Congressman Clay Higgins (LA-03) is shown here presenting Civil Air Patrol’s prestigious Amelia Earhart Award to Cadet Captain Evan Norman. Photo by Lt Col Rick Lauterbach, CAP
Lafayette, La. – Congressman Clay Higgins presented Civil Air Patrol’s (CAP) Amelia Earhart Award to Cadet Captain Evan J. Norman at a short ceremony held Sunday at South Louisiana Community College.
Higgins is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and represents Louisiana’s Third Congressional District. He is a member of several important House committees including Science and Space Technology, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.
Higgins joined members and cadets of CAP’s Louisiana Wing assembled at South Louisiana Community College for a semi-annual, in residence training academy. He presented the Earhart Award at a mid-day gathering that included Cadet Norman’s parents, John and Heidi Norman, and other family members. Colonel Thomas Barnard, Commander of CAP’s Louisiana Wing, Lieutenant Colonel Jude Poirrier, Commander of the Lafayette Composite Squadron, and Colonel Michael Dubois, Director of the Louisiana Wing Training Academy, were also present.
Cadet Norman is a member of the Lafayette Composite Squadron, a unit of CAP’s Louisiana Wing. His squadron commander, Col. Poirrier, stated, “By his achievements, it is clear that Cadet Norman is destined to be one of tomorrow’s leaders.”
In order to qualify for the Earhart Award, Norman has had to complete the first eleven of 16 achievements in CAP’s cadet program, have lived up to Earhart’s standards of excellence, have successfully completed comprehensive leadership and aerospace exams, and have passed a rigorous physical fitness test.
Norman has studied Air Force perspectives on leadership, including principles of officership and the responsibilities of command. He has also studied advanced aspects of drill and ceremonies and participated in a Staff Duty Analysis Program.
Earhart achievers, like Norman, are looked upon favorably by all U.S. military service academies especially the U.S. Air Force Academy, where about 10 percent of the cadets in each class are former CAP members.
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Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. CAP’s 57,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. CAP also plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to 24,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.
Contact Information:
Lt. Col. Amos A. Plante, CAP
Louisiana Wing Public Information Officer
(O) 225.359.9497
(C) 504.650.6570
U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
www.lawgcap.org
