April 23, 2025, 6:27pm MDT
In most circumstances, the midshipmen at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, mean fierce competition. The Army and Naby match is one of the most renowned rivals in college football, dating back to 1890.
However, when cadets, brotherly love and love groups (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) gathered together to work, there were various emotions, including unity, brotherly love and love.
A large group of young single adults served at the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple shared a meal, heard Easter prayer messages from the 70 presidents, and enjoyed each other’s faith and friendship over the Easter weekend.
“We’ve always had a friendly rivalry, but at lunchtime we had half-naby, half-amy and they all talked about their mission calls,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Ellet, professor of the Russian language academy who serves as president of the Hudson Valley YSA branch of the Church of Jesus Christ in Sunsine, New York.
Cadets and midshipmen often define themselves through competition from one another, but they share common traits and easily connect for reasons beyond rivalry, said Benjamin Wyatt, a 23-year-old cadet.
“We can recognize the shared covenant that belongs between the Spirit of Christ and us,” he said. “My faith in Christ was reinforced against this experience because I can recognize the face and attributes of Christ among my friends. The old friends who will soon graduate, the faith and excitement that I received the mission call, and the new friends I just met from the Navy Academy.”
Temple, lunch, prayer
On Saturday, April 19th, 45 Latter-day Saints – 10 midshipmen at Annapolis’ Naval Academy, 16 cadets at West Point, four non-adjutants from the Hudson Valley YSA branch and 15 young single adults from the Philadelphia YSA Ward met at the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple. Some of the groups participated in baptism and confirmation, while the other half participated in donation sessions.
Elder Allen D. Haney, 70 presidents of the church’s Northeastern North America, attended an activity with his wife, Sister Deborah Haney.
After serving at the Lord’s house, the Philadelphia Isa district served lunch.
After the meal, everyone met at the local meeting hall and heard Easter prayer messages from the elder and sister Haney.
The activity was concluded as some young single adults visited the local historic locations and other parts of the city, and others returned to their homes.
Mission conversation
Wyatt, who worked for the Virginia Richmond Mission from 2020 to 2022, will be in his final year at West Point. He only remembered once before at the Army Naby football game when they briefly met with some Latter-day St. Midshipmen to take a photo together, but he didn’t have time to do anything more.
“It was amazing,” he said of his April 19th activity. “Part of our lifestyle is that we are quite limited in terms of how much we can go out and what we can do on weekends. So the opportunity to go to the temple is really special to us.”
The mission was a hot topic among Army cadets and midshipmen. Wyatt said some on both sides had received mission calls or were waiting for their assignments, which caused happy memories and emotions for him.
“It was special for all of us to share those challenges with each other in those conversations. It reminded me of what it was like, the spirit I felt, and I am in the temple,” he said.
All the children of God
Initially, Marcus Blazard, a sophomore linebacker on the Navy Football Team, was unsure about spending time with Army cadets, even in church activities.
“At first, ‘Oh, wow, are we going to hang out with those guys? I don’t know what that will happen,” said Breezard, who worked for a mission in Guatemala City, Guatemala. “But I got to mix and mix with them and get to know their perspective and why they serve. It was a really cool experience.”
Those from Kennesaw, Georgia are grateful to attend the temple and remind them that everything is a child of God.
“He loves each and every one of us, so being in the temple with (the Army cadet) was a really cool experience,” Breezard said. “We’re on different aspects of the field during the game, but we’re all in the same fight, and that’s even more true in the church.”
“Brother of Christ”
Thaddeus Morgan, 19, from Hopkinton, New Hampshire, and Previn, a class at West Point in 2028, thanked him for meeting and attending another Academy of Service and a new Latter-day Saint friend from the Philadelphia Isa district.
“I realized how similar we really are. It was great to connect with people who have had similar experiences to me,” he said. He cited examples such as how to go to the lab on a week-long evening after military training, and how to find time for prayer and Bible study while maintaining the academic and military rigor of the academy.
“To be able to relate to them really bridged the gap (a lot) between the military and the navy because we are always pretty competitive, but that competitiveness wasn’t there that day.
Morgan, who received a temple donation three weeks ago and plans to serve the mission after his second year, learns that he is not alone.
“We are in the community of Christ. We all worship Christ, worship him as the centre of our lives, and connect us,” he said. “The church, specifically the gospel, gives us the opportunity to connect with each other.”
Build friendship
For Ellett, the highlight was witnessing the possibility that young adults could develop friendships, find commonalities and develop lasting relationships with each other.
“Young single adults need the opportunity to meet, get to know each other and spend time. This can be difficult when the YSA population is large,” he said. “So we need to create those opportunities to bring together the YSA.”
Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Army-Nabee football games took place in Philadelphia, Ellett said the Philadelphia YSA Ward had been used to host a formal Christmas gala event and invite Latter-day Saints from both military schools. It stopped in recent years when the Army Navy Game location was moved from Philadelphia.
The activity is the first attempt to reconnect Latter-day Saints from the two military schools, and hopes to plan another temple trip in 2026.
