Goats on Boats

I joined the U.S. Navy for several reasons: being on the ocean, travel and education. There are many other reasons I remember my time afloat and ashore like it was only yesterday.

Shortly after joining there seemed to be some connection between the Navy and goats - I saw them in print, on t-shirts and in other manners associated with the U.S. Navy.

Bill the Goat is the mascot of the U.S. Naval Academy, but a goat is not what most would consider an animal of cunning, majesty or dominance. Although they are pretty cool, interesting and agile creatures, just the same, but a mascot?

Goats have been on-board many naval vessels for quite some time (before refrigeration) as a source of milk and meat (eventually). Unlike other mammals which may have produced decent amounts of such, like a cow, these little guys and girls could handle the rock and roll, and pitch and yaw of a ship at sea. They are born with sea legs. There's not much use in having your source of foot dying from injury or falling overboard.

The Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy are now 2-0 in football and although it was a fairly scary second half, the Connecticut Huskies came close (28-24), but never quite "got the Navy's goat".