ANNAPOLIS, MD. – A US Naval Academy Tradition is taking place Wednesday morning.
The Herndon Monument Climb marks the culmination of plebe year at the Naval Academy.
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Demonstrating the teamwork and perseverance they have learned during their first year at the academy, the plebes build a human pyramid to remove the “dixie cup” hat at the top of the vegetable shortening-covered monument and replace it with an upperclassman’s hat.
After successfully completing the Herndon climb, the freshmen are no longer called plebes but “fourth class midshipmen.”