ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The grease is back at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.
After safety concerns prompted a greaseless climb last year, academy students — known as "plebes" during their first year — will again climb the grease-covered 21-foot Herndon Monument on Monday.
Vice Adm. Michael Miller, the superintendent, says he decided after careful consideration to restore the tradition of greasing the obelisk.
The students form a pyramid of bodies to hoist a classmate to replace a first-year student's hat with a midshipman's hat on top of the obelisk.
Students have sustained minor injuries in the past, prompting Miller's predecessor to hold a greaseless climb last year.
Grumbling from alumni could be heard almost immediately after that climb began and an event that has taken hours in past years was over in minutes.
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