Civil Air Patrol to hold Open House

By LT. COL. LARRY WEBSTER

hornets99compsq@aol.com

All are welcome to attend the Civil Air Patrol Open House this weekend. The Open House will be Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m., at the Cypress Avenue Baptist Church, located at 1241 Cypress Ave., in Marion, to learn about the Civil Air Patrol and how you can become part of an organization servicing the local community, state, and nation. As mandated by Congress, Civil Air Patrol has 3 missions: Aerospace Education, Emergency Services, and the Cadet (Youth) Program.

Adults are needed to provide leadership and guidance for our cadets to make them better citizens. Open volunteer positions include: Activities Of_cer to help plan fun and education activities, Health Services Of_cer (nurse, doctor, EMT) for cadet physical _tness training, Public Affairs Of_cer to write and take pictures of squadron activities, Emergency Services personnel, and more. No previous training is required.

Pilots are needed to provide orientation ights for our cadets and for emergency services missions such as search and rescue for possible missing aircraft or individuals, y disaster relief missions for FEMA, missions for the Air Force and state agencies as requested. While ying these missions there are no costs to the pilot. The Arkansas Wing has C-172s and C-182s with quality systems and some with glass panels.

You don’t have to be a pilot to get up in the air! Many aerial missions require spotter personnel in the plane. Training will be provided. For people who don’t wish to y, mission base staff are needed to man _nance, logistics, ground team or air operations coordinator and other positions to support the various missions performed by CAP.

Young people (male & female) ages 12 and up can join and be part of our cadet (youth) program. As a cadet

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you will have many opportunities which are unique to CAP cadets, such as orientation rides in Civil Air Patrol planes. While on these flights you will fly the plane to learn the basic controls. Any cadet interested in earning a pilot certificate can earn opportunities to secure a pilot certificate at no cost! Getting the pilot certificate can open the doors to careers in aviation. There have been over 100 cadets nationwide who have earned their certificates since this program was started.

For cadets thinking of joining the military, earning the General Billy Mitchell Award will earn you an enlistment as an E-3, which means more money and a better chance for promotion to E-4. Over the years cadets from this squadron have entered into the Air Force and Army becoming very successful in their career due to the training we provide. Two cadets from our unit got selected for the Air Force Academy.

There are fun activities for cadets (adult members can participate in also) at the wing (state) and national level. The Arkansas Wing holds major events like Fun and the Fort (in Fort Smith) where they get to see how an Army fort is and take tours of different facilities. One of the fun activities they do is get in a convoy simulator going into combat situations. They also have aerospace activities to learn about flying and other things.

The other is the cadet encampment which is held each summer. This year it was held at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock. There, cadets rode on Army Blackhawk helicopters and went to Little Rock AFB for a C-130 transport plane ride. Adult senior members also participated in these rides!! Tours were provided at both places and cadets got a chance to see the various jobs both branches have. For cadets thinking about the military this is a wonderful opportunity to see how military life is on an Army camp or Air Force base.

If interested in finding out more, please come to the open house, Saturday, Aug. 17, at 10 a.m., at the Cypress Avenue Baptist Church. There will be a drone piloting competition and other things going on to give you the chance to see what Civil Air Patrol is about.

Join your fellow civic-minded community members who volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol throughout Arkansas. Our volunteers make the essential missions possible. Without the more than 61,000 volunteer civilian members of Civil Air Patrol national wide, we simply could not provide our leadership program to tens of thousands of youths, save hundreds of lives each year, and help make our community a better place to live. To learn more about Civil Air Patrol go to www.gocivilair patrol.com or www.CAP. News. For more information about the 99th Composite Squadron and meetings, contact Lt Col Larry Webster at hornets99compsq@aol.com.

About Civil Air Patrol

Civil Air Patrol is the longtime auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a valued member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single- engine aircraft and more than 2,000 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). It performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 82 lives annually. CAP’s 54,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies. Operating as a nonprofit organization, CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to more than 20,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.CAP.News or www.Go CivilAirPatrol.com for more information.

LEFT: Come to the Civil Air Patrol Open House this weekend and learn more about one of America’s most vital auxiliary military programs. ABOVE: Cadets in the Civil Air Patrol experience hands on flight training and receive many other exciting opportunities.

Photos courtesy of CAP