6th Company Commander: 1/C Sean Davis
My name is 1/C Sean Davis, and I am the 6th Company Commander. I am from Lovettsville, Virginia, and I study Emergency Management here at the academy.
My job is to facilitate the transformation and the actions of the young men and women coming to the academy. Some of the activities that I have taken part in have been playing on the football team and being a member and now a Vice President of the Semper Fi Society Club. I have also had my fair share of leadership experiences here; I was a Petty Officer as a 3/C and, as a 2/C, an Orientation Squad Leader. As a Squad Leader, I was able to be with the freshman from the start of orientation till the end of the school year, which allowed me to help transform young men and women into knowledgeable and disciplined professionals. I have recently graduated from the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, where I spent 10
weeks learning how to become an officer of Marines. Once I graduate, I plan to follow my lifelong dream of becoming a Marine and will commission in the United States Marine Corps. I am excited to see the change in these future leaders.
I will be updating this page daily once orientation begins.
Orientation Day 1 08/18
Today starts your cadets candidates transformation into professional and dedicated leaders. The choice of coming to the academy offers a journey of an opportunity of a lifetime. For the next 10 days, your cadet candidate will be challenged physically and mentally. This is because, to earn the title cadet at the academy, you must put in 100% effort everyday and push past your limits. The person that you dropped off in the bleachers in Clean Harbor Stadium, will be unrecognizable on graduation day. You should be proud that your cadet candidate took the road less traveled, it’s hard to come by people like your cadet candidates in today’s world. Today the cadet candidates learned basic naval terminology, eating procedures, received a medical brief, and began close order drill.
Orientation Day 2 08/19
Today your cadet candidate has met their cadre for the 2024-2025 school year. Their Orientation staff consist of 8 Squad Leaders, who are with the freshman 24/7 to transform them into cadets. The staff also has senior officers such as a Company Commander, Company Executive Officer, Company Training and Retention Officer and a 03 Platoon Leader. Your cadet candidate also learned the basic standards of watchstanding as well as the history of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Today they continued where they left off from yesterday in close order drill, and began to do facing movements and stationary movements. They ended the day in a game of water polo, where after a long hard fought game against 5th Company, lost 2-3 making our intramural record 0-1. There is no reason to be upset by this loss, because your cadet candidate demonstrated grit and teamwork for the whole game. The future holds great things for 6th Company!
Orientation Day 3 08/20
Teamwork. Teamwork. Teamwork. Teamwork was the trait that was preached today to the cadet candidates. 6th Company demonstrated teamwork today when they faced 2nd Company in a nail biting game of kickball. Without the teamwork of the youngies, we would have never persevered in their final inning comeback to win. Other than teamwork, your cadet candidates were fitted for their dress uniforms. These uniforms will not only be worn when you see them on the 28th for graduation, but also everyday they go to class. Your cadet candidates have changed tremendously from when you dropped them off, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Orientation Day 4 08/21
From drilling all over campus to hitting the pool, today your cadet candidates jumped into water survival training. In this training, cadet candidates learned water survival skills such as swimming in groups in open waters, flipping life rafts over without any assistance, and the proper way to throw a life ring. All of these skills are crucial for those who are wanting to serve in the merchant marine, because it’s important that these skills are taught early so they are mastered sooner. Other than water survival the platoon recognized two individuals that have been demonstrating leadership traits such as loyalty, enthusiasm, and discipline. One of the cadet candidates was Joseph Bellofatto who was selected for CCPL, Cadet Candidate Platoon Leader, which is awarded due to his leadership thus far in the period of instruction. He will hold this billet for 24 hours and will be expected to help cadet candidates show their leadership like he did. The other cadet candidate was Dorvano Johnson, who was selected to be the guidon. Being the guide, he will stand in the front of the platoon leading them wherever they go while holding a small flag with the 6th Company logo on it. This is a position that he will stay in for the rest of the year as he impressed the cadre in his ability to adapt to the rigorous environment. Overall, the cadet candidates are getting better by the minute, I’m excited to see what they will be on day 10.
Orientation Day 5 08/22
Drill was the main focus today for the cadet candidates. They spent hours on the baseball field learning new movements to get ready for the marching competition. Drill is not just something for show, drill instills discipline and requires attention to detail in order for the things to run. The lessons they learn in drill correlates to work ethic can be brought to sports, school, and the professional world. Hard work wasn’t just shown on the drill field, 6th Company had a rematch against 5th Company in ultimate frisbee. We scored 15-2 making sure that 5th Company knew that the first round was only a warmup. The cadet candidates in 6th company have shown great growth in their leadership and you should be excited to see them on graduation day.
Orientation Day 6 08/23
Today was the start of phase 2 in the orientation POI. The senior staff wanted to start the day by introducing them selfs on a more personal level for the cadet candidates to relate and gain knowledge about the academy. They were also shown the importance of drill and how to properly do drill, as they were given a chance to relax and watch USMC drill videos. Todays CCPL was Mr. McNeil, due to his ability to lead by example and motivate his shipmates. Mr.McNeil also has evening demonstrating his natural athletic ability which has allowed us to win intramural games. 6th company also took the fight to the enemy during intramurals. Today was a fight against 3rd Company in waterpolo, which we shut out 3rd 21-0. A great win and a great day for 6th Company.
Orientation Day 7 08/24
6th Company started the day strong with PT this morning. We sweated out different rounds of field exercises where the youngest demonstrationed hard work and dedication. After PT, 6th Company was sent to the local lake to learn how to sail, row, and maneuver monomers. It was a good day on the water which aloud the youngies to learn and get away from the regimental environment for a brief moment. This doesn’t mean orientation is over, this means that 6th Company missed a day of hard work. The youngies still have lots to learn before the marching competition so they will need to put in extra effort in order to win. Intramurals was played again today, which was ultimate frisbee against 1st Company where we took home the win. Hopefully todays momentum will bring us into a good day tomorrow.
Orientation Day 8 08/25
August 25th was full of ups and downs, but yet another day full of learning. Today, the cadet candidates attended their firefighting training in Bridgewater where they were taught the ins and outs of basic firefighting. They performed tasks such as putting on equipment and learning how it operates, understanding how and when to use different water patterns from the fire hoses, and fighting real fires. Once the youngies came back on campus, they hopped back into the water for water polo. In the pool, they took the fight to 7th Company. Once again, 6th Company came out of the pool victorious and eager to fight the next company. The CCPL that was chosen for today was Mr. Dubois, since day one he has shown his ability to demonstrate and apply all 16 traits of a leader in the orientation environment. The cadet candidates had a little setback today as they struggled to adapt to the rigorous environment and will need to think and work harder as a team. They are all in this together, and if they do not realize that then the Admirals Cup will be out of reach. Looking forward to the youngies to bring their A game for the rest of orientation.
Orientation Day 9 08/26
As the days tick down till the end of orientation, 6th Company is showing more dedication, spirit, and teamwork. As their company commander, it has been awe inspiring to see their progress from average 18 year olds, into cadets. Today, our Cadet Candidate Platoon Leader was Mr. St. George, who has consistently demonstrated the discipline and tact that it takes to be an exemplary leader amongst his peers. In other news, the Candidates have made immense strides towards memorizing their knowledge, mastering drill movements, and learning the ins and outs of campus and regimental life. Today that included the military recruiting presentations which was a chance for the different branches of the military to share with the youngies all the different opportunities that the military has to offer. To sum up there are 2 more days, then you will be able to see your newly transformed cadet candidate. You should be proud of your youngie because of the amount of work that they have done for the past week. Remember that they took the path less traveled and the work that they are putting in WILL PAY OFF.
Orientation Day 10 08/26
Here it is, one more sleep. I want this blog to show my appreciation for your cadet
candidates but first I will talk about Day 9. Today was a day full of drill due to the company
getting ready for graduation tomorrow. Drill time was spent learning our special moves for the
competition as well as going over the drill card. It is truly amazing to see how much they have
changed since pickup day. I can’t wait for their parents to watch them during the competition as
it is truly shocking to see the change in the youngies. On the disappointing side of things, 6th
Company faced 4th Company in the Intramurals Championship in ultimate frisbee. The game
was back and forth the whole 30 mins, but with 3 seconds remaining with the game tied 8-8, 4th
Company received a lucky call from the cadet referee and was able to line up a clear shot for a
touchdown. Despite the loss, I am proud of their heart, effort, and teamwork they put towards
winning. To end the day, youngies performed a room inspection that was done by the regimental
staff, to ensure that they have the ability to apply what their Squad Leaders taught them.
Your youngies have been through alot these past 10 days, from getting discipline
instilled in them through corrections to marching as one cohesive unit, your youngies have
transformed. Although they might not see it in themselves yet, they have adopted the baseline
of what it takes to become a cadet here at the academy and how to become a leader in the real
world by learning how to follow. Despite this group of youngies having difficulty within their
training they still showed growth everyday, and as their Company Commander I take pride in
their growth. I am extremely excited to lead these young men and women into the school year
and be the leader I wish I had in my Freshman year. Pride is our tradition, tradition is our pride.