For the first time in Civil Air Patrol history, the outgoing national commander and CEO, Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, and his incoming successor, Brig. Gen. Regena Aye, are both recipients of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, the highest honor a CAP cadet can earn.
Both keep their Spaatz award letter tucked away in a file of precious keepsakes.
And fittingly, both sign the Spaatz award letters to recipients, a tradition begun when they assumed CAP’s top leadership roles in August 2021.
“When we came into office, we created a letter that we jointly signed that goes out to all Spaatz recipients. That was inspired by the Spaatz letter that we received,” Phelka said.
“The idea was born when we both took pictures of our [Spaatz] letters and sent them to each other,” Aye said.
Phelka was the second Spaatz recipient to attain the rank of national commander. Aye will be the third. The first was Brig. Gen. Richard Anderson, CAP’s top leader from 1993-1996.
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.
Humble BeginningsFor Phelka and Aye, the Spaatz is another commonality. Both were kids in America’s heartland.
Phelka grew up in the upper Midwest, in the Detroit suburbs.
Aye was reared in Burlingame, Kansas, a town of fewer than 1,000 south of Topeka. The daughter of bakery owners, as an infant she slept in a shoebox on a counter.
Even with their contrasts, metro Detroit and small-town Kansas share a broad-shouldered work ethic. And Phelka and Aye went full throttle when it came to work and service, especially in CAP.
History Repeats ItselfFor Aye, news of the historic footnote of CAP being led by successive Spaatz recipients came as a surprise.
“I knew we were the first commander-vice commander team to both be Spaatz cadets, but I did not realize we were the first Spaatz [recipients] to follow each other,” Aye said.
They were also the first Spaatz recipients to serve together as national commander and vice commander — another historic milestone.
Phelka and Aye have both been heavily involved in building cadet programs across their Civil Air Patrol careers. During his leadership tenure, Phelka has piloted cadets’ orientation rides, instructed at flight academies, and participated in Spaatz presentation ceremonies.
Aye has also been heavily involved in cadet programs at activities like National Blue Beret. Like Phelka, she’s been hands-on in her work with the cadet program.
In-Person PresentationsPhelka has presented dozens of Spaatz awards in person at the recipients’ request. Members of Congress, high-ranking U.S. Air Force officers, and others in various leadership positions also receive requests.
“When a cadet requests me, it’s a tremendous honor. I definitely know what it takes to achieve that award,” Phelka said.
“It’s a very special thing as a recipient myself to be able to present the award and highlight the level of achievement for an individual, as well as others who have worked together to help achieve that award — parents, mentors, coaches, squadron leaders …
“Invariably, the cadet is aware that it’s not an individual achievement but requires a lot of help and mentorship to get the person there.”
The historic footnote is an endorsement of the cadet program and fuels a spirit of optimism.
“It inspires me for the future,” Aye said. “It makes the future exciting because it tells me the things we do in our cadet program really do produce leaders and people who want to serve and are willing to stay with the organization and ensure that there are activities and events for future generations of leaders.”
A Meteoric RiseAye received her Spaatz award at age 20, in 1992. Hers was a meteoric rise in the organization after she joined in 1989.
Looking back to Burlingame in the context of her CAP career, she said, “If I write a book, it would be called ‘From a Shoebox to the Stars.’”
One aspect drew her to CAP, the Air Force auxiliary.
“I was really interested in leadership,” she said. “That was the part of the mission that most spoke to me. I also had two uncles who served in the Air Force.”
Childhood health problems grounded any hopes she had of following her. Once those issues subsided, she turned to CAP.
The baby in a low-income family, Aye was a tiny infant, weighing only 5 pounds, thus her shoebox cradle.
“I was eight years after my sister and 10 years after my brother, so we didn’t have a lot of baby stuff left,” Aye said.
Love, Faith, and EncouragementBut the Baileys of Burlingame were rich in the things that matter — love, faith, and encouragement.
Her parents are “proud as can be” of their daughter and her new leadership role in CAP, Aye said.
“They’ve been very supportive my whole life,” she said. “I’m blessed to have a loving family that lifts me up, you know … They believed in me.”’
As a cadet, she would have considered a Spaatz award, much less becoming CAP national commander and CEO, unthinkable.
“I was a shy kid who went to a high school with 100 kids,” she said. “I didn’t have a lot of confidence.”
CAP and the Spaatz award changed that.
“Going through the cadet program and all the things you learn as you progress, it builds confidence and really great set of leadership skills.
“Leadership is something you build your whole life,” Aye added,” but I’m not sure you ever master it, because the situations always change a little bit.
“The confidence it gives you to tackle new challenges is invaluable.”
Empowering OthersShe called the Spaatz award “a wonderful goal to achieve. It validates your success up to that point in your life. It gives you a jumping-off point for that next phase of your leadership development.”
The stories of Spaatz recipients are peppered with success. But even cadets who choose not to pursue the award can be successful wherever course their CAP careers follow.
“That may be where I differ from some other Spaatz cadets. I think it is a prestigious honor, but we aren’t defined by it,” Aye said. “We’re defined by what we do after we earn it.”
She added, “Your legacy isn’t what you earn, it’s what you empower others to do.”
That’s one of the reasons she finds CAP leadership fulfilling.
‘Give Back’“It’s humbling, of course, to be chosen, the higher up you go in the organization,” Aye said. “But it’s really fulfilling to be able to serve and give the next three years to doing it, because I know the impact it can have.
“It’s going to make a difference in thousands of cadets’ lives to have a great program like the one I participated in. That’s amazing. That is the reward.”
Phelka made a key point. While the Spaatz is the highest honor a cadet can receive, it’s one of five milestone awards, along with the Wright Brothers, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell, Amelia Earhart, and Gen. Ira C. Eaker awards.
“Continue to grow as leaders and continue to give back,” Phelka said. “The Spaatz award is not the end of the road. It’s a milestone on your leadership journey.”
And the life lesson for national commanders and cadets alike is simple, yet powerful, he said.
“You’re achieving goals as an individual, but the lesson in achieving those goals is you didn’t get there by yourself,” Phelka said.
And in those instances Phelka he presents the Spaatz award, he makes sure of one thing: The honored cadet is the focus.
“It’s not about the general, it’s about the recipient who’s achieved so well.”_____Paul SouthContributing Writer
