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The Neptune Spear Division is the Port St. Lucie unit of the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, the official U.S. Navy youth development program. NEPTUNE SPEAR DIVISION

Sea Cadets program prepares youth to lead with respect

BY ELLEN GILLETTE

Maeve Zick followed her older brother Ronan’s example by becoming a Sea Cadet. ELLEN GILLETTE

With her hair up in a neat bun, sitting tall in her uniform, Maeve Zick looks older than her 13 years. The impression deepens as she speaks about her experiences with Neptune Spear Sea Cadets program in Port St. Lucie.

Sea Cadets meet bimonthly during the school year at the Veterans Center on the Pruitt Campus of Indian River State College. League Cadets such as Maeve are 10-14 years old, while Sea Cadets have completed 8th grade through high school, approximately 14-18. Neptune Spears operates as a co-ed Combined Unit.

Maeve followed her brother Ronan there. “It looked cool, so I decided to join too,” she said. “You get to see so many things that people normally don’t get to see: go on ships, to military bases. We get to go up in helicopters, go scuba diving — a lot of fun stuff.”

The United States Naval Sea Cadets Corps is a youth development program with 400 units in the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico. Sea Cadets wear uniforms, learn discipline, build physical strength and work as teams in an environment encouraging traditional military core values: honor, respect, commitment and service.