Charleston's Cadet Mahoney Earns Earhart Award
Charleston, W.Va.— Civil Air Patrol's Cadet Josiah Mahoney has been awarded the Amelia Earhart Award and has been promoted to the rank of cadet captain. C/Capt Mahoney was presented his award by Col Connie Moody, West Virginia Wing Commander and Brig General Christopher Walker, Commander, WV Air National Guard during the recent West Virginia Wing Conference and Banquet.
This award honors the late Amelia Earhart who was lost while attempting to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. Earhart was a pioneer who set many records including being the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air. To earn this award, cadets must have earned their Billy Mitchell Award, passed two comprehensive exams covering leadership theory and aerospace topics, written a staff duty analysis, completed the cadet physical fitness assessment and served as a staff member.
Mahoney, currently a senior at Herbert Hoover High School, has been a CAP member since January 2016, and is an active member of Charleston Composite Squadron. He currently serves as flight commander of Alpha Flight. Mahoney has attended the 2016 West Virginia Wing Summer Encampment, the 2017 West Virginia Wing Glider Academy, the Air Force Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Course in Mississippi in 2018, and Civil Air Patrol’s 2019 National Blue Beret in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He also participates in the CAP’s Emergency Services Missions, being qualified as a ground team member, mission radio operator, and flight line marshaller. Now that Mahoney has earned the Amelia Earhart Award, he is eligible to apply for the International Cadet Exchange Program. Earning this award is a great honor as only three percent of the 28,000 CAP cadets nationwide earn the Amelia Earhart Award.
Amelia Earhart is quoted as saying; “Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off. But if you don’t have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.” Mahoney has demonstrated the leadership qualities necessary to be that “builder” thus far in his cadet career with Civil Air Patrol, as well as other aspects of his life.
