I'm a former Senior Member. I left CAP back in '83 because I felt it was a total waste of my time.
My problem wasn't with the cadet program as I felt there were a good number of young men and women who could benefit from the program -- if it were run properly. Many of the cadets I worked with went on to military careers as well as the service academies. Their success was not because of -- but rather in SPITE of the Senior Members who ran the show.
This takes me to my major gripe with the CAP program. Many of the SM's had no prior military experience and were there IMHO to live a fantasy that they could never have in their real lives. They wanted to play military, wear a uniform and hold a rank that meant absolutely nothing.
The power cliques that developed from these wannabes created very harsh and dysfunctional environments that in turn, had an adverse impact upon the cadets. If you want an example, we had a child molester who went out on a bivouac and molested several male cadets. Thankfully, this individual is now in prison.
We had a squadron commander who had mental issues and constantly berated cadets and seniors alike in front of the group as a whole.
These are just some examples of many of the bad apples I found in the Senior Member program. It attracted these nutjobs like flies to exrement. These types of individuals ruined an otherwies beneficial experience for many cadets who walked away from the program shaking their heads. They could not understand why their 'adult' leadership had the emotional maturity of adolescents.
My soulution would be to get rid of the Senior Member program entirely. The cadet program should be run by Air Force reservists only. IRR members could get retirement points for their efforts and use their military experience and leadership abilities to the cadets -- helping them build a better future for themselves.
police Article |
Name - SkyRider 09:51:41 08-20-07
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 MG Pineda has |
| The following was posted on CAP-Talk, and had been forward by numerous Wing Commanders. The following email is sent on behalf of Major General Richard L. Bowling, Chairman of the CAP Board of Governors. The Boa.. full Article |
Name - SkyRider 13:28:31 08-06-07
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