The Spaatz Award - is it worth it?

[C/CMSgt]

I was recently talking to my parents about my goal was to get the Spaatz award. I was talking about how it will take at least another two years to get it. They brought up the subject on whether it was worth it or not. Their big question is was if it will help me get anywhere in life when I start my career in the military. They also wanted to know, that in the event I didn't do the military and slected a civilian career, if it would actually help me in get anywhere.

Help?

[coudano]

The award is worth points in Academy admissions.

Other than that there are no direct "rewards" of the Spaatz.

However, the process of earning it, and the experiences that you (should) have to integrate, on the way to getting there, will make you a more mature and capable leader, which will help you in general in your pursuits in life.

Additionally, there is something to be said for the tenacity required to earn the Spaatz award.  Many cadets are /capable/ of meeting the requirements and passing the tests.  Few stay focused and on target long enough to actually reach it.  They get distracted and/or re-prioritize for various other reasons.  Having the ability to set a goal like that, and the self-discipline to stay on it through completion is another character trait which will serve you will for the rest of your life, whatever you do.

[Eclipse]

^+10

[Salty]

One of the biggest regrets I have in my CAP cadet career is the fact I only got one shot at the Spaatz Award and didn't earn it before I was forced to switch to Senior Member due to going to USAF BMT.  My motivation was the fact that I wanted to be the best and I wanted to finish what I started.

As was stated above, the lessons you learn while striving to achieve that goal are important.  In fact, those lessons are more important than the award itself in my opinion.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I was talking about how it will take at least another two years to get it.

Are you planning on doing something else before then?

They brought up the subject on whether it was worth it or not. Their big question is was if it will help me get anywhere in life when I start my career in the military.

It depends, are you planning on applying to a service academy? It should prepare you to be a better leader as said, so it has benefits, just not something you can put down on paper per se.

They also wanted to know, that in the event I didn't do the military and slected a civilian career, if it would actually help me in get anywhere.

See above.


As other said, pretty much everyone is able to get it done, but for some reason only 1/200 cadets do. I wouldn't make the cut because my PT wasn't up to par. I think I would have managed the actual knowledge part. A lot of cadets move to college. Others move on to other interests. Some get stuck at bottlenecks like C/CMSgt or 2d Lt and just give up.

[Phil Hirons, Jr.]

Civil Air Patrol - Spaatz Award (earned only by 2.7% of cadets in the nation)...
With some explanation of the volunteer and ES aspects of the program would look really good on you college applications.

The lessons in leadership, both book and real life, carry over into every aspect of life.

General rule of goal setting is aim high, if you miss you'll still have done more than those who did not try.

So you aim for Spaatz and "only" get Eaker. You've still accomplished something over 90% cadets will not.

I made 1 try for the Spaatz and missed by 1 point on the Leadership Exam. I wish I had tried again.

[Майор Хаткевич]

2.7% is way off.

The typical breakdown is:
27% for Wright Brothers
15% for Mitchell
5% for Earhart
2% for Eaker
.5% for Spaatz.

Get your Mitchell, and the "benefits" of CAP are completed. You are now where only 15% of cadets have been. Stop here, it's your choice, but why did you join CAP? To get E-3 in the Air Force or to learn some great skills and have fun?

[Extremepredjudice]

You can always put the Spaatz on your resume... Not many people get to say they were a C/Col.

[Ned]

Is it worth the time and effort?

A great question!  It shows that you and your folks understand how important it is to focus your limited time towards activities that will help you in the future.

And I suspect you already know that it is not an easy question to answer.  Mostly because it depends on what your plans are, and what you think is important to help get you there.

But I know a couple of people in the civilian world you can ask - to see if it helped them.

You might want to start with NASA Astronaut Eric Boe, Spaatz #648.  (Although to be fair, he is also a USAF colonel, so you might not consider him a "civilian" when talking with your folks.)

I know a physician that credited the Spaatz Award  with helping her into medical school - and more importantly - with the discipline necessary to see it through.  Dr. Kay McLaughlin (internal medicine - somewhere in Michigan), Spaatz #526.

Of course, you can also speak to Delegate Rich Anderson #193, currently representing the 51st District in Virgnia.

Similarly, you can talk to David Simmons #447, a successful attorney in the Denver area.

I can't put her name in a public place, but I can also put you in touch with a senior FBI official who told me her Spaatz Award and CAP experience were the key to her career.




I know that you weren't really talking about military careers in your original question, but I have spoken with some distinguished flag officers, including Lt Gen Ted Bowlds #290, who credited his Spaatz Award with giving him a solid start in his AF career.  And Rear Admiral (ret) Deberah Loewer, #285, who recently retired after a distinguished Navy career.

These are just the people I personally know or have spoken to.  We have a lot of other distinguished Spaatz cadets serving their community, state, and nation.

Please PM and I can share phone nubemers and contact info.

Ned Lee
Spaatz #356

[Major Lord]

BTW, What Spaatz number are we up to now? There have not been many. My son ( Staff Sgt Ian Lord, USAF) and his Wife ( Megan Cleary Lord, 2nd Lt, USAF/ Medical Student) are both Spaatzen, and I know that CAP and the Spaatz "track" were the singe most positive and formative things in their education. In many ways, the Spaatz goal puts you into positions of responsibility in CAP faster than you may think you want advance. You might be facilitating things instead of riding the water slide, but I have never met a Spaatz Cadet who was a failure in life. ( okay except those two at the Academy, but I never met them....) Ned and his lovely wife are also Spaatzen, and remarkable and admirable human beings in every sense of the word.

Major Lord

[SarDragon]

1768+. That's as of August 2010 on The Spaatz Association site. Looks like they are behind a bit. It might be up to 1800 by now.

[davidsinn]

1768+. That's as of August 2010 on The Spaatz Association site. Looks like they are behind a bit. It might be up to 1800 by now.

1817 was the last one.

[DBlair]

You should absolutely go for your Spaatz.

Consider my story... I was a C/Lt Col by the time I was 15 and so I had plenty of time to go for it, not to mention my running times were far better than required and had a solid command of the material (including many perfect scores on previous tests, and I could actually recite portions of the materials by memory), and so I was confident that passing would not be an issue.

I casually put it off as not being a rush, eventually getting too comfortable as a C/Lt Col (as so many do) and was distracted with extensive CAP involvement at various echelons and command/staff roles, and then off to college I went, nonchalantly forgetting the Spaatz, and creating a big regret that I still have today, years and years later.

Without going down my resume, I have an extensive resume/CV filled with all sorts of grand accomplishments (everything from becoming an Eagle Scout at 13 to countless awards at the local, state, and national level and various personal and professional accomplishments), and yet the one thing that still irks me, is that I let myself get so distracted and didn't go for the Spaatz.

Don't allow yourself such a mistake that will (to at least some degree) be a disappointment and a regret.


Will the Spaatz put you on the fast track to life?

Not really, as most people don't even know what it is, with Eagle Scout gaining much much much more recognition/esteem. If applying for an Academy, the Spaatz can be helpful, and when you transition to a SM, you will be a Captain (instead of a 1st Lt, promotable to Capt in 18 months due to Eaker Award), automatically have credit for SLS, ECI-13, Tech and Senior Ratings in Cadet Programs, and automatically get your Yeager Award.

Otherwise, there aren't really any 'benefits' to the Spaatz, other than knowing you did with most never do, and that you successfully went all the way, start to finish at the highest point possible, and feeling pride and accomplishment in knowing that you succeeded with this goal.

My Advice: Go for the Spaatz. You'll be glad you did.

[BuckeyeDEJ]

I first tested for the Spaatz at age 15, after fast-burning the cadet program (which I would never advise). The wing commander, LO, LNCO and a few others got stars in their eyes about having a young, young Spaatz recipient.

Guess what? 15's too young to take it. And I didn't pass.

So I waited until I was older, maybe a bit more mature. I passed two parts and narrowly failed two. On the second retest, I missed ONE QUESTION TOO MANY on one exam. Just one. So I'm as close as one can possibly get without grabbing that third diamond.

Would the Spaatz have done anything for me? The answer will land with a dull thud: No. Bragging rights, captain at 21, that's about it. Had I gone to West Virginia University, I'd have had an extra $1,000 scholarship from West Virginia Wing. But I went to a small, private college in Ohio, not a large diploma mill in what some arguably still consider the Third World.

I don't say it to discourage anyone. In fact, I think it's a lofty goal to snag Diamond No. 3. But you have to be realistic about what you want to do with it. If you want to go to USAFA or get a leg up in AFROTC, bango. If you decide that a bachelor's in journalism and a career in the media is what you want (which is what I did, needless to say), it doesn't do anything. If you stay in CAP, it adds credibility and knowledge you can apply in all sorts of places. Hey, Spaatz recipients put their pants on the same way the rest of us do. And an Earhart or Eaker can grease the skids in AFROTC probably as much as the Spaatz, anyway.

I say, take the exam. Prepare diligently and aim high. See the cadet program through. If you made it through all 16 achievements, it doesn't make sense not to stay the course and finish the race. Don't shy away from it, then regret it later. Go out there and kick its tail. And if it's beneficial in your career path after the cadet program, great. If not, great, too. Consider it, at the least, a point of pride.

[Phil Hirons, Jr.]

2.7% is way off.

.5% for Spaatz.

I meant to note the # was a  wild guess. My bad

[Major Lord]

2.7% is way off.

.5% for Spaatz.

I meant to note the # was a  wild guess. My bad

So only about .001 % of Spaatzen are convicted murderers? Excellent! 25% of all successful American presidential assassins have been CAP cadets!

Major Lord

[EMT-83]

How I love statistics!

[Spaceman3750]

You know, I could ask this same question about the GRW - is it worth it?

[Tim Medeiros]

You know, I could ask this same question about the GRW - is it worth it?

The question I pose in response to this and the original question, what do you gain by not getting it?

[Extremepredjudice]

How I love statistics!

87% of statistics are made up on the spot.