Matthew Dorman of Albert Lea, son of Dan and Mary Jo Dorman, has been promoted to the rank of chief petty officer in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (Sea Cadets). Chief petty officer is the highest rank in the Sea Cadet program. Dorman is only the third member of the Central Iowa Division to achieve the rank.

According to unit Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Eric Goslinga, “In the nine years of the Central Iowa Division Naval Sea Cadets, I would place Dorman within the top five percent of cadets who have participated in the program, in terms of skills, personal attributes, motivation, self- discipline, and demonstrated ability to lead. Dorman has worked extremely hard to achieve this high honor.”

Dorman joined the Sea Cadet program in December of 2006 and is a senior at Albert Lea High School. Dorman is seeking an appointment in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

To be considered for chief petty officer, cadets must serve a minimum of 37 months in order to obtain the rank of chief petty officer. Additionally, cadets must complete five U.S. Navy correspondence courses, pass three closed-book knowledge-based advancement examinations and successfully complete six or more advanced trainings within the Sea Cadet program.

The congressionally chartered U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps was established in 1958 and is open to all youths ages 10-17 that have an interest in an adventure program with a military structure. The objectives of the Sea Cadet program are to introduce youth to naval life, to develop in them a sense of pride, patriotism, courage and self-reliance. There are approximately 10,000 youth nationwide participating in the program. The Central Iowa Division is among the largest and highest quality units within the Sea Cadets.