Heyworth said it is reasonable for the academy to review the safety of the climb.
"In my view, this is normal. New commanding officer comes on board. As events come up, as programs come up, you look at them and you ask questions, `Why are we doing this? Does this support the mission. To me, this is normal."
The Capital newspaper, quoting an unidentified source, reported that one change being considered is restricting the number of participants.
W. Minor Carter, an academy graduate and an Annapolis lobbyist, said the tradition might have some significance over the years. Freshmen have become less distinct as a class as more take advanced courses and play on sports teams with older midshipmen, he said. He said that freshmen also have more freedoms than earlier generations of plebes.
"It's a whole different era. Plebe year was a different deal then," he said.
Still, the tradition has survived, and hundreds participate every year.
The tradition is one of many on college campuses across the country.
In November 1999, one such tradition turned tragic. Students at Texas A&M University were building a huge bonfire when the structure collapsed, killing 12 people.
Crevelt, 51, of Las Vegas, said it would be unfair to compare the bonfire tradition at Texas A&M to the Herndon Monument climb. "We're not building Herndon Monument. The thing's only 30 feet tall at most."
He recalled the day he climbed Herndon.
"I was almost up there one point earlier, 10 or 15 minutes earlier. People collapsed and I fell down face first in the mud," Crevelt said, adding he was not seriously hurt. "Big deal. I got up."
josh.mitchell@baltsun.com
