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VOL. 4/ISSUE 37
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016
Navy veteran trying to save the Indian River Lagoon
Sea Cadets graduate from grueling training An Honor Guard comprised of cadets from the David McCampbell Battlion of Naval Sea Cadets of the Navy League performed duty at the July 2 graduation of the 2016 class of summer training at Florida Prep Academy.
Patrick McCallister FOR VETERAN VOICE
pmccallister@veteranvoiceweekly.com
Frank Sakuma did his time in the Navy decades ago. Now he’s at ground zero of a battle Florida has to win — the fight to reverse more than a century of damage to the Indian River Lagoon that stretches from Martin to Volusia counties. Sakuma said his Navy days taught him a no nonsense approach to tackling big problems. Sakuma is the chief operating officer of the Indian River Lagoon Council. “There’s nothing we can’t work through,” he said. “We simply don’t have another choice.” Right now, the lagoon’s big problems are obvious. There’s toxic blue-green algae, cyanobacteria, in the southern end of the lagoon, Martin County, likely coming from Lake Okeechobee discharges into the St. Lucie River. The blue-green algae did something highly unusual and unheard of among local water experts. The freshwater bacteria migrated into the ocean to wash up on Bathtub, Stuart and Jensen beaches. The migration was along freshwater streams pushed into the Atlantic by water volume driven by a heavy rain season in South Florida. Brevard County had a large fish die in March on the Banana River, which is part of the Indian River Lagoon. The cause was another bacteria, aureoumbra lagunensis, commonly called brown tide. The brown tide was spotted in November, and started blooming in January. Some water experts are warning that conditions are ripe this summer for the blue-green algae to migrate from Martin to possibly Volusia counties, the entire lagoon. Sakuma’s job isn’t to tackle today’s blue-green
See RIVER page 5
Staff photo by Mary Kemper
Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
Family and friends watched proudly July 2 as members of the David McCampbell Battalion of Sea Cadets, Navy League, graduated from a course of training designed closely along the lines of boot camp. Battalion commander Lt. Harold Johnson congratulated the Cadets, standing at attention in the gymnasium of the Florida Preparatory Academy in Melbourne, telling them “you can be justly proud of your accomplishments.” The two-week training included core Navy elements like physical exercises and drill and ceremony, and specialty courses like culinary arts. The Cadets were on the go from reveille at 5 a.m. until lights-out at 9 p.m., and long thereafter, polishing boots and brass and studying for lessons. They stood in ranks at graduation in spotless whites, as Army Vietnam veteran pilot David Miller, author of “The 90 mile-perhour war,” gave the keynote address. “I wanted to be a full-time Navy pilot in
those sharp uniforms,” he said. “But I had gotten sidelined by youthful distractions, and didn’t finish college — so when I got called up to Vietnam, I became an Army pilot. “I always wanted to fly,” he said. “They didn’t have Sea Cadets back then, but I joined the Civil Air Patrol.” Miller, who was shot down twice in Vietnam, pointed out to the Cadets that “there are fewer people serving (in the armed forces) nowadays, so it’s up to you to carry the torch. Be honest, and be honorable. “The one thing I can tell you from all my experiences is stay focused — you will definitely reach your goals no way you can’t.” Lisa Saffa, a representative of Florida Prep (formerly Florida Air Academy), congratulated the Cadets on their “rich experience here at the Academy,” and saying “it’s been wonderful having these fine young men and women here for their training.” Johnson was full of praise for the Cadets. “They have completed 140 hours of instruction and 60 hours of drill — the same as the Navy in 8 weeks,” he said. “They worked hard, and excelled, even though
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