An Idaho Wing colonel with decades of service in Civil Air Patrol and a high-achieving Illinois Wing cadet took top honors at CAP’s 2024 National Conference this weekend in San Antonio.
Col. Merle V. Starr was recognized as CAP’s Senior Member of the Year, while Cadet Lt. Col. Soren Y. Koh was named CAP’s Cadet of the Year at the conference.
“I’m very honored,” Starr said. “There are many great senior members in the organization who deserve the award.”
Starr’s service as a dedicated CAP member dates back more than 67 years. After joining CAP as a cadet in 1956, he earned the cadet Certificate of Proficiency — the highest cadet award at the time.
Starr followed up with an exceptional career as an adult member, serving in staff and leadership positions in nine wings and receiving a multitude of wing, region, and national awards. Former commander of the Washington Wing and the Pacific Region, he has earned Master ratings in nine CAP specialties, especially focusing on Inspector General, Finance, and Cadet Programs.
Starr became national inspector general in 2009 after serving as IG for three wings and as a member of the national IG staff while assisting with IG investigations at the wing, region, and national levels. He continues to share his expertise, training future IG staff members and assisting wings with inspection preparations.
Drawing on a civilian career in financial management, Starr has served as director of finance for three wings, culminating in recognition as Rocky Mountain Region Director of Finance of the Year.
Starr also collaborates tirelessly with Cadet Programs, having served as director of Cadet Officer School and National Blue Beret and vice chairman of the National Cadet Programs Committee. He has also served as an active staff member for the National Cadet Competition and Cadet Leadership Academy.
What does he like most about CAP?
“Probably working with the members and trying to keep everyone on the same track,” he said. “It’s sometimes very enjoyable and sometimes a little difficult but always worthwhile.”
Koh has excelled in leadership at every step of his CAP journey, and he continues to receive accolades for his contributions.
“Being honored as the Cadet of the Year is truly humbling. I could not have gotten here without patient and skillful mentorship by countless seniors and cadets,” he said.
As cadet commander of the Illinois Wing’s Col. Charles Compton Composite Squadron, Koh sought out ways to make units better than he found them, instilling standard practices still in place today.
He went on to serve in senior cadet staff positions at numerous wing encampments, culminating in a position as assistant commandant of cadets, where he mentored less experienced staff members and stepped in for absentees, ensuring events ran seamlessly.
He was part of the team representing his wing in visits to Congress on National Legislative Day, impressing onlookers as one of the most articulate and professional cadet participants.
Having served as chair of the Great Lakes Region Cadet Advisory Council, he is now national CAC chair.
Koh graduated with honors from high school, where he participated on the swimming and diving team. He is now a freshman at George Washington University and has accepted a four-year ROTC scholarship in pursuing his goal of becoming a U.S. Army officer.
“Being a Civil Air Patrol cadet has been the privilege of a lifetime,” he said. “The opportunities presented by the cadet program eclipse what can be found by young Americans outside of Civil Air Patrol.”
Koh said if the CAP cadet experience could be boiled down to one word, it’s opportunity.
“Taking the opportunity to attend 15 encampments, six NCSAs, and countless other local events has given me the chance to practice leading and developing people, executing missions, and tackling cultures,” he said.
“These soft skills, along with numerous hard skills like land navigation, have set me up phenomenally to serve, which I hope will take the form of serving as a U.S. Army officer.”
Other top CAP national awards presented at the conference included the Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year, received by Maj. Nancy R. Parra-Quinlan of the Arizona Wing, and the Squadron of Distinction, the Maryland Wing’s Granite Cadet Squadron, founded by Col. Brenda Reed, now serving as Maryland Wing commander.
As the Arizona State Teacher of the Year and the 2022 Air Force Association National Teacher of the Year, Parra-Quinlan is aware of the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education and pursues it with passion and excellence.
“I love teaching STEM courses; they are the ‘fun’ classes on my campus because the students are doing hands-on activities,” she said. “We’re playing with robots, using 3D printers, and dissecting sheep brains.
“Who wouldn’t be passionate about STEM if you got paid to do that?”
Parra-Quinlan is part of the Arizona STEM Acceleration Program at Arizona State University. As one of the program’s “Super Fellows,” her accomplishments include organizing the Southwest Teacher Air Camp. The activity features distinguished presenters from the STEM Research division of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Department of Defense STEM, Air Force Research Lab, Boeing, and Arizona State.
Parra-Quinlan also runs an aerospace academy summer program for middle school students. The two-week program immerses the participants in hands-on education focusing on flight and space, including visits to air traffic control facilities, airline maintenance facilities, a planetarium, and ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration.
As an active CAP member, Parra-Quinlan is Master-rated in Aerospace Education, assists with Teacher Orientation Program flights, and has recruited more than 47 educator members in a 12-month period.
Aerospace education officer for Falcon Composite Squadron 305 and assistant director of AE for the Arizona Wing, she has been an educator for 30 years.
“I am grateful to Civil Air Patrol for recognizing me as their AE Teacher of the Year,” Parra-Quinlan said. “Teaching is my vocation, and to be told that I am doing a good job at it reinforces my dedication to my craft.
“That is one of the greatest compliments we get as teachers, knowing we helped someone succeed,” she added. “Everyone’s story includes a teacher.”
Just four years after receiving its charter, the Maryland Wing’s Granite Cadet Squadron has expanded from 19 to 122 very active members and has earned recognition as a CAP Squadron of Distinction.
Originally created for homeschooled students, the squadron emphasizes academics, public speaking, and life skills. The squadron recently expanded to conducting daytime and evening meetings in addition to morning sessions, opening the door to more traditionally schooled cadets.
The squadron worked to ensure 87% of cadets have received an orientation flight. Two Granite cadets soloed at the Robert Ayres National Flight Academy in 2023, and one cadet was accepted into the national Cadet Wings program.
The Granite squadron has earned the Quality Cadet Unit Award all four years of its existence and in 2023 was the only Maryland Wing squadron to achieve all 10 criteria for the award. The unit’s teams in the Air & Space Forces’ CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program competition both placed in the state’s Gold Tier, with the high school team claiming first.
The squadron also leveraged the CAP Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) program to engage cadets’ younger siblings in STEM subjects, aerospace education, and ultimately CAP membership.
As commander, 1st Lt. Ashley E. Panzica-Tolbert is the recipient of the F. Ward Reilly Leadership Award. Tolbert succeeded Reed as the squadron commander.
“The thing that sets apart truly great leaders in this program is servant leadership,” Tolbert said. “Remembering that as leaders, we may be the ones giving orders, but at the end of the day it is us who are working for the cadets.
“We are committed to their well-being, development, and empowerment, whether that be through tracking their progress and encouraging them to work toward their next promotions, mentoring them through leadership opportunities, or just being the sort of authority figure that they feel comfortable approaching if they need to talk about something,” she said.
“It is a tremendously rewarding position ,and I am truly honored to receive this award [on behalf of our entire squadron/team].”
Tolbert succeeded Reed when she became Maryland Wing commander March 10.
“Building the Granite squadron has been the highlight of my CAP career,” said Reed, who accepted the award on Tolbert’s behalf. “It is exciting to watch these amazing young people grow as leaders while they pursue their goals and strive to achieve their dreams.
“The squadron motto is ‘Excellence in All Things’ and I am so proud of what our members have accomplished as we took a chance on this unique squadron in a new format. I always encourage the cadets to do their best, and they consistently exceed my expectations.”
Reed is encouraged by the success of the Granite squadron and its future.
“I’m excited to see where Lt. Tolbert leads the squadron as its new commander,” she said. “I am confident she will continue to build upon our foundation of excellence while bringing a fresh perspective to the unit.”
National Recognition was also extended to:
Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm Aerospace Education Officer of the Year
· Capt. Kenneth R. DeRemer, Michigan Wing
Frank G. Brewer Memorial Aerospace Award, Senior Category
· Capt. Frontis W. Ergle III, Louisiana Wing
Frank G. Brewer Memorial Aerospace Award, Cadet Category
· Cadet Capt. John Anand, Ohio Wing
Frank G. Brewer Memorial Aerospace Award, Individual/Organization Category
· Shep-Rock Foundation — Gordon Rock, President — Hayden, Idaho
Lt. Col. T. Keith Riddle Aircrew Member of the Year
· Lt. Col. Anthony M. Ferrara, Hawaii Wing
John V. “Jack” Sorenson Cadet Programs Officer of the Year
· Maj. Lisa Cherry, California Wing
Maj. Gen. Robert P. Taylor Chaplain of the Year
· Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Allen W. Zaugg, Oregon Wing
Character Development Instructor of the Year
· Maj. Christine S. Everhard, Hawaii Wing
Malcolm C. Kyser, Jr., Communicator of the Year
· Lt. Col. Mark A. Myers, Virginia Wing
Lt. Col. Norm Edwards Counterdrug Officer of the Year
· Maj. Deborah S. Blattstein, Arizona Wing
Director of Finance of the Year
· Maj. Gregory W. Schreurs, Wyoming Wing
Education and Training Officer of the Year
· 1st Lt. Margaret L. Hess, Utah Wing
Col. Dion E. DeCamp Ground Team of the Year
· Group 1 — Maj. Charles D. Lamb, Commander — Kansas Wing
Health Services Officer of the Year
· Capt. Shannon M. Kitts, South Carolina Wing,
Col. Lester E. Hopper Historian of the Year
· Lt. Col. Geoffrey M. Chandler, Georgia Wing
Col. Edwin W. Lewis, Jr., Incident Staff Member of the Year
· Col. Bruce B. Heinlein, Delaware Wing
Inspector General of the Year
· Col. Robert Frank Eldridge, Texas Wing
Daedalian Exceptional Instructor Pilot of the Year
· Lt. Col. Robin Kim, California Wing
Maj. Gen. Dwight H. Wheless Legal Officer of the Year
· Maj. Orvis A. Shiyou, Jr., Mississippi Wing
George Texido Legislative Officer of the Year
· Lt. Col. Mark W. Kempton, California Wing
Col. David A. Kantor Operations Support Officer of the Year
· Maj. Ashley B. Ratliff, North Dakota Wing.
Property Management Officer of the Year
· Maj. Jordan A. Aasgaard, Texas Wing
Col. Robert (Bud) V. Payton Public Affairs Officer of the Year
· Capt. Roman Vitanza, Texas Wing
Safety Officer of the Year
· 1st Lt. Susan M. Wind, Kentucky Wing
Paul W. Turner Safety Award
· Alaska Wing
