USNA 24th 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.


1947 Lyons LB.jpg
John Lyons, Jr.
Class of 1947

Lieutenant, US Navy

McComb, Mississippi

May 10, 1953 (28 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 73, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1947 Richards LB.jpg
George Richards
Class of 1947

Lieutenant, US Navy

Olton, Texas

January 16, 1957 (31 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 55, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1948 Brown LB.jpg
Ralph Brown, Jr.
Class of 1948

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Hyattsville, Maryland

March 4, 1952 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1949 Harper LB.jpg
John Harper, Jr.
Class of 1949

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Waverly, New York

July 31, 1951 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1951 Baurichter LB.jpg
Ralph Baurichter
Class of 1951

1st Lieutenant, US Air Force

Clarksville, Arkansas

July 10, 1953 (25 years old)

Operational loss, 2nd Air Refueling Squadron, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1951 Nix LB.jpg
Henry Nix
Class of 1951

Lieutenant Commander, US Navy

Beverly Hills, California

September 22, 1962 (33 years old)

Operational loss, Patrol Squadron (VP) 42, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1952 Geriak LB.jpg
Richard Geriak
Class of 1952

1st Lieutenant, US Air Force

Yonkers, New York

September 2, 1954 (26 years old)

Operational loss, 428th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1952 Knipple LB.jpg
Herbert Knipple
Class of 1952

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

June 25, 1955 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 192, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company



1953 Weaver LB.jpg
Jerold Weaver
Class of 1953

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Fort Smith, Arkansas

June 27, 1956 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 116, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1953 Joyce LB.jpg
Bernard Joyce
Class of 1953

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Long Island, New York

July 3, 1956 (28 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 195, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1953 Converse LB.jpg
Douglas Converse
Class of 1953

Lieutenant, US Navy

Hanford, California

March 18, 1960 (29 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1954 Loring LB.jpg
Donald Loring
Class of 1954

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

November 19, 1956 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 121, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1954 Wiley LB.jpg
James Wiley
Class of 1954

Lieutenant, US Navy

Chicago, Illinois

February 22, 1959 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 114, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company



1955 Coe LB.jpg
Jonathan Coe
Class of 1955

Lieutenant, US Navy

Hampton, Virginia

June 24, 1960 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 101, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1956 Owings LB.jpg
Dwight Owings
Class of 1956

Lieutenant Commander, US Navy

Sylacauga, Alabama

September 27, 1966 (34 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 42, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company



1958 Klinedinst LB.jpg
Paul Klinedinst, Jr.
Class of 1958

Captain, US Navy

Garden City, New York

January 13, 1980 (43 years old)

Operational loss, USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS 16), Ship, USNA 24th Company


1962 Koch LB.jpg
James Koch
Class of 1962

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Norfolk, Virginia

October 16, 1965 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 33, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1963 Toth LB.jpg
Stephen Toth
Class of 1963

Lieutenant, US Navy

Virginia Beach, Virginia

June 8, 1967 (27 years old)

Silver Star, KIA, USS Liberty (AGTR 5), Ship, USNA 24th Company



1964 Hogan LB.jpg
Jerry Hogan
Class of 1964

Lieutenant Commander, US Navy

Wilton, Alabama

January 20, 1967 (26 years old)

KIA, MIA, Vietnam, Attack Squadron (VA) 112, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1964 Parish LB.jpg
Charles Parish
Class of 1964

Lieutenant Commander, US Navy

Lexington, Virginia

July 25, 1968 (25 years old)

KIA, MIA, Vietnam, Fighter Squadron (VF) 102, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1966 McLendon LB.jpg
James McLendon
Class of 1966

Lieutenant, US Navy

Roanoke, Virginia

February 17, 1969 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Training Squadron (VT) 7, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company



1971 Hormel LB.jpg
Richard Hormel
Class of 1971

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Miami, Florida

February 12, 1975 (27 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 122, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1971 Bennett LB.jpg
Arthur Bennett, III
Class of 1971

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Marquette, Michigan

April 25, 1975 (27 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 34, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1976 Linn LB.jpg
Marcus Linn
Class of 1976

Ensign, US Navy

Lacey, Washington

September 17, 1976 (22 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company


1977 Cappellino LB.jpg
Paul Cappellino
Class of 1977

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Gouverneur, New York

July 16, 1980 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 11, Helicopter, USNA 24th Company


1987 Vauk LB.jpg
Ronald Vauk
Class of 1987

Lieutenant Commander, US Naval Reserve

Nampa, Idaho

September 11, 2001 (37 years old)

KIA, 9/11, Terrorism, USNA 24th Company


1991 Tragna LB.jpg
Christopher Tragna
Class of 1991

Lieutenant Commander, US Navy

East Northport, New York

April 2, 2002 (32 years old)

Operational loss, Meritorious Service Medal, Naval Test Pilot School, Fixed Wing, USNA 24th Company