landing Zone Lonesome Dove, the new home for the helicopters of Marine Aircraft Group 26 and a forward command post for the wing. Because of the distance from 3d Marine Aircraft Wing headquarters at Jubayl, Major General Moore sent his assistant wing commander, Brigadier General Granville R. "Granny" Amos, to Lonesome Dove to set up a helicopter Tactical Air Command Center. Below is the design of Lonesome Dove designed and orchestrated by Major Jordan B. Smith, Jr. in 1991.
The Saint Louis Post Dispatch writes on June 7, 1976 the following....
Jordan B. Smith, Jr of Saint Louis Missouri is the first black midshipmen to have commanded a Color Company in the 131 year history of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. Smith who graduated Wednesday as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps was commander of the Seventeenth Company. The company was selected this year's Color Company by amassing more points in competition in sports, academics, professional and extra-curricular activities than any of the other 36 companies in the graduating class. "It was something which I have been working on since my plebe year, " Smith said. His company climbed from twelfth to first place to win the honor. Smith is 22 years old and the son of Jordan B. Smith Sr., who lives at 1554 Veronica Avenue in north Saint Louis. He graduated from Christian Brothers College in 1972. A younger brother Kenric also attends the college. Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr. (USMC) (March 2, 1932 – August 25, 2015) was a United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General. He was the first African-American Marine Corps Aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps General. Petersen retired from the Marine Corps in 1988 after 38 years of service. "At the time of his retirement he was by date of aviator designation the senior ranking aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps and the United States Navy with respective titles of 'Silver Hawk' and 'Gray Eagle" call signs. In 2010, President Obama appointed Petersen to the Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy. Lesson Learned
Forerunners require vision, confidence, and extraordinary belief in their abilities. ~Annapolis Creed That's me featured in the article about choosing the first Black girl as Color Girl in the history of Annapolis. This was as viral as you could get in 1976 for any Black African-American. Jet Magazine was in every store back in St. Louis, Missouri (of course a former slave state -Missouri Compromise). During my school years my teachers did not teach much about slavery. The writing of this book facilitates a deepen historical perspective of the early pace setters or pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I am a product of Dr. Kings work. Missouri Compromise of 1820In the years leading up to the Missouri Compromise of 1820, tensions began to rise between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions within the U.S. Congress and across the country. They reached a boiling point after Missouri’s 1819 request for admission to the Union as a slave state, which threatened to upset the delicate balance between slave states and free states. To keep the peace, Congress orchestrated a two-part compromise, granting Missouri’s request but also admitting Maine as a free state. It also passed an amendment that drew an imaginary line across the former Louisiana Territory, establishing a boundary between free and slave regions that remained the law of the land until it was negated by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. (History.com, 2009). Excerpts from Chapter 2...... I can’t remember everything from the early years. I know that as a young child I always felt safe and surrounded by family that loved me. There were no computers or wireless technology back in the late 50’s and 60’s that existed in my childhood. Calculators did not exist, and the only computers were mainframe computers in far away places (I had no idea they even existed back then). The television had three regular channels ( ABC, NBC, & CBS) and 1-2 UHF channels. We use to have to put an aluminum flag on the antenna to get a better reception. There were no remote controls to change the channels except for the children in the homes. I remember being home and watching TV seeing President John F. Kennedy shot in Texas in November of 1963. President Kennedy was shot the day after my father’s birthday. I watched shockingly as Sirhan Sirhan shot Robert F. Kennedy several times at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles during his presidential campaign. I remember hearing about Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. doing work called the civil rights movements of black people. I did not understand why Ms. Parks....... Reference
History.com (2009). Missouri Compromise of 1820. Retrieved from According to Wiki.. this is a nautical term Nautical Term:variation (n) Definition:The known difference between True North and Magnetic North at a specific chart location, expressed as an angle east or west of True North. Back in 1975 the four at the helm, Class of 1975 had also started a band called the "Variations" spending the sounds of the Four Tops, Temptations, and the good sounds of Rhythm & Blues and Pop music but we did not have the viral effects of social media and that would have gone viral just like some of the videos picks that I have chosen today. So here are my Number 1 (above) and Number 2 picks (below). Enjoy and share that they came from Annapolis Creed. ~Annapolis Creed
The Marine Corps Silent Drill Team Marine Barracks 8th & I is the one post and job that I really wanted but I could not because I was an officer. I wanted to be in the drill team. I often show this and other videos to my students in the common core math classroom for real world connections to mathematics. The class uses an interactive application with Google Docs to observe the movements and record the connections to math that they had learned throughout the school year. They notice the timing and the counts, parallel rifle buts to the deck, parallel lines, and rectangle alignments. They realize at the end of the year that military commands are linear functions. I was the leader of the drill team at CBC in 1972. At graduation I performed as part of a five member silent drill team culminating with myself spinning a Company Guidon flag with four rifles being tossed above my head. That took more than 30 hours of practice and 17 busted M-1 rifles to make the moves perfect. I had never heard of or seen the Marine Silent Drill Team in 1968 when I started the drill team. Drill and marching was an art form that I loved. If you have ever seen the movie "Major Payne" then this is what I was like after Annapolis.
~Annapolis Creed I always loved Christmas time when I was back home in St. Louis. My grandmother, Arletha and Grandpa William, were both still alive during my years in Annapolis. I was at Annapolis. My younger brother Kenric (Kenny) was attending CBC. I was no longer a plebe and was having the best experiences of my life. My cousin Wesley was attending the Southern University of Illinois. He also ran the half-mile in track. I would look forward to Christmas vacation and the times we would get together with my cousins to play Bid Whist. By the end of 1974 every one of my uncles and aunts was now married and having children (my cousins). Bobby was my Uncle Robert and Michelle’s first born. My cousin Latrice was another red head, my first cousin who was the first child out of five marriages for my Auntie Mary Claire. Christmas Eve in 1974 had outgrown the living room of my grandparents. Economic times had stiffened and so to cut the expense of Christmas the gift giving was limited to those under 18. The smell of food, the voices of family members, and the old fashion Christmas tree with the village and the sounds of a small train remains vividly fixed in my mind. The Christmas spirit remains visible, and the frost on the windows symbolizes the present cold realities of Missouri in 1974. There were a few signs or inconsistencies in plain view that would prove to be significant factors explaining the future unfortunate, sad events. I was happy, and my life was about to take a major turn of events. My mom was the love of my life. But as I had mentioned before the 70’s was changing people, especially Blacks. I bought several pairs of bell bottom pants and kept them for nearly 15 years. When I returned home this Christmas in December of 1974, she had lost additional weight and changed her hair style this time to a curly reddish to light brown Afro. My Mom looked better than Della Reese, Diana Carroll, and Leena Horne. My father was a very lucky man. During the last years before I left for Annapolis, I could set a clock to my Mom. She always arrived at home between 4:15 pm and 4:30 pm. In December of 1974, my dad worked the 3 pm to 11 pm shift at the Main Post Office in St. Louis. We lived near Riverfront Circle (inland not by the Mississippi River). My mother worked at the Good Fellow Blvd federal building, and that was about a 20-minute drive to home. On the first days of my Christmas vacation she came back at 5:30 and when I asked where she had been she said that sometimes she stops to have a drink with some friends from work. I had no reason to doubt her statements because my mom had never lied to me before. I was busy with my friends and my girlfriend and had more selfish reasons for wondering where she had been. I need to borrow the car! I was fortunate that while at CBC my Mom would let me drive across town to school, and she would take the bus back home. This way I could attend sports activities and have transportation to come back home. There was no reason to suspect anything at the time because my family was perfect in so many ways. The family was growing, and as black kids, we were expected to get good grades and go to college. As I left after the New Year began in 1975 all was quiet on the home front. Unfortunately, that situational climate was about to come to an end. ~Annapolis Creed Why now? Eighteen months ago, I received a call from my eldest son who is now living in Oregon with his family. Our conversation covers the usual items about my grand-kids and their performance in school. The discussion focuses on Jordan IV entering the high school Army ROTC program following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. When out of the blue my son asks me why I haven’t written a book about my life experiences. I stated that there are some things in my past that I didn’t want to share with the world. There were significant accomplishments which had brought me notoriety in the 1970's, but there were some things that may be harmful even after 40 years. He compared my accomplishments to those of a pacesetter or pioneer for African Americans entering the military. Although I did not make it to the flag rank of general in the Marines Corps, I did reach field grade level with a final rank of Major. I served for 20 years on active duty and in the reserves. I played a major part in the first Gulf War (another untold story). I did not earn a retirement because of broken time when living overseas in Japan. I still would do it again. So I did not think anyone would want to read about a Marine Corps Veteran of the first Gulf War who became a teacher and earned a doctorate while teaching mathematics in a public high school. But then he reminded me of my accomplishments at Annapolis. He said Dad, “there is a picture of you in the Naval Museum at the Naval Academy.” Jordan IV’s grandfather’s picture is just a few feet away from the uniforms of Farragut, Nimitz, and a few other historical names in Naval History. He stated, “That times were tough for Blacks in the 1970s, and because of you many Blacks who would enter the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps later would not suffer from discrimination and have more opportunities because of your success at Annapolis. My son Jordan continues to say, “Your story needs to be told so that people will know, I need to know, your grandson needs to know, even your students need to know about your accomplishments which are now unpublished.” I never knew or even heard of Wesley Brown until some 68 years after he accomplished his historic event. The Academy even named a field house after him in 2006 that I never knew about until researching about this book. So this book is more than about Annapolis. It is more about a time, a part of my life, the good and the bad which makes me who I am today. If this book can just change one person to do better than yesterday then I will have been successful! ~Annapolis Creed |
Dr. Jordan B smith jr.I attended the U. S. Naval Academy from 1972-1976 earning a B.S. in Mathematics. Served 20 years both active and reserve in the US Marines. Veteran of the Desert Shield/Storm. I earned a MAED and Ed D. specializing in curriculum and instruction from the University of Phoenix in 2015. I graduated from CBC High School in Clayton, MO in 1972. Archives
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