C/Col Brown Spaatz
For the first time, a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol’s Red Bird Composite Squadron in Dallas has earned the Spaatz Award for achieving the rank of Cadet Colonel, the highest a cadet can achieve in the organization.
Jacob Brown, a sophomore at Lake Ridge High School in Mansfield, earned the honor in August after finishing a rigorous process that includes exams on leadership and aerospace, an essay and successful completion of the United States Air Force Academy Candidate Fitness Assessment. He has been a member of Civil Air Patrol since 2017.
“I joined Civil Air Patrol because it was a good place to grow my leadership skills,” Brown said. “Since I’ve been a member of CAP I’ve learned how to lead people and how to apply CAP’s core values of integrity, volunteer service, excellence and respect in my life to be a better person.”
Fewer than 3,000 cadets have earned the Spaatz Award since its inception in 1964, or roughly 1% of all cadets involved in Civil Air Patrol. Col Bill Schroder, Commander of CAP’s Texas Wing, commended Brown on his achievement.
“Texas wing is very proud of the long heritage of Cadet success stories. C/Col Brown is now part of that heritage. He was able to overcome storms and a pandemic to complete this exceptional honor,” Schroder said.
“We are very proud of C/Col Brown and look forward to his leadership in CAP and the U.S. of tomorrow.”
Brown has served as Red Bird Squadron’s Deputy Cadet Commander since 2019. He is Ground Team 3 certified for Civil Air Patrol search-and-rescue missions and has completed Airman Leadership School, Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, and Officer Training School.
In addition, he has competed as a member of the squadron’s CyberPatriot team, is a member of the Young Eagles Association and was a member of the cadre at Airman Leadership School.
Away from CAP, he is enrolled in pre-AP and AP classes in school and enjoys playing basketball and video games in his free time.
“My parents pushed me to be the best, and I feel I have an obligation to help other cadets, serve the community and better myself. Since I’ve earned the Spaatz Award, there’s less pressure on me and I can focus more on using my skills to help the squadron improve and help every cadet to be better,” Brown said.
“I’m proud that I’m the first cadet to earn the rank of colonel in the squadron, but above everything else, I’m grateful to everyone who helped me get to this point: My parents, my brother and all of the members of the squadron.”
Brown’s brother, Cleveland, is the squadron cadet commander and has also nearly completed the requirements for the Spaatz Award. His parents, Capt Cleveland and 1st Lt Shemitia Brown, are very involved in Civil Air Patrol, too. They joined the organization at the same time as their sons, and Capt Brown was installed as the squadron commander in 2019.
“We are very proud of Jacob for his persistence in earning this achievement, and we look forward to celebrating with our other son, Cleveland, soon when he earns the Spaatz Award too,” Capt. Brown said. “As squadron commander, I’m pleased that we have someone who can serve as an example for all of the younger cadets to aspire to. We have several cadets in the pipeline who have an excellent chance of reaching this pinnacle, and I know that Jacob will be an excellent resource for them along the way.”
Carl “Tooey” Spaatz was the first to serve as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. One of the giants in the history of airpower, in 1929 Spaatz, together with a crew that included Ira C. Eaker, set an important flight endurance record of 150 hours and 40 minutes in the early days of aviation. During World War II, he commanded the Allied air campaign against the Nazis. In the Pacific Theater, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place under his command. After retiring from the Air Force, General Spaatz served as the first chairman of the Civil Air Patrol National Board.
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 1,550 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 66,000 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 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.
Visit www.CAP.News or www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.
