USNA Division of Humanities and Social Sciences: Naval Order of the United States Prize awarded to Midshipman 1/c Colin Ramos, for his paper “Theodore Roosevelt's Modernization and Expansion of the United States Military.”
Pictured from Left to Right:
Dr. Samara Firebaugh, Naval Academy Academic Dean and Provost; Col Eric Reid, USMC, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; Midshipman First Class Colin Ramos; and CAPT Paul Crissy, USCG (Ret)
Past Commander General, CAPT Paul Crissy, USCG (Ret) represented the Naval Order at the Prizes and Awards Ceremony for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences during the United States Naval Academy’s 2025 Commencement Week activities. Col Eric Reid, USMC, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Dr. Samara Firebaugh, Naval Academy Academic Dean and Provost, participated in the presentations.
The "Naval Order of the United States Prize" began in 1934 in the Political Science Department as a multiple-choice quiz on national and world current events. It is presented to the midshipman from the Graduating Class of 2025 who wrote the best capstone paper encompassing naval history or future warfighting concepts:
Midshipman First Class Colin Ramos was recognized for his paper titled “Theodore Roosevelt’s Modernization and Expansion of the United States Military." MIDN Ramos’s senior honors thesis analyzed Roosevelt’s pivotal presidency and leadership in military development, modernization and growth, foreign policy, and political and military decisions impacting power projection, deterrence and the United States’ global status. Ramos concluded that Theodore Roosevelt was the boldest and most ambitious president in the United States’ history. Click here to view this paper.
Submitted by CAPT Paul Crissy, USCG (Ret.)