Decades of training leaders

Posted 10/30/19

Decades of training leaders Mayor Allan Fung visited with members of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Falcon Division on Saturday, touring the facility the division shares with the 4th Marine Logistics Group on Narragansett Street. The Sea Cadet Corps, a

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Decades of training leaders

CITY’S GREETING: Mayor Allan Fung meets with cadets from the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Falcon Division on Saturday.

WHAT WE DO: Petty Officer Lyndon Gruner speaks with Mayor Allan Fung about the Falcon Division’s programs during Saturday’s visit.

TOUR OF DUTY: U.S. Naval Reserve Lt. Ashleigh Covey, center, commanding officer of Falcon Division, welcomes Mayor Allan Fung during Saturday’s visit. Pictured at left is Brittany N. DiPippo, the division’s public relations officer and recruiter.

HARD AT WORK: Petty Officer Timothy McGuire leads an instructional session at the Falcon Division’s Narragansett Street headquarters on Saturday.

Posted Wednesday, October 30, 2019 1:20 pm

Mayor Allan Fung visited with members of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Falcon Division on Saturday, touring the facility the division shares with the 4th Marine Logistics Group on Narragansett Street.

The Sea Cadet Corps, a nonprofit organization focused on youth leadership development, serves young people between the ages of 10 and 18. Its ranks include 12,000 cadets across 46 units nationwide.

“We do everything in the community that you could ever think of,” said Brittany N. DiPippo, public relations officer and recruiter for Falcon Division, including volunteer work and a range of training programs. She noted that Falcon Division also has an award-winning color guard that presents the colors at Providence Bruins home games.

DiPippo said Falcon Division has existed since 1963 – making it one of the oldest in the nation – and is named for the USS Falcon, which was once docked nearby. Cadets meet biweekly on Saturdays.

USNSCC is sponsored by the Navy League and is the official youth program of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, DiPippo said. The Navy and Coast Guard are extremely supportive, she said, and some cadets are able go out on operations aboard carriers and battleships. She said those opportunities, combined with the various training options available, make the program especially valuable for young people interested in military service.

“For those who want to choose a military career, this program is perfect to tailor down what they want to do,” she said.

While some pursue military service, cadets go on to a broad range of opportunities. College scholarships are available through the program, and DiPippo noted that some recent graduates have gone on to Brown University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

She added: “We teach [cadets] how to be a leader and stand out from among everybody else … The No. 1 thing that sells the program the best is if you see a kid out there doing something cool, you say, ‘I want to do that, too.’”

At the conclusion of Saturday’s tour, DiPippo – a Cranston resident – presented the mayor with a challenge coin from Falcon Division in appreciation of his visit.

For more information about USNSCC and Falcon Division, visit falcondivision.org.

(Herald text and photos)