My boy is interested in the Sea Cadets...

[PinesAndProjectiles]

I took my family to the air show at Offut Air Force Base on Sunday which was pretty incredible. While we were waiting for the show to start, we were standing in the shade of a wing of a C-5 Galaxy. My boy ventured off to a canopy nearby where the Sea Cadets were stationed looking for recruits.

He came back after a few minutes and asked if he could sign up. So, we headed over there to check it out.

It looks like they do some pretty neat things. They meet one weekend a month and a week a year.

It is aimed at kids aged 10, through high school to get some first hand experience of what it would be like to serve in the military, sans deployment of course.

There doesn't seem to be any commitment requirements, however if you were to join and remain involved through High School and then joined the service afterwards, you could potentially start at 1 or 2 pay grades higher than what the new recruits would normally start.

My son does have some interest in serving so I think it would be a great idea to get him involved prior to any commitments.

Does anyone have any experiences with the Sea Cadets whether it's good or bad?

I did not serve so my knowledge/experience with anything military related is fairly limited.

Thanks for any help!

 

[pmclaine]

I have a former co-worker that highly endorses them.

His son is in out of the USCG Station in Boston.

It is no joke according to him.

The kids are expected to meet military courtesy and discipline or they are removed.

They spit shine, prepare for inspection and get to do some cool shit such as "serving" on active duty ships and doing fam rides from places such as Virginia back to Boston.

If you think your kid will thrive in teh discipline there can be no negative.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

In the mid 80's, I was an Air Cadet (3 years) and then in the mid 90's I was an Officer in the Navy League (Pre-Sea Cadet ages). I highly recommend it, all around.

The opportunity for children/teens is great for real-world exposure of "thinking provoking" experiences. They are introduced to things most others aren't, able to go places most people can't, and do things most wouldn't imagine. I still remember my ride in a Harvard. Rare enough experience, right there.
I also remember being aboard an active warship. (Active, as in not one decommissioned and turned into a museum.) Also staying on Navy bases, as well as touring Air Force bases.... and such.

The more a child puts into it, in earnest, the more it is paid back in spades. And whether they go and enlist after, they'll still have garnered life skills as well as developed lateral and abstract thinking. And NOBODY loses in that progression.

Just my experience and opinion, for what that's worth.

The detractor is/was/could be the children who're "dumped off" by their parents, so that they could get "someone else to parent" for a few hours. One has to resist the urge of hanging (the parents) from the yardarm, too often. Such situations detract from everyone else's experience.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Three of my former Scout are in the Coast Guard. I'm proud and happy for them.

Greg

 

[Random_Scrub]

I remember when I was in boot camp at Great Lakes a decade ago seeing teenagers marching in formation there. Found out they were sea cadets. Sounded like they did all the fun stuff in boot camp without having to deal with the screaming and toilet cleaning we did.

But yeah I believe most of them if they go active duty will enter as an E-3.

 

[308pirate]

Former Sea Cadet here. The division I joined was strict and ran like a division aboard ship. Got a real taste of USMC discipline during camp at Rosie Roads as well. Attended USNSCC boot camp (2 weeks) at the old RTC Orlando.

Then went on to USNA and 6 years AD. Little did I know that I would end up right back in Orlando for nuke school.......

It's a good intro to .mil life and good for you no matter whatever you decide to do later on in life.

Who knows how to spit shine boondockers? This guy LOL

 

[buffalowinter]

The worst that can happen is your son decides he doesn't like taking orders and the military is not for him. Better to find out in Sea Cadets than in Basic.

 

[Redmanss]

Sea Cadets, Air Cadets, Young Marines, Boy Scouts, each and all great youth organizations. They will all make a young man out of your boy. I wish I could have gotten my son into one of them, but his mother (who has custody) was too fucking "busy" and lazy with herself and I worked 7k miles away while he was in those years.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

100 percent encourage him to follow his interest! If he doesn't like it, at least it will be from a base of experience.

If he does... maybe a career. Maybe just an appreciation of what the folks in all kinds of uniforms... do for America.

Parenting level: Epic!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[flyer]

Get him a stack of Hustler's before it's too late.

(Edit) Oh, this isn't what I thought, please ignore.

 

[308pirate]

Get him a stack of Hustler's before it's too late.

That's what we used to say a few days before deployment. Gotta stock the ol' JO stateroom with porn, tunes, and video games.