Cadet Col. Ian Farthing of the Lawrence Composite Squadron is the Kansas Wing’s newest recipient of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, Civil Air Patrol’s highest cadet achievement.
Farthing received his Spaatz award from Brig. Gen. Regena Aye, CAP national vice commander and the organization’s next national commander. Aye also commanded the Kansas Wing from 2008-2012 and is a 1992 recipient of the Spaatz award.
The award presentation took place at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence on May 26 — the 76th anniversary of Civil Air Patrol’s officially becoming an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.
A CAP member since Feb. 12, 2019, Farthing serves as vice chair of the North Central Region Cadet Advisory Council.
Less than one-half of 1% of cadets attain the Spaatz award. 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.
