Cadet Receives ROTC Commanders’ Leadership Scholarship
AUSTIN, TX - Cadet Captain Richard “Ricky” Pope, Jr. joined the Pegasus Composite Squadron, part of Group III, Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol, on Camp Mabry, in 2002, at which point he embarked on a journey of discovery based on aviation. Although he originally intended to apply for admission to the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, eventually he enrolled at the University of Texas, in Austin, where his plan to become a USAF officer and pilot have begun to bear fruit. There, he joined the AFROTC Det 825, where he obtained advanced placement thanks to his Civil Air Patrol achievements (completion of the General Billy Mitchell and Amelia Earhart awards satisfied some of the ROTC program’s requirements).
Active in the AFROTC program, C/3c Richard Pope, Jr. participates in many activities, including honor guard. This week he was notified that he had earned the Commanders' Leadership Scholarship, an award given solely on the basis of performance. Awarded by the United States Air Force, it includes full tuition costs, laboratory expenses, incidental fees, textbook stipend, and a monthly stipend of $300. A recipients enrolled in ROTC must continue to meet established academic standards in order to retain the scholarship, and needs to graduate from college before age twenty-seven.
Cadet Pope’s reaction to this award was stunned surprise, “I didn’t think I had done much to make myself stand out. But obviously my commander thought differently. When it finally sank in, I was thankful for all my hard work in CAP and other leadership positions, as well as in my school work, that paid off. I am thankful that God provides for us, if we just leave it up to Him and not worry about it. It gave me a sense of assurance that I must be doing something right.”
Asked what, in his opinion, had earned him the award, he replied, “My GPA in aerospace engineering, a 3.5, helped a lot. For such a rigorous major, that is considered excellent. I would have to say that always being there when needed probably set me apart as well.”
He consciously strives to be true to himself and hold himself to a high moral standard, but competing for a prize had never crossed his mind. “I did not know about this award,” he said, “I just concentrated on doing everything to the best of my ability and participated as much as I could in honor guard activities. I also participated in all the Leadership Laboratories and Physical Training. My taking the first year off ROTC so I could concentrate on academics really helped as well, because it let me keep up my GPA. It also showed Col Harris (my commander) that I am dedicated to academics as well as to the detachment. Giving 110% of myself in all I do is part of who I am, and I’ve discovered that nothing in life goes unnoticed. This means everything, from how you wear your uniform, to how you work as part of a team or how you lead and inspire those around you. If you focus on recognition, you will be disappointed often – but when you strive for excellence and consistently do all things, it will be recognized.” The journey that young 15-year Ricky Pope started when he became a Civil Air Patrol cadet is now shaping up as a very promising reality. Cadet Captain Pope, now 19, is well on his way to realizing his dream.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) maintains the world’s largest fleet (550) of single-engine, piston aircraft, as well as the Nation’s most extensive communications network. Through aerospace education, glider and powered orientation flights, flight training scholarships, and cadet programs, CAP serves its nearly 57,000 members, America's youth, and the public at large. CAP performs 95% of all inland search and rescue in the U.S., as tasked by the U.S. Air Force. CAP also flies aerial reconnaissance missions for homeland security, as well as disaster-relief and damage assessment operations. CAP transports time-sensitive medical material, and flies counterdrug missions for homeland security. For more information about the Pegasus Composite Squadron on Camp Mabry, in Austin, Texas please visit http://www.pegasuscap.org.
Article submitted by 1Lt Daren Jaeger, Pegasus Composite Squadron Commander