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Students in the KMC are getting involved in the Ramstein Cadet Squadron, a program that teaches young people about the military.
A part of the Civil Air Patrol of the Air Force, the cadet squadron educates students from 12 to 18 years old about Air Force values.
“We have core values just like the Air Force,” said Lori Noyes, a teacher at Ramstein High school involved with the cadet squadron. “It teaches them integrity, volunteer service, respect and excellence.”
The squadron not only teaches cadets the core values of the Air Force, but it also teaches the core science: aerospace education.
“Aerospace education is one of the main goals of the Civil Air Patrol,” Ms. Noyes said. “They help to educate the public on aerospace ideas.”
The cadet squadron teaches these things, among other areas of the military lifestyle, and it rewards cadets for their progress.
“For a cadet to get a promotion, they have an aerospace textbook as well as a leadership textbook that they read and take tests for after each chapter,” Ms. Noyes said. “There is also a fitness test and a leadership class where we teach values.”
The squadron may educate children to aspire to Air Force standards, but eventual enlistment is not the goal of the program.
“The purpose is to help develop responsible citizens,” Ms. Noyes said, “Not to recruit people to the Air Force.”
A career in the military might not be the path everyone in the program will take, but there are many advantages to be earned for outstanding cadets’ professional futures.
“There are flight scholarships to earn private pilot’s licenses as well as academic scholarships,” Ms. Noyes said. “Several universities give scholarships to CAP cadets, and there is even one put out by the chaplain’s service for cadets who wish to enter the ministry.”
Clearly, this program is beneficial to the young people who participate, Ms. Noyes said.
“It helps cadets cognitively, physically and spiritually,” she said. “It helps all parts of a person’s being.”
