History being made in double measure
Local siblings chosen Honor Cadets out of entire U.S.

By Tami Stevenson

Above, 18 year old Victoria Coker holding a flag and dressed in her white NJROTC Sea Cadet uniform was named Honor Guard in July. She was second only to her brother, Michael Coker, age 11 (Below), dressed in his camos and running up a hill. Michael was the first ever to win the prestigious award as Honor Guard in March for the Lake City Sea Cadets. -Photos: Submitted

It was an historical moment when Lake City resident,

11 year old Michael Coker, was chosen from among his peers throughout the U.S. as Honor Cadet through the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) this year.

Micheal Coker’s Honor Cadet designation was a first for the NJROTC Sea Cadets Liberty Division, based in Lake City and sponsored by the American Legion Post 57. But history was being made in double measure when his sister, 18 year old Victoria, was chosen as Honor Cadet a few months later from among her peers throughout the U.S.

After 20 years in existence, no one from the Lake City Sea Cadets has ever won this prestigious award, let alone two in one year, and siblings no less.

Achieving what is takes to be designated Honor Cadet is no walk in the park.

Each year the NJROTC chooses one cadet out of the entire U.S., from each age group, 10-18 and designates them Honor Cadet. The prestigious award goes to the one with the highest overall academic achievement in school, including naval science, for their age group. Students must display superior performance in various aspects of their training, including leadership, discipline and overall excellence.

Michael Coker earned his Honor Cadet status after successfully completing Recruit Training at Camp Blanding in March. The rigorous training, which serves as the foundational course for new cadets, tested his physical endurance, teamwork, and leadership skills. His performance among his peers earned him the Honor Cadet recognition.

Victoria Coker followed in her brother’s footsteps, achieving Honor Cadet recognition in July after completing an advanced training program on Public Safety, Police/Master-At-Arms at the Kentucky Central Command. This challenging course required cadets to demonstrate leadership, discipline, and an understanding of law enforcement principles as well as rigorous physical stamina and endurance tests.

The Coker siblings’ achievements are a milestone that reflects not only their individual talents but also the quality of training provided by their local Navy Sea Cadets unit. Under the leadership of Fred Patterson, the Liberty Division prepares its cadets to participate in week-long training sessions with peers from across the United States. These training programs are designed to instill the values of teamwork, leadership and discipline, crucial for the development of young leaders.

Michael Coker, a homeschooled 6th grader, said he was surprised when they called his name at the awards. Then added, “But it felt good.” He said he likes the program so much that he would like to invite other kids his age to join the Lake City Sea Cadets.
Victoria Coker said, “So going there, doing our best, putting that knowledge and confidence and all the other aspects that they teach you to work, and then they choose you, saying you did the best out of all of our cadets, it’s really nice.”

She added, “It’s really a nice accomplishment for me and my brother. There are a lot of wonderful cadets out there. The program really strengthens your confidence, your knowledge, all that.”
Thousands of cadets from all over the country attend these awards.

Victoria Coker, while being homeschooled, was dual enrolled at Florida Gateway College and now is a Sophomore at Santa Fe College. She also attends UF, and says she will be a Mid-Shipmen for the Liberty Division after she finishes the volunteer applications. When she graduates college, she wants to work in the military as an MP.

Their mother, Befaithful Coker, said, “It made me feel good as a parent. I never expected them to get anything because they have only been in the program for about a year and don’t have a background in NJROTC or military. So I had no expectations at all for anything.”

She said as they were describing the kid that was to receive Honor Cadet at Michael’s event, she was basically just looking around to see the reaction of the parents of the kid that would receive the award.

“… and when they said Michael Coker, it was not me that stood up, it was another parent from our Liberty Division. The other parent stood up and exclaimed, ‘That’s our Michael!’”

“It was just so huge,” said Coker. And said Michael’s CO Fred Patterson came up to her afterwards and said, Michael is a born leader. “It really does just make you cry because you have an idea of what you’re trying to do. As homeschool parents you know how you want them to be and for other people to see that and for them to be around their peers and for them to be leaders, so it means to me that I’ve done right by them.”

The Sea Cadets meet during the school year at the American Legion in Lake City on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, from 9am to 4pm. According to their website, the best way for kids to truly get a feel for all that SeaCadets has to offer is to bring them to one of their drill days at the American Legion and let them participate.

The American Legion Post 57 is located at, 2602 SW Main Blvd, Lake City, FL 32025

For more information about joining the Navy Sea Cadets, interested parties can contact Fred Patterson at 720-480-3651.

American Legion Post 57 in Lake City. They sponsor the NJROTC Sea Cadet program.
-Courtesy Photo