Livermore, California Jan 15, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - Cadet Second Lieutenant Samantha Wang of the California Wing’s Tri-Valley Composite Squadron 156 was presented with the prestigious the General Billy Mitchell Award today.
Lieutenant Wang, a Civil Air Patrol member since June 2019, is also a senior at Palo Alto High School. In addition to her volunteer work with CAP, she has actively volunteered with the Prisoners Literature Project where she helps package and send books around the US.
When asked about her award, Wang said “It’s absolutely exciting to achieve a milestone that I’ve had my eyes on since joining the program. I’m incredibly thankful for all my friends and mentors within Civil Air Patrol and my family. I couldn’t have done it without them. I look forward to the journey onwards.”.
Lieutenant Wang is the Bravo Flight Commander of Squadron 156 and has held multiple leadership positions for the squadron where she is responsible for training, mentoring, and motivating eighteen other cadets. Prior to her selection as Bravo Flight Commander, Wang was the course director for the 2021 Summer Advanced CyberCamp for California Wing where she provided administrative planning, support, and oversight for 30 students over a one week schedule. In 2020 and 2021, Wang was the CyberPatriot Team Captain for Squadron 156 while her team placed in the top 15% nationwide from over 760 teams. Lieutenant Wang was presented with the Wing Commander Commendation Award in 2021 for leadership of her CyberPatriot team.
Wang has received many other awards including the Air Force Association’s Outstanding Squadron Cadet of the Year in 2020 and the SCU Lincoln-Douglass Novice Debate Best Speaker in 2019 for Palo Alto High School. Wang is also in pursuit of her FAA Private Pilot License and assists as a member of a Geographic Information System Team where she assists in the development of new tools that can be used for emergency services and search and rescue.
The Gen. Billy Mitchell Award has existed since 1964. This award honors the late Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, aviation pioneer, advocate, and staunch supporter of an independent Air Force for America. The award is earned after completing the first eight achievements of the cadet program. In addition, the cadet must pass an arduous 100 question examination testing leadership theory and aerospace topics. Since its inception over 30 years ago, more than 42,000 cadets have earned this honor.
Being such an important milestone in the CAP cadet program, the Mitchell Award is normally presented by a CAP group commander or higher, the wing director of cadet programs, or a state or federal government official. Once the cadet earns the Mitchell Award, they are promoted to the grade of Cadet 2d Lieutenant. These cadets, who later enter the CAP's Senior Member program, are eligible for immediate promotion to CAP 2d Lt at age 21.
Those cadets who receive the Mitchell Award are also eligible for advanced placement in the grade of E-3 (Airman First Class) should they choose to enlist in the US Air Force. They are also eligible for advanced credit in the Air Force ROTC program. Mitchell Award cadets may also apply for a variety of scholarships and CAP special activities
Civil Air Patrol is the longtime auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a valued member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine aircraft and more than 2,100 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). It performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 82 lives annually. CAP’s 56,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Operating as a nonprofit organization, CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to more than 23,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.
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Media Contact
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