Clermont Battalion of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps promoted First Class Petty Officers Matthew Festa and Breeanna LaPenna to the rank of Chief Petty Officer at a Clermont City Council meeting on March 8. Chief Petty Officer is the highest rank that a cadet can achieve in the Sea Cadet program and must be approved at the National Headquarters level by the Executive Director. It is the culmination of years of dedication, focus, and leadership. These cadets exemplify the highest standards within the organization. Out of over 12,000 cadets in the program, there are less than 300 Chiefs.
Chief Lapenna was pinned by Clermont Police Chief Chuck Broadway, and Chief Fest was pinned by his Father, Fruitland Park Police Officer James Festa.
It is a Navy tradition for a Chief to promote a Chief, so the Clermont Battalion’s Command Chief Petty Officer Kurt Schindele read the advancement.
“You can only imagine how proud I am of these two new Chiefs along with the rest of our almost 50 cadets who have given thousands of community service hours over the past 5 years that we have been in service to the City of Clermont”, said LT Gary M. Schindele, FF/EMT. Commanding Officer of the Clermont Battalion.
