NHQ has extended the suspension of all Sea Cadet in-person activities until 15 MAY 2020. As that date approaches, NHQ will re-evaluate and decide upon a course of action. The Alamo Battalion's next scheduled drill date is June 6 - 7, but we will have to remain flexible regarding our plans.

National Headquarters has suspended all Sea Cadet meetings, drills, parades, training, and other activities. The official statement is here: https://www.seacadets.org/covid19volunteer. As of now, we are still on track for our May 2-3 drill where we plan to camp at Canyon Lake and say farewell to our graduating seniors. 

Cadets have already been briefed by their chain of command. Any updates to our upcoming schedule will come to the Cadets via their CoC. While the shutdown is disappointing -- we are missing out on a trip to the USS Lexington and to the National Museum of the Pacific War -- we also know that it is necessary. Our sponsors, friends, families and Cadets should know that when the time is right, we will get back to work. For now, keep an eye on the Homeport training page to see how the summer is shaping up. 

Cadets should review their email for information home training opportunities, and they should contact their CoC if they have any questions.

Thanks to all of you in the Alamo Battalion family; stay well and be safe.

Semper Gumby

The Alamo Battalion had another successful drill in November. We were thrilled to accept the invitation of VFW Post 4700 to join them in the San Antonio Veterans' Parade and honor San Antonio's veterans. It was a tremendous event.

After the parade, the Battalion regrouped at the NOSC and then traveled to EVO Entertainment for some fun and some history. The fun came at the bowling alley and gaming arcade, and for history the Cadets watched the new "Midway" movie. Thank you to EVO Entertainment and to Post 4700 for a fun a memorable day! 

Sunday was a busy day as well. Cadets and Instructors worked on their various assignments for the December Military Ball and ensured that every Cadet's Service Dress Blue uniform and Ribbons are ready to go. The Ball will include the presentation of our annual awards from the Navy League, DAR, SAR and VFW. It will be an educational and fun event for our Cadets and their guests.

Parents and friends of the Alamo Battalion,
Look for us this Saturday, November 9 in the US Military Veterans Parade in downtown San Antonio. Our Cadets will be looking sharp in their blues. Parade step-off is at 1200. We will be marching with VFW Post 4700, who will be sponsoring our Veterans of Foreign Wars Naval Sea Cadet Award for the first time this year. Polish those shoes, Cadets!

​Information about the parade is at the link below.

Two of our Cadets, CPO Kobe Mora and PO3 Paul Conroy, participated in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Junior Cadet Accession Program (JCAP). Aggie JCAP is a program for High Schoolers in Junior ROTC, Civil Air Patrol, Young Marines and the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps to experience a day in the Corps of Cadets.

Participation in the JCAP program helps prospective members of the Corps of Cadets learn about life in the Corps and being a college student at Texas A&M University. Cadets stay in the Corps dormitories, eat meals with the Corps, learn about the various scholarship opportunities available to students, and learn the benefits of participating in the premier leadership training experience in Texas. Cadets marched with the Corps to Kyle Field to yell for the Aggies on a beautiful Saturday.

CPO Mora is hoping to be admitted to the Texas A&M School of Public Health, and PO3 Conroy has been accepted to the A&M College of Engineering. Join us in wishing them good luck in their college searches.

Update: Texas A&M has announced their Spring JCAP dates (February 7-8), which are open to high school Juniors and Seniors in Sea Cadets, JROTC, Civil Air Patrol and Young Marines. Click here for details. 

Our October drill was another success. The Cadets learned about the Air Force Security Forces at Lackland AFB, and then had some impromptu weapons familiarization from United States Marines of the Fourth Marine Division, Fourth Reconnaissance Battalion. On Sunday morning, our Cadets had the chance to earn their rifle qualification ribbons, and they did an outstanding job. Every Cadet qualified, 11 of our Cadets as Expert, and another four as Sharpshooter. Thank you to our hosts at the USAF Security Forces Museum, the Marines at the San Antonio NOSC and the great people at the Bexar Community Shooting Range.

The Alamo Battalion were privileged to be guests of the National Museum of the Pacific War for the September Drill.  Cadets were able to see WW2 era weapons and equipment and tour the world-class museum. Weekend highlights included the adoption of our new unit guidon, and the pinning of new Chief Petty Officer Kobe Mora. Many thanks to our hosts at this wonderful museum.

BZ to PV2 Cooper Dugan for successfully completing Army Basic Combat Training at Ft. Sill. Private Dugan was a Petty Officer Third Class in the Sea Cadets prior to high school graduation earlier this year. He is now back in San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston for Army Combat Medic training. Congratulations, Dugan, and thank you for your service!

Alamo Battalion alumna ​ENS Jeanny Sanger graduated from the US Naval Academy this past May. Upon graduating, she earned a Bachelors of Science in Robotics and Control Engineering, and was commissioned an Ensign in the US Navy. She earned many great opportunities through the Naval Academy to include different sports teams, leadership billets, and summer trainings.

Two of her proudest athletic achievements was finishing a half-Ironman with the Endurance Team her junior year and when her Cycling Team won the conference championships her senior year. She says she learned the most about leadership during her senior year where she was Operations Officer in the fall and Academics Officer in the spring. With both positions, she says the hardest parts are delegating tasks, being proactive, and managing deadlines.

​Her favorite summer trainings were doing Plebe Summer three times (once as a plebe, the second time as a Company Administrative Officer, and the final time as the Regimental Physical Missions Officer) and when she got to travel to Peru and Brazil to explore ancient and modern engineering. Her scariest day was when she interviewed to join the Nuclear Community. The interviews included two technical interviews and a separate interview with the four-star admiral in charge of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. She prepared for months leading up to the interviews and ended up discussing honey-bees for a large portion of the admiral interview. She passed all of her interviews and is now part of the Submarine Warfare Community. She will head down to Charleston for further training before being assigned to a submarine as a division officer.

​ENS Sanger’s consistent hard work and determination has gotten her far – from her early days as a Sea Cadet, to her busy midshipman days, and now as a submarine officer. She owes a lot of her preparation for the Navy to the USNSCC Alamo Battalion. They taught her the naval lingo like what a “bulkhead” was, how to shine shoes, and gave her some of her first leadership opportunities. She is forever grateful of her time with the Sea Cadets. To anyone looking to join the Naval Academy, ENS Sanger’s biggest tip is to focus on the big 3 things that admissions is looking for: academics, athletics, and volunteer work. She is always open to further questions and looks forward to seeing some of Alamo Battalion out in the fleet!