The presence of the U.S. Naval Academy on the Chesapeake Bay brings a sense of patriotic pride to a lot of us in the region, and the recent announcement that Commissioning Week would be canceled for 2020 stings. There will be no pageantry, no Blue Angels screaming over the Severn River, visible and audible from several other waterways in the area.
With the Academy closed, midshipmen are right now scattered across the country instead of on base. But that didn’t stop the men’s and women’s glee clubs from sending a moving message to the nation. Here is the combined clubs’ virtual rendition of “America the Beautiful”:
The video was released on social media with a message from the glee clubs that reads, in part:
“The commitment we made at the Academy which brought all of us together still holds us together during these trying times. We hope all of you are doing well and are safe and healthy. Find a reason to keep yourselves motivated and optimistic as we do in each others’ friendship. This video shows how we are still together even though we are scattered apart in many different areas of our amazing country, America.”
As of Tuesday morning, the performance had over 80,000 views on YouTube.
–Meg Walburn Viviano
