Achieving the rate of Chief Petty Officer in the Sea Cadets is a tremendous accomplishment requiring years of training and effort. It is rare for a unit to have a Chief. In fact, the Alamo Battalion's prior two CPOs graduated during the COVID pandemic, leaving us without a Chief for six months.

Now, the Alamo Battalion is fortunate to have two new Chiefs to supervise our Cadets. Bravo Zulu to CPO Christavella Arredondo and CPO Isaac Arredondo, who pinned on the anchors of a chief on Saturday, December 5 at a ceremony at San Antonio's Mission Concepcion. 

We congratulation Chief Arredondo and -- err -- Chief Arredondo, who have proven themselves to to motivating and trustworthy leaders. The Alamo Battalion is in good hands.

Because of the local rebound in COVID-19 cases, the Alamo Battalion has curtailed its in-person drill activity. We remain alert to the current overall situation, the guidance of the NSCC NHQ, and social distancing requirements of Bexar County and the City of San Antonio. We will be evaluating our ability to safely conduct in-person drills  on a month-by-month basis. 

For prospective Cadets, we ask for your patience. Feel free to contact our PAO (alamobnpao@gmail.com) for updates. We have not made a decision concerning January.

​Because of the recent COVID uptick in Bexar County, we will not be able to accommodate visitors to the November Drill. The December drill is in doubt. If you are still interested, please mark your calendar for January 23, which is our tentative next date to accommodate prospective Cadet visitors. Please monitor our website, which will be updated if plans change, or feel free to email me for an update.

A new Sea Cadet should plan on attending Recruit Training during their first summer. If the COVID threat diminishes, the Sea Cadet Corps should have a variety of in-person recruit training opportunities during the summer of 2021. Prospective Cadets should plan on registering and attending no later than February so that they can be properly trained, equipped and otherwise prepared for summer recruit training.

All of that is to say that you still have time to join the Sea Cadets, and you should plan on joining us after the holidays.

Check out our schedule of upcoming drills at the "Drill Schedule" tab. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in person again.

Checking in on our graduates, we have had a "Plebe", a "fish", and now we have a Rook. A Rook is what they call a freshman at Norwich University, the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges in the United States. Norwich, located in Northfield, Vermont, has educated and trained generations of leaders for the United States military, including Medal of Honor recipients Navy SEAL CMDCM Edward C. Byers Jr., and Delta Force SGM Thomas Payne. 

Stepping into those big shoes is our own Zachary Vasquez, Alamo Battalion graduate and graduate of the Sea Cadet NSWOC SWCC training. RCT Vasquez was very kind to send us an update on how he is doing, which we share below.

Bravo Zulu to RCT Vasquez on your success so far at Norwich. We are looking for more great things from you!

Next in our series of 2020 graduates is CDT Paul E. Conroy, a member of the USMA class of 2024. He says that being a Sea Cadet made it possible for him to attend West Point, and it was great preparation for the rigors of Cadet Basic Training and the military and athletic requirements of plebe year.

The COVID pandemic has shaped his time at West Point. Plebes reported two weeks later than the originally scheduled Reception Day. Friends and family were not allowed on post to see off their Cadets, nor were they allowed to attend Acceptance Day at the conclusion of CBT, when "New Cadets" are officially accepted into the Corps of Cadets. Masks, of course, are ubiquitous, and many classes have on-line sessions. The Corps of Cadets are the only fans allowed in the stands for football. The class of '24 motto is the very appropriate "Like None Before".

The Army goes rolling along, and the Corps still has many in-person classes, lots of PT, fall football games, room inspections, and family-style meals in a mess hall that looks like Hogwarts. 

The Corps is organized into companies, each with their own personality. Being Texas-born, CDT Conroy is very happy to be a C-4 Cowboy. He has fun on West Point's Model UN team and the Cowboys' company soccer team. CDT Conroy is most proud of being accepted into the Irregular Warfare Group. In IWG, select members of the Corps of Cadets "enhance their skills in small unit tactics and the troop leading procedures, so that each graduating member is better prepared for a lifetime of service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army." IWG's faculty instructors are Green Berets, who provide *ahem* motivation during long rucks.

​On his visit to West Point, then PO2 Conroy was shown around by a former Sea Cadet and then plebe. He hopes to be able to show you around at West Point, so get working on those applications!

During the pandemic, Sea Cadet activities were severely curtailed. Sadly, we were not able to give a proper farewell to our graduates, and many of the summer training opportunities beloved by our Cadets were unavailable. All of the news was not bad, however. Our Cadets were able to stay in touch via virtual drills, and had the opportunity to complete various online trainings that would satisfy advancement requirements. A previous entry told how we were able to get eight Sea Cadets through RT this summer as well, which was a major achievement for the Cadets and the unit.

In October, we are going to attempt to resume in-person drills, scheduled for October 17-18. There are many details to work out and our adult leadership is planning for us to be together again somewhere in the San Antonio area. We also hope to welcome a few new, prospective Cadets.

If you are interested in visiting the Alamo Battalion to see whether you would like to join, or have friends who are interested, please have them mail the PAO at alamobnpao@gmail.com to let us know who is coming. The PAO will share scheduling information with families and prospective members as we get closer to our planned October 17 visiting date.

Summer is a critical time in the Sea Cadet calendar. It is when our Cadets can participate in the amazing array of advanced trainings available to Sea Cadets through our national organization. Our Cadets have studied at Merchant Marine schools, conned simulated submarines, flown with the Coast Guard and trained with Camp Pendleton's USMC SRT.

While those activities are fun and a great reward for our Cadets, the most important training that occurs in a typical summer is Recruit Training, the "Sea Cadet Boot Camp". Every Sea Cadet must graduate from RT to receive their first promotion to Seaman Apprentice and to be eligible to register for Advanced Training. With COVID shutting down much of the country, the Sea Cadets introduced a new hybrid Recruit Training. The knowledge portion of RT, including items like the Sailors' Creed and General Orders of a Sentry, were taught to Cadets in an on-line format. Next, in an in-person phase of the training, Cadets learned proper wear of the uniform, drill and ceremony, and military customs and courtesies. Of course, they also had to pass the Sea Cadet Physical Readiness Training Test.

RT would not have been possible without the help of our Cadet Cadre: PO1 Issac Arredondo, PO1 Christavella Arredondo, and PO2 Nicholas Lamendola. Our US Navy Sailor-volunteers ensured that the quality of the training and the welfare of the Cadets was first-rate. We sincerely thank Arredondo Seafood Cafe (get the fried oysters!) for the use of their facilities and for the tremendous hospitality.

Alamo Battalion had eight Cadets graduate from RT this summer, ensuring a healthy influx of new Cadets who will be ready next year to participate in Sea Cadet Advanced Training and ultimately to become leaders of the Battalion. BZ to our newest Cadets!