2023 Annual Awards Article

First Annual Awards Ceremony Held Outside of Squadron Space

By 1st Lt Rodrigo Lopez
On December 9th 2023, Lackland Cadet Squadron held its Annual Squadron Awards Ceremony at Calvary Hills Baptist Church. This is the first time that our squadron has held an awards ceremony outside of our normal Monday meetings and squadron location.  There are a few reasons why our squadron has done this now as opposed to in previous years. 

The first reason is that since the end of most, if not all, of the restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a dramatic increase in new cadets joining our squadron. We are using a cohort recruiting program we call Basic Cadet Training or BCT, our version of Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Great Start Program, recruiting thirty new cadets in FY 22-23 and sixteen new cadets so far in FY 23-24,with improved retention. Our squadron has limited seating that does not accomodate all cadets, senior members, and their family members for a large ceremony.

Another reason for this was that we attempted to coordinate a joint awards ceremony in December 2023 with the other two San Antonio squadrons but they were not ready to proceed with their awards ceremonies. A future joint awards ceremony will help to deepen the bond between our squadrons, something that has been lacking in previous years.

Lastly, holding the ceremony outside of our normal Monday meeting night meeting and at a different location allowed us to seat a larger group, take as much time as needed to get through the ceremony, and serve refreshments afterward. Free use of the Fellowship Hall at Calvary Hills Baptist Church was arranged by a squadron member who is a church member. It is large enough to accommodate all three squadrons for a joint award ceremony in the future.

Greater numbers attending the ceremony and the possibility of doing a future joint ceremony with two other San Antonio squadrons necessitates a facility that will seat and accommodate all three units. Lackland’s awards ceremony was a great “trial run” of how future ceremonies could be conducted as Lackland Cadet Squadron continues to grow and partnerships with other San Antonio area squadrons strengthen.