 May 28 marks 35 years since the first women graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. The movement to accept women into military academies began in 1975 when President Gerald Ford signed a bill stating that the United States military academies would begin accepting women in the fall of 1976. The Secretary of the Navy determined how many female midshipmen would be accepted based on the needs of the Navy and Marine Corps at the time. When the academy's class of 1980 was inducted in 1976 it included 81 female midshipmen. Today women comprise nearly 20% of entering plebs or freshmen at the academy and they pursue the same academic and professional training as their male classmates. For more information on the United States Naval Academy visit their website.