Unit History

The Military Cadets of Selfridge, formally known as the Marine Cadets of Wayne County; formed out of another unit located up in Lapeer county Michigan. The Executive officer of the Lapeer unit, Second Lieutenant Robert W. Cagle transferred out and formed the Marine Cadets of Wayne County. Transferring with him where two other staff members and two Cadets. Then with the addition of another staff member and several new cadets the unit began to drill at Selfridge ANGB in May of 1997. Drilling out of Marine Wing Support Group - 47 the unit grew by leaps and bounds over the next year with unbelievable support given by MWSG-47. Leading the charge for support from the Wing was then, Staff Sergeant David M. Brown who was the Wings Public Affairs person.

In the summer of 1998 the MCWC hosted Annual Training (AT) at Selfridge with cadets and staff coming from all three Michigan units and New Jersey. The Training ended with great success and over 70 Cadets trained, graduated, and ready for anything. The Marine Cades of Wayne County now with their first Annual Training under their belt had also produced the Honor Cadet for Annual Training PFC Medloc, the first of many Honor Graduates to come.

Over the next year the unit continued to grow, taking on new cadets and staff; plus adding to its training syllabus. During the course of the year the Unit began to drill aboard the USNSCS Grey Fox located in Port Huron. The Marine Cadets supported the US Naval Sea Cadets by performing the duties Marines normally do while on Naval Vessels. The Marine Cadets received valuable training and enormous experience while aboard the ship in port and underway. As Annual Training 1999 rolled around the unit was well organized and had its sea legs. During AT99, held in Linden at the Linden Sportsman’s Club, the cadets received training in field skills, firearm safety, and marksmanship. It was a good year for the Unit.

With the start of the next fiscal year the Marine Cadets of Wayne County added another annual event to their training Syllabus; maritime law enforcement training from the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, in Detroit. During the drill the Marine Cadets received hands on training on Coast Guard History and Traditions, Knots, Law of the sea, Boarding procedures, Levels of Force, Close combat, Pressure Points, and OC Pepper spray. At the conclusion of the drill every cadet and staff who wanted to, went trough a special training session were they received a dose of OC Pepper spray to the face. The Coast Guard goes through this type of training for two reasons. One, to better understand what a recipient of Pepper spray goes through because once they use it on someone they are responsible for there well being and two, to test their ability to defend themselves if accidentally sprayed during an arrest procedure. The Cadets got to experience this and for the cadets who chose to participate; they had a special sense of accomplishment and a special bond of survival between them.

As the Fiscal year came to a close and AT2000 approached the Marine Cadets of Wayne County were ready to train with the other ACA units from around the Country. This year Annual Training was held at the Combat Readiness training Center in Alpena Michigan. The Marine Cadets of Wayne County arrived Locked, Cocked, and ready to Rock; and did just that. The Unit produced the Recruit Training Honor Cadet, Ryan Sunderland who was promoted to Lance Corporal. The unit also had held the top three Rifle scores and the top PT scores. The year ended for the unit on a very high note.

With the start of the next fiscal year the Maine Cadets of Wayne County continued its quality training and producing outstanding cadets. Annual Training 2001 was again held at the CRTC in Alpena. This year we had a special visit from the Royal Canadian Army Cadets who came to train with the Cadets of the ACA. It was a great experience for everyone and a lot of new friends were made. In addition, to the visit from the Canadian’s, an extra week was added to Annual Training to train the Cadet Non-Commissioned officers of the ACA. All in all it was a great success and the Marine Cadets of Wayne County produced the NCOLDA Honor Cadet, Cpl Tom Bahr and the Recruit Honor Cadet PFC Mat Macleod.

The next Fiscal year was a difficult one and saw a lot of changes for the Marine Cadets of Wayne County. It began with the Tragedy of September 11 that brought more stringent security to Selfridge, and a loss of access to the base. This unexpected event caught the Staff off guard, and the unit did not drill for months while the staff searched for an alternate drill location. In addition, the year 2001 also saw a change of the guard as some Cadets and Staff left the unit. One of the staff members to leave was the unit’s Commanding Officer, First Lieutenant R. W. Cagle who left the unit after more than 5 years of Service. As the events of September 11 settled and the Security level aboard Selfridge was lowered the unit was able to get back aboard. With a new Commanding Officer, First Lieutenant Richard J. Dobson; and a new unit name, the Marine Cadets of Selfridge (MCS) the unit set out to regroup and rebuild. Although the struggled to get back to a normal operating tempo was hard and took time, the unit marched forward and continued training.

By the time AT 2002 came along the unit was starting to resuming normal operations. This year Annual Training was held at Camp Blanding Training Site in Stark Florida, and the Marine Cadets of Selfridge were looking forward to the trip down. This was an opportunity to travel and experience a new place; and for some of the Cadets, it would be their first time traveling and seeing the ocean. Again this year, Annual Training had some special guests; two active duty Marines from Kings Bay Georgia came to help train the Cadets. They worked everyone very hard and had a lasting impression on the Cadets form the Marine Cadets of Selfridge. At the end of training the Unit produced the NCOLDA Honor Graduate Sgt Nicholas A. Bleau; the top two PT scores and the push-up Iron Man Pvt David A. Clements. It was again a good AT for the Marine Cadets of Selfridge.

The next fiscal year began with slow progress because things were still not easy for the Unit. Selfridge was changing because of September 11 and housing was hard to come by. The unit also lost its office, which made it very difficult for the staff; but despite all the setbacks for the unit, the only place to move was forward. The unit continued the quality training it has become know for and began to take on new Cadets. In February the unit took a trip to the Wright Paterson Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio for a little knowledge gather and fun. Everyone enjoyed themselves and learned a great deal about our aviation history. As the year progressed everyone started getting ready for Annual Training 2003. This year AT was at Camp Atterbery in Edinburgh Indiana. A more central location intended to make travel easier for the units located around the country. Camp Atterbery rolled out the red carpet for the ACA and the training was a great success. As usual everyone did very well form the Marine Cadets of Selfridge. Cadet Sergeant Andrew Perkins excelled and made enough of an impression to be meritoriously promoted to Staff Sergeant. At the end of the Training, the Cadets received a special treat during the Graduation Ceremony when Brigadier General Gene Spicer form the Indiana State Guard arrived to preside over their Graduation. Everyone was honored to have him there.

As the story of the Marine Cadet of Selfridge continues with the start of the fiscal year 2003Oct-2004Sep; prosperity is abound and we hope that you will take the opportunity to become part of the story and tradition.