Every Friday the Fork Union Military Faculty and Staff meet to nominate a few who have exceeded the standards and demonstrated superlative performance. Whilst we have various awards and recognitions - a simple "Well Done!" we hope, is also appreciated. The combination of the Bravo and Zulu nautical signal flags, i.e., Bravo Zulu, also referred to as "BZ," is a naval signal, typically conveyed by flag hoist or voice radio, meaning "Well Done" with regard to actions, operations or performance.
The following are the Bravo Zulu awards for 23 Oct 2020:
Faculty
- LTC James Benson — In the last week alone James has been the voice of our parent's weekend parade, our Sunday Chaplain, our Daily Devotional Leader, play-by-play announcer for our prep football game, a full-time classroom teacher, advisor, and adult supervisor for our Fork Union Battle of the Brains team. All of this while planning for our yearbook pictures for this upcoming week while working with all the various department heads of the school.
Staff
Victoria Beaulieu — Since mid-summer, Ms. B has been working diligently and tactfully with our senior cadets as the plan for the next steps in their academic journeys. While teaching the new Senior Seminar course, she is meeting one-on-one with senior cadets to provide individualized college counseling, communicating with parents in different time zones in the evenings, and ensuring that seniors meet all of the necessary deadlines as it relates to college applications.
Alpha Company
- Cadet Private Mason Bligen (Junior) is a member of Alpha Company and is a second year cadet from Brooklyn, New York. Cadet Bligen edged out fellow teammate Alex Williams 13-10 in the basketball shooting competition this past weekend. Cadet Bligen is a member of the prep football and basketball teams. Cadet Bligen currently has an A+ in Advanced Algebra/ Trigonometry and a 4.28 GPA.
Bravo Company
- Cadet Staff Sergeant Dominic Julius (Junior) is a Squad Leader and Athletics NCO for Bravo Company. He is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and plays football and basketball. This is his second year at FUMA. He signed up for a 3-on-3 basketball tournament on 17 October 2020. His hard work and dedication led them to a victory over Alpha Company with a score of 16-13.
Charlie Company
- Cadet Staff Sergeant Arkiliz Zavala (Freshman) is a member of Retan Rifles. He personally assembled and screened 24 Cadets for the AMCSUS Middle School Drill Team. He has currently instructed the members on 18 of the 48 drill movements, in preparation for the Drill Competition in Mid-November. He has dedicated over 15 hours of his personal time this week preparing the middle school cadets for the competition.
Retan Rifles
- Cadet Corporal Gary Smith Jr. (Junior) is a member in Retan Rifles. He is from Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City. This is his first year at FUMA and he signed up for Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics in Term 2. He does not let English as a “second language” effect his performance. He is a strong, consistent participant in class discussions and recently was an immense help to another cadet with his study skills prior to a unit test. With three tests under his belt, Cadet Smith has an A+ average in the course. He is currently learning to play the piano and he shows up to Upper School Music Exploration focused with a desire to learn.
We are proud of our Cadets, Faculty and Staff for all they do. This was another great week at FUMA. We have no COVID-19 cases amongst our Cadets, Faculty, Staff or supporting personnel on campus. A Bravo Zulu to the Fork Union Military Academy community, which includes all of us, Alumni, Board of Trustees, Alumni Board, Parents, Donors, Friends and retired faculty/staff for your prayers and support. We go forward together... In God We Trust! Go FUMA!
DL Coggins
President
Fork Union Military Academy