4th Annual Birthday Ball
19 January 2008

     This month's Warrior Weekend was a time-honored military tradition known as a dining-out, Cedar Bridge Military Academy's annual Birthday Ball, which consists of a formal seated dinner, awards ceremony, guest speaker, and dance.

     Cadets, staff, friends, and family came together to celebrate the Academy's birthday in style at the Emerald Room of The Old Time Tavern in Toms River, on the 19th of January.

     This formal dinner is a centuries old military tradition that every military unit practices today. Its purpose is celebration, remembrance, and camaraderie. As such, the night was punctuated with moments of laughter and tears, humorous skits and poignant ceremonies.

     One such ceremony took place early in the evening - the toast to our nation's prisoners of war and those missing in action. The military is a society filled with symbolism, and at every dining-out there is an empty table, set for one, in honor of the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen who cannot be present. Items on the table include such things as a lemon and a bread plate with salt, symbolic of the servicemen's bitter fate and their families' tears as they wait for the return of their loved ones. The toast is very solemn and never fails to bring a tear to the eyes of each person in the audience.

     At the opposite end of the spectrum is the grog bowl ceremony, another centuries-old tradition that is still employed by military units today. The grog bowl is a mixture of various liquids - and solids - that serves as a punishment to all attendees who fail to follow the "Rules of the Mess", which include things like using proper table manners, correct uniform wear, and other aspects of etiquette that were once taken for granted, but are now unknown to many teens. Cadets - and adults who fail to follow the rules must fill a cup from the grog bowl and drink the mixture, which looks disgusting but often tastes quite good.

     This year, attendees were treated to a skit by Sergeant First Class James Fearn, who prepared the grog before their own eyes. Of course, the items were all perfectly edible, but another tradition of the grog is to misrepresent each ingredients actual identity in order to make certain that everyone will do their best to follow the Rules of the Mess.

     Even though it is a very complex event, the Birthday Ball is run almost entirely by cadets, with two cadets, the President of the Mess and Mr. Vice, running the show throughout the night. This year, Cadet First Sergeant Anthony Solivan and Cadet Private First Class Travis Smith filled the roles of Mr. President and Mr. Vice. The two made an outstanding pair, demonstrating public speaking skills and mental agility that even most business professionals could not match.

     The awards ceremony took place after the main course was over, with cadets receiving many awards for notable achievements. Most notable was the commissioning and promotion of Cadet Travis Smith to Cadet Captain.

     Another ceremony that took place was the change of command for the position of cadet commander. Cadet Paul Polakoff relinquished command to Cadet Travis Smith. Cadet Polakoff now sits as Chief of Staff for the Corps of Cadets. Congratulations - The Corps looks forward to what the future holds under the new administration.

     As the ceremonies ended, the Colors were retired by the Lightening Lancer's Honor Guard from Old Bridge High School Air Force JROTC and the cadets enjoyed several hours of dancing, with music provided by "DJ Erinn", from Puttin' On The Hits Entertainment.

     The Birthday Ball is an unusual change of pace for the cadets, who get together once a month for what they call a Warrior Weekend. These weekends usually consist of outdoor training or trips to military installations. However, the December weekend is always held as close to the Academy's birthday as possible, early in December, and it replaces the Warrior Weekend with one jam packed night of ceremony, tradition, and excitement. As Ms. Linda Smith, parent, said early in the evening, we hope that it made a lasting impression and good memories for all who attended.

New Registration Goes Online
1 September 2007

     Cedar Bridge Military Academy launched a new online registration process this week.

     Registrants will now go through an online service provided (not free to the academy!) by Thriva, and Ecamp services. This service will eliminate the need for sending applications through the mail. The only items that will still need to be mailed are the medical exam, and the personal document copies.

     If you have not done so already, register for Annual Training 2008 online today!

The Forums - The Place To Be
14 August 2007

      First Sergeant Baryla has done the impossible - gotten the forums back up!

     The link in the header still doesn't bring you anywhere but to the homepage, but they're there. Past registrations are no longer in the system, and everyone needs to re-register. Go to: www.cma-usmcc.org/forums

     Registration is critical to keeping informed within the Corps of Cadets. To register go to the above link, your username is your first initial, middle initial, and last name. For example, if your name is John T. Doe, your username would be JTDoe. All information about warrior weekends, upcoming events, summer camp, etc., is all posted there - join the club today!

     If you have not done so already, register for Annual Training 2008 online today!

Recruit Class of 2007 Commencement
28 July 2007

     Cedar Bridge Military Academy's Recruit Class of 2007 graduated their summer training on July 28th - and it was the largest class of recruits to date.

     Over 500 parents, friends, and family were in attendance, to support the graduates. All who graduated were given the opportunity to attend next summer as Cadre.

     "This summer was the most successful summer that Cedar Bridge has ever had", said Captain Barbara J. Settanni, Executive Officer and parent.

Lieutenant Governor of PA Grants Proclamations
28 July 2008

     The Honorable Catherine Baker-Knoll presented the Corps with a proclamation on behalf of completion of their training.

     "Whereas, completion of said training has prepared these young individuals to become leaders and fulfill their obligations as citizens, to do what is right legally and morally, to uphold the American creed and support and defend the Constitution of the United States."

     Our cadets are proud of their accomplishments, but it is nice to know someone else noticed!

     In addition to the cadets receiving a proclamation, the LT Governor also presented 1SG Baryla, Founder, COL Finan, Commandant, and CPT Settanni, Executive Officer with proclamations for their service to America's youth. We are so proud of you all!