Darts and Laurels
To the midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy
Who are moving to the sound of the guns. Over the past three years, the number of Annapolis graduates who choose to serve in the Marine Corps has exceeded the number of available slots; of the 992 prospective graduates for 2006, 209 chose the Corps — which is, essentially, a choice to go fight in Iraq, Afghanistan or be deployed someplace similar — and more were denied entry. This may make it tough to man ships, but it is a tribute to the spirit the academy instills in its middies.