Page 25 - Priorities #67 2017 Spring

CIVIL AIR PATROL
By Matthew Carusi
They say that Civil Air Patrol is the Air Force’s best kept secret. When I tell people that I’m in Civil Air Patrol, they usually stare at me with a look of confu- sion, but for the past three years I’ve had the honor of being a cadet in this remarkable organization. Through all my experiences, I’ve not only learned how to be a leader and a follower, but how to live a life that puts integrity first and is always striving for ways to serve other people.
Civil Air Patrol or CAP for short, is the United States Air Force’s official auxiliary and we specialize in three mis- sions: cadet programs, emergency services, and aerospace education. I’m part of Squadron 10, located at the Palo Alto airport, and we meet every Tuesday for two hours to teach aerospace and conduct leadership activities. I am part of the Cadet Program and currently hold the rank of Cadet Second Lieutenant. As an officer in Squadron 10, I’m the commander of what we call a flight, or a group of about five to six cadets I will train to grow into leaders who can one day inherit my position. It’s a job that I take incredibly seriously and there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing Cadets promoting and advancing through the Cadet pro- gram like I once did.
I joined in April 2013 when I was 15 years old because I was curious in pursuing a career as a pilot in the United States Air Force. Upon joining, I was immediately thrown into situations that I had never experienced before, and no such experience embodied this feeling more than going to a one-week boot camp known as Encampment. I had to at- tend this program in order to become an officer and when I arrived on day one, I was greeted by shouting instructors who made it very clear to us cadets that we would never survive the week if we didn’t work as a team. Through the rigors of inspections and drilling, my flight of cadets and I started to grow into a finely tuned team, which made me realize that I could push myself beyond what I thought was possible simply by working together.
Going to encampment was a life-changing experience for me, and the leadership skills that I obtained there have
been invaluable not just in CAP but in school and in life. Af- ter returning from encampment, I participated in a number of other state activities including a leadership school, which taught me how to excel in public speaking, and a confer- ence in San Luis Obispo where I had the chance to meet a former USAF nuclear missile operator. In addition to state activities, CAP also offers multiple national activities that specialize in everything from Air Force Pararescue training to getting your private pilot’s license. This past summer I attended a one-week Air Force pilot orientation program at Laughlin Air Force base, where I trained on actual USAF flight simulators and flew five hundred feet off the ground in a T-1 aircraft. Attending this program was one of the most exciting weeks of my life, and meeting some of the Air Force’s finest pilots gave me a new profound respect for the men and women of our armed forces.
This though is just a small sampling of what a cadet can do in the Civil Air Patrol, and being part of it has changed my life forever. It’s not only taught me what it means to be a leader, but how I can better serve my country and how I can always keep looking for ways to give back.
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT