Naval Academy Plebes Participate In Annual Herndon Monument Climb

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - MAY 15: First-year Naval Academy “plebes” are relentlessly sprayed with cold water as they work to build a human pyramid around the vegetable shortening-covered Herndon Monument with the goal of knocking off a “dixie cup” hat and replacing it with an upperclassman’s hat at the U.S. Naval Academy on May 15, 2024 in Annapolis, Maryland. Using teamwork and the shirts on their backs, the class of 2027 scaled the 21-foot-tall monument and replaced the hat in two hours and 19 minutes. (Footage by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)