As the cold starts to seep into my bones and the evening breeze incites my arthritis to flare, I sit in these last few hours of the cadet life to ponder on the factors that have allowed me a limited sagacity.  

I cannot help but think of the sheer good fortune that has befallen me over the last 7 years of my existence.  The Cadet Program has been an amazing experience.  One in which I would like to think I endeavored to optimize and maximize every experience available.  A short story follows for those who find interest in my words, as I bring my days in this phase to some form of closure; for indeed, it will be closure.

CAP was the only thing I ever asked for twice.  My father did not want me to join at age 14 because he believed that it would have interfered with my academic disposition.  I persisted and was allowed to join provided I maintain my grades. That was 1994.  I was allowed my first serious opportunity to push the envelope of leadership when I was given command of the Southeast Region Cadet Competition Team in 1995.  I had only recently received my Billy Mitchell Award and I was partnered with and challenged only by my overwhelming ego that was crushed the following year at COS (My students will hear me refer to it as the Peter Pan syndrome).  It was after that incident that I learned the art of not being an obnoxious-know-it-all (though some of my colleagues and mentors would still disagree and to them I smile and nod).  I managed to co-command my first encampment (HARB-96) in the winter of 1996 as a new Cadet Major and it was there that I understood the natures of multilevel leadership, dynamic decision, and thought. I managed to keep my agreement with my father, even though he and my mother joined the program, and finished my Eaker at the same time that I was graduating as the Valedictorian from North Miami Senior High School.  

That summer of 1997 was a particularly eventful one, in that I was again the commander and co-trainer of the SER Competition Team, I was also the Vice Chairman for the FLWG CAC, and I managed to attend the National Flight Encampment (Blackstone, VA), The National Ground Search and Rescue School (Miller School, VA), and take my Spaatz Examination.  

A word to you Spaatz hopefuls is now in order, I managed to pass on the first try because the week before the test I left my house, locked myself in a hotel room and read and reread every manual for the entire week.  The test is serious and serious preparation is necessary: as I am sure you can observe from the nearly obscene failure rate.  Light studying will not a Spaatz exam pass.

College Started at the end of that summer with our preparation for our second National Competition. It has been almost 4 years since that promotion to Cadet Colonel, and with it have come many exciting opportunities: I managed to attend IACE, going to Sweden in the summer of 1998, and was selected to be the Cadet Commander of the HARB Winter Encampment in 1999. I served as the SER CAC Chair and rep to NCAC for the SER from 1999 to 2000, but I felt most flattered when I was invited to work as an instructor (as a cadet) at last year's ECCSS where I spent the week instructing alongside some of our Wing's greatest minds, managing to help train some of our most dynamic and promising cadet leaders.  It was also an honor to be invited to serve on this year's selection board for the Cadets of the Year, having received the award for 1996.

Now I focus my energy on training the Southeast Region Team for this upcoming competition in this my last semester of Graduate School.

At this point I wanted to thank all the people that have supported me to date, and all the ones that have served as examples and as mentors. There are amazing people in this Wing that have managed to inspire and guide me and I appreciate all of their efforts despite my times of cognizance and ignorance, confidence and diffidence.  

This serves as small record of the achievements of our cadet program.  There is much to do in the program, and much needs to be done.  I learned very late in my career, fortunately not too late, that we are here to attempt to inspire those around us, we are here to make them great people, it is for them that we live and breathe, it is for them that we strive and push, and it is not advisable to take anything too seriously.  My newest insight is to no longer just to be the best at what I do, but instead to be the source from which the best people come.

I appreciate your patience in making it this far through the letter.  Again, thank you for allowing me to share.  Have a goodnight.

For the last time and with grace:

Hugh Stewart, Cadet Colonel, CAP
Head Instructor, Southeast Region Cadet Drill Team