STEVENS POINT -Three cadets from the Stevens Point Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol simultaneously earned in April the prestigious Brigadier General Billy Mitchell Award and promotions to the rank of Cadet 2nd Lt., the Civil Air Patrol announced recently.
The cadets are Cadet 2nd Lt. Hayden Elwood of Pine River; Cadet 2nd Lt. William Gay of Stevens Point; and Cadet 2nd Lt. Lily Schaefer of Wausau.
Elwood is a ninth-grader at Winneconne High School. An avid dirt bike racer and competitive wrestler, Elwood has participated in or served as cadet staff in nearly two dozen Civil Air Patrol Wisconsin Wing activities. He volunteers with the Boys and Girls Club and Stevens Point Adopt-A-Highway cleanup program, and earned the title of honor cadet at Wisconsin Cadet Academy.
Elwood says he first joined the program because his sister was a member and he was drawn to the aviation aspects of the program.
Now he has big plans.
“I plan to go to Purdue College and then go into the United States Navy and become a naval aviator,” Elwood said. “Getting good grades, doing well in school are very important – Civil Air Patrol will help me gain knowledge and real world experience with leadership as I pursue that path.”
Gay is a ninth-grader at Stevens Point Christian Academy. Recipient of the President’s Education Awards Program in 2023, Gay volunteers at the YMCA and enjoys riding off-road motorcycles, working on vehicles with his dad, playing video games and traveling. He’s previously completed both pilot for day and air cadet for day courses at Wausau Downtown Airport, and has spent more than 14 hours of time in the air through Civil Air Patrol’s cadet orientation flight program.
Gay hopes to attend a CAP glider school this summer and complete his glider solo flight. Once he turns 17, he hopes to add his private pilot’s license and driver’s license to the list.
“CAP has taught me a lot about aerospace and aeronautical sciences,” Gay said. “This groundwork will help my career, and hopefully give me a leg-up when applying to colleges.”
Schaefer is an eighth-grader at the Odyssey Academy of Virtual Learning. A welding student and member of the Youth Board of Directors at Wausau-based Learn Build Fly, she helped lead a team of five cadets to a national title, winning the 2023 Kittinger Cup in CAP’s High Altitude Balloon Challenge with a project on cold welding.
“My mom was involved in CAP as a college student,” Schaefer said, “and she couldn’t wait until I turned 12 to introduce me to the program.
“I loved the leadership aspects and the fact that I was surrounded by people with similar interests. CAP has been an amazing learning experience for me.”
As squadron flight commander Schaefer oversees the cadet staff and helps mentor the two dozen cadet airmen and non commissioned officers in the squadron.
The Mitchell Award marks completion of Phase II of the Civil Air Patrol Cadet program, recognizing sustained excellence in all four areas of cadet life: leadership, aerospace, fitness and character. Further, Mitchell cadets must have passed comprehensive examinations on leadership and aerospace topics and have completed a week-long encampment immersing them in a challenging core values and stem environment.
The Brigadier General Billy Mitchell Award is earned by only 15 percent of cadets nationwide. Mitchell cadets are eligible for CAP college and flight scholarships and the prestigious Cadet Officer School. They also qualify for the grade of E-3 should they decide to enlist in the Air Force.
Source: Civil Air Patrol
