🎓🫡 Commissioned in Honor — Anchored in Hope ⚓️
Graduation Weekend at the U.S. Naval Academy — A Personal Reflection
📍 Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD 🗓️ May 23rd, 2025
This Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I had the immense honor of attending the United States Naval Academy's graduation and commissioning ceremony for the Class of 2025. We weren't just there as a visitors. We were there as a proud family friends, mentors, and as parents whose daughter is just one year away from standing on that very stage, and becoming an officer in the US Navy.
🎓 Meet ENS (O-1) Agarwal
Paridhi, our dear friends Tarang Agarwal and Ekta's daughter, graduated with a BS degree from the United States Naval Academy. She walked across the stage to receive her commissioning from J.D. Vance, the Vice President of the United States. That moment — the formal swearing-in of a Naval officer — was the kind of milestone that etches itself into your memory forever.
See a father describe this journey in my repost on LinkedIn: 🔗 Click here to see
✈️ The Sky Salutes Too
Moments before the commissioning, the roar of Navy jets (Blue Angels) thundered overhead — a perfect flyover that captured the spirit of the day. Precision. Pride. Power. As the jets soared across the Annapolis sky, I looked around and saw hundreds of families and friends with eyes lifted and hearts full.
(Video: Blue Angels Flyover at the beginning of the ceremony)
📸 The First Salute: MIDN 1/C Kakani to ENS Agarwal
One of the coolest moments of the day?
Watching our daughter, Midshipman First Class (MIDN 1/C) Sindhu Kakani, give the first salute to Ensign (ENS, O-1) Paridhi Agarwal. That photograph — of the two of them in uniform, facing each other with the sun casting long shadows behind — may well become one of my most cherished keepsakes.
It was more than a tradition. It's a first formal address — from one who’s preparing to lead soon to another who is a full-fledged officer.
🎖️ Shoulder Boards
One of the traditions in the commissioning ceremony is the presentation of shoulder boards. Paridhi’s parents, Tarang and Ekta Agarwal, stepped forward with pride to place the insignia of her new rank onto her uniform.
That small act — attaching symbols of authority and responsibility — was soaked with emotion.
It’s not just about rank. It’s about recognition. And for parents who raised a child to this moment, it’s a silent gesture that says: “We trust you. We believe in you. Lead well.”
🫂 A Personal Moment
We also had a chance to take a photo with Paridhi after the formalities were over — my wife Uma, our daughter Sindhu, and I standing beside her, all of us smiling, a little stunned by the weight of it all.
Is it too personal for LinkedIn? Maybe. But this journey is not just Paridhi’s. It’s the journey of every family that raises a child to serve. And as a nation, we’re better for it.
🪖 Inscriptions That Matter
All around the stadium were carved the names of battles where American service members gave everything. I mentioned ten of these battles in my Memorial Day post:
This Memorial Day, Don’t Say “Happy”
These were not just words painted on metal. They were reminders — that freedom is costly, that liberty must be defended, and that these young men and women — like Paridhi — are choosing to shoulder that burden.
🧭 Why It Matters — Especially Today
[Added Reflection on June 3. 2025 — The Journey Behind the Day]
For all the striking moments at the end — the salutes, the smiles, the flyovers — the journey at the Naval Academy is anything but easy. And no one should be under the illusion that it is.
Champions aren’t made in the ring. They’re made when no one is watching.
Getting in is hard. Staying in is harder.
As parents, we walk that journey too — through setbacks, doubts, and small victories.
Plebe Summer alone is six weeks of intense emotional, mental, and physical transformation. It’s common to want to quit. And for some, leaving is the right decision. But for those who choose to stay, the days remain demanding. Schedules are packed, expectations are high, and while there’s support — the challenges are personal.
I’ve seen ENS Agarwal and my daughter, MIDN 1/C Kakani, go through it. That’s why parents of midshipmen form such strong bonds — we become each other’s village.
Graduation and commissioning aren’t just ceremonies. They are proof of resilience, character, and commitment.
In a time when culture often glorifies instant gratification— there are still places that quietly, relentlessly train young people to live by honor, courage, and commitment.
I’ll publish some of the letters I wrote to my daughter during Plebe Summer later this year — or perhaps after her graduation. They’re raw, real, and a small part of the unseen path that leads to moments like this one.
But for now —
this is why the day means so much.
📬 What’s Next
For Paridhi: A future of service and leadership.
For Sindhu: One more year of preparation to assume the full responsibility of leadership.
For me: A renewed belief that our republic still produces the kind of citizens who are willing to serve in the military.
🫡 To the Class of 2025: Fair winds and following seas.
📷 Photos included in this newsletter:
Navy jets flyover
Paridhi receiving her commissioning from VP J.D. Vance
First salute between Sindhu and Paridhi
Family photo with Paridhi after the ceremony