120 Civil Air Patrol cadets set to graduate from program today By Jenn Rowell • June 25, 2008
Today, Jonathan Ernest of Chilton County and 119 other Civil Air Patrol members graduate from the Cadet Officer School.
The cadets, ages 16 to 20, have spent 10 days at Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base learning leadership and problem-solving skills. They're lessons that Ernest is not likely to forget as he heads back to the CAP unit.
Ernest, 16, has been with CAP for four years. He encourages other teenagers to join, regardless of whether they want to join the military.
Instructors at the annual training school were a mix of active duty Air Force personnel, Guard and Reserve airmen, staff at Air University and CAP veterans like former Tuskegee Airman Col. George Boyd.
Bronze Star recipient 1st Lt. Kyle Yates spoke to the cadets about leadership. The young officer was deployed in 2007 and is currently assigned to the 42nd Security Forces Squadron at Maxwell.
One cadet asked Yates what he considered the most important leadership trait. After a brief pause, Yates answered.
"Listening," he said.
Before making decisions or sharing opinions with others, Yates told the cadets they should listen to their superiors and to those they are leading. He said that helps to make educated decisions and to avoid losing credibility with colleagues for talking nonsense.
That's the kind of leadership training Nicholas Padleckas of North Carolina was looking for. The well-spoken 16-year-old has been with CAP for two years. He said he hoped the training would make him more valuable within his home wing.
Padleckas and the other cadets worked on problem-solving scenarios at Project X on Maxwell, a training facility used by the Officer Training School and several other schools on base. Completing the scenarios required teamwork, he said.
"I feel us working together, a lot of people that are used to standing out in their home unit and are used to standing out here, but are coming together," Padleckas said. "A lot of standouts are coming together and we developed a lot of followership skills as well as becoming good leaders."
Cadet Officer School is one of about 30 cadet activities nationwide this summer. Those programs provide cadets training in search and rescue, flight and emergency services, science, leadership fundamentals, citizenship and military courtesies, and aerospace technology and aviation.
Last summer, more than 1,200 youth participated in 31 CAP-sponsored programs, according to data from CAP's headquarters at Maxwell.
CAP is the official auxiliary of the Air Force and is a non-profit with more than 56,000 members nationwide.
Congratulations to all!!!
"A wise man believes only in lies, trust only in the absurd, and learns to expect the unexpected."
