KINGS POINT, New York, April 5, 2019 – Capt. Mikel Stroud, USMS, Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), announced that MajGen Vincent A. Coglianese, USMC, will deliver the keynote address at the 2019 Battle Standard Dinner, on Friday, April 12.

The Battle Standard Dinner is an annual event at USMMA, hosted by the Senior Class of midshipmen and honors the memory of the 142 cadet-midshipmen who lost their lives during World War II.

MajGen Coglianese is the Commander, Marine Corps Installations Command and Assistant Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics. He has commanded at all levels of the USMC and his distinguished career includes combat tours in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. He also served at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. 

“We are honored to welcome MajGen Coglianese as our distinguished guest and keynote speaker at the 2019 Battle Standard Dinner,” said Rear Admiral Jack Buono, USMMA Superintendent. “His lifetime of service and leadership are a wonderful example to our midshipmen, who will be commissioned as officers in the Armed Forces and the U.S. Merchant Marine in just a few short months.”

Of the Nation’s five federal service academies, USMMA is the only one authorized to carry a battle standard as part of its Color Guard. The Academy’s battle standard proudly commemorates and perpetuates the memory of the cadet-midshipmen who gave the last full measure of devotion in World War II.

During times of war, members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard engage in combat, but the students at their respective service academies do not. The students of USMMA receive an integral part of their training at sea. They have put themselves in harm’s way in every action from WWII to this day. During WWII, 142 cadet-midshipmen joined vessels, but never returned. In their memory, the Battle Standard bears the number “142.”

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About USMMA

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, located in Kings Point, N.Y, educates and graduates leaders of exemplary character who are inspired to serve the national security, marine transportation, and economic needs of the United States as licensed Merchant Marine Officers and commissioned officers in the Armed Forces. The Academy, which was established under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, was dedicated as the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is administered by the Maritime Administration under the auspices of the Department of Transportation.

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