The F-22 Raptor, a plane Andrew will never fly.

Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is an organization that I have been associated with since 28 April 1998 when I was 12 and just about to finish the sixth grade. Then, as now, I was fascinated with the military and the military way of life.

At the time I had this idea that I would finish up school, go to the Air Force Academy, major in aeronautical engineering, of course, and make a career for myself flying the hottest jet interceptor around, the (then) YF-22 Raptor. I was so convinced of this fact that I made my first AOL e-mail address "F22usafajw," AJW being my initials.

While the story of how I joined CAP is indeed harrowing and exciting, it is not my focus here. So long story short, my grandfather told me about CAP, I attended my first meeting, and I was hooked; becoming a CAP cadet four months before I was to officially become a teenager.

Since that time, I have discovered that I would not attend the Air Force Academy, would not major in aeronautical, or any other variety of engineering, and would not become a pilot. I am still very much in favor of the military, but plan on doing a very different job in a very different branch of the military.

Something that CAP does that many cadets and senior members do not put nearly enough emphasis on is that is teaches young people to lead. It was not until I got closer to the real world that I saw the startling lack of understanding of the most basic of lessons of leadership that we learned as 13 year old Cadet Airmen in CAP.

I was what one might call a precocious teenager and a smart ass to boot. Teens suffer from the know-it-all syndrome and, well, I knew that I knew more than they did. Utilizing the laws of exponential mathematics to my advantage, I thought I was hot stuff. My attitude frustrated teachers, peers, and CAP superiors alike. It was this attitude that caused me to drop out of high school and start classes at the local community college when I was 16.

At that college, St. Petersburg College (SPC), I was exposed to a world of knowledge and diversity that I had not known existed. My classes had people ranging from 15-year-old home-schoolers to 50-year-old professionals returning to school.

SPC showed me the real world. Something else it showed me is exactly how special it was to have been a part of the CAP Cadet Program. At 16, I had had the opportunity to command a squadron of 50 cadets at an encampment, attend a NCSA exploring all facets of engineering, and be the Cadet Commander of a squadron. There are many people who will go their entire lives without ever having the multiple chances to lead that CAP cadets are routinely offered. This unfortunate fact has shown in every organization, company, and political campaign that I have ever been a part of. I even see it in CAP among those who were never cadets or didn't quite get the lessons of being a cadet.

Now here's something that I would like for you to think about: by age 14, a typical cadet has earned the grade of C/TSgt and by this time has been in CAP for around a year, year and a half. A typical C/TSgt has drilled a flight of cadets, attended encampment, and passed several leadership tests covering effective followership, the essential concept of leadership by example, and small unit leadership in the form of drill and ceremonies. They have also taught classes to cadets in their squadron and may have served as a representative to their Group Cadet Advisory Council.

If done effectively, by the time said cadet becomes a cadet officer, they will have had more exposure to leadership training and application than many mid-level corporate managers, retail managers, and other leaders in the business world who have not served in the military or a similar program. CAP truly provides opportunities to lead and learn what it means to lead that are not available anywhere else.

This fact has been reinforced to me many times in the last few years as I have managed a State House of Representatives campaign, served on the Board of Directors of a county-level Democratic Executive Committee, and founded a Democratic student organization at my last school.

If one gets involved in political causes, you will discover that there is a real lack of organizational leadership, especially when said organization is relying on volunteer support. This is because many do not understand the fundamental precept that when you're depending on volunteers, you need to treat them as though they are the most important people in the organization. You also should not overwork your volunteers and you should give them ample opportunity to have fun while they are helping your cause.

This is not the case in politics. You see a campaign or a political party operates on the tone set by the individual in charge. When you have a candidate or party chair that does not properly value volunteers or merely pays lip service to volunteers, it shows. There is no better recruiter of volunteers than the candidate or the party chair. It is incumbent upon that person to make the calls and tell potential volunteers "he needs them in order to win or advance the cause." This does not happen very often and I am privileged to finally work with a candidate who does it after working with several who did not.

I briefly mentioned leadership by example, and I would like to emphasize that concept. To put it succinctly, if you learn nothing else through the study of leadership with CAP, remember to lead by example. If you want people to do something or meet a certain standard, you need to not only meet, but work your tail off to exceed that standard yourself. "Follow me" should be one of your credos as a leader.

During a recent Tampa Bay Bucs game, I saw an incredible case of leadership by example. Bucs Quarterback Chris Simms took a hard hit in the first quarter, went down on a knee, gathered his thoughts, and stood back up and played a decent football game. It was not until the fourth quarter that they found Simms had been playing the entire game with a ruptured spleen. While I don't advocate playing football with potentially life-threatening injuries, I think it is astonishing to see somebody dig that deep to lead their team.

Another leadership trait that is sadly lacking in the "civilian world" is knowledge of the principle of "acta non verba," or action, not words. CAP cadets, especially Cadet NCO's are very familiar with this concept. Sometimes they even take it too far, but that's neither here nor there in this case.

What I'm getting at here is that the lessons you learn as a CAP cadet are essential skills in life. The ability to lead people is something that many people will never understand or come close to attaining. CAP cadets have the training and opportunities to lead and excel as leaders at a young age. More importantly, they are given the chance to refine and enhance their leadership skills. I would like to impress upon each of you the necessity of striving to lead by example and to remember that your actions mean more than anything you could possibly say to show your leadership abilities.