Old Ironsides Battalion Fall News Roundup
Happy 250th Birthday, US Navy, October 13th! Happy 250th Birthday, US Marine Corps, November 10th! Fall semester has been full of activity, as we welcomed our new students and returning members of the Battalion.
The semester began with “Welcome Aboard Week” the first week of September. New midshipmen (MIDN) participated in student orientation, and enjoyed a barbecue with current battalion members on the BU side of the river.
The Old Ironsides Battalion continues to take full advantage of being Boston-based. On September 19th, MIDN had the privilege of going underway onboard the USS Constitution. This special underway honored Purple Heart recipients, and was a memorable and meaningful experience for all.
Several MIDN have been selected to represent the Battalion at the USS Constitution Museum’s Salute to Service Gala, “Honoring the Enduring Value of Service,” on October 16th at the Boston Harbor Hotel. This is particularly exciting since the 78th US Secretary of the Navy, The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, will be recognized. He visited our unit two years ago, and imparted a powerful message and impactful advice to the unit. To wrap up the month, midshipmen and staff are planning to attend SUBFAM weekend in Groton, CT the weekend of October 25th.
The highly anticipated combined 250th Navy and Marine Corps Birthday Ball on November 7th is an elegant dinner to which all military attendees wear dress uniforms and guests don formal attire. We are excited to carry on this tradition which first began in 1925; a birthday cake will be served! We are looking forward to welcoming the esteemed F. Dave Diaz, as this year’ s guest speaker. He currently “serves at the U.S. Department of State as the director of an interagency task force” and as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University. He is also a former MOI (Marine Officer Instructor) for the Old Ironsides Battalion.
And, as is tradition, Navy ROTC staff and MIDN will be supporting Veterans Day ceremonies across the Consortium, at BC, BU, Harvard, MIT and Tufts.
— Lisa Breen, Navy ROTC