U.S. Naval Academy plebes take on greasy Herndon Monument Climb tradition

The Herndon Climb, an annual tradition for plebes at the U.S. Naval Academy, is complete, marking a major milestone for the Class of 2028. 

The tradition dates back to the 1940s and is meant to test plebes' collaboration, leadership, and resilience.   

At 8 a.m. on Wednesday, the Naval Academy freshmen, known as plebes, swarmed the greasy 21-foot Herndon Monument in the Yard. 

What's the goal of the Herndon Climb?

The goal of the Herndon Climb is to replace the plebe cap on top of the monument with an upperclassman's hat, symbolizing the end of their freshman plebe year. 

The catch is that the granite obelisk is slathered in 200 pounds of vegetable shortening. The plebes are also sprayed with water the whole time.

The official time to finish the challenge was two hours, 27 minutes, and 31 seconds.

 How the feat was accomplished

First, the plebes used their shirts to degrease as much of the monument as they could. Then they worked together to form a base for their human pyramid.

This year's "capper" was  20-year-old Augustus Russo of Summit, New Jersey.

"We had a bunch of heavy guys at the base, a bunch of dogs," Russo said. "Then, we tried to create a second level of bases just to support the boys and get up on top."

Finally, Russo capped the Herndon Monument. In that moment, plebes officially became fourth-class Midshipmen, chanting, "Plebes no more! Plebes no more!"

"We conquered"

Russo said he volunteered to scramble up the human pyramid and try to reach for the cap. 

"A lot of those guys were saying, 'You're tall,'" Russo said. "I'm a skinny guy, I'm only 180 pounds and I'm 6'5, so they were saying you've got to go up and I agreed."

Russo said grit and teamwork were influential in achieving the goal. 

"It took me a while to get here," Russo said. "I'm just so proud of all those guys out there. This isn't just me, this is them." 

Russo took a few heart-stopping falls on his way to the top, but every time he would yell, "Send me back up! Send me up!"

"We went out there and we conquered," Russo said. "I'm proud of all of those guys."

Russo's father, Jim, who was once a plebe, told WJZ he is proud of his son.

"I'm very proud of him, very proud that he's here," said Jim Russo. "It's pretty amazing...and for him to actually be the one who put the cover on, it's a bit surreal."