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Volunteer - make a difference

"Civil Air Patrol volunteers play a vital role in the life of our country. In the past decades their skills and dedication to duty have saved many hundreds of lives and guided thousands of our young people toward useful and productive activity. Every American can be proud of Civil Air Patrol's record of distinguished services to communities and to the nation." 
-- President John F. Kennedy

 Civil Air Patrol's cadet program is a traditional military cadet program. CAP cadets wear modified versions of Air Force uniforms, hold rank and grade, and practice military customs and courtesies. They are also required to maintain physical fitness standards and are tested on their fitness and their knowledge of leadership and aerospace subjects for each promotion. This program is similar to that of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), primarily because the Air Force JROTC program was 'cloned' from the CAP Cadet Program in the 1960s. However, there are several key differences between the two programs.
One of the strongest features of the CAP Cadet Program is that as Cadets progress, they are given additional responsibility for scheduling, teaching, guiding and commanding the other cadets in their units. They also assist their Senior Staffs in executing the Cadet Program. It is not unusual for a nineteen year-old Cadet officer to command an encampment of hundreds of junior Cadets. This, coupled with the fact that Cadets may also participate in CAP Emergency Services missions, sets CAP's Cadet Program even further apart from other cadet programs.   

The current CAP Cadet Program was designed by John V. Sorenson John V. "Jack" Sorenson, who held the position of Civil Air Patrol's Director of Aerospace Education in the 1960s. This program is composed of four phases (Learning, Leadership, Command, and Executive), each of which is divided into several achievements. Achievements generally correspond to grade promotions, while phases are tied to levels of responsibility. The Cadet Program operates at a local unit (squadron) level with weekly meetings and weekend activities, but also has national and wing-sponsored week-long and multi-week summer activities, of which encampments are an example.

The Cadet Program is overseen and administered by Senior Members who generally specialize in the Cadet Program. At the squadron level, the Cadet Commander's chain of command passes through the Deputy Commander for Cadets before reaching the squadron commander. There are 'Director of Cadet Programs' positions at all command levels above squadron. In addition to the Deputy Commander for Cadets, squadrons also have a Leadership Officer; a Senior Member who's job is to see to the military aspects of the Cadet program, such as uniforms, customs and courtesies.

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