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Civil Air Patrol hosts open house

Volunteer organization offers leadership opportunities

From left, Cadet Tech. Sgt. Peter Myers, Cadet Airmen William Smith, Cadet 1Lt. Ivan Krylov, Maj. Richard Kear, 1Lt. Shawn Wilson, Cadet 1Lt. Damon Poor, Maj. Roy Myers, 2Lt. Dana Myers and Cadet Airmen First Class Clara Myers. Photo by J.M. Simpson

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Cadet Airman William Smith sat straight in the chair, looked straight ahead and said, "Joining the Civil Air Patrol looked like fun."

He wasn't kidding.

A member of the McChord Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), Smith is a 6th grader who is looking forward to six glider flights next month.

"Flying is cool," he added.

Founded in December 1941, CAP pilots flew more than one-half million hours, rescued hundreds of crash survivors during World War II and sank two German submarines.

"They strapped bombs to the fuselage of a Cessna and then used knives to cut the straps holding them," recounted 1Lt Shawn Wilson, deputy commander for the cadets and an active duty Air Force member assigned to the 22nd Special Tactical Squadron.

The McChord CAP is a volunteer auxiliary of the United States Air Force committed to aerospace education and serving the community.  Its three congressionally chartered missions are aerospace education, cadet programs and emergency services.

Membership nationwide totals approximately 60,000, and the CAP serves in a subsidiary capacity to the Air Force through its three missions.  There are over 1,700 units from coast to coast an in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

A cadet and a senior program provide the avenue to service.

The cadet program's primary function is to develop the potential of young people, age 12 to 21, through physical fitness, leadership training, aerospace orientation and ethics training.

"The squadron here mentors these young people," said Lt. Col. Shaun Copelin, the director of operations for the 1st Air Support Operations Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).

Sitting nearby, I Corps Chaplain (Maj.) Roy Myers added, "This is a place for young ones to learn and grow - and step into new challenges."

The senior program allows adult members to be part of the team of volunteers to participate in writing, flying, radio operations, teaching, emergency services and much more.

Emergency services are one of the CAP's biggest contributions to the country.

The CAP performs over 85 percent of the nation's search and rescue (SAR) missions.  Disaster relief, humanitarian services and counter drug operations round out the mission directive.

"CAP members are the unpaid professionals who perform flawlessly," pointed out Wilson.

For Cadet Technical Sergeant Peter Myers, a student at Steilacoom High School, joining the CAP is a way to begin a career in the military.

"I am thinking about joining the Army," he said.  "I would like to attend West Point."

Of the over 18,000 young adults involved with the program, approximately 10 percent are enrolled in one of the three academies.

Attending the Air Force Academy is the goal of Cadet 1Lt Damon Poor, a high school student who comes from Aberdeen to attend weekly training at McChord Field.

"I became involved about five years ago," said Poor, "and I know I will go active duty."

He pointed out that the knowledge he's learned from attending CAP training encampments has helped him with his classes.

"My goal is to attend the academy and major in aeronautical engineering."

For those interested in taking a closer look at what the CAP offers, the public is invited to an open house on May 4 from 7 to 9pm in Building 1155 at McChord Field.

For more information, call (253) 982-7002 and leave a message; your call will be returned.

"Come join us," said Maj. Richard Kear, the squadron commander. "See what the program is all about." 

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