Holiday Closure Schedule

Rasmussen will be closed on Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day.

We honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country, who, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, “gave the last full measure of devotion.”
Rasmussen will reopen at 8:00 am Pacific Time on Tuesday, May 28. Have a safe long weekend.

A Memorial Day Remembrance

I keep close in my heart my US Naval Academy classmates from the great Class of 1982, especially those who died while on active duty, and memorialized in marble in Memorial Hall at USNA.

The last name on the list, Rick Dempsey, lined up to my right at all Plebe Summer formations in 1978 (I was slightly taller than he was). He would always say something funny under his breath to get me to laugh when we were supposed to be at attention and serious. We were in Company 21 together for all four years at USNA, then were in the same class at Surface Warfare Officers School in Coronado. I was a swordsman in his wedding to Susan. He earned his SWO qualification on a destroyer, then went to flight school and earned his “Wings of Gold” as a Naval Flight Officer. On January 27, 1989, while on a training mission flight from San Diego to New Orleans, his F-14 Tomcat crashed into the Arizona desert, killing Rick and his pilot, Lt. Thomas L. Gibson. Rick left behind his wife Susan and two young daughters.

Please join me in remembering Rick on this Memorial Day. Rest in Peace, my friend, and brother-in-arms. You are never forgotten.

One of my favorite things to do on Memorial Day is to watch the Wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, which starts at 10:50 am EDT (7:50 am PDT). This is followed by the Observance Program in the nearby Memorial Amphitheater. This year it is being streamed at www.dvidshub.net/webcast/34418

Quote of the Month

“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it. .”

— Unknown