Newly commissioned Ensigns remove their covers prior to tossing them in the air as part of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2005 graduation and commissioning ceremony.

Annapolis, Md. (May. 27, 2005) Newly commissioned Ensigns remove their covers prior to tossing them in the air as part of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2005 graduation and commissioning ceremony. The hat toss, now a traditional ending to the ceremony, originated at the Naval Academy in 1912. This hat toss has since become a symbolic and visual end to the four-year program. Nine hundred-seventy six Midshipmen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and became commissioned officers in the U.S. Military. President George W. Bush delivered the commencement address and personally greeted each graduate during the ceremony. The men and women of the graduating class were sworn into the Navy as Ensigns or into the Marine Corps as Second Lieutenants. U.S. Navy photo by Photographers Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain File# 050527-N-0295M-008