McHenry County Composite Squadron names youngest 2018 Cadet of the Year

Civil Air Patrol's McHenry Composite Squadron, based out of Galt Airport in Wonder Lake, named Cadet Airman 1st Class Zechariah Vasquez as the Cadet of the Year for 2018.

Vasquez was recognized for this achievement at the annual awards ceremony held at the Moose Lodge 691 in Johnsburg. While the cadet has only been a member since March 2018, he accomplished much in those 11 months including attending two "military style" Civil Air Patrol encampments and volunteered to serve several community events such as the Woodstock Touch-a-Truck, the Galt Airport EAA pancake breakfasts, rocket launches, orientation flights and EAA Discovery Flights.

The McHenry County Composite Squadron Commander stated, "Cadet Vasquez has consistently shown compassion and leadership to his fellow cadet wingmen and community. He is quick to offer advice when asked to help other cadets struggling with drill competencies or when showing members of the community how to master STEM-based games at community outreach events. But what I am most impressed with is his adherence to the Civil Air Patrol core values."

Second Lt. Dawn Iselin, public affairs officer for MCCS, stated, "Cadets in our program not only learn leadership training, but also have access to world class STEM programs and aerospace education which includes orientation flights and emergency services training. Cadet Vasquez has jumped on these opportunities and as a result has already established a great resume at a very young age."

Cadets may join Civil Air Patrol as young as 12 years old.

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, the Civil Air Patrol operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the center with saving an average of 80 lives annually with 155 lives saved in 2018. The Civil Air Patrol's 61,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, it plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 26,000 young people participating in the cadet programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or check out the group's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/il263.