Sophomore Eric Thomas walks to the front of the air hanger at Creve Coeur airport to receive his promotion to Chief Master Sergeant for the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program on January 14, 2024. As Thomas passes the rows of chairs filled with his fellow cadets, a sense of pride mixed with anticipation fills his body. For Thomas, this moment is the culmination of hard work, dedication and passion. He has been promoted after passing the numerous promotion requirements for his position with flying colors.

For Thomas, joining the air force has been his goal for as long as he can remember. This goal stemmed from an early experience at an air show.

“I first went to an air show with my dad when I was four, and I was in awe of some of the civilian and military aircraft they had there. It was really interesting, and [I was] hooked immediately,” Thomas said.

11 years from that moment, Thomas decided to join the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) through the Cadet Program in an effort to make that goal a reality. The program is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force that focuses on preparing teenagers for the Air Force. The program teaches aspects such as character development, fitness and aerospace education. However, the program also offers more practical opportunities, such as learning to fly a plane. 

“Through Civil Air Patrol, you get this option called [orientation] flights or [orientation] rides. What that means is you get to go to an airport, [where] there’s a professional, qualified pilot waiting for you in front of a Civil Air Patrol aircraft. They take you up and let you fly the plane around, and [you] get a feel for what it’s like to actually fly a plane and do some maneuvers. So flying a plane is a very cool experience, and I cannot get enough of it,” Thomas said.

During his time in Civil Air Patrol, Thomas has had multiple enjoyable experiences, all unique and different in their own way. Nonetheless, one experience stands out from the others in Thomas’ mind.

“The experience that sticks with me the most through Civil Air Patrol would have to be encampment. Encampment is a week away from home — [an] Air Force-style, Civil Air Patrol form of basic training [that] really pushes you to your limits, both mentally and physically. The physical toughness that comes with encampment is doing some sort of exercise every day. Every day, at a certain point, the staff brings you all into this gym, and they force you to do exercises for upward of two hours, and it really pushes you to your limit,” Thomas said. “The mental challenges that come with encampment are being away from your home, your family [and] any communication for a week straight because they don’t allow you to check the time, your phone [or] contact anybody back at home. [However], it was a whole lot of fun, and I met so many cool people there. It really sticks with me the most because of how much I learned, and I cannot wait to do it again.”

Parkway North senior Stone Moses joined Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Program on the same day as Thomas. As his current commanding officer in the program, Moses has worked side by side with Thomas during his time in the program.

“One area of growth I have noticed [in Thomas] is [his] professionalism. That is something everyone has an issue with, [so it] is one of the main goals of our program. Thomas is a fun-loving guy who cares about his people, but he started out not always knowing the right time. One thing that we talk about a lot is the ‘light switch,’ where members are able to switch into professionalism like the flip of a switch. [Eric] has gone above just developing this switch and has taken a step into being able to correct others that are lacking this switch and instilling professionalism into others,” Moses said.

In addition to his professionalism, Thomas’ brother, junior Adam Thomas, has watched his brother grow through the program and become prepared for a future in the Air Force.

“[Thomas] will be successful in the Air Force due to his adaptability. Whenever [Thomas] is presented with a challenge, he is almost always able to adapt to his situation and overcome any hardship thrown his way. The Air Force will definitely take rigorous training and education, but I have no doubt my brother will be able to adapt [to] and overcome the challenges the Air Force brings him,” Adam Thomas said.

Once Thomas graduates from Civil Air Patrol, he hopes to join one of the many academies the Air Force offers. The benefit of Civil Air Patrol is that once he joins the Air Force, he will be able to leap above regular entry Air Force pilots, giving him an early starting point to his career in the Air Force. Eric’s desired career path is made more impressive due to the fact that many people avoid serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, in part because of the intense training and sacrifice that comes with military service. Nonetheless, Thomas remains completely motivated to serve his country.

“The thing that motivates me to serve my country in the Air Force is the fact that I’ve always liked helping people,” Thomas said. “Ever since I was in elementary school, I’ve always helped people and loved doing it in the process. Combining my love for helping people with my love for aviation [is] honestly a match made in heaven.”