Tahoe-Truckee Member Achieves Highest Cadet Award

Congratulations to Cadet Col. (now Senior Member) Justin Hoekman on earning the General Carl A. Spaatz Award, presented April 22, 2021, at the Truckee Tahoe Airport, Truckee, CA. This award is the highest achievement for cadets in the Civil Air Patrol Program. SM Hoekman is the 2304th cadet to earn this award since 1942.

As a cadet, SM Hoekman held several staff positions in the Tahoe-Truckee Composite Squadron, served as the Cadet Advisory Council Nevada Chair, received the Nevada Wing Best Cadet Speaker Award, Wing Commander's Commendation, five community service awards and consistently participated in many other activities in the Civil Air Patrol over the years. He is also the 11th to earn his private pilot's license through Civil Air Patrol's Wings Program and is working towards his instrument rating. 

The Spaatz Award is named in honor of Carl "Tooey" Spaatz, the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. One of the giants in the history of airpower, in 1929 Spaatz, together with another pilot, set an important flight endurance record of 150 hours and 40 minutes in the early days of aviation. During World War II, he commanded the Allied air campaign against the Nazis. In the Pacific Theater, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place under his command. After retiring from the Air Force, General Spaatz served as the first chairman of the Civil Air Patrol National Board. 

Cadets qualify for this prestigious award after devoting an average of four years to progress through sixteen achievements in the CAP Cadet Program. Along the way they develop self-discipline, a strong sense of personal responsibility, the ability to lead and persuade, and the foundation necessary for pursuing a career in aviation, space, or technology.