By Andra Moss
Carley Bannerman, a native of Norfolk and 2024 graduate of Northwestern Regional 7, is set to report to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. on June 26 to be inducted into the Naval Academy Class of 2029. She will immediately begin six challenging weeks of basic midshipman training, known as Plebe Summer.

Approximately 1,200 candidates are selected each year for the Academy’s “plebe” or freshman class. During the weeks of Plebe Summer, Bannerman and her classmates will have no access to the internet, movies, music or television and are allowed only three calls.

Bannerman is thrilled.

The program, she says, “marks the start of my journey at the Naval Academy and is designed to transition us from civilians into midshipmen.” Before receiving her appointment, Bannerman spent a year at Norwich University in Vermont. She says her time at Norwich “gave me valuable experience in a structured military environment and further confirmed my desire to pursue a career in service.”

Two of her grandfathers served in the military—one in the Air Force and the other in the Army—which Bannerman says gave her an early appreciation for service. However, the person who truly shaped her passion for the military, she says, was Norfolk’s Richard Byrne.

Bannerman describes Byrne’s “profound” influence as pivotal to her decision to enter the academy: “As many know, he organizes our town’s Memorial Day parade and leads the Veterans Day assemblies at Botelle, always emphasizing the importance of honoring those who served. Through his example, he instilled in me a deep respect for the military and a clear understanding of the values it represents.”

As part of the application process, candidates for the U.S. service academies must receive a nomination; Bannerman was supported by Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-05).

While she may be but a plebe now, Bannerman hopes to one day commission into the United States Marine Corps as a pilot.