Jon Hemming

Jon was working toward a degree in engineering, and, like many of my friends in that program, he spent a great deal of time studying. He agonized over his courses and their infamously difficult exams. I remember one time when I was sitting in the wardroom (a room the midshipman used as a resting stop, a meeting place, between classes). When Jon came through the door, he appeared tired and depressed. I asked him how he did in his exam, and he said that he got a minus 68. Tough grading scheme. I later found out that his minus 68 had earned him a B grade on the test. For engineers, his instructors had a marvelous sense of humor!

"There were two principal physical tests at Corpus Christi; I was led to believe that failure at either of these could jeopardize my scholarship. One of the tests was the classic obstacle course, the first of many I would encounter in the following years. Though it appeared formidable the first time I saw it, it turned out that you didn't need great physical strength to run the obstacle course in an acceptable elapsed time. But I didn't know that. I had never been a physical person, and I had no reason to think I could prevail against the obstacle course. . . ."

"With help from my friends, I made it through the course the first time. My performance wasn't very good, and I didn't make all the obstacles on my first attempt at them. But my friends helped me correct my technique, they urged me on, and I made it. Once I realized that I could accomplish what to me was an extraordinary physical feat, self-confidence in my physical prowess reached tremendous, and totally uncalled-for, heights. I stopped doubting myself quite so much and started to acquire the attitude that whatever was asked of me, if others could do it, then I could do it. . . ."

"The second of the physical tests was for swimming ability. I no longer remember the details, but some minimal swimming ability was required of all midshipmen. You had to perform several individual tests, proving you could swim some insignificant distance and showing reasonable proficiency in the use of different strokes. Slight problem: I had never learned to swim.

"Again, my friends came to the rescue. They spent the time to teach me the strokes I needed, they helped me train, they encouraged me. When it came time during the last week in Corpus Christi to take the swimming test, I was barely ready. The first tests were fairly easy, though, and I made it through to the grand finale."

"The final test was for distance. It was free-style, no time limit. But it was, at least to me, some God-awful distance, like 1500 meters. That's a long way, so maybe it just seemed like that; I can't say. For this test, my friends taught me the backstroke and told me to use it. So for lap after lap, I backstroked the pool. I had managed to get a lane at the edge of the swimming pool and for the entire distance three of the best friends I ever had walked beside me. Correcting my technique, extolling me on, encouraging me, not letting me fail. And I didn't. . . ." (Excerpted from Images from the Otherland.)

Jon was one of those friends.