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The unit at Andrews is called the Corsairs, after an elite aviation company, and was chartered by Congress in 1962. The Corsairs is the only program in the state that focuses on aviation. There are about 350 programs nationwide.

‘‘This program is for kids who want a challenge that will put them above their peers,” Nathan Rolfe, the Lt. Commander of the unit said. ‘‘They get to do things that their peers won’t.”

The program includes classroom training such as history, first aid and plane maintenance. It also includes physical training like firefighting, physical fitness and drills. The program is trying to get clearance to allow the cadets to go up into an aircraft.

The Corsairs program does not work in conjunction with schools like ROTC does. Cadets attend from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and wear uniforms like other military outfits. The younger cadets, aged 10-13, are called league cadets and do not participate in the same rigorous activities the older cadets must face. Most cadets can receive community service credit for their time.

The program, which costs $48 for the year and includes a uniform, also gives cadets a chance to see the country. In July a group travels around the nation for advanced training. Cadets can choose any job in the Navy from medical work to S.E.A.L.S. training.

According to Rolfe, 10 percent of the Naval Academy is made up of former Sea Cadets. And many former Sea Cadets, including Rolfe, come back to volunteer.

‘‘Sea Cadets instilled in me a sense of leadership and teamwork,” Rolfe said. ‘‘I felt it was important for me to come back to the program.”

Patrick King, a 14-year-old recruit from Gaithersburg, who has risen to the rank of Airman in little more than a year, said he joined because he eventually wants to become a Navy pilot.

‘‘I want to go into the Naval Academy and fly jets,” he said. ‘‘I’ve been wanting to do this since I was 10. A lot of my family are military officers and went to West Point or the Naval Academy.”

King hooked up with the Corsairs when he saw their recruiting stand at an air show at Andrews.

He has traveled all over the country representing the unit, including to boot camp in Port Hueneme, Calif. He also attended airman training in Ft. Worth, Texas, where he learned about building planes and studied how planes work.

But not all participants are destined for military service. Rolfe said the training these cadets receive would help in any field since the program focuses on fundamentals like leadership and teamwork.

Romelo Dowe, a 13-year-old cadet from Fort Washington, wants to use his training to help him pursue a degree in computer science in college.

‘‘I wanted to learn leadership skills that would help me for the rest of my life,” Dowe said. ‘‘I want to take these skills and use them at a technology-oriented college.”

Dowe said he encourages children who may not even want to pursue a military life to participate in the Sea Cadets program.

‘‘You learn all these skills you can use later on,” he said. ‘‘You get to meet new people, learn new things and do things no one else gets to do.”

E-mail Ryan McDermott at rmcdermott@gazette.net.

TO LEARN MORE

For more information on the Navy Sea Cadets program,e-mailrecruiting@cmcorsairs.com or call 443-535-3764.