Local U.S. Naval Sea Cadet earns William T. Schwendler Award of Excellence

It was a proud moment for Kerie and Chuck Rowe of Good Hope last week when their son, Presley, was awarded the William T. Schwendler Award for Excellence, Outstanding Metro Cadet Award at the Naval Sea Cadet and JROTC Youth Award Banquet on May 10, 2018.

“He is in the 233rd Seabee Battalion – U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, in Loganville,” Kerie Rowe said. “He has been in the Sea Cadets for five years. He was promoted to CPO in January.”

CPO or Chief Petty Officer, is the ranking of a senior non-commissioned officer, and is the highest cadet rank in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps.

The banquet took place in Atlanta at the Doubletree Hotel and the 233rd Seabee Battalion cleaned up in the awards. Not only did Presley win the William T. Schwendler Award, but the battalion also earned the Jason E Lawson trophy for Outstanding Sea Cadet Unit and John Nicols was awarded the NSCC Theodore Roosevelt Youth award.

Nine Navy Sea Cadet units, 45 Navy/Marine Corps JROTC units and two college NROTC units were up for awards at the 25th Annual Award Ceremony by the U.S. Navy League in metro Atlanta. The cadets compete for the award through an application and interview process.

According to the Navy League, the award ceremony “celebrates the culmination of a year of hard work, learning, competition, community service and fun for over 3,500 cadets, almost 100 Naval Science instructors and numerous family and friends.”

Presley’s proud mother said not only does he have the honor of getting the award, but he also received a scholarship check for $1,500.