Cadet Col. Connor Kazemi of the Georgia Wing’s Forsyth County Cadet Squadron has added Civil Air Patrol’s top cadet achievement to his array of accomplishments.
Kazemi received word while attending Cadet Officer School last month at CAP National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force, Alabama, that he had passed the Spaatz award exam. He had recently returned from back-to-back trips to Boys State, followed by the 2024 Georgia Wing encampment, where he served as cadet deputy commander of operations.
And a few weeks earlier, on April 7, he had graduated from CAP’s Cadet Wings program for young pilots.
The cadet always aspired to becoming a pilot, said his mother, 2nd Lt. Linnet Kazemi, personnel officer for the Forsyth County squadron. “I remember when he was as early as 3 or 4 years old saying he’s wanted to fly,” she said. “My grandfather was a captain on Pan Am for 35 years; whether it’s in his blood or he just enjoyed planes, his entire life he’s wanted to fly.”
More precisely, he can pinpoint the exact moment he realized he wanted to fly for the military, Kazemi said.
“In sixth grade, we had a school project for Veterans Day,” he recalled. “We had to explore different services and the different jobs you can do in the military. That was the first time I had a thought about joining the military.”
The following year, a chance conversation between his dad and the father of a Civil Air Patrol cadet who lived a few houses away gave marked the future cadet’s introduction to CAP — and especially to its promise of five orientation flights for young members.
These days, the rising senior is applying to service academies in hopes of becoming a military pilot. In April he visited with service academy representatives at Georgia Service Academy Day at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
“When I went to the Naval Academy (tour) and got to stay with one of the midshipmen, I really liked the environment,” Kazemi said. “I liked the structure and discipline. There are sacrifices to going to a service academy instead of a traditional college, but it’s an amazing opportunity.
“At the Air Force Academy, one of the admission officers worked on a bill for one summer with a member of Congress. As someone who also wants to study political science, those opportunities are a very big plus for me,” he said.
Kazemi credits CAP with helping him get as far as he has, with hopes of going further.
When he first joined, he wasn’t thinking about the Spaatz award, which less than one-half of 1% of cadets attain. Doing so requires completing the cadet program’s 16 achievements, then passing pass a rigorous cumulative battery consisting of a strenuous physical fitness exam, a written essay on a persistent moral issue, and two 60-question cumulative exams on aerospace and leadership.
As a new cadet, “when you look at the super chart as an airman, it’s a lot,” he said. “But when you look at just the next step or two ahead of you, it’s not that bad.
“When I became a lieutenant, that’s when I started doing stuff outside of the squadron like CAC (Cadet Advisory Council), then CLA (Civil Leadership Academy), then CAC again, and encampment three times,” Kazemi said.
“Once you make those connections and have those experiences, you can’t go back.”
Advancing through the cadet ranks hasn’t always been easy, but his advice to other cadets facing adversity in CAP or while on the path to a service academy is to stop and sleep on it,” he said.
“There’s always going to be something you can do about (a challenge),” he said. “Think through your options if it’s a hard scenario or just give it time. And try to find a mentor to help you through.
“We’re here to grow and develop ourselves, but we’re privileged to grow others and develop others, as well.”_____Lt. Col. Elizabeth PeacePublic Affairs OfficerGeorgia Wing
