As our unit name implies, the Cadet Program is Boston Cadet Squadron’s bread and butter. The Cadet Program teaches young adults age 12 to 21 various life skills, such as leadership, followership, discipline, integrity, and physical fitness. Cadets progress through a curriculum which begins the moment they join. At first, basic skills are taught to them. These include (but are not limited to) discipline and followership, which provide the foundation for later learning. Because Civil Air Patrol is based on the organization of the United States Air Force, CAP cadets are trained in a military-style environment. This means that learning to wear our uniform properly and how to perform drill maneuvers is part of every cadet’s curriculum, as is basic military customs and courtesies.

While the cadet program is carried out in a military-style environment, this does not mean that CAP is a “boot camp”. While discipline, respect, and integrity is expected of all our members, both cadet and senior, and while the cadet program can be demanding in many ways at times, yelling and screaming and doing pushups all day is a misrepresentation of military training that only exists in movies and on TV. CAP cadets learn their skills through a combination of classroom instruction, one-on-one mentoring, self-study, and hands-on activities.

This is not to say that being a CAP cadet is easy. Progressing in the Cadet Program involves completing several requirements. For each achievement that a cadet wishes to complete, they must successfully pass two written tests: one leadership test, and one aerospace test (the only exception is Achievement 1, a cadet’s very first achievement, which does not have an Aerospace Education requirement). In addition, cadet must pass a physical fitness test, based on the President’s Challenge, which is not excessively difficult at first, but does become quite challenging as the cadet gets older and progresses through the program. And that’s not all. Cadets must also participate in Character Development, which is a series of group discussions meant to instill CAP’s Core Values (Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence, and Respect) in cadets, as well as guide them in their decision-making when faced with ethical dilemmas in their lives. At various points in their progression, cadets will also have to demonstrate proficiency in other areas, such as performing drill maneuvers, giving drill commands, writing essays, giving presentations, and mentoring other cadets in leadership, aerospace, or character development topics.

As if all that wasn’t enough, cadets will be presented with leadership opportunities as they progress. Naturally, cadets won’t get these kinds of tasks the moment they walk in the door (that would be unfair to them as an inexperienced cadet and unfair to those who would be under their supervision), but as they gain knowledge, they will gradually become eligible to hold staff positions within the squadron, from supervisory positions such as Flight Sergeant, to management positions like Flight Commander, all the way to executive positions (Cadet Commander or Executive Officer). In other words, it could be your job to run the cadet part of the whole squadron (with proper supervision, of course)! Such leadership experience prepares cadets not only for positions in the military, but also for leadership positions in any facet of their lives, from school organizations, to part-time jobs, and even in their careers long after they have completed the cadet program.

So far there’s been a lot of talk about “learning”, and “work”, and “challenges”. What about the fun? Well, for many cadets, being presented with all these opportunities is a tremendous amount of fun. They have the opportunity to lead others, and over time, to impart the knowledge they have gained onto a new batch of cadets. For many, the satisfaction of knowing that they have reached someone is sufficient to make all the hard work worth it.

Of course, that’s not the only source of fun in the Cadet Program. Part of the way cadets get their leadership experience is by participating in the other two missions of Civil Air Patrol (Emergency Services and Aerospace Education). For example, while participating in an Aerospace Education activity, such as model rocketry, a cadet may be placed in charge of managing the cadet aspect of the activity, that is, making sure that all the other cadets complete their tasks all time, or assisting with the instruction of the classes. In the Emergency Services mission, cadets may be tasked with instructing other cadets (once they themselves have been trained, of course), or mentoring cadets in certain mission tasks, like communications or map-reading, for example.

Then there is Encampment. The Massachusetts Wing Summer Encampment is a week-long activity, usually held the last week of July or first week of August at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (aka Otis Air National Guard Base/Camp Edwards/Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod). Cadets spend a week living in the Army National Guard barracks on the base, and get intensive training. This includes drill and ceremonies, inspections (including an inspection of cadets’ rooms, how well they make their beds and fold their laundry and the like), physical training, and character development. That’s the “work” part of Encampment, but again, this can be a tremendous amount of fun. Cadets have the opportunity to work and interact with cadets from all over Massachusetts Wing as well as other wings (including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, Maine, and recently even as far away as Kentucky, Alabama, and Arizona, and Wyoming!). Because of the close-knit environment at Encampment, cadets will make friends there that will remain friends for years to come.

There is more to Encampment than just drill and ceremonies and inspections.Because of the fact that Encampment takes place on a military base occupied by units of several different military services, cadets who attend Encampment get a unique opportunity to tour and explore the various units stationed at the base. In past years these tours have included rides on Massachusetts Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-1 Huey helicopters, and M-113 Zelda armored personnel carriers, as well as flights on Rhode Island Air National Guard C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Cadets have also toured the Massachusetts Air National Guard 102d Fighter Wing, the F-15 Eagle unit stationed at Otis ANGB that is responsible for air security in the northeastern United States, as well as Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, home to HH-60J Jayhawk helicopters and HU-25 Falconjet search aircraft. There are also obstacle courses, leadership reaction courses (think obstacle course, with water), rapeling, and many other exciting and unforgettable activities.

All this is just a small taste of what awaits you in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. If you’ve read this far and still want to know more, visit our squadron and you’ll see even more of the exciting opportunities cadets have in Civil Air Patrol!