USNA 17th 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.


1943 Knapp LB.jpg
William Knapp
Class of 1943

Lieutenant, US Navy

Washington, D.C.

June 18, 1947 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1943 Rupert LB.jpg
Walter Rupert, Jr.
Class of 1943

Lieutenant, US Navy

Canton, Ohio

May 28, 1945 (24 years old)

KIA, WWII, Kamikaze, Okinawa, Pacific, USS Drexler (DD 741), Ship, USNA 17th Company


1943 McEwen LB.jpg
Alexander McEwen
Class of 1943

Lieutenant, US Navy

Duluth, Minnesota

April 2, 1945 (24 years old)

KIA, WWII, Kamikaze, Okinawa, Pacific, USS Dickerson (APD 21), Ship, USNA 17th Company


1944 Simpson LB.jpg
Pfaeffle Simpson, Jr.
Class of 1944

Lieutenant, US Navy

San Diego, California

May 6, 1946 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1944 Sutton LB.jpg
Myron Sutton
Class of 1944

Lieutenant, US Navy

Los Angeles, California

September 17, 1946 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1944 Wilky LB.jpg
Norman Wilky
Class of 1944

Lieutenant, US Navy

Hollywood, California

February 4, 1948 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1946 Hooks LB.jpg
Bennett Hooks
Class of 1946

Lieutenant Commander, US Navy

Kinston, North Carolina

October 10, 1956 (32 years old)

Operational loss, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 5, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1946 Austin LB.jpg
William Austin
Class of 1946

Lieutenant, US Navy

Trenton, Missouri

July 23, 1953 (31 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 43, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1947 Hearne LB.jpg
William Hearne
Class of 1947

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Poplar Bluff, Missouri

July 14, 1950 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Patrol Squadron (VP) 23, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1948 Supancic LB.jpg
Edward Supancic
Class of 1948

Lieutenant, US Navy

Export, Pennsylvania

August 4, 1955 (30 years old)

Operational loss, Advanced Training Unit (ATU) 402, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1949 Dobbins LB.jpg
Stephen Dobbins
Class of 1949

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Cherokee, Iowa

August 8, 1952 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Patrol Squadron (VP) 892, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1951 Shimer LB.jpg
Melvin Shimer
Class of 1951

Lieutenant, US Navy

St. Joseph, Missouri

September 18, 1958 (31 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1952 Cornwell LB.jpg
Robert Cornwell
Class of 1952

Lieutenant, US Navy

Pensacola, Florida

March 19, 1959 (32 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1953 Foy LB.jpg
John Foy
Class of 1953

Captain, US Air Force

Southwick, Massachusetts

April 19, 1962 (31 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1953 Joslin LB.jpg
James Joslin
Class of 1953

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Kemmerer, Wyoming

August 15, 1955 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1954 Tandy LB.jpg
Edward Tandy, Jr.
Class of 1954

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Hermosa Beach, California

May 29, 1956 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Composite Squadron (VC) 3, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1955 Lewis LB.jpg
Alan Lewis
Class of 1955

1st Lieutenant, US Air Force

Washington, D.C.

November 4, 1960 (27 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1955 Williams LB.jpg
Percy Williams, Jr.
Class of 1955

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Plainfield, New Jersey

February 21, 1959 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 33, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1956 Smith LB.jpg
William Smith
Class of 1956

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Pensacola, Florida

December 6, 1957 (23 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1957 Eades LB.jpg
Thomas Eades
Class of 1957

Lieutenant Commander, US Navy

Dallas, Texas

April 29, 1965 (30 years old)

Operational loss, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1959 Ryan LB.jpg
Thomas Ryan
Class of 1959

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Danville, California

May 16, 1961 (23 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 121, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1960 Smith LB.jpg
Robert Smith
Class of 1960

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Gastonia, North Carolina

July 10, 1962 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 174, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company




1963 Forman LB.jpg
Paul Forman
Class of 1963

Lieutenant (j.g.), US Navy

Borger, Texas

August 24, 1965 (24 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 44, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1964 Sweet LB.jpg
John Sweet
Class of 1964

Lieutenant, US Navy

La Canada, California

May 22, 1968 (25 years old)

Operational loss, USS Scorpion (SSN 589), Submarine, USNA 17th Company


1964 Roberts LB.jpg
James Roberts
Class of 1964

Lieutenant, US Navy

Cowles, Nebraska

April 27, 1968 (25 years old)

Operational loss, Fighter Squadron (VF) 142, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1965 Smith LB.jpg
Laughton Smith
Class of 1965

Lieutenant, US Navy

Humansville, Missouri

May 22, 1968 (26 years old)

Operational loss, USS Scorpion (SSN 589), Submarine, USNA 17th Company


1966 Blekicki LB.jpg
Walter Blekicki
Class of 1966

Lieutenant, US Navy

Reading, Pennsylvania

December 14, 1973 (32 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 153, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1968 Strouse LB.jpg
Robert Strouse
Class of 1968

1st Lieutenant, US Marine Corps

Fort Riley, Kansas

September 11, 1971 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Marine Training Squadron (VMT) 103, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company


1972 Blanton LB.jpg
William Blanton, Jr.
Class of 1972

Lieutenant, US Navy

Wallingford, Pennsylvania

November 2, 1978 (28 years old)

Operational loss, Air Anti-Submarine Squadron (VS) 37, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1979 McCullough LB.jpg
David McCullough
Class of 1979

Lieutenant, US Navy

Cropsey, Illinois

September 30, 1983 (26 years old)

Operational loss, Attack Squadron (VA) 34, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



1984 Prusinski LB.jpg
Mark Prusinski
Class of 1984

Lieutenant, US Navy

Litchfield, Minnesota

March 28, 1990 (28 years old)

Operational loss, NAF China Lake, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company




1998 Jimenez LB.jpg
Raul Jimenez
Class of 1998

Lieutenant, US Navy

Freeport, Texas

January 27, 2006 (31 years old)

Operational loss, Training Squadron (VT) 27, Fixed Wing, USNA 17th Company



Pages in category "USNA 17th Company"

The following 49 pages are in this category, out of 49 total.