Staff Sections

Main Content

Winston-Salem Comp Squadron has 5 Spaatz Award Recipients

John Lovette
1 of 5
C/Col John Lovette, CAP (click image to view full size)
Story Tools

Leadership tradition continues through the years

12/25/2016––The Winston-Salem Comp Squadron (NC-082) recently had its’ 5th recipient of the General Carl A. Spaatz Award! The General Carl A. Spaatz Award is the highest award a cadet can earn in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. The award consists of four separate exams - physical fitness, aerospace, leadership and an essay. Less than .05% of all CAP cadets earn this prestigious award.  

The five Spaatz Awardees from NC-082 are (in chronological order):
 
1. C/Col John Lovette (Spaatz Award #1544) - 1 Oct 2004
2. C/Col Barry Feinstein (Spaatz Award #1733) - 12 June 2009 
3. C/Col Joel Woods (Spaatz Award #1781) - 24 Jan 2011
4. C/Col Josiah Gourley (Spaatz Award #1899) - 15 July 13
5. C/Col Sean Peting (Spaatz Award #2025) - 20 Jan 16
 

A 6th cadet from the squadron, C/Col Jared Mohler, also earned his Spaatz Award; however, he received his Spaatz Award after he transferred to the Ohio Wing. C/Col Mohler was, however, critical to squadron operations in 2009 - 2011, when he helped squadron membership to nearly double.

All of the Spaatz Award winners served as Cadet Commanders for the squadron. Major Gene Clodfelter, NC-082’s Public Affairs Officer noted that, “the accomplishments of these outstanding young men reflect highly on the senior cadet leadership and the squadron as a whole. We are very proud of them all.”

These dedicated young men have all put their CAP training to good use in the world.
  
JOHN LOVETTE used CAP academic scholarships to obtain his B.S. degree in Business Administration and Management from Thomas Edison State College. After college, he became a serial entrepreneur and ran multiple businesses including a greenhouse business, an appraisal business and a technology company. John and his wife recently moved from Tampa, FL back to Winston-Salem, NC, so John can run a NC-based healthcare business. John credits CAP with teaching him about leadership, planning, setting goals and achieving his goals. He especially appreciates CAP’s flight scholarship which helped him earn his private pilot’s license at the National Powered Flight Academy.
 
BARRY FEINSTEIN is currently a Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) in the United States Navy and is stationed on board the USS George Washington as a nuclear operator. Prior to that, he was stationed in Japan on the USS Lassen as the Strike Officer and then the Combat Information Center Officer. As Strike Officer, he was in charge of the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile System and the Vertical Launching System. Now active in CAP as a senior member, Maj Feinstein, CAP, serves as the Assistant Director of Cadet Programs for the North Carolina Wing. When asked about his Senior Member service in CAP, Maj Feinstein explained, “CAP taught me self-discipline, organization, and leadership. I am giving back now so that other cadets can have the same experiences that I did as a teenager.”  
 
JOEL WOODS is serving as a 2d Lt in the United States Air Force. He is currently stationed at Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus, Mississippi, where he is completing his pilot training.  Joel would ultimately like to fly tankers for aerial refueling for the USAF. While he was a CAP cadet, Joel started flying and did his first solo flight at the National Powered Flight Academy in 2009. This made it possible for him to later get his private pilot’s license. After high school, Joel won an ROTC scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Joel thanks CAP for teaching him drill and ceremony and military customs and courtesies. He notes that, “Civil Air Patrol helped me decide that flying for the military was the right career for me.”
 
JOSIAH GOURLEY is working in Information Technology in Raleigh, NC, while he completes his university degree in Information Security. He plans for a career in the private sector in information security. Josiah first saw a CAP booth at an airshow when he was 9 years old and wanted to join immediately. He waited three long years until he turned 12 and went to his first CAP meeting on his 12th birthday. During his CAP career, Josiah soloed at age 16 and earned his private pilot’s license – both thanks to CAP flight scholarships. He also was an early participant in CAP’s CyberPatriot program which greatly influenced his career path. Although he initially considered attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, he ultimately decided that a career in information security was the right path for him. Josiah says that, “CAP and the CyberPatriot program changed my life.” He credits CAP for teaching him leadership and how to set and achieve goals. He especially appreciates that you do not have to be wealthy to participate in CAP activities. “Success is possible for all cadets based on merit and how hard they are willing to work,” he noted.  
 
SEAN PETING, the most recent Spaatz Awardee, is studying Chemistry at Appalachian State University, where he participates in the U.S. Army ROTC program. Upon graduation, he plans to attend medical school while serving in the U.S. Army. Sean credits CAP with setting him on his path to becoming a military physician. He notes that the Spaatz Awardees from NC-082 are a tight-knit group and that they helped each other earn their Spaatz Awards. Each Spaatz Awardee mentored his successor Spaatz Awardee and thereby created a chain of successes down the line of cadet commanders. As the most recent Spaatzen, Sean is now advising and mentoring the current squadron cadet commander on his path to the Spaatz Award.   
 
And so the tradition of excellence at NC-082 continues – with each Spaatz Awardee helping the next in line achieve this remarkable goal.