Eight Socorro cadets take part in Civil Air Patrol Encampment

Eight Socorro County cadets took part in the Civil Air Patrol's annual summer encampment on the campus of New Mexico Tech. The program is designed to give cadets a better understanding of the military experience and to educate them about the opportunities of military service.

For seven of the cadets, it was their first encampment (think mini boot camp) experience. They learned about the joys of early morning rising (5 a.m.) and falling out for physical training uniform inspections, took aerospace educational tours, and learned the fine details of drill and ceremonies in preparation for a pass-in review and graduation.

The encampment also offers a second tier of education for upperclassmen like Socorro's Eryn Esquibel, who assumed the role of cadet First SGT in her second summer at the event. Cadets like Esquibel assume different roles, and they may be cadet commanders in charge of media affairs or fulfilling a logistical need like being a "medic."

Esquibel's hard work earned her the CAP's Outstanding Noncommissioned Officers award.

"I'm part of the line staff. It's been stressful but really fun. I'm leading two flights of cadets. I lead them in physical training, and I teach them about their chain of command and help them do their drilling," Esquibel said.

Part of Esquibel's role was dealing with wide-eyed first-year cadets who were coming from across the state to form one educational unit.

"I tell them to listen to your command staff, and it will be stressful at first, but you will actually enjoy it," Esquibel said.

On a personal level, Esquibel has had the opportunity to work on a different skill set during her second encampment.

"It's been a lot more fulfilling as I've learned. Yes, I learned a lot as a basic cadet, but this year, I've learned all the obligations of scheduling and getting cadets where they need to be on time," Esquibel said.

The experience has given Esquibel something to weigh in her career choices, including nursing and the Air Force.

It was Sean Schofield's first encampment. The Socorro High School senior hopes to become a Navy pharmacist. Like many other cadets, he enjoyed the camaraderie of drill and ceremonies.

“I actually really enjoyed the drill a lot, even though it's hard to perfect. It's a lot of fun, working as a team, and when you're able to synchronize as a flight, there's a great feeling of satisfaction,” Scholfield said.

Scholfield quickly answered when questioned about what he might tell his fellow students in Socorro who might be thinking about participating in an encampment.

"Be prepared for the intensity of the environment and be prepared to focus a lot. You have to have excellent attention to detail, and you have to try your best," Scholfield said.

The experience mimics some of the training done by military recruits and officer basic camp attendees encounter in their services. The trip to Kirkland Air Force Base introduced cadets to many of the services, personnel, and equipment.

Some of the camp's recognition moments for cadets are "challenge coins" that are awarded when cadets display outstanding leadership or accomplish their tasks in a manner superior to their fellow cadets.

Albuquerque's Eleanor Anderson, 12, was one of the youngest cadets attending the encampment, but that didn't stop her from earning one of the challenge coins. While not even a teenager, she also has career aspirations of becoming a helicopter pilot.

"It's an honor to receive a coin because it shows you have accomplished something challenging. You can keep it with you to remind you that you can take on challenges and be successful," Anderson said.

CAP Captain Aaron East explains all the military branches use the challenge coin.

"A challenge coin is given to someone who's exemplified excellence. The Air Force does it, and all the military branches do it. They give a coin to someone who's done a lot of hard work. Cadet Anderson here has done a good job. She's been displaying leadership, character, and just excellence in general," East said.

Magdalena's Sara Owen was another first-year attendee and found out her recruitment by her fellow Socorro Stingray swimmer Esquibel was all it was promised.

"It takes some self-sacrifice. I knew I was going to miss a few swim meets, but I believe it was worth it. I really enjoyed the drill. The drilling is amazing. Getting to know the customs and courtesies, knowing who to salute, and the right things to say and who to address is challenging,"

On Sunday, at the NM Tech athletic field, the 80 first-year attendees and their cadet staff leaders put all of the drill and ceremonies work on display with a pass-and-review in front of several hundred people who had come to see their graduation.

Socorro County CAP cadets attending this year's encampment also included James Chavez, Abigail Chavez, Weston Ontiveros, Matthew Price and Dymek Arendt.