USNA 35th 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.



1950 Groover LB.jpg
Morgan Groover, Jr.
Class of 1950

ENS, USN

Tempe, Arizona

March 11, 1951 (23 years old)

KIA, Korea, Boat, USS Saint Paul (CA 73), USNA 35th Company




1967 Martin LB.jpg
John Martin
Class of 1967

LTJG, USN

Youngstown, Ohio

November 25, 1969 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 172, Fixed Wing, USNA 35th Company






1975 McKeone LB.jpg
Francis McKeone
Class of 1975

LTJG, USN

Newark, Delaware

December 11, 1977 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Patrol Squadron (VP) 11, Fixed Wing, USNA 35th Company


1981 Sperling LB.jpg
David Sperling
Class of 1981

LTJG, USN

Pensacola, Florida

July 16, 1984 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 115, Fixed Wing, USNA 35th Company


1991 Zellem LB.jpg
Scott Zellem
Class of 1991

LCDR, USN

Indiana, Pennsylvania

August 10, 2004 (35 years old)

Operational loss, Sea Control Squadron (VS) 35, Fixed Wing, USNA 35th Company