Secret Service prohibited Midshipmen from wearing ceremonial swords to their graduation ceremony-Fiction! not part of the uniform!

Secret Service prohibited graduating Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy from wearing ceremonial swords to their ceremony out of concern for the President's safety-Fiction! not part of the uniform!

Summary of the eRumor:
A forwarded email that says that the graduating Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis were not permitted to wear ceremonial swords as part of their uniform by the Secret Service as a safety concern for President Obama.

The Truth:
President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address at the 2009 graduation ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis but the Public Affairs Office at the academy told TruthorFiction.com that swords are not, nor have ever been worn by Midshipmen at graduation.

According to a May 21, 2009 Washington Times article, Midshipmen were told in writing that swords along with anything that could be considered a weapon by security screeners should not be taken into the graduation ceremony area. Click for article.

Traditionally, Midshipmen are not required to have swords as part of their normal uniform unless they are Brigade Officers, and then they are issued temporary swords for parades and other ceremonial events. Officers may wear the sword for special ceremonial events such as change of commands and weddings.

The Public Affairs Office added, "Many parents give swords to graduates to be worn with their officer uniform after commissioning, but they along with many other items are routinely banned from being carried into the graduation ceremony for obvious security reasons."

The USNA Network, an academy parents group, posted information and guidelines on swords on their website: Click for sword guidelines.

updated 06/10/09

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

From today's "you couldn't make it up if you tried file".......Obama's protectors have ordered graduating Midshipmen....and I suppose Commissioned Officers through Flag rank...to leave their swords at home. Full Dress White includes "wear sword". More to the point...those badges of office have been earned in a manner Obongo and his minions just wouldn't begin to understand. Important traditions that inspire are kind of lost on the red banner crowd, apparently.

Further, ceremonial swords never seemed to bother the Secret Service for any previous President. And before World War II, the swords were not particularly "ceremonial", I've seen some of those blades, boarding actions did occur on the China Station pre-war against river pirates, warlords, etc. Those swords were worn not just to graduation, but to Inaugurations, in the receiving line at the White House afterward, to the Inaugural Ball. Somehow nobody gave it a second thought. Somehow even Presidents in the past didn't presume to specify items of uniform.

But of course, what worked for Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, F.D.R., the Bushes, T.R., any other rational non-cult leader.....doesn't work for this former state senator anointed by the Chicago machine.

Does he secretly consider our Naval and Military leaders "the enemy"?

Perhaps the message this sends escaped his handlers. Sad. And .....follow me on this Obama and minions.....insulting. Actually it's contemptible.