Milestone: Sequim’s Patterson promoted to Cadet Lieutenant Colonel

Madeline Patterson, Sequim High School senior, was promoted to the rank of cadet lieutenant colonel in the Civil Air Patrol on Jan. 8 at a meeting of the Dungeness Composite Squadron.

Patterson joined CAP five years ago and has passed through 19 levels to achieve her new rank, the second-highest rank possible for a cadet within the organization.

With her new rank, Patterson was presented with the organization’s Eaker Award, named for former Gen. Ira Eaker, one of the forefathers of an independent Air Force and a pioneer in aerial refueling.

Presenting the new rank and award were the unit commander, Maj. Mark Swanson, and Northwest Group commander, Lt. Col. Russ Garlow.

Fewer than 2 percent of CAP cadets reach the rank of lieutenant colonel. This spring, Patterson expects to test for the organization’s highest achievement, the Spaatz Award; success would earn her the rank of cadet colonel.

In the Civil Air Patrol, teens from age 12-18 work their way up an Air Force-style promotion ladder. Promotions start with the rank of airman and include skill examinations in aerospace education and leadership, physical fitness testing and successful completion of roles and responsibilities within the squadron and at the state level.

Patterson has served as a cadet leader at two of the annual week-long summer encampments, was chosen to represent CAP at an aviation safety seminar at the Museum of Flight and been part of the state-level Cadet Advisory Council.

She also has served as her unit’s flight sergeant and cadet commander. In 2018, she stepped out of her command role and now serves as the unit’s cadet executive officer.

Patterson plans to use her leadership experience as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Dungeness Composite Squadron is a unit of Washington Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Formerly based in Port Angeles, the unit recently celebrated four years of successful growth in Sequim. Dungeness Composite Squadron meets at Sequim Middle School at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Locally, Washington Wing Civil Air Patrol members operate a fleet of 24 vehicles and 14 aircraft for inland search and rescue missions and cadet orientation flight instruction. The wing is comprised of 691 adult members and 711 cadets organized into 27 squadrons, who contributed a value of $4.9 million in volunteer hours to their local communities and the state of Washington in 2017.

Nationally, CAP 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 AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.

CAP’s 58,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

CAP also plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to 24,000 young people participating in CAP’s cadet programs.

Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.