I visited the elite United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. An 8-minute ceremony gave me goosebumps.

• The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, trains future Navy and Marine Corps leaders.
• Campus tours include a sports complex, the world’s largest dorm, and the Naval Academy Chapel.
• The Noon Meal Formation, a century-old tradition, is worth watching.

Bancroft Hall, which the Naval Academy describes as the largest dormitory in the world, is so big that it has its own ZIP code.

Beneath the worship space is the Crypt of John Paul Jones, widely regarded as America’s first naval hero.

My tour ended in time for me to catch the Noon Meal Formation, an eight-minute ceremony that serves as both a roll call and a display of military tradition.

In the Noon Meal Formation, held every weekday aside from Wednesdays, all 4,400 midshipmen line up outside Bancroft Hall. After the Naval Academy’s six battalions declare that their members are “all present or accounted for,” they march in formation into King Hall for lunch, accompanied by the United States Naval Academy Band.

The roots of the Noon Meal Formation date back to the Civil War. It has been held at the Naval Academy since 1905, serving as an exercise in accountability and leaving no one behind.

The assembled crowd, many of them family members visiting for Plebe Parents Weekend, watched in reverent silence as each battalion’s presence was announced.

I was awed by how each midshipman stood absolutely still and moved in perfect synchronization.

During Plebe Parents Weekend, plebes see their families for the first time since arriving at the Naval Academy when the ceremony concludes.

During an intensive seven-week indoctrination program known as Plebe Summer, plebes undergo basic training before the academic year begins and are only allowed two timed phone calls home in that period.

Plebe Summer concludes with Plebe Parents Weekend, where family members can witness their transformation.

As soon as the plebes were dismissed, the air of formality evaporated as family members cheered and rushed to embrace their loved ones.

All around me, the precise lines and regimented formations dissolved into a swell of hugs, tears, and delighted squeals.

“I’m so proud of you!” one mother cried as her daughter sobbed in her arms. “I love you so much!”

Surrounded by so many emotional reunions, I felt myself welling up, too.

The Naval Academy’s stunning architecture and rich heritage alone make it worth a trip, but the Noon Meal Formation is not to be missed.

I highly recommend booking an early tour that leaves enough time to watch the midshipmen line up and march with military precision outside Bancroft Hall at noon. It’s one thing to learn about the Naval Academy’s storied history. It’s another to witness its legacy of high standards in action.