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NSCC Celebrates 50 years!
Happy Anniversary Message from Navy League National President – Philip L. Dunmire. – Click Here
U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps to mark 50th Anniversary – Navy League News article by Peter Atkinson, Deputy editor – Click Here
Opportunities abound with U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Corps.
The U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Corps is the Navy’s best kept secret.
Twice a month, you can see and hear them marching the streets around Naperville Central High School. In the crisp, February air, the echo of their cadence call bounces off houses, bringing residents out of their homes for a peek.
Naperville’s Naval Sea Cadet Corps Ghostriders Squadron is comprised of youths, aged 13 -to 17. Younger youths, aged 10 to 13 are Navy League Cadets. Formed in 1958, the organization was created to foster patriotism, acquire discipline, goals and direction, said LT Delbert Luzadder.
“The department of the U.s. Navy was given the responsibility to support the Sea Cadet Corps,” Luzadder explained.
Sea Cadets have the privilege of wearing the U.S. Navy uniforms with modifications to indicate they are Sea Cadets. not members of the U.S. Navy. They are taught basic military courtesies: uniform regulations and personal grooming requirement.
A common misconception about Sea Cadets IS there is a military obligation. That is not true. There is no hidden agenda to enlist youth into the Navy. Instead) it develops youth professionally and opens doors and opportunities.
Midshipman Zachary Dodd, 18, is attending the University of Chicago, pursuing a nursing career: A midshipman is aged 18 to 21. He was involved with the Ghostriders Squadron for more than three years.
As a freshman, he moved to Naperville and was looking for a program similar to the NJROTC at his former high school. He decided to give the Sea Cadets program a chance.
“When I went to their first drill, I found It to be more structured than I was used to – which I liked. In terms of skill learning and leadership, it was a lot more hands on. That’s what attracted me to it,” Dodd explained.
On a yearly basis, requirements of Sea Cadets include maintaining a passing grade in school, complete one correspondence course, attending one training program and earning one promotion.
For Dodd, the 50 different training programs offered to Sea Cadets opened his eyes to the field of nursing. “I went to police academy training, seamanship training. I even trained with the Navy SEALs for two weeks,” he said. Training programs are classes taught to sailors, but condensed down into a two week summarization.
“I spent a lot of time with the medical personnel for each of those training sessions and that is really what interested me in becoming a nurse.”
Currently, Dodd in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. at UIC. After completing college, he’ll get a commission into the U.S. Navy as a Naval Nurse. His plan is to complete four years,’ then get into a graduate school through the Navy.
Luzadder said Dodd is an example of how opportunities opened doors for him.
“Just imagine the value of being a young teenager and being able· to explore all these options to see if you like something,” he said. “They find what they like and tailor their education around it. It puts them steps ahead of other teenagers.”
Training programs offered include aviation flight training, engineering, firefighting, photojournalism and SEALs training.
Dodd was one of the few Sea Cadets accepted into the SEAL training program, earning one of l2 open spots. One cadet quit and three graduated without high marks, in essence, not getting credit for the program. Dodd and the others graduated with high marks:
Luzadder said the Sea Cadets are learning that there is nothing they can’t do. “Most successful people have never learned, ‘I can’t do that.'”
To learn about about the Sea Cadets, visit www.seacadets.org. To learn about-the Naperville’s Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Ghostriders Squad.ron, visit www.vf142.com or call LT Delbert Luzadder at 630-302-2364.
Jennifer Rice’s e-mail address is: