Tressitt named cadet Civil Air Patrol head

Dutchtown High School junior Gage Tressitt has been appointed cadet commander of a Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program squadron in Ascension Parish and is expected to attend a U.S. Air Force training course later this month.

Second Lt. Tressitt has been in the CAP program more than two years and will need to use the same skills necessary to manage a small business to lead the Ascension Composite Squadron, CAP officials said in a news release.

“This is the ultimate leadership challenge at the unit level, and we feel Lt. Tressitt is ready,” CAP 1st Lt. Lydia Pike, Ascension’s deputy commander for the cadet program, said in the news release.

In his time with CAP, Tressitt has attended two weeklong summer encampments, attained officer status in the shortest time possible, is qualified as a mission radio operator and has served in several training exercises, CAP officials said.

He has also served on the unit color guard competition team and is a ceremonial honor guardsman, CAP officials said.

Later this month, Tressitt will join other cadets from across the nation at the Air Force Pararescue Orientation Course at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.

The one-week course introduces cadets to techniques used by Air Force pararescuemen and have them participate in pararescue training, CAP officials said.

The curriculum includes land navigation, survival techniques, rock climbing and rappelling. Tressitt plans to join the military after ROTC in college.

“I have always had dreams of being among the most elite men” Tressitt said in the news release. “I am looking forward to the challenge.”

Civil Air Patrol is the auxiliary of the Air Force. The nonprofit organization has more than 61,000 members nationwide and performs most inland search and rescue missions across the continental United States.