It has been several months since United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) took delivery of the M/V Liberty Star,  which will become the Academy’s new training vessel after retrofit and modernization work is complete.

Throughout the nation, the graves of fallen soldiers and veterans have been decorated in honor of their service as part of the "Wreaths Across America" program during National Remembrance Day. Fifteen midshipmen, led by the newly-appointed Regimental Commander, Daniel Galginaitis laid wreaths at the grave sites of fallen heroes who lost their lives in securing freedom for our country at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.

It was not only Martin Luther King, Jr. Day but also Inauguration Day early Monday morning as the Regiment of Midshipmen gathered together in the crisp January air and boarded buses bound for Washington, D.C. There was much excitement, as the anticipation from weeks of training and preparing to march in the Inauguration Parade built up to this one day.