High School Junior Appointed to Cadet Commander

Adam Parker, a junior at , was appointed the new cadet commander of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Washington County Squadron 601 on Wednesday, June 6, at a special Change of Command ceremony held at the National Guard Armory in Washington, PA. 

The ceremony was conducted by Capt. Edward Silassy, the newly appointed commander of Washington Squadron 601. Also in attendance were Maj. Gary Fleming, vice commander, CAP’s Pennsylvania Wing; Lt. Col. Edgar R. Flick, commander of CAP’s Southwestern Pennsylvania Group One; and Washington Squadron 601 members, family and friends.  

Cadet Capt. Adam Parker has been volunteering with Washington County’s “Crusader” Squadron since 2008.

"I have had the pleasure of watching Cadet Capt. Parker grow from a timid boy into a competent young man who will lead the cadet squadron to become one of the best in our Southwestern Pennsylvania Group,” said Silassy. “I look forward to working with him."

Parker has served as the squadron’s Cadet Advisory Council (CAC) representative for Group One of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and was recently appointed as a state CAC representative for CAP’s Pennsylvania Wing (PAWG). 

Parker has also participated in numerous CAP special activities, including PAWG Basic Encampment, the Northeast Regional Cadet Leadership School in Cape Cod, MA and the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering Academy at Tyndall Air Force base in Panama City, FL.   

“I remember when I first joined CAP. While there were only five or six of us, we were still a squadron," said Parker. "I looked up to our commander. I have tried to model myself off of him and the way he led. When he left and the new commander took over, I was able to learn from a completely different person who had his own way of doing things.

"Now that it’s my turn at the helm, I am able to put what I have learned from the previous commanders together and hopefully make this squadron even better. I must thank those two, among many others, who have helped shape me to be who I am today. I hope I can fill the big shoes that have been left for me."

Washington Squadron 601 meets every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in Washington, PA (next to the Washington County Airport). 

For more information, go to squadron601.us or stop in during a regular meeting.

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