USNA 17th Company

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall


The company is the most important unit in the Brigade of Midshipmen. Companies eat, sleep, study, drill, and compete together. Comprised of roughly 30-35 midshipmen from each of all four classes, they are led by 1/c Midshipmen. There are currently 30 companies in the Brigade, though this number has ranged from 8 in the late 1920s to 36 from the late 1940s to the late 1990s.

Some classes are in the same company for all four years; there is also "shotgunning" (all midshipmen in a class, usually following plebe year, are moved randomly to a different company) and "rifling" (again usually following plebe year, an entire group would move from one company to another). Even though many alumni were a part of more than one company during their four years at the Naval Academy, the list below is reflective of the company from which they graduated.


1943 Knapp LB.jpg
William Knapp
Class of 1943

LT, USN

Washington, D.C.

June 18, 1947 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1943 McEwen LB.jpg
Alexander McEwen
Class of 1943

LT, USN

Duluth, Minnesota

April 2, 1945 (24 years old)

KIA, WWII, Kamikaze, Okinawa, Pacific, USS Dickerson (APD 21), Ship, USNA 17th Company


1944 Simpson LB.jpg
Pfaeffle Simpson, Jr.
Class of 1944

LT, USN

San Diego, California

May 6, 1946 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1944 Sutton LB.jpg
Myron Sutton
Class of 1944

LT, USN

Los Angeles, California

September 17, 1946 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1944 Wilky LB.jpg
Norman Wilky
Class of 1944

LT, USN

Hollywood, California

February 4, 1948 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company






1947 Hearne LB.jpg
William Hearne
Class of 1947

LTJG, USN

Poplar Bluff, Missouri

July 14, 1950 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Patrol Squadron (VP) 23, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1948 Smith LB.jpg
Robert Smith
Class of 1948

COL, USMC

Huntsville, Pennsylvania

August 19, 1969 (42 years old)

KIA, Vietnam, MIA, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 542, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company




1951 Shimer LB.jpg
Melvin Shimer
Class of 1951

LT, USN

St. Joseph, Missouri

September 18, 1958 (31 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1952 Cornwell LB.jpg
Robert Cornwell
Class of 1952

LT, USN

Pensacola, Florida

March 19, 1959 (32 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1953 Foy LB.jpg
John Foy
Class of 1953

CAPT, USAF

Southwick, Massachusetts

April 19, 1962 (31 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1953 Joslin LB.jpg
James Joslin
Class of 1953

LTJG, USN

Kemmerer, Wyoming

August 15, 1955 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1954 Tandy LB.jpg
Edward Tandy, Jr.
Class of 1954

LTJG, USN

Hermosa Beach, California

May 29, 1956 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Composite Squadron (VC) 3, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1955 Lewis LB.jpg
Alan Lewis
Class of 1955

1LT, USAF

Washington, D.C.

November 4, 1960 (27 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1955 Stewart, W LB.jpg
Walter Stewart, III
Class of 1955

CAPT, USAF

Alexandria, Virginia

September 22, 1963 (31 years old)

Operational loss, 1st Air Transport Squadron, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1955 Williams LB.jpg
Percy Williams, Jr.
Class of 1955

LTJG, USN

Plainfield, New Jersey

February 21, 1959 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 33, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1956 Smith LB.jpg
William Smith
Class of 1956

LTJG, USN

Pensacola, Florida

December 6, 1957 (23 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1957 Eades LB.jpg
Thomas Eades
Class of 1957

LCDR, USN

Dallas, Texas

April 29, 1965 (30 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1959 Ryan LB.jpg
Thomas Ryan
Class of 1959

LTJG, USN

Danville, California

May 16, 1961 (23 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 121, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1960 Smith LB.jpg
Robert Smith
Class of 1960

LTJG, USN

Gastonia, North Carolina

July 10, 1962 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 174, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1961 Coates LB.jpg
Sterling Coates
Class of 1961

CAPT, USMC

Plymouth, Pennsylvania

July 2, 1967 (29 years old)

KIA, Vietnam, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, Ground, USNA 17th Company



1963 Forman LB.jpg
Paul Forman
Class of 1963

LTJG, USN

Borger, Texas

August 24, 1965 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 44, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1964 Sweet LB.jpg
John Sweet
Class of 1964

LT, USN

La Canada, California

May 22, 1968 (25 years old)

Operational loss, USS Scorpion (SSN 589), Submarine, USNA 17th Company



1965 Smith LB.jpg
Laughton Smith
Class of 1965

LT, USN

Humansville, Missouri

May 22, 1968 (26 years old)

Operational loss, USS Scorpion (SSN 589), Submarine, USNA 17th Company


1966 Blekicki LB.jpg
Walter Blekicki
Class of 1966

LT, USN

Reading, Pennsylvania

December 14, 1973 (32 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 153, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company






1979 McCullough LB.jpg
David McCullough
Class of 1979

LT, USN

Cropsey, Illinois

September 30, 1983 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 34, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1984 Prusinski LB.jpg
Mark Prusinski
Class of 1984

LT, USN

Litchfield, Minnesota

March 28, 1990 (28 years old)

Operational loss, NAF China Lake, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company






Pages in category "USNA 17th Company"

The following 49 pages are in this category, out of 49 total.