DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow presented two area Civil Air Patrol cadets with the General Billy Mitchell Award Monday.

The award is earned by successfully completed the specific requirements in two phases of the CAP program, said DeKalb Composite Squadron Major Ralph Hoffman.

“This is one of the major stepping stones in the CAP program,” Hoffman said.

Brothers Doug and Greg Fagerberg were presented the award with their father, Commander of Cadets Lt. Dennis Fagerberg, standing along beside them. Doug is a senior and Greg a junior at Sycamore High School.

“I am proud that the boys and myself have had the opportunity to share these experiences as a family with the Civil Air Patrol program,” Dennis Fagerberg said.

The award is certified and awarded only by the National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., he said.

Cadets must attend an encampment before they can qualify for the award, Hoffman said.

“This opens the doors to many honor activities such as selection for the Cadet Officers’ School, studying rocketry and missiles, or learning aircraft traffic control at the Federal Aviation Agency Academy,” he said.

Both cadets are planning on attending a flight academy this summer near Charleston, Ill., Hoffman said.

offman said Civil Air Patrol has three mission elements; research and rescue, aerospace education and a cadet training program. He said equally important are some of the experiences cadets receive in leadership training, radio communication, first aid and flying a modern aircraft.

The CAP program is open to anyone age 13 to 18 who is a U.S. citizen in school and of good moral character, Hoffman said.