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Cadet Programs
About Massachusetts Bay Division:
The U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps offers youth ages 13 to 18 the opportunity to learn
life skills such as leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline in a military environment.
Massachusetts Bay Division drills twice per month in downtown Boston, Massachusetts.
We are the newest (and if you ask us, the best) Sea Cadet unit in New England.
Our unit is staffed by active duty and reserve Navy personnel, as well as civilians
with significant community involvement and youth mentoring experience. We
take pride in being a professionally-run organization, providing a safe, fun and
rewarding atmosphere for youth to train with operational military units, develop
leadership skills and meet new friends who share the same interests!
Each cadets participates in the program by attending both drills per month (normally
the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM), and by attending training camps
during school recesses. The unit drills with the U.S. Coast Guard at its downtown
(North End, Boston, MA) location.
Unit Drills
Cadet training at the unit consists of two phases: Basic and Advanced. All new cadets
enter the Basic phase for their first 3-4 months. Cadets learn:
- How to wear your
cadet uniform.
- Basics of military protocol (saluting, chain of command)
- How to advance in rank and earn leadership opportunities
Cadets will also complete the U.S. Navy's Basic Military Requirements correspondence
course, which is the same course administered to active duty sailors. Following
completion of the Basic requirements, cadets move to the Advanced phase, where they
will spend most of their time in the program. Cadets in the Advanced company might
do some of the following activities during drills:
- Get behind the wheel of a Coast Guard cutter
- Learn navigation and seamanship from Navy/Coast Guard members
- Lead a team of fellow cadets to accomplish assigned tasks
- Take field trips to local military units
Although we aren't the military, nowhere else can youth actually get behind the
wheel of the military's coolest equipment and learn from the men and women actually
doing it.
Two-Week Summer Trainings
During school recess, cadets are encouraged to participate in 1-2 week trainings
at military installations nationwide. First-year cadets attend 9 days of Recruit Training at Fort Devens, MA. Following the
successful completion of RT, the cadet can participate in any of the wide variety
of training opportunities available. Cadets can participate in trainings such
as:
- Underway training aboard U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels
- Age-appropriate special warfare (SEAL, EOD, SWCC) traning conducted by U.S. Navy
instructors
- Aviation crew training
- Surface Warfare training
- Submarine school
- International Exchange Program
to countries with Sea Cadet programs of their own (Canada, Britain, Netherlands,
Russia, Korea, Australia - to name only a few!)
The cost of summer trainings are subsidized by a federal grant. The average cost
of a summer training is $100 per week. That fee includes lodging, meals and training
fee. For the international exchange programs, which are open to advanced cadets,
the NSCC will pay for a cadet's airfare, tuition, logding and meal expenses. The
family pays approximately $200 (plus personal spending money) for the entire exchange.
After Graduation
Being an honorably discharged Naval Sea Cadet Corps member is looked upon favorably
by selection boards for military academies and ROTC programs. Cadets who are accepted
to a four-year university may be eligible for scholarships.
Although many former Sea Cadets have been inspired to join the armed services, we
do not actively recruit cadets into the military. That said, cadets who have
succeeded in the NSCC program can earn advanced rank immediately after enlisting. For
those cadets choosing to attend college, the NSCC offers several scholarships that
can help. The leadership experience offered by the NSCC is crucial to molding
a young person's moral fabric, and will serve the cadet well for the rest of his/her
life.
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