Cadet Capt. Jack Heller of the Lebanon Composite Squadron was presented the Amelia Earhart Award by astronaut Dr Jay Buckey, a Payload Specialist aboard NASA  Space Shuttle flight STS-90 as part of the Neurolab mission from April 17 to May 3, 1998, at the Granite Air Center in Lebanon, NH.

Heller, a Civil Air Patrol member since October 2011, is a junior at Hartford High School in White River Junction, VT in the Honors Program. He is a power forward on the basketball team and competes on the golf team.

Heller is the Cadet Deputy Commander of the Lebanon Squadron, and has previously served as the Cadet First Sergeant and the Alpha Flight Sergeant.  He has attended Basic Encampment, the Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership Academy and the Regional Cadet Leadership Academy.

The Amelia Earhart Award honors the late Amelia Earhart, aviatrix, advocate, and pioneer, who set many records for women aviators in aviation’s infancy, and who was lost while attempting to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.  It requires years of service, leadership and aeronautic tests and physical excellence. Only one half of 1 % of Civil Air Patrol cadets have earned this award.

Any cadet who has received this award, and who later enters CAP’s Senior Member program, is eligible for immediate promotion to CAP 1st Lieutenant at age 21. Cadets who receive the Amelia Earhart Award also enjoy all the benefits gained from earning the General Billy Mitchell Award (advanced placement in the grade of E-3 (Airman First Class) should they choose to enlist in the US Air Force, advanced credit in the Air Force ROTC program, and the opportunity to apply for a variety of scholarships and CAP special activities. Additionally, these Earhart Award cadets are now eligible to apply for participation in the International Air Cadet Exchange.