Civil Air Patrol celebrates 70 years Published Nov. 30, 2011 By Greg Hoffeditz Civil Air Patrol, Scott Composite Squadron SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Civil Air Patrol, Auxiliary of the United States Air Force, turns 70 today. Conceived by Gill Rob Wilson, a New Jersey aviation advocate of the 1930s, CAP became a reality Dec. 1, 1941. Within a week of its founding, the United States was drawn into World War II by the attack on Pearl Harbor. CAP members were soon tasked with assisting in the defense of the nation's coastlines. Under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Forces, aircrews flew more than 500,000 hours of coastal patrol. They logged approximately 244,600 hours and 24 million miles, summoned help for 91 ships in distress, and aided in rescuing 363 survivors of submarine attacks. Patrols spotted 173 enemy U-boats and attacked 57 with bombs or depth charges. Ten were confirmed damaged and two were destroyed. Throughout the war, CAP lost more than 90 aircraft and 64 volunteer members died in service to their country. On April 29, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive Order establishing the Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Public Law 476 incorporated CAP as a benevolent, nonprofit organization on July 1, 1946. It became the civilian auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force on May 26, 1948, under Public Law 557. In 2000, Congress passed Public Law 106-398, stating, "The Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer civilian auxiliary of the Air Force when the services of the Civil Air Patrol are used by any department or agency in any branch of the federal government." In other words, whenever a federal government entity, for example the Department of Homeland Security, needs the assistance of the Civil Air Patrol, it obtains that support through the Air Force. Today, the three primary missions of the Civil Air Patrol are: emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education. The organization is involved in about 90 percent of all continental U.S. search missions tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall AFB, Fla., (previously located at Scott Air Force Base from 1974 to 1993). In order to fulfill these missions, CAP currently has more than 61,000 members in approximately 1,600 units (senior, composite and cadet) located in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. There are also cadet squadrons at some Air Force bases overseas, such as Misawa AB, Japan. With a fleet of roughly 530 single-engine piston aircraft, volunteers fly more than 100,000 hours each year. The Scott Composite Squadron plays a vital role in each of the CAP's missions as one of the largest units in the Illinois Wing. As a "composite" unit, Scott is a combination of senior (adult) and cadet (12 - 18 years of age) members. Scott cadets were very active in 2011. Eight of them attended the annual weeklong summer encampment and two brought back prestigious awards. Four cadets participated in the summer's Johnson Flight Academy and learned to fly powered aircraft or gliders. Two cadets traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with representatives of the state of Illinois. The unit also saw two of its cadet staff head off to military schools--one to the Air Force Academy and one to the United States Military Academy at West Point. A third cadet was accepted into the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program at a university in Oklahoma. CAP's cadet program involves leadership development, aerospace education, fitness, and character development. Cadets are promoted through ranks similar to the Air Force based on active involvement and their knowledge and abilities in the four program areas. Not only do cadets have the opportunity to fly, once they achieve the Mitchell award (Second Lieutenant), they can participate in special activities like the International Air Cadet Exchange Program. Cadets are also involved in emergency services missions. CAP is not just for the youth. There are 35,000 or so senior members (adults) with roles in each of the primary missions. Adults run the emergency services, or ES, missions, fly the planes, and coordinate a multitude of other activities. They are assigned positions essential for the efficient operation of squadrons, groups, wings, regions and national headquarters. Senior members earn promotions based on technical expertise in their duty positions and active participation. Seniors may be in charge of logistics, information technology, emergency services, or even public relation functions. There are over 20 specialty tracks to meet individual skills and desires, while at the same time helping CAP to achieve its mission. Search and Rescue is only one segment of the ES role of CAP, but it is probably the most well known. Several times this year, units of the Illinois wing have been called upon to locate emergency locator transmissions from potentially downed aircraft. Fortunately, all have been inadvertent activations while the aircraft were parked on the ground. That is not always the case. Other ES missions involve natural disaster response, such as searching and photographing flooded areas for local and national authorities. CAP is sometimes called upon to deliver time-sensitive medical supplies and body tissues, as well assist law enforcement agencies in the war on drugs. The Civil Air Patrol has an extensive communications network that enables immediate response to meet any need. Members are not the only ones who benefit from the third primary mission, aerospace education. CAP provides aerospace instruction throughout communities and schools. Aerospace education curricula are developed, published and distributed for kindergarteners through college students. The organization also offers training to teachers on how to use the material in their classrooms. This service is provided at no cost to educators. Additional information about the Aerospace education program for educators can be found at the CAP's website: www.cap.gov/ae.