Zethan Moss, left, a cadet with the Lebanon Composite Squadron, receives the Billy Mitchell Award on May 15. Lt. Col. Joshua McGary, who presented the certificate, earned the award in 2004. Ann Brechbuhl photograph
Zethan Moss, left, a cadet with the Lebanon Composite Squadron, receives the Billy Mitchell Award on May 15. Lt. Col. Joshua McGary, who presented the certificate, earned the award in 2004. Ann Brechbuhl photograph

Lebanon — Zethan Moss, a 14-year-old cadet with the Lebanon Composite Squadron, was honored on May 15 during the squadron’s regular weekly meeting.

The squadron, part of the Civil Air Patrol, meets at the Grafton County Fish and Game Association on Trues Brook Road.

Moss, a homeschooled student from Plainfield, has received the Billy Mitchell Award.

To qualify for the award, Civil Air Patrol cadets must complete the first eight achievements of the cadet program and pass a 100-question exam covering leadership theory and aerospace topics.

Only 15 percent of Civil Air Patrol cadets earn the honor, according to a news release from the Lebanon squadron. Those who do are eligible for advancement to the grade of E-3 (Airman First Class), should they choose to enter the U.S. Air Force.

The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, has three primary missions: aerospace education, emergency services and the cadet program, the release said. Currently, 24,000 Americans age 12-20 take part in the cadet program, which emphasizes aerospace education, leadership and physical fitness training, and the development of moral and ethical values.

— Staff report