Editor’s note: Benjamin Stevens of Islesford is a sophomore at Maine Maritime Academy and has been writing about his experiences for The Working Waterfront.
Student leadership runs the entire regiment of midshipmen. Every year we change the command from the current group of seniors, known as the “wedge,” to the junior class that have been elected or selected to fill those wedge positions when the seniors leave. Now it’s the middle of November, and the regiment is gearing up to elect the next six-barred bigwig: the regimental commander.
Brass bars worn on the collars and shoulder devices of midshipmen indicate their rank. Only one person holds six, and that is the regimental commander.
This year, six candidates compete for those six bars: Olivia Osborne, an engineering student and varsity sailing athlete, as well as president and vice president of several clubs; Tanner Pidgeon, deck student and second class mentor; Nathan Dublin, honor board co-chairman, engineer and drill team member; Joseph Zinni, officer in charge of Bravo Company, drill team member and future naval officer; Graham Pingree, engineer, training officer and great competitor in all things; and Shawn Silva, marine systems engineer and officer in charge of Charlie Company, this year’s freshmen honor company.
In past years, it was customary that candidates for RC apply through the commandant’s staff and be pared down to two candidates on a ballot. Then the regiment as a whole voted on one or the other candidate. This year, Capt. Nathan Gandy, commandant, chose to allow all six of his applicants to run in the election, saying that he felt each one of them had valuable talents and visions for their regiment.
On Thursday, Nov. 14, primaries were held to determine the top three candidates. Those three will be on the final ballot, and will be voted on Monday the 18.
What do these candidates have that makes Capt. Gandy so willing to give all of them a shot? What are their intentions with this regiment? The whole regiment had a Q & A session with the six on Wednesday night before the primaries. Candidates had excellent answers to the equally excellent questions asked by the regiment.
Olivia Osborne explained her aspirations to take the old traditions of the regiment and the academy, embedded in our heritage, and modernize it. Without abolishing the excellence and custom in the traditions, she wants to see the regiment relate stronger to our generation.
Graham Pingree and Shawn Silva had similar ideas: Pingree said he wishes the regiment to be a positive experience and not just a requirement that people have to endure for several years. Silva said much the same, and that he wanted to follow up on the president’s and commandant’s goal of academy pride, making the regiment something to stick one’s chest out about.
Many problems still persist in the regiment, as in any organization. Nathan Dublin focused in his comments on one of the biggest and most crucial problems: communication. He knows that it becomes a massive inconvenience and waste of time when the wrong information flies about and the wrong people hear it and the right people don’t. His emphasis was on templates, schedules, and policies that could be actively read and enforced and held to on a daily basis.
Joseph Torchia, a third-class training officer, asked a vital question that all leaders should examine: How would these people, given the position of commander, remain motivated? That fabled disease, “senior-itis,” has a habit of setting in right at the time the seniors need to be focused on their leadership positions.
Pingree assured everyone that his sense of competition with those around him would keep him always on his toes to do better. Pidgeon stood by his convictions and added, “at this stage, you just can’t [quit].”
Primaries having come and gone, the final ballot now stands thus: Graham Pingree, an idealistic and competitive motivator; Tanner Pidgeon, a quiet but steadfast director; and Nathan Dublin, an inspired communicator. Wednesday, Nov. 20 will see the final vote, and the next regimental commander will take his post in February. We can only wait to see who it will be.