Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Gavin Davis, age 20 (Shortsville) was recently awarded the Captain James “Burr” Reddig, USAF memorial award, becoming New York Wing’s 2021 Cadet of the Year.
Cadet Lt. Col. Davis is a member of the Rochester Composite Squadron. The Squadron was also honored as New York Wing’s Squadron of Merit for 2021.
“I’m super excited to receive this honor and represent my group, squadron, and wing. I really hope this inspires my cadets and lets them know anything is possible if you put your mind to it. It was very hard and a lot of work to get here, but it is so rewarding in the end, and the journey was even better being able to do it with others. I want to say a special thanks to my best friend and former NYWG CAC Chair, C/Lt Col Sahil Swali for taking this journey with me in CAP. From CAC to RCLS, we did just about everything in CAP together the past few years and I would not be here without his friendship and support, among many others who helped me.” Said Cadet Davis.
Davis graduated from Marcus Whitman HS in 2020 and currently attends Finger Lakes Community College where he hopes to earn a degree in Psychology this year.
Cadet Davis has attended many leadership and search and rescue schools in Civil Air Patrol. He is a ground team leader and serves as his squadron’s cadet emergency services officer. Davis also serves on CAP’s National Cadet Advisory Committee and was selected as the Cadet Commander for the Ohio Wing’s 2022 Summer Encampment.
Civil Air Patrol is the longtime auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a valued member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine aircraft and more than 2,100 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). It performs about 90% 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 82 lives annually. CAP’s 56,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Operating as a nonprofit organization, CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to more than 23,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.
Visit www.CAP.News or www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.
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