Jamestown Civil Air Patrol cadet receives Billy Mitchell Award
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Sarah Dorman, a Jamestown Civil Air Patrol cadet from Jamestown, was recognized recently for achieving the Billy Mitchell Award.
The Mitchell Award marks the completion of Phase II of the CAP 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 weeklong encampment immersing them in a challenging core values and STEM environment.
The U.S. Air Force respects Mitchell Award recipients’ accomplishments. Mitchell cadets who enlist in the Air Force enter the service at the advanced grade of E-3, Airman First Class. The service also looks favorably upon Mitchell cadets when evaluating Air Force ROTC and Air Force Academy applicants. Once a cadet earns the Mitchell Award, he or she becomes a cadet officer, is promoted to the grade of cadet second lieutenant, and is challenged to lead and serve junior-ranking cadets.
Billy Mitchell, recognized as the “Father of the Independent Air Force,” led an aerial bombing demonstration resulting in the sinking of the surplus German battleship Ostfriesland in 1921. The Navy had said such a feat would be impossible, and the Army remained skeptical toward airpower. Mitchell continued his all-out public campaign for airpower, even facing court martial for his persistence. After the Allied victory in World War II, and by a special act of Congress, Mitchell was posthumously awarded a gold medal.