13 November 09
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – Three cadets members of the Randolph Composite Squadron received a prestigious cadet-level CAP award during a promotion ceremony Tuesday evening. 

Stephen Turner, a Randolph High School senior, and his brother, Evan, a junior, joined Jackson Kuplack of La Vernia as recipients of the Brigadier General Billy Mitchell Award, which is presented to cadets who complete the leadership phase of their CAP program. 
 

"Only 15 percent of CAP junior members ascend to this level of the program. This is a big deal," said the squadron commander, Lincoln Sundman, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who works at Randolph as a civilian and serves as a Civil Air Patrol captain. "It's a national-level award that carries with it the benefit of enlisting in the Air Force as an E-3 instead of an E-1." 

The promotion ceremony, which elevates cadets to the rank of Cadet Second Lieutenant, featured comments by retired Maj Gen Lorraine Potter, former chief of the Air Force Chaplain Service, and Lt Col Keith Terrell, 12th Operations Support Squadron assistant director of operations.

"This is great," said Stephen Turner, the son of Chief Master Sgt. Scott Turner, a chaplain's assistant at Randolph, and Winita Turner. "It feels good to achieve something I've been working on for two years." Stephen, 17, said his mother recommended that he and his brother join CAP because they were both interested in attending the Air Force Academy. Both of them signed up for the Randolph squadron in May 2007. "She thought it would help us achieve our goal and help us prepare for military life," he said. 

Stephen said participation in the squadron has helped him acquire life skills that benefit him now and in the future. "It's taught me a lot about leadership," he said. "It helps me in everyday life by learning how to handle certain situations and how to lead a group – getting them motivated to meet a goal." 
 

The Civil Air Patrol, the official civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, was established nearly 70 years ago with a three-pronged mission - to conduct search-and-rescue and disaster-relief operations, provide aerospace education to youth and the general public and operate a cadet program for teens 12 to 18 years old. 

Cadets who complete the program progress through four stages – learning, leadership, command and executive phases – and move on to the next stage by passing leadership, aerospace education and physical fitness tests. The Earhart, Eaker and Spaatz awards await the cadets who successfully complete the final phases. 

Like his brother, Evan, 16, said leadership is an important component of the cadet program. "It trains us to be good leaders and that helps with people skills," he said. "You learn about cooperating with others and finding the good in people. But it also teaches you to be a good follower. That's what happens in the first phase."

Jackson, the son of Christopher and Karen Kuplack, said the program also helps members achieve personal goals. He hopes to become an Air Force pilot. "I realized it would be the first step - and the biggest one – toward getting into the Air Force Academy," he said. "You get a lot of leadership experience, and that's what the academy really looks at." Jackson, 15, said he hopes to achieve the highest cadet award possible, the Spaatz Award, which is earned by far less than 1 percent of those who enter the program.

CAP Capt Sundman, whose squadron comprises 58 members, 43 of them cadets, said the program is "all about giving kids direction and allowing them the opportunity to grow." Many have gone on to service academies and college ROTC programs. "It's similar to the Boy Scouts or ROTC," he said. "It gives them something to do that's wholesome and good for them. The program's strength is building leaders for tomorrow."