Fifteen rising junior and seniors from MAST successfully completed the NJROTC Area Four Leadership Academy/Sail Training earlier this month at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. The students were among the 108 cadets from the Northeast who participated in the intensive two-week program run by the NJROTC Area Four office and supported by the Naval Academy Preparatory School and the Officers Training Command at Newport. Normally held each summer, the program was suspended for the past two years due to the Covid pandemic.
The program is designed to develop and improve skills that will help cadets succeed in the future, whether they choose a military or civilian career path, and is a mix of static and dynamic training. Cadets who were selected to participate had to complete a comprehensive application, submit an essay about what they hoped to get out of the course, pass a physical fitness screening test, and had to demonstrate the potential for leadership.
Cadets who successfully complete the course are awarded the coveted silver aiguillette worn on their NJROTC uniforms.
During the two weeks in Newport, cadets participated in classroom, outdoor labs, and sailing sessions, and followed a specific Plan of the Day, starting with physical fitness training at 5:00 AM, and continuing with a block schedule of academics, drill training, and sailing. Cadets marched everywhere they went — to the barracks, the base dining facility, the classrooms, the pool, and the marina – and sang military cadences to stay in step and keep motivated. With the exception of boxed lunches at the marina, all meals were eaten in the base galley, and cadets were not permitted to talk, walk around, or socialize during meals. Cadets wore dark blue US Navy running shorts and a colored tee shirt specific to their platoon daily, and always carried water bottles to prevent dehydration and heat-related illnesses. All were required to turn in any electronics at the beginning of the course, and were not permitted phone calls home, access to social media, television, or junk food, with the exception of an eight-hour tour of downtown Newport when they could use their phones and eat wherever they chose.
Throughout the two weeks, the cadets were evaluated and critiqued, both individually and as a platoon, on level of effort and participation, motivation, and how well they followed and led in the many different challenges. A cumulative score for each platoon was tabulated to determine first, second, and third in each event, and one platoon was selected, based on scores, as the Honor Platoon. Additionally, the top scorers from each platoon were awarded for academics, sailing, and physical fitness, and one cadet was selected from each platoon as the Most Motivated Cadet and one as the Honor Cadet. One Distinguished Cadet was selected out of the three platoons as the top graduate in the course. Cadet Brandon Weiss of Oceanport was scored highest on the PT test of all cadets in his platoon, and Cadets Hugh Smith of Morganville and John Zeveney of Red Bank, along with two cadets from high schools in north Jersey, won the orienteering competition.
Classroom curriculum consisted of 22 interactive classes on leadership skills and topics highlighting personal and unit goals, issuing orders, delegating authority, taking the initiative, making decisions, communicating and keeping an open mind, developing teamwork, providing effective feedback, rewarding accomplishments, time management, safety, recognizing and discouraging inappropriate behavior, overcoming bias, and maintaining integrity.
Sail training consisted of classroom instruction in physics, safety, seamanship, navigation, rules of the road, weather, and sailing nomenclature and terminology, followed by hands-on training on Rhodes 19 sailboats modified for teaching purposes. This training culminated in teams of four cadets in competition with other cadets in a regatta. MAST cadets had an advantage in the sailing portion, as the MAST NJROTC program is the only unit in the nation where cadets are required to take the NJ Safe Boating Course and receive their boating licenses. Cadet Sam Puleio of Tinton Falls was recognized as the top sailor from his platoon, and he and Cadet Abigail Hesterhagen of Atlantic Highlands were part of the four-person team that took first place in the regatta.
Cadets also toured the Navy’s Surface Warfare Officer School’s Full Bridge Simulator, a mock-up of a Navy combatant ship where junior officers learn ship handling and watch standing skills, the Lt. Michael Murphy Combat Training Pool (named for the Medal of Honor recipient), and historic Fort Adams, a coastal fortification at the mouth of the harbor of Newport, which served as an active Army post from 1799 to 1953.
“One of my favorite things about LA/ST is how quickly everyone felt a sense of community,” said Cadet Hesterhagen, who will be a junior at MAST in September. “Every single person had to put in maximum effort to be successful, and we learned very quickly that we needed to work well together as a team.”
Cadet Puleio added he particularly was impressed by the curriculum and resources to which the cadets had access. The rising MAST junior said “we had lectures from retired senior Navy personnel, trained in the combat training pool, drove ship simulators at Surface Warfare School, sailed in the bay, and the list goes on.”
Hesterhagen added that “everyone started supporting each other right away, and that support and teamwork continued up until the very end. Surprised, she added that one of the things she found she enjoyed was “waking up early. I felt better than expected starting the day at 0500, and I felt very refreshed and accomplished having already done PT among other things early in the morning.”
Cadet Tessa Campolattaro of Rumson also loved the camaraderie of the Leadership Academy. “Being able to celebrate the good moments while sticking together as a team through the bad ones was so important. The hard parts, like not getting a lot of sleep and constant running around, only pushed us further. They made us bond. They made our accomplishments that much more incredible and satisfying.” The rising senior, who was selected to serve as MAST’s top-ranking cadet, the battalion commander, for the 2022-2023 school year, said her experience was made ‘incredible’ since she was able “both to learn from the instructors and serve as an example to my platoon. I would not be able to list the amount of things I learned. It was really an unbelievably unique and constructive experience.”
Cadet James Treshock of Monmouth Beach, MAST’s deputy battalion commander, especially liked “being able to meet cadets from other NJROTC units and getting to talk about how other units operate. I feel the hardest part of the two weeks was keeping a rigid schedule and keeping my platoon on track.“ He said it was easy to deviate from the plan of the day to get in more drill practice, or rest, “because my fellow platoon aide and I quickly learned when it was time to rush to the next activity and when we had a couple extra minutes for platoon time.” Treshock was surprised about the difference among other cadets in the program. “Some were incredibly committed while others acted like they were forced to be there. This made it difficult to manage when we were trying to instruct kids who had different levels of motivation.”
Cadets attending the Leadership Academy came from NJROTC programs in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. In addition to Weiss, Smith, Zeveney, Hesterhagen, Puleio, Campolattaro and Treshock, the other cadets from MAST who successfully competed the program are Maya Burns of Keyport, Alexis Walker of Fair Haven, Dylan Agnese of Lincroft, Esteban Pedroza of Holmdel, Connor Gavioli of Red Bank, Sophia Bracken of Little Silver, and Noah Cuttrell and Ronan Alo, both of Middletown.
While each of the cadets is enthusiastic about the two weeks, and each feels he and she has learned many new skills, each also has specific memories that they treasure. Treshock said one of the most important things he believed he can take away from the two weeks is “time management. I learned how to stick to a schedule.” He also felt it was valuable to live on the naval base and get a glimpse into what life in the Navy is like. “This was especially important for all of the LA/ST cadets who have naval aspirations like myself.” He feels grateful to have participated for the many lifelong friendships he feels he has made. “I was forced to work with peers that I have never met. We rose to the challenge which brought us all together to work as friends and a well-oiled machine.”
Hesterhagen said “I loved the challenge that each new day had to offer and how our teamwork allowed us to make the most of each day”. Every day got easier and harder at the same time, she said. Getting used to all the little things, like not talking at meals, keeping rooms perfect for inspections, and responding correctly before sitting down were all easier for her than not knowing what time it was. “It was definitely an adjustment not always having a clock or watch, and it took me a long time to get used to that.” In the end, however, she said, “I was surprised about how quickly the time passed, especially the second week. The days seemed long, but the weeks flew by.”
The MAST junior expressed what all 15 felt. “I definitely gained more confidence. I learned how to be a part of a team with people at all different levels. I think we all learned how to be a good follower while leading without realizing it. We learned a balance between leadership and followership, and we learned when to take charge and when it may be better to step back. To be a good leader, you have to be a good follower. There is no easy or set way to be a leader, so it is important to know your people, stick with your decisions, and be willing to adapt.”
Puleio said, “I think it is very important to recognize how well MAST prepared us for this experience. I found myself ahead when it came to physical fitness, drill, and inspection because of how well we train at MAST.”
More than 25 retired Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard members facilitated the academics and sailing training, along with labs in STEM, physical fitness, orienteering, combat swimming, etiquette, sword and guidon manual of arms, and close order drill and marching. The cadets were split into three platoons, with retired senior enlisted serving as platoon commanders, and cadets hand-selected for their leadership ability, maturity, and trustworthiness serving as platoon aides. Instructors strove to make every moment a teachable lesson in time management, forward thinking, and planning and preparing for the next event, and the instructors and cadet aides served as role models and mentors, and led by example.
Commander Tracie Smith-Yeoman, USN (Ret.), Senior Naval Science Instructor at MAST, is the Administrative Officer for the Leadership Academy, and Senior Chief Mike Vaccarella, a Naval Science Instructor at MAST, serves as the Gold platoon leader each year.
“This is the largest group of MAST cadets we’ve ever sent to Newport, and I am incredibly proud of the spectacular job they all did,” said Smith-Yeoman. “When I think of everything these cadets have been through over the past two years due to the pandemic, I am so impressed with their performance. It’s not easy to be away from home for two weeks, and to leave their friends and social media behind, but every day these cadets demonstrated maturity, dedication, and motivation. Once again, I am reassured knowing the future of our world lies in the hands of young men and women like these cadets.”
All Photo’s courtesy of MAST
