Recently three Middletown High School NJROTC cadets reported to the intense two-week long Navy-sponsored Leadership Academy and Sail Training (LA/ST) held at the Naval Officer Training Command, Newport, Rhode Island. From Sunday, 3 July through Friday, 15 July, the cadets will participate in program that balances hands-on experience with small sailboats in the Narragansett Bay with drill, physical training, and academics stressing leadership, honor, and ceremonies. Over 140 cadets from throughout the Northeast will join cadets David Geer (MHS cadet executive officer), Jessica Glckman (MHS cadet operations officer), and Lanae Rutland (MHS drill team commander) as they are put through their paces by certified instructors drawn from the ranks of the Navy's NJROTC program. The training days often start at 5 a.m. and extend into the evening. The work is hard, but rewarding. The Academy will culminate with a full dress graduation at 10 a.m., Friday, 15 July, after which the graduates will be among the select cadets nationwide who are entitled to wear the coveted silver cord on their right shoulder--a cord them marks them as proven cadet leaders. Here are a few images of our cadets as they start their training:
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| From right to left: David Geer, Jessica Glickman, and Lanae Rutland |
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| Cadet Glickman with her sea bag--bigger than her. |
