The Acadiana Division of the Naval Sea Cadets, an organization that teaches youths discipline and various life skills through Navy training, just found a new home at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Building in New Iberia.

Previously, the Acadiana Sea Cadets met at Dr. Jesús Garcia’s office, as Garcia organized the Sea Cadets in Acadiana, Vince Perez, the commanding officer for the Acadiana division of the Naval Sea Cadets, said. However, this arrangement wasn’t ideal because Garcia needed to be at the office during all training sessions, according to Perez. And as the organization continued to grow it became impossible to operate there. But thankfully, the VFW agreed to let the Sea Cadets use their building for their training sessions at no cost.

“They have basically saved me to be able to grow and have the facility and not have to worry about rent,” Perez said. “We’re very grateful for the help they gave.”

Sea Cadet Gracie Warren said she was thrilled with their new location, as it gives the cadets freedom to engage in more activities that just weren’t possible at a doctor’s office.

“Yeah, we love the new building,” Warren said. “And at night it’s really fun because we can go play hide and seek and stuff.”

She also said the facility was beneficial for training, as it can provide a more authentic military experience.

“And we also get more military bearing at this facility. Because at the other one, we couldn’t stay overnight and do watches,” she said.

Sea Cadet Adam Perez said he loves the new building as well.

“Originally where we were was a doctor’s office because it wasn’t a military-like environment,” Adam Perez said.

So what’s Sea Cadet training like? Simply put, it’s simulated Navy training. Cadets move through the same ranks that real members of the U.S. Navy do, and they learn similar skills. This includes serious and exciting activities like piloting airplanes.

“My cadets are 13 and older, they actually put them in these planes,” Vince Perez said. “It was a trainer plane that they used to train the pilots to fly the Mustangs in World War II. They brought them up in there, let them pilot the planes, let them do barrel rolls and things like that.”

While the Sea Cadets conduct military training, the program isn’t just for youths who intend to join the military.

“Some of them want to go into the military after, and some of them don’t,” Perez said. “You have no obligations to the US. Navy, the Navy doesn’t care if you go into the armed forces after this or not.”

Adam Perez said the Sea Cadets is a good opportunity to pick up new and interesting hobbies unrelated to the military.

“So they have different trainings that you can go to, which they’re not all military based. They have firefighting, they have STEM ones, where you can do robotics or something like that. There’s a whole bunch of opportunities. It’s not just based around the military,” Adam Perez said. “So I mean, it’s more of just a program where you can go get to meet people. It’s just a different experience than what most people would get.”

Warren said she thinks many people are under the impression that joining the Sea Cadets is nothing but intense training, when in actuality it’s a fun and enjoyable bonding experience.

“Because I feel like before I went into the Sea Cadets, I perceived the military as a whole different thing. Like it’s just combat and hardcore and work all the time. It’s really not all of that. You meet more people that are like you, and it’s a good bond. And you have a lot of fun. There are times you have to be serious and do serious things. But there’s a lot of fun,” she said.

Vince Perez said he’s seen the program help kids become more extroverted and outgoing.

“I’ve seen kids go from just being shy, quiet to getting involved, becoming leaders, opening up,” he said. “I got one cadet right now; he’s always shy and not saying much. As he’s going through training, he’s becoming more and more open and talking. So you see a big difference in the kids.”

According to Vince Perez, there are four different divisions of the Sea Cadets in Louisiana located in Lake Charles, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Acadiana. The program operates around the rest of the United States as well.

Warren said there are 11 Sea Cadets in the Acadiana Division, and she is the only woman. Vince Perez said she is one of the most ambitious cadets in the division.

“It’s a challenge to keep her busy because she has completed all the courses up to, I think, Petty Officer Second Class. And she’s only a Seaman Apprentice,” he said. “She basically told the boys, ‘I’m coming for you.’”

Warren said being the only woman in the Acadiana Division of the Naval Sea Cadets motivates her to work hard and outperform her male peers.

“And I’m the only female so I have to blend in. But at the same time I don’t want to. I want to be higher and do more things and be able to achieve more, and I am shooting towards that goal,” she said.

She hopes to use her Sea Cadet training to become a bomb dog handler for the Marine Corps. She wanted to join the marines to follow in the footsteps of several of her family members who’ve served in the military.

“My papa was in the Marine Corps and in the Navy. My mother was in the Navy. My uncle was in the army and the Navy,” she said. “ So I was just like, ‘Well the Marine Corps. is hard and tough, so I might as well.”

Warren said she enjoys the program and is close with her fellow Sea Cadets, but she would like to see more young women joining the Sea Cadets in Acadiana.

“More female cadets should join,” she said.