On May 31, 2018 Squadron 304 C/1st Lt Jacob Kottraba was awarded a Commander’s Commendation by the Arizona Wing Commander, Col Martha Morris. This is the highest award a cadet can earn within the Wing. The citation, which was read by Maj Jared Hoff, Director of Cadet Programs, reads as follows:
On 7 December 2017, Cadet Second Lieutenant Jacob Kottraba was representing the Civil Air Patrol and the Arizona Wing during a Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza located at the Arizona State Capitol ground in Phoenix. As an official wing cadet activity, Cadet Kottraba was in a Class-B USAF style uniform making him a recognizable member of the Civil Air Patrol. During the ceremony, an elderly veteran of the US Armed Forces lost his footing and fell. Although the veteran’s injuries were not life threatening, they were significant. Without hesitation or prompting from the senior members that were present, Cadet Kottraba immediately responded to the veteran and began providing care and assistance to the elderly gentleman. With assistance from Cadet Kottraba, the veteran was eventually able to sit up. Cadet Kottraba attended to the gentleman’s needs by offering water, assisting with the injuries, and providing general comfort and support until emergency medical personnel arrived. The gentleman was transported to the hospital by the Phoenix Fire Department for care of his serious injuries. By immediately responding to a person in need and doing so with maturity and composure exceeding his age, Cadet Kottraba provided the gathered participants of the remembrance ceremony, and most certainly the injured elderly veteran, an outstanding and unmistakably exceptional representation of the Civil Air Patrol, the Arizona Wing, and our cadet program.
Cadet Kottraba was previously awarded a Commendation from the Governor of the State of Arizona on November 21, 2017 for achieving the Mitchell Award and for his involvement in Civil Air Patrol Search and Rescue.
