Local Civil Air Patrol Cadet Achieves Milestone Promotion

Wyatt Houchin of the Otto area recently accepted a Civil Air Patrol Milestone Promotion Award from Rep. Dalton Banks, House Dist. 26. 

Houchin, homeschooled between Otto and Burlington, has been a Civil Air Patrol cadet since 2021 with the intention of becoming a member of the United States Air Force. In addition, Houchin is the new cadet commander of the Heart Mountain Composite Squadron and has enrolled in Northwest College coursework. 

The promotion, also called the Mitchell Award, raised Houchin from a non-commissioned officer to officer. The Mitchell Award was named for WWI pilot Brigadier General Billy Mitchell the “Father of the Independent Air Force.”

“Cadet Second Lieutenant Wyatt Houchin achieved this award by working his way up from a lowly Cadet Airman Basic, through all the Airman and NCO phases to finally becoming an officer,” Lt. Col. BJ Carlson, squadron commander, said in a press release. “During that time, he took many tests and broadened his leadership skills and aerospace knowledge along the way.”

The Heart Mountain Composite Squadron meets at the Math and Science building on the Northwest College Campus in Powell on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, contact Carlson at capcommander@gmail.com or 307-762-3536.