F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Before he enlisted in the military March 25, 2014, or graduated high school in June of 2013, Senior Airmen Jason Cathey, 90th Security Forces Group administration executive, was set on being an Airman in the U.S. Air Force.
“I was set on becoming a chief,” Cathey said. “I wasn’t really thinking about becoming an officer. The dream was there, but the actual route to take it hadn’t opened up.”
Now, a new door has opened thanks to the Senior Leader Enlisted Commissioning Program – Active Duty Scholarship. On March 21, Cathey was informed by Gen. Robin Rand, Air Force Global Strike Command commander, of his acceptance into the program.
SLECP is a new take on the commissioning process, where senior leaders can select the Airman they send to higher leadership based on their talent, performance and overall character for commissioning through Officer Training School.
“You take the perspective of who you would like to see as a future officer and I saw that in Airman Cathey,” said Chief Master Sgt. Steven Thompson, 90th SFG chief. “He’s dedicated to the work, who he works for and he is always looking for more.”
Thompson hired Cathey toward the beginning of 2016 and after only a couple months of working with him discovered his potential and pushed for higher leadership to recognize him as well.
But, Thompson is not the only person that saw this Airman’s potential. Along with many of his prior supervisors, those working adjacent to him also view him highly.
“There are two big pieces to being a great Airman and the first is integrity,” said 1st Lt. Jeffery Davis, 90th SFG executive officer. “Those who do the right thing even when nobody is watching and then there’s work ethic, being self-motivated, willing to come back to ask for more to do. Those two things would be my biggest keys and he has them both.”
Cathey, a Chicago native, was submitted by Thompson for the SLECP – Active Duty Scholarship and is slated to depart this fall.
The program is designed for two types of Airmen, degree holders and non-degree holders. Those carrying a bachelor’s degree or higher will be placed in the SLECP – OTS and those within three years of completing their degree fall under the SLECP – Active Duty Scholarship.
“It’s very similar to a lot of other programs we have had in the Air Force, but this is a much more streamlined process,” Chief said. “They made the right choice, I don’t think anyone is going to be disappointed in the commitment and dedication Airmen Cathey is going to put into the program itself and into the officer corps as he progresses.”
Cathey used the tools given to him by leaders and the Air Force and pushed to see how far he could go.
“Being a leader takes more than a desire,” Cathey said. “To me, a great leader is one who continuously learns, teaches and someone with a passion to impact more than themselves. As John F. Kennedy once said, ‘Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.’”