Pittsburgh Area Sea Cadet News
Sea Cadet Chief Petty Officer Ian Sleigh is not your typical high school freshman. At barely 16, Chief Sleigh has already racked up a fairly impressive resume. Starting at an early age he completed his first ship board training at age 11 in Buffalo, New York at the Buffalo Naval Park. Sleigh has also trained in Tactical Medicine, attended a Navy Submarine School, been to Petty Officer Leadership Academy and nearly a dozen other training evolutions in the past five years.
Sleigh was recently selected to participate in the Sea Cadet’s International Exchange Program in April. As of one of only two cadets selected, he will be heading to Australia in April to work alongside cadets from Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, and, of course, Australia.
The program begins with a two day adventure camp at an Australian Naval Air Station which will include sailing, canoeing and shipboard/simulator activities. Cadets will also visit the Darling Harbor Zoo, the Australian War Memorial and Sydney Maritime Museum as well as participating in the annual ANZAC Day parade.
The Pittsburgh Battalion Sea Cadet is currently the highest ranking cadet in the unit. He has over 40 cadets under his command. He was awarded the Navy League’s Theodore Roosevelt Youth Medal for outstanding Sea Cadet of the year for the Pittsburgh Battalion at the annual Navy League award dinner at the Pittsburgh Athletic Club on February 6th.
A student at Mars Area High School, in Mars, Pennsylvania the freshman is an active member of Mars Boy Scout Troop 400 where he currently is a Life Scout working on his Eagle Scout requirements. He is also an active member of the Big Red One Living History Organization where he helps teach the public about the life of soldiers during World War II.
The U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Corps (USNSCC) is a non-profit youth development program for youth age 11 through the completion of high school. Cadets participate in weekend drills with their local unit and may attend national training events during the winter and summer vacations. Training evolutions are conducted in more than 60 different Navy and STEM career fields. The Pittsburgh Battalion serves the Western Pennsylvania general area and has cadets from Ohio and West Virginia as well. For more information on the Sea Cadet program please visit www.seacadets.org and for information about the Pittsburgh Battalion go to www.pittsburghseacadets.com.
Lcdr. Paul M. Julian, USNSCC
theleansubmariner 