Expedited Cadet Promotions

[sergeant_park]

Hello, I'm a C/CMSgt in New Jersey Wing and I was wondering if there was a way to expedite promotions. So far, I've attended 2 encampments (1 staff as Honor Flight Sergeant), 1 RCLS, I joined in February of 2014, and I may soon staff at Winter Encampment. The only reason I would like to do expedite my promotions is to attempt to receive the Spaatz Award before I apply to schools. Thank you!

[jdh]

Are you or were you in an AFJROTC program, and if so for how many years?

[Гугл переводчик]

How old are you? Just asking so I can get an idea of how long you have until college applications.

If you are not a member of JROTC, then there is no advanced promotion. The fastest you can promote is every 2 months, granted all requirements are met.

[sergeant_park]

Are you or were you in an AFJROTC program, and if so for how many years?

I was not in an AFJROTC program.

How old are you? Just asking so I can get an idea of how long you have until college applications.

If you are not a member of JROTC, then there is no advanced promotion. The fastest you can promote is every 2 months, granted all requirements are met.

SamuelRosingky, I am currently a Sophomore in high school. If I were to get all promotions every 2 months, I would be eligible for the Eaker August 9th before my Senior Year.

[Tim Day]

This isn't a direct answer to your question, but it sounds like you're underlying concern is about making yourself more competitive for scholarships and acceptance into college.

Your Spaatz would help you when you apply to schools, but so will involvement in leadership activities and your other advancements. You've been a member since Feb 2014, and you are still a C/CMSgt - so my first piece of advice to you would be take your Mitchell tests, then work as diligently as possible on getting to your Eaker prior to starting your applications. Even if you send them out prior to earning the Eaker, Earhart will help and you can state that you are progressing toward your Spaatz.

Once you have your Mitchell, research the scholarships CAP has to offer, and don't overlook "small" ones or the school-specific offers.

For example, Texas A&M offers a junior cadet accession program (JCAP). It's not a scholarship, but attendance increases your points towards their scholarship selections and makes you eligible for in-state tuition, which is a lot less than out-of-state tuition.

There are several other schools that have similar offers.

You'll want to show that you are making progress towards increased levels of responsibility. You were a student and a flight sergeant, next you should be a flight commander or support cadre OIC. Ground Team Leader training (it's ok to state on an application that you are qualified to lead search and rescue ground teams except for age) or other Wing-level activity leadership and increased responsibility in your home squadron will also help. These all generate experiences that you can write about in your application essays that will set you apart.

Hope that helps.

[LSThiker]

I am currently a Sophomore in high school. If I were to get all promotions every 2 months, I would be eligible for the Eaker August 9th before my Senior Year.

Then that is the fastest you can promote in theory.  There are no advance field promotions or special appointments for cadets. 

It seems like your biggest concern is applying for scholarships and making yourself more competitive.  Depending on your aspirations, there are other ways to make yourself more competitive.  Truth to be told, most people, outside our organization, do not know the difference between the Mitchell Award and the Spaatz Award.  It means the same thing to them.  At a minimum, get your Mitchell Award, but find other avenues of approach.  Getting the Mitchell Award (or even Spaatz) only takes an application so far.  Make sure you have leadership experience.  Saying that you lead 20 cadets through a week long leadership school says a lot more than "Received the Mitchell Award" to someone outside the organization.  Ensure that you always assume a position of responsibility and leadership at group or wing activities and that you are not just showing up as a warm body.

Do not focus solely on CAP.  Find leadership and community service outside of the organization.  Find them at your school.  Find them within the community.  Try to find some internships or summer shadowing experiences.  Make sure that those opportunities are compatible with your goals, though.  For example, do not volunteer with Greenpeace if your goal is to become a geologist for an oil company.  Or the PeaceCorps if you want to join ROTC or a military school.  While they may not "deny" you solely on that, but it will paint a cloud over your application.

At the very minimum, find a part time job during the summer. 

[TheSkyHornet]

Every 8 weeks. Get it done on-time. Don't screw around. And deal with the fact that you can't always jump the gun on promoting just because you want it on your resume. That's actually something that I, as a CDC, would say shows an immaturity on the CAP side. If I asked a cadet why they felt they were deserving of a promotion, and they told me "Because I want my Spaatz to me on my college transcript," I'd say "Okay, why are you deserving of that? Why are you entitled? Where's the experience that warrants this?"

[MSG Mac]

CAPR 52-16

[lordmonar]

. If I asked a cadet why they felt they were deserving of a promotion, and they told me "Because I want my Spaatz to me on my college transcript," I'd say "Okay, why are you deserving of that? Why are you entitled? Where's the experience that warrants this?"

Yes....the proper and most correct answer is "I have met all the requirements of 52-16 including the subjective ones, ergo I've earned it".

[TheSkyHornet]

. If I asked a cadet why they felt they were deserving of a promotion, and they told me "Because I want my Spaatz to me on my college transcript," I'd say "Okay, why are you deserving of that? Why are you entitled? Where's the experience that warrants this?"

Yes....the proper and most correct answer is "I have met all the requirements of 52-16 including the subjective ones, ergo I've earned it".

"Explain to me how you feel you met the requirements to have participated actively. You completed the tests and sat in Character Development. But other than showing up once a month, you're never around. Nobody can get in touch with you. You don't respond to emails, texts, or phone calls. You just recited the Cadet Oath, but as far as I've seen, you don't seem to live up to some of those Core Values. You got yanked out of a duty position a few months ago because you weren't doing the job, and when we asked you why you felt things weren't progressing as they should have or could have, you blamed it on everyone else below you that you're supposed to lead. You have an attitude when you talk to Senior Members. You have an attitude when you talk to people who rank below you. Your ribbon rack is full of accomplishments, but you don't demonstrate yourself to be of character. You act like you're entitled to everything, and when someone disagrees with you on something, you threaten to call Wing or National as if you always get your way. So explain to me why I should put my name next to yours on a little piece of paper just because you told me you deserved it."

I'm always willing to consider anyone who I feel has deserved a promotion. And while I ask people for their reasoning behind certain things that come up, I usually already know the answer. I know my cadets and I know what they can do, and what they choose not to do. Filling in the blanks on the eServices data entry doesn't say a thing about their character as a cadet in that grade, just your eligibility to be reviewed.

[Spam]

As long as we follow 52-16 section 5-2e, we're doing it right:

"5-2. Cadet Promotions.
a. Eligibility. To become eligible [emphasis added by Spam - eligibility not entitlement being the key term here] for advancement, cadets typically must..."

and

"e. Sustaining a Cadet in Grade. Commanders may sustain a promotion-eligible cadet in grade if the cadet's performance or maturity does not demonstrate an ability to accept increased responsibility commensurate with the promotion. Using the CAPF 50, Cadet Leadership Feedback, the commander (or deputy commander) will offer constructive feed-back to help the cadet develop his/her leadership skills. The commander must also schedule a follow-up review to be held within 60 days".

If we're simply saying no, without constructive, written feedback and rationale, it devolves into a he said she said food fight that is counter to the program, may be taken personally. For that matter, we need to use the Form 50s for all board actions, not just the unfavorable ones, to be compliant.


Opinion:
If we only offer boards to people we subjectively "feel" deserves a promotion, that can be troublesome as well. Suggest that EVERY cadet should get a board quarterly, if they don't have a promotion action in the last 120 days (*theres a nice report on eServices to support this), and that these boards should document progress expectations on the Form 50, whether advancement is in the cards, or not. Those forms were designed to guide and shape the subjectivity inherent in the process, and thus they do offer (a) some standardized equality of treatment to candidates, as well as (b) some degree of insulation for CP officers against charges of unfairness and partiality.


V/R
Spam

[Tim Day]

. If I asked a cadet why they felt they were deserving of a promotion, and they told me "Because I want my Spaatz to me on my college transcript," I'd say "Okay, why are you deserving of that? Why are you entitled? Where's the experience that warrants this?"

Yes....the proper and most correct answer is "I have met all the requirements of 52-16 including the subjective ones, ergo I've earned it".

"Explain to me how you feel you met the requirements to have participated actively. You completed the tests and sat in Character Development. But other than showing up once a month, you're never around. Nobody can get in touch with you. You don't respond to emails, texts, or phone calls. You just recited the Cadet Oath, but as far as I've seen, you don't seem to live up to some of those Core Values. You got yanked out of a duty position a few months ago because you weren't doing the job, and when we asked you why you felt things weren't progressing as they should have or could have, you blamed it on everyone else below you that you're supposed to lead. You have an attitude when you talk to Senior Members. You have an attitude when you talk to people who rank below you. Your ribbon rack is full of accomplishments, but you don't demonstrate yourself to be of character. You act like you're entitled to everything, and when someone disagrees with you on something, you threaten to call Wing or National as if you always get your way. So explain to me why I should put my name next to yours on a little piece of paper just because you told me you deserved it."

I'm always willing to consider anyone who I feel has deserved a promotion. And while I ask people for their reasoning behind certain things that come up, I usually already know the answer. I know my cadets and I know what they can do, and what they choose not to do. Filling in the blanks on the eServices data entry doesn't say a thing about their character as a cadet in that grade, just your eligibility to be reviewed.

Just so we're clear, this is a great example of how not to do a feedback session.

[Storm Chaser]

I think there are times when you have to be straight forward. If everything else fails, you must clearly state what they're doing wrong and what they need to do to correct it. As long as you keep it professional and provide specific guidance on how to improve, I think most cadets (at least those truly committed) will appreciate it.

[SARDOC]

Are you or were you in an AFJROTC program, and if so for how many years?

I was not in an AFJROTC program.

How old are you? Just asking so I can get an idea of how long you have until college applications.

If you are not a member of JROTC, then there is no advanced promotion. The fastest you can promote is every 2 months, granted all requirements are met.

SamuelRosingky, I am currently a Sophomore in high school. If I were to get all promotions every 2 months, I would be eligible for the Eaker August 9th before my Senior Year.

then you'd be eligible to test for your Spaatz on August 10th.

[Tim Day]

I think there are times when you have to be straight forward. If everything else fails, you must clearly state what they're doing wrong and what they need to do to correct it. As long as you keep it professional and provide specific guidance on how to improve, I think most cadets (at least those truly committed) will appreciate it.

Agree 100%.

[TheSkyHornet]

As long as we follow 52-16 section 5-2e, we're doing it right:

"5-2. Cadet Promotions.
a. Eligibility. To become eligible [emphasis added by Spam - eligibility not entitlement being the key term here] for advancement, cadets typically must..."

and

"e. Sustaining a Cadet in Grade. Commanders may sustain a promotion-eligible cadet in grade if the cadet's performance or maturity does not demonstrate an ability to accept increased responsibility commensurate with the promotion. Using the CAPF 50, Cadet Leadership Feedback, the commander (or deputy commander) will offer constructive feed-back to help the cadet develop his/her leadership skills. The commander must also schedule a follow-up review to be held within 60 days".

If we're simply saying no, without constructive, written feedback and rationale, it devolves into a he said she said food fight that is counter to the program, may be taken personally. For that matter, we need to use the Form 50s for all board actions, not just the unfavorable ones, to be compliant.


Opinion:
If we only offer boards to people we subjectively "feel" deserves a promotion, that can be troublesome as well. Suggest that EVERY cadet should get a board quarterly, if they don't have a promotion action in the last 120 days (*theres a nice report on eServices to support this), and that these boards should document progress expectations on the Form 50, whether advancement is in the cards, or not. Those forms were designed to guide and shape the subjectivity inherent in the process, and thus they do offer (a) some standardized equality of treatment to candidates, as well as (b) some degree of insulation for CP officers against charges of unfairness and partiality.


V/R
Spam

Strongly agree.

Feedback is essential for each cadet to understand what the consensus is by their senior leadership as to that cadet's progress. Written feedback is imperative because it gives people the ability to re-read and review critique so it isn't just spewed bilge that a person doesn't take in. Plus, many people take any criticism as an immediate personal attack.

Some squadron do Form 50s way too often, though, in my opinion. I haven't seen the quarterly Form 50 idea outside of just the cadet staff if they aren't promoting in a timely fashion. But I see more squadrons doing too many in-person boards as opposed to the minimum once per phase. I'm more partial to in-person reviews being held at milestones, and possibly at the mid-point during a phase when you see longer spans between milestones. I think holding an in-person session at each promotion is overkill.

I think there are times when you have to be straight forward. If everything else fails, you must clearly state what they're doing wrong and what they need to do to correct it. As long as you keep it professional and provide specific guidance on how to improve, I think most cadets (at least those truly committed) will appreciate it.

I think anyone going for Spaatz, assuming that they're probably around 18-19, should be able to accept a very harsh critique if they present themselves as an arrogant, entitled brat, to say the least. I've seen several C/Lt Cols now that have a really bad entitlement complex and I think a couple of them were promoted because they are seen as the poster children for their squadrons. It seems a lot of cadet officers enter a phase where they think they can do no wrong, especially Cadet Commanders, especially Cadet Commanders who are no longer serving as Cadet Commander and now think they are beyond the cadet chain of command. I've seen cadets who have mouthed off to senior members in front of a group of people, and I ask myself every time: "Who promoted this kid?" (I say kid because when you act a certain way, you lose my respect of seeing you as a cadet, a fellow CAP member). Kids have tantrums. Cadets take responsibility. You don't need to be a prick about it. But if a cadet acts like they're entitled to something for the simple sake of "they are," then they're entitled to explain their character that warrants it.

Most cadets are great. They love to hear how to improve themselves because that's why they stayed in the program. They want to be a leader, not play the role of one. Okay, so sometimes you get a cadet who you really can't improve no matter how hard you/they try. Some just never get it. And that's okay. They still try. But every now and then you come across one with a real salty attitude who tries to out-game you, even threatening to go higher up if you don't promote them. I've seen it. And I've seen some senior members take it. That's when you divert from the promotion process and address it as a disciplinary issue. It shouldn't matter what grade they are.

[Tim Day]

Not sure what you mean by harsh, but I think a feedback session can be clear and direct without coming across as attacking the person. Keep the language of any critical feedback directed at the performance. As an example ( I might document this on a CAPF 50 or memorandum for):

The language you used to respond to SM Smith does not meet the standard of respectful communication for your grade, especially when used in front of a group of cadets. Before I recommend you for promotion I'll need to see you stop using that kind of language and instead develop a way to handle conflict with those senior to you that shows respect. The standard for Phase III includes "...dissents respectively when disagreeing with superiors [I prefer the term 'those who are senior to you']." Here's an example of a response that would have met the Phase III standard: politely asking the senior member if he would discuss the matter with you apart from the group, phrasing your disagreement in terms of a question, then escalating via the chain of command if the issue isn't resolved. I and other senior members are available to coach you on this process. Do you have any questions for me?

The feedback is clear, direct, provides a way to "get healthy", and comes with an offer of assistance. The cadet has the choice to reject your feedback or accept it. If he rejects it, or is overtly rude during the discussion than you may have to be stern, but that's still not what I would consider to be harsh.