INTRODUCTION
Established more than 46 years ago, our unit is the oldest, largest and we believe, the very best, in the Baltimore-Washington-Richmond metropolitan area. Our long and well-proven track record adds credence to this claim, having helped more than 6,477 males and females so far.
The following answers the most frequently asked questions. Since it is nearly impossible to answer every possible question you may have, we encourage you to contact us for more details or to answer other questions you have.
OUR UNIT’S GOALS
Our program is NOT intended to recruit anyone into the military! We simply use the military ships, boats, aircraft, bases and facilities, that we as taxpayers pay for, as tools to accomplish our goals.
Our unit’s primary goals are to:
– provide a safe, friendly and fun place for males and females, ages 10 to 18, to learn and practice leadership, technological, seamanship and other skills; self-confidence; self-reliance; personal responsibility; and independence, while meeting new friends from around the world, getting and giving respect and avoiding the harmful effects and temptations of gangs, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pre-mature pregnancy and other negative influences.
– instill living by the core values of Honor, Courage, Commitment, Respect and Devotion to Duty in all that a person does.
– encourage youth to attend college and provide opportunities for scholarships (some exclusively for members of our unit) to fund the higher education.
– provide an opportunity for youth to gain an appreciation for the work performed by the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, Merchant Marine, Defense Industry, the Navy League of the United States and other patriotic and civic organizations.
– provide an opportunity to be around positive male and female role models while exploring a wide variety of professional and exciting occupational fields and experiencing the military life and some of its benefits, without any obligation whatsoever, to join the military.
– provide those interested in applying for acceptance into the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD), U.S. Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY), U.S. Military Academy (West Point, NY), the State Maritime Colleges (SUNY Maritime, Massachusetts Maritime, etc.), or one of the prestigious non-governmental military colleges, such as the Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel, with the skills, accomplishments and credentials necessary to have dramatically increased chances for acceptance, under “the whole person concept,” used by the selection review boards of those organizations.
Approximately 12% of the U.S. Naval Academy and significant numbers in the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Military Academies-West Point are former U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps members.
– provide the opportunity for youth interested in enlisting in the military, to do so at up to two paygrade higher (E-3) than otherwise possible.
– provide youth not interested in college or the military with the very best in personal training that will serve them well in life, regardless of the career field they chose.
WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS – 10 to 80 Years Old!
Our unit is currently accepting applications from male and female teens aged 10 to 17 and adult volunteers from 21 (18 and up for prior Sea Cadets) and up (no prior military experience is necessary). Bring your friends!
Our members come from an area that runs from DC; Fredericksburg, VA to Baltimore, MD; Winchester, VA to Bowie and LaPlata, MD and everything in between. Some drive 2.5 hours to get to us, bypassing other units closer to their homes.
With so many people in so many places, car pools could be possible if you have a desire to participate. We can help arrange them, if you ask.
A SAFE AND FUN PLACE
With 43% of our Cadet membership (and the majority of our Cadet leaders) being female, we are a safe environment for females to have a sense of belonging and well-being – a fact we are proud of. For all of our Cadets, we offer a safe, drug, gang, smoking, alcohol and sexual harassment free environment, with academic, socio-economic, racial and ethnic diversity. In our unit, equal opportunity is our hallmark, not just a saying.
The Navy Yard, home to the Navy’s top officers and many of its organizations, is well-protected by security devices and armed Navy, Marine Corps and DOD Police Officers.
Our activities begin and end at the Navy Yard. Whenever we leave the Navy Yard, we do so in appropriate vehicles, with proper safety and other equipment, using approved vehicle drivers.
OUR UNIT’S FOCUS
As the oldest, largest and we believe, the very best, unit in the area, our unit primarily focuses in the following specialty areas:
Ceremonial Honor Guard, training and providing a Color Guard to present the U.S. Flag at many Coast Guard, Navy, Congressional and other events and ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, Capitol Hill, on the USS Barry and throughout the DC, VA and MD area. We are also in the process of training a ceremonial Drill Team to mimic those available in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. Our Honor Guard receives its top-notch training from active-duty Honor Guard members.
Surface Operations, preparing and allowing our members to get underway on Navy, Coast Guard and other ships and boats, on the ocean and other waterways. Our unit routinely operates aboard Coast Guard boats during the traditional boating season (April to September), performing real-time Search and Rescue, Marine Safety and Security, Environmental and Homeland Security missions, excluding direct law enforcement and military missions, which would require the carriage of a firearm.
Special Operations, providing specially-trained personnel performing Emergency Medical; Master-at-Arms; Radio and Data Communications; Graphics; Website Content Update; Still and Video Imagery; Underwater Diving; Land and Water Navigation; Amphibious and Port Operations; and Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) duties.
Additionally, members of our unit regularly participate in the Sea Cadet International Exchange Program, which hosts Sea Cadets from Sweden, Canada, England, Ireland, Singapore and other maritime nations from around the globe; Serve as Staff Members and Leaders at Recruit Training, Petty Officer Leadership Academy and other advanced training evolutions, throughout the USA; and, provide training to other Sea Cadet, Boy Scout and Sea Scout units, from the East Coast between Baltimore, MD and Augusta, GA.
All of our members have access to the total array of training opportunities available in our national headquarters’ training database (located at: www.compass.seacadets.org). Available training includes numerous fun and challenging activities, such as medical, legal, aircraft, ship and even Navy SEAL and diving opportunities!
BENEFITS OF BELONGING TO OUR UNIT
Our unit encourages continuing education and lifelong learning. We place an emphasis on higher education and make it easy for interested/motivated Cadets, from all walks of life, to attend college, regardless of their socio-economic status or situation. The majority of our Cadets attend and successfully complete college or join the military.
More than 500 Cadets from our unit have entered the military or attended a military academy and became an officer, with some rising to the very top of the military and business communities.
A number of our current Cadets are among the best in academics in their Middle and High Schools. Many have attained recognition by the National Honor Society and freely offer their assistance to other Cadets in need of mentoring in various subjects. We are proud to have two Cadets in our unit that attend what U.S. News and World Report has called the best public school in America, two years in a row.
We offer a number of college scholarships (some reserved exclusively for members of our unit). Since you are competing against a far lower number of applicants than most other scholarship programs, your chances for getting a scholarship is significantly increased, over what you would otherwise have from most other programs you have access to.
Additionally, some of our previous Cadets have been accepted and graduated from prestigious military colleges, such as the Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel, where our unit will be well represented until at least 2013, with the current group of unit Cadets in, or already accepted to, the institution.
Some of our Adult Volunteers
For Cadets interested in enlisting in the military, the ability to enlist at up to two paygrades higher (E-3) than otherwise possible, which translates to approximately $500 more per month in pay and up to1.5 to 2 years ahead of their peers for advancement opportunities, since our Cadets take many of the same courses and advancement exams as active-duty and reserve personnel.
BACKGROUND CHECKED ADULTS
ALL of our adult volunteer leaders undergo a background check, to ensure only persons with suitable backgrounds are part of our unit. The majority of our adult volunteers are either: active-duty, reserve or retired military personnel; civil service personnel; or parents of Cadets. The others are professionals in their respective fields (medical, legal, business, etc.) that have a desire to help the youth of today.
CLOSE SUPERVISION
Every activity is supervised by senior Cadets and adult volunteers. Cadets use the “buddy system,” while involved in our program, so no Cadet is left alone or left feeling excluded.
We assign a medium number of Cadets (generally 7 or less) to each senior Cadet leader, to ensure proper supervision and assistance.
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT
Our program is conducted primarily on weekends, year-round, and during the Winter, Spring and Summer school vacations.
To allow for school, church, sports and family events that occur on weekends and during the summer, we do our best to minimize time requirements and burdens on cadets and their families.
By keeping the round-trips to the Washington Navy Yard to a maximum for just two times per month (except for special activities/events) and the number of days spent away from home to just one and a half (except for special activities/events) per month, we help the environment by conserving energy (gasoline, heat/air conditioning and electric), wear and tear (vehicle and personal) and allow plenty of time for school work and other desires/needs.
Attendance is voluntary, but we require that you attend an average of at least 75% of the time (20 of the 26 Drills – 13 of the 17 weekends), so you get the most out of the learning, fun and fellowship.
With our Drill schedule and times, we feel our attendance policy is fair and does not burden prospective members. One of our program goals is teaching proper time management. We realize that prospective cadets and adult volunteers are involved in sports and other weekend activities, but not many of them can offer the opportunity for college scholarships or advanced enlistments in the military.
We encourage prospective cadets and adult volunteers to consider their futures and mange their time accordingly, so they can attend our drills and activities as well as sports and other activities they may be involved in. In our program, attendance counts and is essential for all leadership positions and our Honor Guard.
Membership in our unit is a privilege and it requires commitment to attend. If you cannot place attendance to our unit’s drills and activities as a priority in your life, then please do not join.
WHEN WE MEET
We normally meet during the first weekend of each month. From September to May, we meet on Saturday at 8:30 am (0830); sleep on the USS Barry (a real Navy ship); and leave at Noon (1200) on Sunday, so Cadets can attend to school and personal matters. This counts as two Drills.
During the months that have holidays on the first weekend (January and September, for example), we change our Drill (meeting) weekend to the second weekend.
During June and August, we normally meet only on the first Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. (sharp) and leave at 4 p.m. We do not normally meet on Sunday during June and August.
We also normally meet during the third weekend in September, October, November, March, April and May. During those months, we normally meet only on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. (sharp) and leave at 4 p.m. We do not normally meet on Sunday during the third weekend of September, October, November, March, April or May.
We do not meet at all on the third weekend during December, January, February, June, July or August.
We do not meet at all during July, except for special activities.
Additionally, six times per year, we designate special activities as “required,” and ask that members attend at least 75% (4 of the 6) of them.
MEMBERSHIP IS NOT FOR EVERYONE
Membership in our unit is a privilege, it is open only to those who meet our criteria and are willing to follow the rules. Our members get to do things that others will never get the chance to do, because they are willing to commit to attending, learning new and exciting things and following the rules.
One – We require a genuine commitment and desire to be a member. Please do NOT join if you are being “forced” to come or do not really have a desire to do something fun or worthwhile for your future. If you do not really want to be a member; if someone is “forcing” you to attend/join; or if you have a problem following laws and rules, then DO NOT JOIN!
Two – We do NOT accept any youth member that has a criminal record; smokes; uses drugs or alcohol; is a single parent or has caused a pregnancy. (In other words, we do not accept children who have children).
Three – We have grooming standards – piercings may not be worn (except for tasteful female ear piercings); faddish, long hair or unshaven facial hair is not permitted.
Four – You must not have any severe medical condition, which requires life-sustaining or frequent medication.
COST – ABOUT ONE DOLLAR PER WEEK
Our yearly membership fee is just $54, which is used to pay for insurance coverage and an ID Card.
We provide uniforms on a loan basis (to the extent possible, based on size and availability) and also help those with genuine financial hardships.
Most activity costs as little as $7 cash for lunch (or you may bring your own). We provide transportation to all unit activities in the DC, MD and VA metropolitan area.
Some special activities during school breaks in the school year (winter or spring breaks) cost $25 for a total of two or three days for food, training costs, transportation and berthing (sleeping).
One or two-week training activities during the summer and other school breaks cost approximately $120 per week for food, training costs, and berthing (sleeping).
We also provide transportation (at no additional cost) to some activities in the summer and during other school breaks.
Summer activities are held locally, nationally and even internationally, allowing Cadets to travel and explore, with adult supervision.
All costs/expenses may be tax deductible – consult your tax advisor.
FOR MORE INFO OR TO APPLY AND SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW
If you are interested in finding out more, schedule an interview or to complete an application, please contact:
LCDR Joseph P Cirone, NSCC
703-740-1138 (Ext. 1)
