An African-American woman made history by being the first to lead the ‘march-on’ of West Point cadets on Saturday’s Army-Navy college football game.
Simone Askew, 20, as first captain led a roughly 4,400-member Corps of Cadets onto Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia prior to the game.
This match marks the 118th meeting between the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.
This will also be the first game West Point has played since issuing a statement on Saturday calling a 2014 rape allegation made against Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw by a West Point cadet ‘unfounded’.
Simone Askew, 20 (pictured), made history as the first African-American woman to lead the ‘march-on’ of West Point cadets at Saturday’s Army-Navy college football game
Askew (center) as first captain led a roughly 4,400-member Corps of Cadets onto Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. In the march-on at the Army-Navy game, uniformed West Point cadets and Naval Academy midshipmen take the field in formation in what has become a traditional display of military pageantry
Askew’s mother, Pam, said her daughter (pictured, center, Saturday) got the idea to attend a military academy when as a young girl she saw this same ceremony, called the ‘march-on’
As a single mother, Pam would take Simone (pictured, leading the chant on Saturday) and her younger sister Nina every Saturday to watch the Midshipmen play, driving an hour from northern Virginia to Annapolis. The three would attend the Army-Navy game every year
This August, Simone (pictured) broke barriers when she was named first captain, 37 years after current four-star general Vincent K Brooks became the first African American to hold the position
Askew’s mother, Pam, said her daughter got the idea to attend a military academy when as a young girl she saw this same ceremony, called the march-on.
‘She literally saw the [Navy] midshipmen march in formation onto the field and rose up from her chair and pointed at them and said to me: “What does it take to lead that?”‘ Pam Askew told ABC News of the first game her daughter attended.
‘I could see that spark in her and that it really just ignited a desire to attend a service academy. She was just drawn to this.’
In the march-on at the Army-Navy game, uniformed West Point cadets and Naval Academy midshipmen take the field in formation in what has become a traditional display of military pageantry.
As a single mother, Pam would take Simone and her younger sister Nina every Saturday to watch the Midshipmen play, driving an hour from northern Virginia to Annapolis. The three would attend the Army-Navy game every year.
This match marks the 118th meeting between the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland (Pictured, Navy midshipmen march onto the field on Saturday)
Last year, the Midshipmen’s 14-year winning streak against the Army ended when the Black Knights won 21-17 (Pictured, Navy Midshipmen cheer at Saturday’s game)
The meeting between Army (8-3) and Navy (6-5) marks the first time since 2002 that the Army had held the momentum heading into one of college football’s richest rivalries (Pictured, Navy midshipmen wear a ‘Beat Army’ sign ahead of the game)
The Army is hoping to end their strongest campaign in decades this year by winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy – the trophy awarded to the team with the best record among West Point, the Naval Academy and the US Air Force Academy – for the first time since 1996 (Pictured, Army cadets stand in formation on the field and midshipmen in the stands, in the 1969 Army-Navy game)
Simone spent summers attending camp at the Naval Academy and paid visits to the US Military Academy.
And although it was a Navy football game that inspired the Virginia native to aim for a military academy, she chose to attend West Point.
Simone, an international history major who was recently selected as a Rhodes Scholar, said her decision was due to her desire to pursue a major in the humanities as an undergraduate, reported The Washington Post. Navy is known more for its science, technology, engineering and math programs.
This August, Simone broke barriers when she was named first captain out of 180 applicants, 37 years after current four-star general Vincent K Brooks became the first African American to hold the position.
That same year, Pat Locke became the first African American woman to graduate from the academy, which admitted its first class of women in 1976.
President Donald Trump took his opportunity to send his well wishes to the teams, tweeting in part on Saturday afternoon: ‘Have a great game today, @USArmy and @USNavy – I will be watching’
US Arizona Senator John McCain, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, wished good luck to the school before the game
The Jimmy Carter Library also sent good wishes to the US Naval Academy, of which Carter was also a graduate
The 118th meeting between Army (8-3) and Navy (6-5) marks the first time since 2002 that the Army had held the momentum heading into one of college football’s richest rivalries.
Last year, the Midshipmen’s 14-year winning streak against the Army ended when the Black Knights won 21-17.
The Army is hoping to end their strongest campaign in decades this year by winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy – the trophy awarded to the team with the best record among West Point, the Naval Academy and the US Air Force Academy – for the first time since 1996.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser HR McMaster were all scheduled to appear at today’s game, with Tillerson performing the opening coin toss.
President Donald Trump took his opportunity to send his well wishes to the teams, tweeting Saturday afternoon: ‘Have a great game today, @USArmy and @USNavy – I will be watching.
‘We love our US Military. On behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for your sacrifice and service! #ArmyNavyGame #USA.’
Former West Point cadet, Madeline Lewis (pictured), alleged that Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw raped her, according to The Daily Beast, which obtained documents of two West Point investigations from a source and are not public
On Saturday, the US Military Academy issued a statement calling the 2014 rape allegation made against Bradshaw (pictured, December 2016) by a West Point cadet ‘unfounded’
On Saturday, the US Military Academy issued a statement calling a 2014 rape allegation made against Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw by a West Point cadet ‘unfounded’.
Former West Point cadet, Madeline Lewis, alleged that Bradshaw raped her, according to The Daily Beast, which obtained documents of two West Point investigations from a source and are not public.
According to the news organization, the first investigation by West Point concluded that there was a consensual sexual relationship between the two cadets, although Bradshaw denied having any sexual contact.
The second investigation found there to be ‘insufficient evidence’ to charge Bradshaw with sexual assault.
‘The Army takes all allegations of sexual assault seriously, and every allegation of sexual assault is thoroughly investigated,’ the statement said.
‘The Army and The US Military Academy are aware that sexual assault allegations from a single incident were made against Cadet Bradshaw in 2014 and that the allegations were thoroughly investigated by the US Army Criminal Investigation Command.
‘The investigation concluded that the allegations against Cadet Bradshaw were unfounded and the case was closed.’