Bowen receives CAP’s highest cadet honor, Congressman Roscoe Bartlett presents

1st Lt. Stacey Bowen, CAP

Public Affairs Officer, Mt. Airy Composite Squadron 

Photos courtesy of Stacey Bowen, 1st Lt., CAP

12/11/2009 – Mt. Airy, MD – On Thursday evening, December 11, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., the Mt. Airy Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol’s (CAP’s) Maryland Wing (MDWG) hosted an awards ceremony to honor cadet pilot Zachary Bowen, age 17, who has completed all four phases of the CAP cadet program, and earned the General Carl A. Spaatz Award, CAP’s highest cadet honor.  Representative Roscoe Bartlett, U.S. Congress, made the presentation.  The event took place at the Mt. Airy Senior and Community Center, and was attended by MDWG Vice Commander, Lt. Col. John Knowles, and Mt. Airy’s mayor, Frank Johnson.  Guest speakers were Capt. Kevin Martin, MDWG A3 Operations Officer, and 1^st Lt. Denise Sharp, Mt. Airy’s Emergency Services Officer.  1st Lt. Ron Long was Master of Ceremonies for the event. 

The Spaatz Award is the final milestone in a CAP cadet’s career.  There are 16 possible achievements in the cadet program.  Once completed, there is a rigorous challenge which is passed by less than one percent of all CAP cadets.  The Spaatz test is comprised of two written exams in aerospace knowledge and leadership theory, an essay on moral leadership topics, and a physical fitness test which requires performance in the 75^th percentile of the President’s Challenge.  Cadets receiving this award are promoted to the grade of Cadet Colonel.  Cadet Colonel Bowen is the 1711th cadet to earn the award since its inception in 1964.   

 Bowen joined CAP in September of 2003, at the age of 12.  He has been a member of both the Carroll Composite and Mt. Airy Composite Squadrons.  He has attended numerous CAP National Cadet Special Activities, including National Emergency Services Academy (NESA), Air Education and Training Command Familiarization Course, and National Flight Academy – Glider Track.  He has been a member of the MDWG Drill Team and MDWG Honor Guard.  He attended Virginia Wing Encampment, and Regional Cadet Leadership School at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.  Also a member of the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association, he earned his private glider pilot’s license on his 16^th birthday in December of 2006.  He received a flight scholarship from Civil Air Patrol’s National Headquarters in 2007.  He was one of six Maryland cadets selected to attend the 2007 MDWG Solo Flight Scholarship Program, where he completed ground school and flight training to his first solo in a single engine Cessna.  Continuing his training on scholarship, he earned his private pilot’s license in May of 2008.  

Bowen has worked with the MDWG Glider Operations crew since beginning his flight training in 2005.  He has served as Flight Line Crew Chief for two years in a row at MDWG’s annual Aerospace (Glider) Academy, assisted as a mentor to incoming cadets at this year’s solo school, and served on staff as an Advanced Ground Team instructor at NESA, a search and rescue school held at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  During his second year on staff, he received recognition as Honor Team Leader.  At the squadron level, Bowen has held the positions of Cadet Emergency Services Officer, Cadet Aerospace Education Officer, and most recently, Cadet Commander of Mt. Airy Squadron. 

Bowen entered Carroll Community College (CCC) as a young student in 2005.  He graduated from CCC in May of 2008 with Associate of Arts degrees in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies.  While attending CCC he served on the Integrity Council for three semesters, and held a position on the review panel for faculty applicants.  He now attends the University of Baltimore as a junior, majoring in Criminal Justice. 

On this ceremonial evening, Mt. Airy Squadron celebrated three additional cadet promotions and one Officer promotion as well.  Cadets Joshua Bowen and Prithvi Mandayam received their Wright Brothers Awards and were promoted to Cadet Staff Sergeant.  Cadet Zachary Fry was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant, and Officer Kathleen McLellan was promoted to Captain. 

The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force, was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U. S. into World War II. CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 56,000 members nationwide. The organization’s members perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and were credited by the AFRCC with saving 103 lives in fiscal year 2007. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. 

Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet Program. CAP’s cadet programs provide young men and women with a safe and motivating environment in which to grow and explore opportunities in the military and aviation industries. CAP has been performing mission for American for more than 63 years.

There are approximately 1,300 members of CAP in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information, visit www.mdcap.org . 

The Mount Airy Composite Squadron meets at 7p.m. Thursdays at the Mount Airy Senior and Community Center, 703 Ridge Ave., Mount Airy.  Prospective cadets, ages 12 to 18, and their parents are always welcome.  Adults seeking mentoring opportunities are invited as well.  For more information, e-mail contactus@mtairy-cap.org , call 301-829-9057, or visit www.mtairy-cap.org .

Any comments and/or suggestions: webmaster@mtairy-cap.org.