DEC 2006 Shipmate Submission:

Hey `03! Aside from the fact that it is almost 2007 ( can you believe it?), Christopher O'Connor sent in a great picture and article with plenty of information about his time on the mighty USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74) and other grads that he has been fortunate enough to come across on the west coast. Additionally, our classmate JP Blecksmith is being honored in his hometown for his courage and heroism as a Marine combat leader in Iraq. Before we get to this months submissions, the class officers are pleased to present the new class website.

WWW.USNA2003.COM.

The website has been in the works for the past several months and is now online. I urge everyone to visit and update your personal profile. The capabilities of the site include an announcements page to post messages, photo gallery, class list archive, personal profile and bio section, shipmate article archive and sadly, but necessary, a memorial to our fallen classmates. The website is configured for easy access and additional photos or stories can be sent directly to our webmaster (a company in San Diego founded by two exceptional 2000 grads!). The goal is to utilize the website to help locate all 2003 grads and to facilitate reunions of all sizes. The announcements page is also an excellent tool to post employment opportunities (for those on the outside looking in at us). Future endeavors include online fund-raising and payment capabilities for tailgaters and major reunions.

Anyway, take a look, send some feedback and we'll work at making the website even better. A special thanks to Christopher O'Connor and JP's family for this months information.

Hey 2003, there hasn't been a lot of updates so I'm adding one of my own.

I'm happily married now for over a year to Cronan whom I met before graduating

from USNA. When we got married in May 2005 we weren't able to invite a lot of

people or have a sword arch at the ceremony, so we had a celebration in February

(I know, it was a while ago) and were able to invite a number of people from

27th company, Pensacola, and Supply School in Athens. It was a great time, and

we were able to have a joint sword arch, thanks to Conor Teegarden USAFA '03 and

who is in the Army now, thanks to Blue-to-Green. Everyone that

was there are listed in the picture caption, otherwise it would take me way to

long to list them here.

I am currently the Wardroom Officer on the mighty USS JOHN C. STENNIS

(CVN-74) out of Bremerton, WA. It is a great duty station because it allows me

to live in Seattle, one of the greatest cities on earth. We've been out to sea a

lot, but it gives me a chance to go down to San Diego and visit with fellow 27th

Company alumni Chuck Simerman and John Millsap. The STENNIS is crawling with

Academy grads, but I'll only mention a few. When CARRIER WING NINE (CVW-9) is

embarked, Molly Crabbe '03 and (my youngster boxing partner) Tom Murray '03

represent HS-8. To add to that, Matt Davin '02 (who also went to my high school)

and Raul Acevedo '01 also come aboard with VFA-154. Near and dear to my heart is

the Supply Department in which I am joined by Marcus Craig '04 the AVDLR

Officer, Jake Broderick '04 the Staterooms Officer, and to top it all off, Andy

Mueck '88

as the SUPPO himself.

I hope to hear from more of you in the future. Take Care, '03.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Picture caption (from left to right) Dave Nielsen '03, Tom Martin (Villanova

'05), Chris Snyder (Texas A&M '03), Charlie Platt '04, Conor Teegarden (USAFA

'03), Chris O'Connor '03, Jim Boehm '03, Ryan Miller '03, Cronan Murphy-O'Connor

(Catholic '03), Mark Gordon '03, Sara Fabisoff '03, John Millsap '03, Jay

Zwirblis '03.

The PASADENA STAR contributes the following story:

PASADENA - This Veterans Day, two years to the day after 2nd Lt. James "JP" Blecksmith's family heard he'd been killed in action in Iraq, the Marines will pay permanent tribute to one of their own. At 10 a.m. Nov. 11, Pasadena's Marine Corps Reserve Center will be renamed in his memory. "It keeps him alive. Every time we drive by we'll see `Blecksmith Hall,"' said his father, Ed Blecksmith. "JP went to Iraq with his eyes wide open, knowing full well he was going to be in harm's way. ... This is a wonderful vehicle to honor our son, honor his memory and honor what he was doing. It's a tribute to his heroism and leadership." JP Blecksmith, 24, died in the Fallujah area when a bullet, possibly fired by a sniper, hit outside the left shoulder of his flak jacket. Either the bullet or a shard of bone punctured his heart, the family was told. It was Bill Creedon, former president of the Pasadena Council of the Navy League, who first suggested dedicating the unnamed depot to JP Blecksmith. "Bill Creedon called me, ran it by me, I was flabbergasted - we both ended up crying and he said, let me call you tomorrow," Ed Blecksmith said. "It was very touching." Creedon called JP Blecksmith "an exceptional young man" deserving of the honor. "He was the first member of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy to give his life" in Iraq, Creedon said. "He had deep roots in the community; he died leading Marines in combat; it was a heroic death. ... Any death is tragic, but it's appropriate that his be memorialized." Blecksmith's family wants to ensure their son's sacrifice is not the only one remembered, said Todd Moore, president of the Navy Council in Pasadena.

"We're planning a memorial to all Marines from our area killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the grounds of the Marine center," paid for by the JP Blecksmith Foundation, Moore said. "The family wanted a fitting tribute to all of them ... It's the only active \ in the San Gabriel Valley and we wanted to reach out to the whole area." Nine Marines from the San Gabriel Valley, including Blecksmith, have been killed in Iraq. For now, plans are to put a plaque with JP Blecksmith's picture in bronze and his name on the building, Moore said. Lt. Col. Mike Lee, battalion inspector-instructor at the Marine Corps Reserve Center in Pasadena, served in Iraq; although he never knew JP Blecksmith, Lee said he knows the honor is deserved. "I left before he arrived, but we were part of the same regular combat team, so I have an affinity for these units," Lee said. "I think we need our heroes too, and JP is the epitome of that. "Today, marines are not recognized like in past wars. It was common in World War II, even in Vietnam, to read about these actions on the front page. This is a nameless, faceless war except for the casualty list. "But all those on the list are more than names and numbers. They made a commitment and they lived up to it, and that's a pretty heroic thing."