On June 19, midshipman Neal Sebastian of Fayetteville, graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, in Kings Point, N.Y., with the 202 members of the class of 2006.

The Academy was pleased to welcome George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States as the commencement speaker at this year’s graduation exercises.

At the Academy’s 70th commencement, Sebastian received a Third Mate merchant marine license, presented by Vice Admiral Joseph D. Stewart, the Academy’s superintendent.

Midshipman Sebastian was additionally commissioned as a U.S. Naval Reserve ensign and was awarded a bachelor of science in logistics and intermodal transportation.

The son of Doug and Cheryl Sebastian, Neal was nominated to the academy by Senator Zell Miller.

The Academy, which trains young men and women from across the nation for careers in the merchant marine and transportation industry, is operated by the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.