Cadet Capt. Gabriel Ballesteros of the Civil Air Patrols Kauai Composite Squadron at Lihue Airport is one of 26 cadets nationally chosen to participate in the National Civic Leadership Academy in Washington, D.C.
Cadet Capt. Gabriel Ballesteros of the Civil Air Patrol’s Kauai Composite Squadron at Lihue Airport is one of 26 cadets nationally chosen to participate in the National Civic Leadership Academy in Washington, D.C.
He is a junior at Kauai High.
Scheduled from Feb. 22 to Feb 29, the academy is a real-world, hands-on activity long recognized nationally as a top-notch educational experience.
The cadets will take behind-the-scenes tours and receive briefings at the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, Pentagon, White House, CIA and Arlington National Cemetery.
They will visit the National Archives, members of Congress, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and World War II, Korean War, Vietnam Veterans, Women in Military Service and Lincoln memorials.
They’ll hear from VIPs who provide insights designed to deepen their understanding of government in action. Their tasks culminate with a final project — a presentation on their CLA experience to their peers in their home squadrons.
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime, all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search-and-rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.
Congratulations. I was lucky enough to live in DC for a couple years and IMO every American should visit. In these troubling times it is very easy to forget their are young Americans with dreams and aspirations of their own.