About Civil Air Patrol

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=397875" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="0fcd6c00ddvuru.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Information Provided by:</div> <div>                C/2nd Lt. Taylor</div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#0066FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Columbia Composite Squadron SC-099</b></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT> |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Columbia Composite Squadron SC099"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <B>About Civil Air Patrol</b>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vision Statement"><U>Vision Statement</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U>Events</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Cadet Training Schedule"><U> Cadet Training Schedule</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Senior and Cadet Staff"><U>Senior and Cadet Staff</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Links"><U> Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery 1"><U>Gallery 1</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery 2"><U>Gallery 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery 3"><U>Gallery 3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Top Dawg Awards"><U>Top Dawg Awards</U></A></div> <div> About Civil Air Patrol</div> <div> Those of us in the Civil Air Patrol like to say that the it is the best kept secret in the world. As the official Auxiliary of the United States Air Force, there is much work to be done in our volunteer corporation, as well as many benefits to reap and fun to partake in. But the greatest part of the CAP is the feeling that you get when you realize that you've made a difference in the world through being a volunteer as part of the world's greatest Air Force.</div> <bR> <div> The Civil Air Patrol, Incorporated (CAP) is a non-profit, volunteer organization formed on December 7, 1941 - most notably six days after the date that lives on in infamy. The CAP has a rich history that extends back to World War II and streches time to the present. We started out as an all-adult volunteer organization of pilots in direct support of the new Army Air Corps at the dawn of the Second World War. Those volunteer civilians provided many services such as coastal reconnaisance, submarine spotting, aerial gunnery target twoing, and a lot more. We even sank TWO GERMAN submarines off of our coast during WWII after they gave our planes permission to carry one 500 lb. bomb each for a short span of time! All in all during our early history, we made our mark on America and proved that our organization was needed.</div> <bR> <div> That is part of our early history, now the Civil Air Patrol is known more for its three missions: Emergency Services, our Cadet Program, and Aerospace Education. After World War II ended there was no need for our organization to patrol the coasts or look for enemy subs, so we found a different cause to support. Now we have a Cadet Program, which is the U.S. Air Force's Drug-Demand Reduction Program. We have an Emergency Services program that flies 4 of ever 5 hours flown for the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) and conducts Search and Rescues and Disaster Relief operations in coordination with other organizations. We also have an Aerospace Education program that acts inside the CAP by educating its members about flight and and spaceflight and outside the CAP by reaching out to the nations educators through conferences and reaches kids by supporting and hosting Eagle flights and model rocketry programs.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><U>The Cadet Program</U></b></div> <div> Kids ages 12 to 18 can join and participate in Civil Air Patrol activities.Our program consists of a series of achivements and milestone awards that are focused on developing young leaders and their skills. Upon achieving the General Billy Mitchell Award a cadet can enlist in the U.S. Air Force as an E-3 (Airman First Class) instead of the normal E-1 (Airman Basic) awarded to regular recruits. Achieving the Mitchell Award also signals the transition from cadet noncommissioned officer to cadet officer status, as the first eight achievemnts the cadet has earned go from E-1 (Aiman Basic) to E-9 (Chief Master Sergeant). After the Mitchell Award the cadet strives to achieve the last three milestone awards: the Earhart Award, the Eaker Award, and the prestigious Spaatz Award. The cadet must earn the four achievements between the Mitchell and Earhart Awards to be promoted to Cadet Captain, then the cadet tries to complete the remaining achivements to attain the grade of Cadet Lieutenant Colonel and the Eaker Award. After these trials the cadet may then attempt the Spaatz Award exam - the hardest and most challenging test of a cadet's career. Passing the grueling Physical Fitness test and the two written portions (leadership and aerospace) of the test signals that the cadet has earned the grade of Cadet Colonel - the highest grade that a cadet can earn in the CAP. Only the very best cadets even attempt the Spaatz Exam.</div> <bR> <div> Cadets can also participate in the other parts of the CAP, Emergency Services and Aerospace Education. Cadets can learn to work on SAR teams and DR operations just like adults, barring anything that requires adult age requiements. And the individual cadet can earn a Model Rocketry badge to wear on his uniform once completing a Model Rocketry workshop.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>The Senior Member Training Program</U></b></div> <div> The Civil Air Patrol isn't just for kids! Adults can join too. In the CAP, adults ages 18 and older can particpate in three capacities. Flight Officer memberships are for adults 18-21 years old, the regular senior member membership is for 21 and older, and Cadet Sponsor Members are adults who have a child in the CAP and wish to support the cadet program but do not wish to participate actively in unit activities.</div> <bR> <div> The senior member program participates in the same missions that the cadet program does (Emergency Services, Cadet Program, and Aerospace Education) except senior members have to work from a different view of it. The senior members are mainly there to support the cadets. They give guidance to the cadet leadership when needed, and do the behind the scenes work that cadets are legally unable to do.</div> <bR> <div> Senior Members in Emergency Services have several options available to them. If you're a pilot you can reach for your mission pilot rating. A radio operator? The CAP operates one of the largets mobile radio networks in the U.S., and we actively support emergency operations, so you could find a job in Communications. Do you like to get in the woods and get dirty? You can become a Ground Tem Leader for a Ground Team that goes out and conducts searches for downed airplanes, distress signals from ELTs, or missing persons. All of these types of people can help in ES, and under Emergency Services we also do Disaster Relief operations in conjuction with other organizations like the Red Cross and the Coast Guard. We can used almost anybody and everybody in Emergency Services so join and help!</div> <bR> <div> Maybe you're interested in working with kids, or you have a child in the Cadet Program. You can join as a Senior Member and become involved in a specialty called "Cadet Programs" and become a dynamic member of the organization running your local cadet program, or become a Cadet Sponsor Member and support your child's program by providing transportation, acting as a guide, or just helping out in any way you can.</div> <bR> <div> Maybe you're a pilot. The Civil Air Patrol can definitely use you! Being part of the US Air Force, one of our missions is Aerospace Education and your great knowledge of aerospace and the aeronautical environment can help spread knowledge about airpower and the uses of aircraft and how they work and fly. There are several nationally hosted conferences help by CAP in support of Aerospace Education, one of the most notable - NCASE - draws educators from all over the nation to learn about how they can add the aerospace dimension to their classes. So join and help! </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>