Lt Brian Sikkema
Posted on 03. Jan, 2009 by JohnD.
Currently In SUPT at Vance AFB, OK
Through CAP I was able to really develop myself as leader, and gain much more information about the Air Force and how to get into it. I was able to decide that the Academy wasn’t really for me, but that ROTC was. Nothing against the Academy, of course, and I have a good friend of mine from my squadron there, but it isn’t for everyone. So I decided to go into ROTC. When I went in for my interview, the acronym CAP came out of my mouth for almost every single answer! It had truly become the focal point of my life, and did a tremendous job of preparing me to join ROTC, and helped me immensely in getting my scholarship. So I really can’t say enough about CAP.
So what did SUPTFC 2001 do for me, then? Well, besides being the single greatest week of my life, with no exceptions (a position it held until SUPTFC 2002 came along), it also showed me how achievable my goal of flying in the Air Force is. SUPTFC was an incredible academic challenge, and you learn an amazing amount in one week. Amazing not only to us cadets, but to the pilots we were surrounded by. I still remember telling a pilot candidate that we knew all the bold face for the T-38, I thought he’d never be able to close his mouth again, his jaw dropped so far. And knowing that I made it through that week, and seeing what the real pilots go through, helped convince me that this was something I could do, that I could make it through. The program gives an incredible look into the life of an Air Force pilot candidate, and can help you decide whether or not this is something you want to do. If you get to the end of the week and realize that it really isn’t for you, that’s as good as an outcome as if you decided you did. And that really boils it down, SUPTFC isn’t about convincing you to be a pilot, they don’t give you all the fun easy stuff and make it look like its something everyone should do, they give it to you straight so you can decide if it really is for you. And in my case, I think it is.
So where am I now? Well, I’m in AFROTC at MichiganTechnologicalUniversity. Did SUPTFC get me there? No, not entirely. But whenever I have a bad day, and wonder why I’m putting myself through all of this, why I’m committing myself to the Air Force, or even just wondering if I really do want to fly, I just think back to my days in SUPTFC, and remind myself of what awaits. So maybe I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for SUPTFC. Either way, it has definitely made a profound impact on my life, and I would recommend it to any cadet interested in flying.
Brian “Dum-dum” Sikkema