THE END OF THE INNOCENCE: CADET TO SENIOR TRANSITION

Author's note: I expect this paper to generate as much controversy as the conversation on the reflector that Inspired it 18 months ago. Please keep in mind that this is a discussion of a series of problems as I see them. With one exception, I have no individual members, cadet or Senior, in mind. If you see yourself in some of the bad examples, that's unfortunate. If you don't, don't take offense because that statement is obviously not about you.

Introduction

Among the several reasons for forcing a Cadet to become a Senior, the least popular is probably the age barrier. Cadets who reach the age of 21 are automatically converted to Senior membership. It has become almost clich in the Cadet Program community that Cadets bumping up against that line are pushed over kicking and screaming. In fact, it is often referred to jokingly as "going over to the Dark Side".

This paper will discuss this and argue that 21 is far too late an age for this status change and suggest 19 as a far more appropriate age for this transition. In spite of some good reasons to maintain the current transition age of 21, there are compelling reasons to move it back. Impartial examination will make it obvious that the minuses seriously outweigh the plusses and call for a revisiting of this policy. Unfortunately, a non-impassioned discussion of this topic seems to be nearly impossible. Everyone seems to have a particular stance - especially those that are currently faced with the transition. However, please grant the discussion your time and indulgence.

This paper is an outgrowth of a discussion between the author and participants in the CAP-Cadet mail reflector. Although there is a fairly high 'signal-to-noise' ratio on the reflector, it can still be a valuable and effective tool.

Discussion

Why is there a problem with allowing a member to remain a Cadet until age 21? Surely there are many plusses to this policy, including:

Cadets over 18 are extremely experienced and capable Cadet leaders, especially with regards to major functions, such as encampments and national activities.

The Spaatz examination is extremely challenging. The age 21transition allows a Cadet time to prepare.

A 20 year old is a more capable individual, in general, than an 18 year-old.

Many Cadets simply don't want to be Seniors.

Before launching full-bore into this discussion, let it first be restated that the transition age proposed by this paper is 19. This means that on his nineteenth birthday, a member would cease to be a Cadet and become a Senior member with the rank of flight officer.

The Question of the Spaatz

While it is common knowledge that the Spaatz exam is a challenge, let's not overstate the case. Many, many 17 and 18-year-olds have successfully completed the Spaatz. In fact, at the present time, one of the chief concerns among those closely involved with the Cadet Program is Spaatz recipients being too young. If we are concerned about 15 and 16-year-olds passing the Spaatz, then arguing that an additional two years (until age 21) is warranted is somewhat ridiculous.

Many Spaatz Cadets complete the award while they are still in high school. For these Cadets the Spaatz is used as another feather in their cap when applying to various universities or, especially, to the service academies. It could be argued that, for all its prestige within CAP, achieving the Spaatz is largely moot once a Cadet (or former Cadet) has entered college or the work force. In this respect the Spaatz is perhaps no different from National Honor Society membership.

In fact, outside of the fairly narrow society of CAP and, perhaps, the service academies, the Spaatz has no meaning or value at all. Even within CAP having the Spaatz award ceases to carry much weight after a former Cadet has passed into his mid-twenties. By then he is expected to have begun to function and make a name for himself as a Senior.

There is also the question of time in the Cadet Program. The minimum time required to complete the Cadet Program, based entirely on achievement requirements, is 29 months. Of course, very few Cadets will ever complete the program in that amount of time. So, let us create a 'reasonable' completion time and double that to 58 months, or four years and six months. Considering that the average Cadet joins the program around age thirteen to fifteen, this would give a Spaatz completion age or seventeen to nineteen. A 15 year old would have to work somewhat harder than a 14 year old to complete the Spaatz by his nineteenth birthday. Considering that we have allowed twice the minimum required time in grade to complete the program, this seems entirely reasonable.

Leaving 21 as the transition age allows a Cadet to achieve the Spaatz in reasonable time (58 months) starting at age sixteen. Personal experience shows that very, very few individuals who come into the Cadet Program at age sixteen stay with it for any length of time. Also, considering that there are many 12 year old Cadets, if we leave the existing transition age in place a Cadet has nine years to earn the Spaatz. This equates to seven months between achievements and is quite simply too long. Nine years to complete the Spaatz is a sub-par performance from those we count as our finest Cadets.

It has been pointed out that the majority of Spaatz recipients are in the 18 to 20 year old range. Do we have to allow that this is necessarily so? Most Cadets, even Spaatz Cadets, take some sort of 'hiatus' at some point in the program in which they promote very slowly for a time. For many Spaatz recipients, if not most, this pause comes immediately following the Eaker. Many will sit in place for months or years, 'getting ready' to take the Spaatz exam.

The requirement to finish the Spaatz by age nineteen would encourage some to pick up the pace and encourage others to set their sights lower. The result might be fewer recipients, but they would be more qualified recipients.

The Age Question: Part 1

Another argument for the 21 year-old transition age is that a 19+ year-old Cadet is commensurately more mature and capable than an 18 year-old Cadet. While on the surface, this is compelling and seems to make a lot of sense, if time is taken to analyze that statement it will be seen for the logical fallacy that it is. It is true that two years can make a tremendous amount of difference in the maturity and capability of a person. For instance, it is almost certain that a 20 year-old can run an encampment better than an 18 year-old, even if they are both Cadet lieutenant colonels. However, it is also true that a 30-year-old could run an encampment with even more poise, polish and capability. In other words, stating that older Cadets are better because they are more capable than younger Cadets at some point becomes ridiculous. It is reasonable to expect that Cadets who have achieved identical grades in similar amounts of time will have the same overall capabilities. Considering the current state of the Cadet officer corps in CAP, this would be very difficult to prove because younger Phase 4 Cadets are seldom given command responsibility at major activities.

The Age Question: Part 2

One of the most serious concerns facing older Cadet officers is the question of age with regards to reaching majority and the responsibilities they can undertake. In Civil Air Patrol, the question of adulthood is not so simple a matter as age. In CAP, adulthood is conferred by becoming a Senior member. A Cadet, regardless of age, is considered a child in CAP. Considering the differences in responsibility between Cadets and Seniors, this is right and proper.

But it is also a paradox in that society considers a 20 year old mature enough to do everything except drink, but in CAP not only can't they drink, they can't lead an activity without Senior supervision, lead a ground team on an actual mission, fly an aircraft or even drive a vehicle. An 'adult' Cadet is in an odd sort of limbo. On the surface and in their 'real lives' they're adults. But the minute they don a CAP uniform they're essentially children and, according to regulations, can be treated no differently from the 12-year-olds!

It is also worth nothing that a 20 year old Spaatz Cadet with every qualification imaginable could potentially be placed under the very inexperienced and heavy-handed leadership of an 18 year old Senior flight officer with six months in CAP. Regardless of how inefficient or ridiculous an order from the FO is, the C/Col is obligated to obey as long as it doesn't violate safety or Cadet Protection guidelines. This is rightfully an area of concern for older Cadets.

But let us keep in mind that the key difference between a 20 year-old Cadet and 18 year old Senior is one of accepted responsibility. The Senior member has stated that, ultimately, he will be the one to accept the blame and consequences for his actions and responsibility for anything that happens to Cadets under his care. The Cadet has not. The Cadet has no authority to accept responsibility. Ultimately, all responsibility lies with the Senior who is providing supervision for the Cadets.

Let me illustrate this point with a personal experience: I was in attendance at an encampment a few years ago where a 19 year-old Spaatz Cadet was given the opportunity to speak to the entire encampment. I assumed the discussion would be about the difficulties of achieving the Spaatz and the rewards associated with it. However, this young Cadet Colonel took this opportunity to teach the one hundred or more assembled Cadets a five little words that would get them out of any inconvenient situation: "Sir, I'm only a Cadet." He was so right!

However, the Senior is not necessarily the victim in the Spaatz vs. new-Senior scenario. The image of the arrogant, big-headed, swaggering Spaatz Cadet who won't take direction from less-experienced Seniors (regardless of age) is too stereotypical to be merely a perception. We've all met our share of these types. They are in the minority, but nevertheless, they exist. These unfortunate situations cause a great deal of problems, mostly for the members around the offending Cadet. The Senior loses face and, therefore, authority and the Cadets who witness this behavior learn that Seniors can be trifled with if "they don't know their stuff".

This attitude, of course, misses the entire point of being a Senior as opposed to being a Cadet. It might be beneficial for Cadets who exhibit these types of behaviors to don the rank of flight officer at nineteen and relearn the fine art of humility.

The Age Question: Part 3

Our youngest Cadets are 12-years-old. Our eldest are nearly 21. This creates an age gap of nine years between our youngest follower and our eldest leader. With an age gap that serious, the parents of the 12-year-old don't look upon elder Cadets as 'leaders' so much as they'll look upon them as babysitters or even camp counselors.

Unfortunately, this is also the viewpoint of many Seniors. It should also be mentioned that for a 12 or 13 year old Cadet there is essentially no difference between a 20 year-old Cadet and a Senior. Where a younger Cadet might question the orders or example of a Cadet NCO or officer a few years older than themselves, they probably won't question someone they view as an adult. This is unavoidable but inappropriate because, as has been pointed out, elder Cadets are not adults as far as CAP is concerned. This age difference gives them an increase cachet of authority that they don't have and don't deserve.

The Capabilities Question

Another common belief is that older Cadets are, by default, be finest Cadet leaders we have. However, while Cadets over 18 may indeed be extremely experienced and capable Cadet leaders, is that a function of their age, or a function of their grade? The huge majority of Cadets over age 18 are either well into Phase 4 or have already completed their Spaatz. It is granted that Cadets at these grades are the best choices for jobs such as wing Cadet staff, IACE, the CAC chair or activity command. But it could very will be that Phase 4 and Spaatz Cadets are the best for these types of jobs, regardless of age. This is difficult to quantify because, by their very existence, the older Cadet officers are going to tend to fill more of these types of positions. We can, however, make an attempt to draw parallels between Cadets of the same phase but of differing age groups fulfilling various squadron responsibilities. Is the 20 yearold Phase 4 Cadet commander a better commander in general than a 17 year old Cadet with similar qualifications? Personal experience says there is not a significant difference in their abilities in this regard.

There may be a difference in their judgement of 'appropriateness', but that is part of the job of the Seniors overseeing the Cadet Program. And it could be argued that the improved judgement of the 20 year old Cadet indicates that it is high time for that Cadet to assume Senior membership and, by extension, adulthood.

The overabundance of Spaatz Cadets, who are done with the program, and Eaker Cadets, who are often 'stalled' in place, provides a great pool of candidates for these various high-profile, high-excitement positions. However, in addition to being a (questionable) asset, this pool also serves as a hindrance to the goals and training of Cadets behind them.

After The Fall: The Spaatz Cadet As Senior

CAP regulations allow for a Spaatz Cadet to automatically receive the rank of captain as soon as he is eligible to hold company-grade in CAP. Keep in mind that Seniors younger than twenty-one are limited to a grade of flight officer. So, shortly after his twenty-first birthday, the Spaatz recipient gets a nice new ID card from National with the words 'Senior' and CPT on it and a nice shiny set of bars. But, is he really ready to assume the duties and responsibilities that he'll probably receive in CAP? I have witnessed many examples of new captains being assigned command positions they weren't ready for (and failed at miserably) or being shuffled off to something inconsequential at wing. The struggles of experienced Cadets to join the ranks of Seniors are not unknown to National. There was at one time a 'Senior Transition Program' that tried to smooth this change and deal with the special problems of the new-Senior as former-Cadet. It may be that this program should be revived in conjunction with a change in the transition age to nineteen.

Retaining the requirement that a Senior member be age twenty-one in order to hold a grade over flight officer should also be maintained. It will certainly take some of the pressure off of the new Spaatz Senior if they have no opportunity to hold a command position for a while.

Conclusions

The problem of Cadet to Senior transition is a knotty one. There are no simple answers and no way to avoid upsetting someone. However, there are many serious drawbacks to the current system. Briefly, they are:

The current system allows too much time for achieving the Spaatz, potentially seven years. It also allows Eaker Cadets to spend months 'getting ready' to take the Spaatz. This is inappropriate for Cadets who are supposed to be our best and brightest.

Cadets who are adults in the 'real world' complain about their inability to assume adult responsibilities within CAP.

Older Cadets often chafe or are abusive under the command of newer or younger Senior members.

The nine year age gap between our youngest and oldest Cadets is inappropriate for several reasons.

The older Cadets who are either 'stuck' at Eaker or have completed the Cadet Program and earned the Spaatz are a hindrance to younger officers behind them vying for the same types of leadership positions.

A member is a full-fledged Cadet one day and a full-fledged Senior the next, often with command responsibilities, with no real training on how to be a Senior.

Granted, our Spaatz recipients are among our greatest assets and our most accomplished Cadets. But how much more benefit would the bring to the organization if they were transitioned throught training to Senior membership at age nineteen, hopefully solving the majority of the issues listed above?

Capt Shawn Stanford can be contacted by email at Shawn.Stanford@alltel.com.

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