Atlanta Metropolitan Council, Navy League of the United States Names 2008 JROTC and Sea Cadet Winners

Submitted by Larry Hamilton, Photo by Danny Camp

The Atlanta Metropolitan Council, Navy League of the United States, held its 15th Annual Youth Awards Banquet May 8th and named Cadet Lt. Cmdr. Marleyna Greene, Stephenson High School, the 2008 winner of the JROTC Award. C/Lt Cmdr. Greene was selected from 45 nominees.

The Council also named C/Seaman Wesley Satterwhite, NSCC, from 2745th Seabee Battalion, a student at Fayette County High school, as the Council's 8th Annual Sea Cadet award winner.

C/Lt. Cmdr. Greene and Cadet Seaman Satterwhite each received a $500 U.S Savings Bond. Additionally, C/Lt. Cmdr. Greene was awarded an NROTC scholarship to attend Spellman College by the Naval Service Training Command in February 2008.

The Metro Youth Awards program is one of many projects the Atlanta Council conducts for area young people and active and reserve duty personnel. The area boasts 45 high schools with Navy and Marine Corps JROTC units and 8 Sea Cadet units, all of which were eligible for the awards.

The Council has a separate program for the NROTC units at Georgia Tech and Morehouse College. It also gives quarterly and annual awards to sailors at the Naval Air Station Atlanta, the Naval Operational Support Center (NOSC) Atlanta, the Navy Supply School in Athens, Georgia, the Navy Recruiting District of Atlanta, aboard the USS JIMMY CARTER (SSN-23) homeported in Bremerton, Washington and the USS GEORGIA (SSGN-729).

C/Sgt. Maj. Corey A.Ware, a student at Newton High School in Covington, Georgia, received a $250 US Savings Bond for second place in the JROTC competition. The following five Cadets received a $100 Bond for Honorable Mention:

C/Maj. Chris Hall, Parkview High School
C/Lt. Cmdr. Duncan Hall, North Cobb High School
C/Senior Chief Petty Officer Kimberly MacDonald, Kennesaw Mountain High School
C/Cmdr. Nicole Pitts, Stockbridge High School
C/Lt. Cmdr. Carrie Rector, Cross Keys High School

The JROTC awards were presented by Council President Chuck McCleskey. The Sea Cadet William T. Schwendler Award for Excellence was presented by McCleskey and William T. Schwendler, Jr.

Frank Campbell, Vice President Youth Services, coordinated the dinner and was master of ceremonies.

The Jason E. Lawson Trophy for Outstanding Sea Cadet Unit 2008 was awarded to 2745th Seabee Battalion Commanding Officer Lt. j.g. Brian Fleming, NSCC, by Lt. Rick Faber, NSCC, Director, Sea Cadet Program. The award is named for AW2 Lawson, USN, lost in a Helicopter accident in 2002.  He was the son of council member Roz Coleman and a NARS B-1 Squadron Sea Cadet Unit for three years, where he was Chief Petty Officer. He was selected as the 1999 National Navy League Sea Cadet of the year.

Capt. Powell A. (Alec) Fraser, Jr; USN (Ret.), President of Turner Properties, Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc., and Cmdr. Ed Brownlee, USN, (Ret.), Vice President of Facilities Operations, Turner Properties, were the speakers. Capt. Fraser carried a 5-inch shell casing as he spoke about sea battles won using the shell during WWII and Korea. Cmdr. Brownlee spoke of his tour as Commanding Officer of the USS JOHN PAUL JONES (DDG-53).  He described 36 hours during which his ship went from routine patrol in the Mediterranean to steam to Bahrain to host the Chief of Naval Operations on Thanksgiving.

To receive the Outstanding Metro JROTC Award, the Cadet must have served at least two years in the Navy/Marine Corps JROTC; must exhibit ethical and reliable leadership skills; must have served in a management position in his/her JROTC unit; should demonstrate a desire for advancement of both him/herself and his/her unit, and will have been nominated by the unit Senior Naval Science Instructor or Senior Marine Corps Science Instructor.

The Navy League Metro Sea Cadet of the Year, who receives the William T. Schwendler Award for Excellence, is expected to be in at least his/her second full year of service in the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, must demonstrate the desire for personal excellence through taking advantage of education and training opportunities within and outside the Sea Cadet program, must exemplify the reliability of character and quality of work essential to making the cadet a valuable member of any team, exhibit the courage and integrity required to be level-headed and fair in all dealings with other people; and demonstrate leadership skills in helping to guide and develop fellow cadets so that all have an opportunity to do their personal best and advance their unit.  The award is in honor of William T. Schwendler, 1904-1978, an early aviation designer who made major contributions to the aerospace industry. Leroy R. Grumman, assisted by Mr. Schwendler and four other men, founded Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in 1929. Mr. Schwendler began his aeronautics career as a member of the first class in aeronautical and mechanical engineering at New York University, graduating in 1924 at age 20.

The event was held at the Holiday Inn Select in Atlanta.