Family time, vaccine top mids’ holiday lists of wishes

The No. 1 gift on midshipmen’s wish list this holiday season might be a little hard to purchase: a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The Naval Academy asked 636 midshipmen for their wish lists for the holidays, with 58.5% of them asking for a vaccine. The pandemic has hit midshipmen morale hard, with the midshipmen losing liberty, including over the Thanksgiving week, as cases in the state rose dramatically in November.

For some midshipmen, the lack of overnight liberty or holiday leave meant that they have not seen their families or friends outside of the academy since they arrived over the summer.

And if midshipmen could only have one thing this holiday season, they wanted to be able to go home and see their family, according to the survey.

Midshipman 3rd Class Valerie Gilfoy is from overseas and hasn’t seen her family in over a year, she said.

“If there is one thing I could ask for this holiday season, itwould be a cure for COVID-19 so that I can finally go home and see my parents and grandparents who are so proud of me for going to the U.S. to chase my dreams but also miss me dearly,” Gilfoy said.

Along with asking for time with their families, midshipmen also said theywanted their families to stay healthy during the pandemic.

“It’s important to take care and look after one another because many can go through bouts of depression during this time, especially during a global pandemic,” said Midshipman 3rd Class J WLee.

After time with family, the most common response for any midshipmen was something to do with COVID-19. If it was not a cure or vaccine for the disease, which has infected more than 13 million people in the U.S., and killed 263,939, it was a request to be able to travel or make up for another experience lost due to the pandemic.

Midshipman 2nd Class Sullivan Morgus wanted a warmer, mild winter so midshipmen could continue to hang outside. Midshipman 1st Class Grace Werren wanted to be able to travel.

Midshipman 4th Class Lillian Freeman either wanted a unique experience during the pandemic or rain check for something like a concert.

Others just wanted a sense of normalcy to return, including Midshipman 3rd Class Lucas Schatz.

“For smiling to be a normal occurrence again,” he said.

The next most popular request was clothing, with 46.4% asking to receive new outfits during the holiday season.

While there were material goods on midshipmen wishlists, such as books, airline tickets, wireless earbuds and watches, somewere more sentimental gifts. Approximately 27% of the midshipmen asked for a significant other, while a little under 10% wanted a pet.

For Midshipmen 4th Class Madeline Loewe, a dog or cat would not do. She wanted a slightly more unusual pet.

“It’s not very practical, but I honestly just want a little pet pig,” she said.

Even if midshipmen had received Thanksgiving liberty, they would not have been able to participate in Black Friday shopping. The plan had midshipmen spending Friday as a reading day.

So like others, midshipmen were turning to online retail to purchase items for friends and family. Many were shopping for their friends, family members and sponsors, with some also looking to treat their furry companions.

Midshipman Derek Keglovits will be shopping online and at the mid store for his gifts. He was not sure if he would participate in Black Friday shopping. It depended on the gifts he wanted to purchase and the sales.

Midshipman Katie McClenahan also planned to shop online, with some lastminute gift buying in stores back home. She did not plan to go Black Friday shopping.

“I kinda hate the whole concept of it,” she said.

Like McClenahan, fellow midshipman Lillian Freeman planned to do a mix of shopping online and in local stores. But she does plan to participate in Black Friday deals, she said. Already, she bought a new phone because of the deals.