Elite cadets wrap up 10 days of top-level training at Maxwell AFB

 

 

(1)
Cadets participate in Project X, their group project testing their ability to use planning and teamwork to overcome obstacles.

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Cadet Lt. Col. Caitlyn Sippel (center) stops to share a smile while working with her teammates to solve a problem on the Project X course. Sippel, a member of the New York Wing’s Canandaigua Composite Squadron, was one of eight cadets selected for the Cadet Officer School’s prestigious new Falcon Flight.

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Cadet Capt. Addison Jaynes talks with Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, Civil Air Patrol national commander, at a National Headquarters social event for Cadet Officer School participants.

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CAP’s national commander, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, with cadets from CAP and Alabama Air Force Junior ROTC.

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U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. James K. “Kevin” McLaughlin, who spoke to Cadet Officer School participants on the evolution of space power, and one of the cadets in the audience – his son, Cadet Capt. William McLaughlin of the Nevada Wing’s Nellis Composite Squadron.

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Cadets listen intently as Air Force Brig. Gen. James K. “Kevin” McLaughlin discusses how space power developed.

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Air Force Lt. Gen. Allen G. Peck, commander of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, site of the Cadet Officer School, speaks to participants in the school.

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Cadet Officer School students talk among themselves before Air Force Lt. Gen. Allen G. Peck’s address.

Photos by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters


Jennifer Kornegay
Contributing writer

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Officer School, one of the top professional development opportunities available to cadets, is a serious affair.

Only the top 15 percent of cadets from across America are given the chance to learn about everything from air power history to communication and problem-solving skills while at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., home of the prestigious Air University and other facets of military education for the Air Force, as well as CAP National Headquarters.

The 2010 class began on July 5 and graduates today.

Patterned after Air Force Squadron Officer School, Cadet Officer School is an academically challenging program combining lectures, seminars and hands-on training. Cadets practice what they learn each day through a series of writing and speaking assignments, and the program culminates with a group exercise – Project X – that tests their ability to overcome obstacles with planning and teamwork.

Yet the 10-day event is not without its moments of levity. The 120 cadets attending the 2010 school showed off their senses of humor during roll call before one of their lectures. Members of each flight confirmed their presence by reciting lines from movies like “Batman” and “Ghost Busters” as well as using other pop culture sayings.

Once the laughter died down, the cadets got back down to business and settled in for one of the highlights of their session -- a presentation on the evolution of space power given by U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. James K. “Kevin” McLaughlin.

McLaughlin outlined the history of the space race and commented on why he chose to speak to the cadets. “We’ve only been in space since the late ’50s, so you guys will be in the middle of what is still really its infancy,” he said. He also explained that while the United States has recorded many firsts when it comes to space power and has been in the lead for decades, that advantage is now shrinking.

McLaughlin went on to outline the role of space and space-related technology in warfare and U.S. national defense, stressing how dependent American have become on these technologies.

“Our enemy knows our advantages in space and is looking for ways to take these advantages away,” he said. “One of my jobs has been to figure out how to ensure that our reliance on space is not an Achilles heel.”

When he was done, McLaughlin fielded multiple questions from the cadets. He offered a valuable piece of advice in response to a query about rising through the ranks in the Air Force: “Don’t plan your career. Do what you love,” he said. “If you love it, you’ll do great at it, and that will advance your career.”

McLaughlin knows first-hand how Cadet Officer School can help advance anyone’s career, military or otherwise, as his son William was one of the cadets participating this year.

“In COS, these cadets learn to take diverse skill sets and weave them together to solve problems,” McLaughlin said. “They gain confidence and learn to work with others. From the Air Force perspective, I love COS and the cadet program for the basic leadership skills and discipline they give cadets, some of whom may not get those skills elsewhere.

“It makes a positive difference, whether they end up in the military or not. It builds our nation’s future leaders, no matter what they end up doing.”

Cadet Capt. William McLaughlin, a member of the Nevada Wing’s Nellis Composite Squadron., began Cadet Officer School with the hope that the program would help him improve his public speaking and writing skills. “I’ve already gained a lot,” he said. “Learning how to do briefings for superiors has been a great experience. COS is also really fun; there’s a real camaraderie here.”

Cadet Lt. Col. Caleb Irwin, a member of the New York Wing’s Williamson Composite Squadron, already has reaped benefits from previous Cadet Officer School attendance.

“This is my third time at COS,” Irwin said. “Each time has given me so much, but each time I try to progress even more. We cover so much information, so there’s a lot to grasp. My focus this time is to develop a plan to better myself.

“It’s really a life-changing experience.”

This year, the school has added an extra component for a small, special group of participants like Irwin. Called Falcon Flight, the program enabled eight students to take on advanced leadership topics that will prepare them to become dynamic American aerospace leaders, said Lt. Col. Michael Foster, course director for Cadet Office School.

“Whereas CAP's Cadet Officer School is equivalent to the Air Force’s Squadron Officer School, Falcon Flight is the equivalent to the Air Force's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies,” Foster said.

Students applied to participate in Falcon Flight, and after a rigorous interview process the final eight were selected. The program was facilitated by Foster, Capt. Jackie Briski of the Colorado Wing and Curt LaFond, director of cadet programs at CAP National Headquarters.

Despite a heavy workload, the inaugural Falcon Flight class performed well.

“They’ve done a really good job of adjusting to high expectations,” Briski said. On top of their other school activities and obligations, they read at least a half-dozen leadership manuals geared to enhance their leadership skills.

As part of their assignments, the Falcon Flight students also developed their own personal leadership prospective, which is being presented as part of the program’s Legacy Project.

Cadet Officer School is just one of 30 National Cadet Special Activities sponsored by CAP this summer, and the participating cadets, like Cadet 1st Lt. Veronika Tsymbler of the California Wing’s Saddleback Composite Squadron 68, all graduated with their own set of accomplishments and experiences.

Tsymbler cited the critical thinking exercises she engaged in as her favorite part of the experience, saying she enjoyed working as a team and learning to solve problems.

Having reached the culmination of the program, she, her fellow students, and those leading them through the session couldn’t be more proud.