Naval Academy Freshmen Cap First Year with 'Herndon Monument Climb'

Dozens of US Naval Academy “plebes” gathered around the Herndon Monument, a 21-foot obelisk, covered in grease on May 23, placing a hat on top of the stone slab to complete the university’s ‘Herndon Monument Climb’ tradition for first years.

This video, taken by Brendan Gutenschwager, shows a group of freshmen in Annapolis, Maryland, building a human pyramid to remove a “Dixie cup” hat atop the vegetable-shortening-covered monument and replace it with an upperclassman’s hat.

Nick McGowan, age 20, was the student who successfully placed the upperclassman’s hat on top of the monument, after 3 hours and 37 minutes of trying.

“It was a pretty surreal feeling,” McGowan told local media. “My first thought was, ‘How am I going to get down?’ The second thought was, ‘Did I just cap Herndon?’” Credit: Brendan Gutenschwager via Storyful

Video Transcript

[CROWD SHOUTING]

[CROWD CHANTING]

[SHOUTING]

- [INAUDIBLE] your leg.

[GASPING]

- Oh!

- [INAUDIBLE]

- [INAUDIBLE]

[CHEERING]

[CHEERING]

- [INAUDIBLE]

[CHEERING]

[APPLAUSE]

- Everybody, thank you for coming out. Really didn't think I'd have to give a speech today.

[LAUGHTER]

- There are a couple of things I want to hit on.

[CHEERING]

- [INAUDIBLE]. I should not be up here. I didn't do the hard job. People on the base get to the bottom. You guys [INAUDIBLE].

[CHEERING]

- [INAUDIBLE]. Mom, Dad, I love you so much. [INAUDIBLE] families out here. Thank you.

[CHEERING]

- [INAUDIBLE]. Love you all. All right, guys. We did it.

[CHEERING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- (SINGING) [INAUDIBLE]