LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The room full of cadets, parents and senior members was silent, uniformed members standing at attention, as Air Force Col. Matt Molloy, 1st Fighter Wing commander, stood beside Civil Air Patrol Cadet Capt. Mathew Kubilins.
"Success comes in youth investment in school, sports and community," said Colonel Molloy. "It's impressive to me as a commander to see how involved Mat is in all of these."
After speaking to the crowd about Cadet Kubilins accomplishments and character, Colonel Molloy presented him with the Amelia Earhart award Sept. 14, representing his completion of the third phase of the CAP cadet program, a benchmark in cadet accessions.
The award is a rare achievement, with only five per cent of cadets nationwide receiving the honor.
"What an honor it is to be presenting Mat with this award," Colonel Molloy said. "What an amazing award for an amazing young man."
After receiving the award and citation, Colonel Molloy reached into his flight suit utility pocket to give the cadet another time-honored military tradition: a challenge coin.
"Remember to keep this with you wherever you go," said Colonel Molloy, detailing the history of coin presentations. "This is your first of hopefully many to come."
Cadet Kubilins is active in school and in CAP, serving as the cadet commander of the Langley Composite Squadron's cadet corps. He attends Poquoson High School and plays soccer year-round. His father, Gregg Kubilins, serves in CAP alongside him as a 1st Lieutenant.
"I organize my reading rather than trying to tackle it all at the last minute," said Cadet Kubilins, detailing his keys to success at school and in CAP. "I make study guides, try to study effectively and make sure to always be on time."
As for keys to success, Colonel Molloy applauded not only Cadet Kubilins for his hard work, but thanked CAP for its dedication to the community and its youth.
"This organization does an amazing job of shaping tomorrow," said Colonel Molloy. "Being part of CAP is being in the business of serving people, and by laying the foundations for our future leaders, you are all definitely serving our community."
Cadet Kubilins plans on working hard to earn his next promotion, all while determining what he wants to do in the future.
"I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but I do know that doing well in school and applying what I learn in CAP is going to help me get there," he said.
Colonel Molloy encouraged Cadet Kubilins to keep up the good work and asked the other cadets in the squadron to follow their leader.
"Excellence follows excellence," he said. "I encourage you all to aspire to excel at all you do every day."
(Editor's note: Airman 1st Class Jason J. Brown serves as a 2nd Lieutenant in CAP and is the public affairs officer for the Langley Composite Squadron.)