As a frequent reader of the forums section (I don't post too often; my mouth gets me in enough trouble I don't want to put too much in writing.), I followed the thread that sprang up after Capt Dan Brodsky wrote his article about his recent decision to take a sabbatical from CAP. Let me state up front that Capt Brodsky and I are friends and that not only did he make many excellent points in his article, but that following the exchange of vows between 1st Lt Teri Hanna, CAP and myself back in July of 1982 , I also focused on my new wife and much less on CAP.

However, as I read through the thread I couldn't help but notice that most of the comments seemed to not only agree with the need for members to take sabbaticals, but also painted a pretty bleak picture of what one person can do to improve the program in CAP. In the interest of full disclosure of my checkered past (well not really full disclosure but full of what is related to this topic) I did take 'leave' when I entered graduate school in the mid to late 80s. So let's explore a couple of topics that came up in the "on line" discussion of taking time off.

Cadets taking sabbaticals - The most common occurrence of this is when Cadets head off to college. It is very difficult to be a successful college student and an active CAP Cadet. It can be done; I took over as the Cadet Commander of my Squadron while in college. I was a commuter, more due to my financial situation then anything else. I worked full time to pay for college and lived at home. What most students did as extra curricular activities living in the dorms I substituted with CAP. I don't recommend this: my college experience stunk. But I learned a lot in the classroom and by running a CAP squadron as a nineteen and twenty year-old Cadet. This was due mostly to a great Commander, Capt Bill Hicks, who always gave his Cadet Commanders all the rope in the world (Often enough to hang themselves). Except for leaving for college, my answer to this question is: No, absolutely not. If you are having troubles with school you need to focus on your academics first; but my personal experience and my observations of several thousand Cadets is that the self discipline you learn as a Cadet in CAP teaches you how to multitask and be successful while trying to keep a lot of balls in the air. School, CAP, family, faith, relationships, friendships, and a bunch of other "balls" that may be important to you. Cadets that take sabbaticals usually don't return. They find something to replace the role that the Cadet Program played in their lives and they move on.

While we are on this subject I want each of you Cadets to think about the best Senior Member you have ever worked with or the ones you've "met" through things like Cadetstuff and came to admire. What is the most common thread between them? Even though I'm a bit long in the tooth for a Cadet, I still think of myself as a one, (older, grayer, creakier) but still a Cadet. As a Cadet I'd have to say that most of the cool Seniors I know once upon a time were Cadets, just like me. Some have stayed with the program their whole lives, other returned after taking a break for families, military service, work etc... The last group had a family and came back when their kids got old enough to join up. The point is CAP desperately needs to find a way for Cadets to stay in the Program and turn Senior at 21. Then to find a way to keep them involved in order to build a corps of Senior members that understand the Program they grew up in as a Cadet. A Cadet is defined as a student who is studying to become something. Age is not a defining factor but Cadets are often young. Could you imagine a CAP with a majority of Senior Members who learned the program as a Cadet? Wouldn't it be great! There is only one way to get there, and that's for you to find a way to stay active through the transition from Cadet to Senior Member.

Frustration - There was much discussion in the thread regarding the futility of trying to make the Program better. A lot of frustration can be read between the lines (or in the lines) from Seniors who feel that they can't make a difference. Well, once upon a time there was this hard core Cadet who had zero tolerance for any member, Cadet or Senior, who wasn't 'high speed, low drag'. Truthfully he was a bit of an ass, although his heart and spirit were in the right place. Most of the other units in his Wing, and most of Wing staff thought him and his Squadron were too "my way or the highway". Not only didn't they do anything to help them, they would actually go out of their way to try and knock them down a notch or two, since they were way too cocky. Somewhere along the line, perhaps after coming back to his old Squadron after grad school and helping to rebuild it from a membership roll of about five (down from the 100 members from when he was the Cadet commander) he learned to be a lot more humble and a lot more respectful of anyone willing to put any time into the program. Along the way he learned to work with the folks at Wing too.

Making a difference - Ask yourself the question, how can I make a difference and improve the Program? There are many answers to this question but one of them is not "I'm out of here because there is too much politics and too many jerks". If someone were to come back in time from 2005 and tell me in the 1980's (when I turned SM) that I would be a Group Commander and the Director of a Region Staff College I would have told them they were crazy. No one would ever let a rebel like me have any major leadership command or actually be in a position to influence the Senior leadership of a region. I can assure you that my personality has not changed much, but I have learned how to work and play well with others. I've also put my time in a various levels, Squadron, Group, Wing, and Region and been able to make some changes and passed the tests of leadership that the Region and Wing Commanders put before me. I didn't do it by throwing in the towel. I did it by working hard at identifying issues and fixing them. Everyone reading this can do the same thing at various levels. To be honest the most rewarding place to be successful in CAP is at the Squadron level. You get immediate feedback and get to work directly with the members that do the heavy lifting. However, you also don't get to have the chance for organizational change until you move on to Group, Wing, or Region.

There is a saying that goes "two steps forward, one step back". That is what it is like when you are trying to chip away at the established way the old guard does things. Change in an organization is tough and doesn't come easy. As a leader you need to be tactful but honest. As an outsider coming in you need to evaluate first, then work to improve things. We all have bosses and if yours is a good one, they want honesty from you as a direct report. They also expect loyalty once the decision is made. You can't win them all, and some times you have to take your loss (one step back) and move on the the next item.

There is no magic formula for success and happiness in CAP or in life. We all have to make the best with the hands we are dealt and try to have balance. Putting too much into just one thing, like CAP, will lead to burnout or major disappointment. Personally, I stay active in CAP, Scouts, my church, coaching sports, and some work related committees. I can tell you I don't spend much time on my couch at home but as long as I also keep the family happy, I'm happy (tired too).

For my friends who are on sabbatical, enjoy yourselves you deserve the time off to rest and recover. Don't forget about us and come back when you can. For Cadets, your time in the Program is limited and fleeting. I know it seems like forever but it really isn't. Balance school, friends, family, sports and other extra currucilar activites with CAP. It can be the thing you work hardest at, but if you put too much into any one thing when the one thing changes or stops you have too big a hole to fill. To Robert Frost, I apologize for borrowing your title, but it is such a great line and great poem, I just couldn't help myself. Maybe next month I'll take a crack at rewriting the poem for an article, the Cadetstuff poetry corner...