9-12-2024 9:40pm

Local Cadet Receives Highest Civil Air Patrol Award

Beth Callahan Editor

Submitted photo of Tate Williamson, of Lebanon, OH,

MAINEVILLE, OH -- Tate Williamson, of Lebanon, OH, has been awarded the General Carl A. Spaatz award and promoted to Cadet Colonel by the Lt. Col. Jerome P. Ashman Composite Squadron of Civil Air Patrol.

The Spaatz Award is the highest Cadet Award and denotes exceptional performance in the Cadet career. This award has existed since 1964 and honors the late General Carl A. Spaatz, who became the first U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff on September 26, 1947. General Spaatz (pronounced “spots”) was also CAP’s first National Board Chairman, a position he held from May 26, 1948, to April 27, 1959. To earn the award the cadet must successfully complete all 16 phases of the CAP Cadet Program (including physical fitness tests, exams on moral reasoning, leadership, and on aerospace history and knowledge) and the General Carl A. Spaatz Award examination. This award is certified and awarded only by National Headquarters. Since its inception, only 2547 cadets have earned the award.

Williamson, who joined CAP in July 2019, was the Ashman squadron’s cadet commander from April 2022 to January 2023. He also graduated from the Indiana Wing Advanced Training Squadron. The ATS of the INWG Cadet Encampment is a prestigious academy designed for cadet NCOs and young officers who are looking to enhance their leadership skills and knowledge of cadet life, through challenging academics, practical leadership exercises, teamwork simulations, and physical fitness training, providing experiences that go beyond what a typical student program can offer.

Williamson is attending college under a Type 1 Air Force ROTC scholarship, studying mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace studies. Upon graduation, he hopes to serve in the Air Force as a pilot.

Williamson joins less than one-half of one percent of cadets who attain the Spaatz award after completing the cadet program’s 16 achievements, passing a rigorous cumulative battery consisting of a strenuous physical fitness exam, a written essay on a persistent moral issue, and two 60-question cumulative exams on aerospace and leadership.

Due to his current focus on class and AFROTC, the presentation of Williamson’s award will take place in January 2025 after the end of his semester.

About Civil Air Patrol

Established in 1941, Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 555 single-engine aircraft and 2,250 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and performs about 90% of all search and rescue operations within the contiguous United States as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Often using innovative cellphone forensics and radar analysis software, CAP was credited by the AFRCC with saving 108 lives last year. CAP’s 58,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies. As a nonprofit organization, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace education using national academic standards-based STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education resources. Members also serve as mentors to 24,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.

Visit CAP.news or GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.