Civil Air Patrol        In the News

         MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The Civil Air Patrol has removed its national commander after investigating complaints that another patrol member took Air Force tests for him.

        Maj. Gen. Antonio J. Pineda denied that anyone took tests for him, and said Wednesday that he never got to tell his side to the CAP's Board of Governors. ''After being a volunteer in this organization for 20 years, this is how they pay me back,'' he told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

        Pineda was suspended two months ago after another CAP member said he took tests for Pineda at the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery in 2002 and 2003. The disputed tests were for six courses with topics including national security, strategy and war, and leadership and command.

        CHEYENNE, Wyo. - James Henderson was passionate about planes and made flying a regular part of his life, monitoring gas pipelines from the air and doing air searches for the Civil Air Patrol in Wyoming.
       Henderson, 59, was among three people killed when a Civil Air Patrol plane crashed in the Bighorn Mountains during a Monday search for a missing 16-year-old boy. Henderson was piloting the 1980 Cessna 182R.
       "He died doing the two things he loved doing the most. He loved helping people and he loved flying," said his friend Orville Moore, who manages the airport in Powell.
       Also killed were Civil Air Patrol Senior Member James Meyer, 53, of Sheridan and Capt. Patricia Larson, 52, also of Sheridan.

         SHELL, Wyo. - A plane carrying three members of Wyoming's Civil Air Patrol, out searching for a missing teenager, crashed and burned in the Bighorn National Forest, officials said Tuesday.
        The plane went down Monday evening. Investigators were still trying to reach the remote site where the wreckage was spotted Tuesday morning by a U.S. Forest Service plane, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
        FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer in Renton, Wash., said the plane was destroyed by fire. Its occupants couldn't have survived, he said.

        Franklin, W.Va. -   The pilot of a missing non-powered aircraft was found alive early Tuesday morning a few miles south of Circleville, W.Va. Ground teams from the West Virginia Wing Civil Air Patrol, and local rescue crews found the pilot on Norfolk Mountain at approximately 9:13 a.m.

       Crews placed the pilot in a stretcher, and spent several hours walking down the treacherous terrain to a helicopter operated by the Maryland State Police. The pilot was taken to a Cumberland Hospital with serious injuries, but according to reports the pilot was alert and talking with rescue crews.

       30 ground team units consisted of Clarksburg, Morgantown, Beckley, and Charleston with one unit from the Pennsylvania Wing CAP providing assistance. Civil Air Patrol is extremely grateful for the help and accommodations received from local fire departments, and county emergency services personnel.   The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center out of Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida alerted the Wing at approximately 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 16, 2007.  

       Cessna Aircraft Co. will deliver 46 Skyhawks to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and 31 Skylanes to the Civil Air Patrol. The company announced the orders at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla.

       The Civil Air Patrol ordered 29 Skylanes and two turbocharged Skylanes to add to its fleet. CAP uses its aircraft for its cadet programs, aerospace education, and search-and-rescue missions. Based on list prices for a 182 Skylane and 182 turbocharged Skylane, the order is worth $10.9 million.  

        While most teenagers are off relaxing and enjoying their winter break, a select group of cadets from all over California and Nevada came to the Lemoore Naval Air Station. They are taking part in a rare class about integrity and leadership.

       Sixteen year old Molly Hurt could be playing in her high school basketball tournament this week. But instead, she says, she couldn't miss these cadet classes offered once ever other year. They will help her become a naval officer.
       Molly Hurt is a Chief Master SGT in the cadets and she says, "They're important because they're part of the three core values of the Civil Air Patrol and especially the moral leadership we're learning about ethics and the reason why we should or shouldn't do things." 

       Miami, FL (AHN) - Allegations from a former Civil Air Patrol volunteer started two investigations of alleged misconduct against its national commander Thursday.
       The CAP is looking into allegations that Maj. Gen. Antonio Pineda, who lives in Plantation, Fla., cheated on some exams by having a former officer of his take them in his place.
       Kristen Perezluha, a FDLE spokesperson, told All Headline News (AHN) that Pineda is also facing an FDLE inquiry because of the accusations.
       "It is a preliminary inquiry to determine if there is enough basis to start an internal affairs investigation," Perezluha told AHN.
       Pineda, a 36-year veteran with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who is working in Miami's Domestic Security Squad, is also the Civil Air Patrol's national commander, and since August 2005, has led the volunteer search-and-rescue patrol.

        Local teachers learned something new over the weekend.
        These weren't your typical pilot lessons.
        In Bridgeport, the Civil Air Patrol tried to show teachers how flying can be applied to the classroom.
        For some young cadets, flying steers them to a brighter future. Many want to become pilots when they grow up.
        But planes that can go as fast as 150 miles an hour and soar 11,000 feet in the sky not only can be useful in the air -- but also in school.
        And that was the idea behind Saturday's workshop at the Harrison-Marion Regional Airport in Bridgeport.
        "It enables, it excites students because they can relate it to something," says Civil Air Patrol Officer First Lieutenant Rocco Rossetti. "For instance, an Algebra class when you have to do math to determine an angle.."
        But operating a plane can help with more than just crunching numbers. Officials say it can be applied to history, geography and even economics.
        That means young cadets and teachers will be flying high -- in the air and in the classroom.

       The U.S Air Force has awarded a $6.24 million contract modification to Civil Air Patrol Inc., Maxwell Air Force Base, to increase funding for fiscal 2007 Civil Air Patrol operation and maintenance and counter-drug activities, drug demand reduction program, residual support for CAP-USAF State Directors and the AFROTC/CAP Flying Orientation program authorized by 10 U.S.C. 9442(b) and 10 U.S.C. 9444(a) and (b). The contract was awarded by USAF's 42d Air Base Wing, Maxwell Air Force Base.

       The US Civil Air Patrol was established as the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force in 1941, just before the Pearl Harbor attack. It has now been placed under the Air Force Homeland Security Directorate. CAP's volunteer pilots fly reconnaissance missions for homeland security, search and rescue and disaster relief, and even counterdrug reconnaissance at the request of government or law enforcement agencies. They transport medical personnel and supplies, blood and live tissue. In times of disaster, they assess damage and transport emergency personnel from site to site. Now, a modest modernization is underway.
       Overall, it's an exceptionally effective, and cost-effective, force. DID offers details regarding a recent contract, as well as CAP's force structure, budget, and ongoing modernization programs.

       Overall, CAP has over 58,000 members in over 1,700 local units across the United States. CAP members are civilians and are not paid by the U.S. government for their CAP service. They do not have command authority over members of the United States military, nor are they subject to command. As part of recognition of CAP's service to the USAF, however, CAP members are allowed to wear "U.S." as part of their uniform, and CAP members are required to render military courtesy to all members of U.S. and friendly foreign military personnel. Most members of the U.S. military will also render military courtesy to CAP officers, though they are not required to.

       If you think volunteerism is all-but-dead in the US... we offer the following proof to the contrary.
       The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) -- an all volunteer aviation auxiliary of the US Air Force -- was honored Wednesday with the prestigious Summit Award. This is the highest award given by the American Society of Association Executives, and the Center for Association Leadership. The Civil Air Patrol is one of six winners selected from 250 nominees.
       "This award truly speaks to who we are and what we are all about as a volunteer organization," CAP commander Major General Antonio Pineda said. "I am delighted that this story is being told and honored in such a prestigious way."
       CAP earned the award through its extraordinary efforts on the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of hurricanes Rita and Katrina. First, it established a 24/7 command post coordinating crews and search teams with local and federal agencies. That post then oversaw 1734 CAP members in four states, where they kept aircraft, communication equipment, and other supplies prepped and ready for deployment.

       Maj. Jayson Altieri credits the Civil Air Patrol with helping make him a successful Army officer. So, whenever he gets a chance, he tries to give back to the organization.
       This summer, Altieri spoke to Civil Air Patrol cadets from Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Roanoke, Va., about his experiences as a Black Hawk pilot and 18th Airborne Corps planner in Iraq.
       Altieri returned from a 13-month deployment in January. He served the first part of his tour in Balad, Iraq, with the 1st Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, which is now part of the 82nd Airborne Division.
       Altieri also served in Baghdad with the 18th Airborne Corps staff. He was an operations planner for Multi-National Corps-Iraq.
       “The CAP helped me develop to become the officer I am,” Altieri said recently during a telephone interview.
       “I think I sort of owe it to the program. A lot of good people I worked with as a cadet kind of showed me the way, so to speak.”
       Altieri joined the Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary organization of the U.S. Air Force, as a cadet in 1979. He learned to fly in 1982 at the age of 16. Altieri was a cadet for four years; he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel three years ago.

       Land was clear, roads were few and shopping malls were nonexistent in Rehoboth Beach in 1942 when the Civil Air Patrol opened Base Two to patrol the coast.
       "The ocean's the same, but that's it," said Henry E. "Ed" Phipps, 92, one of the original members of the Civil Air Patrol in Delaware during World War II. "I don't even drive any more."
       Phipps, of Cockeysville, Md., was one of two of the five surviving members of the 75-person patrol who joined to dedicate a memorial plaque to the patrol on Saturday, on Airport Road, just outside Rehoboth.
       "It's overdue frankly to give honor to the Civil Air Patrol, the flying minutemen," said C. Russell McCabe, director of the Delaware Public Archives, who heads up the program to put the signs up around the state.
       As the plaque states, the Civil Air Patrol was formed in the early days of World War II to provide civilian assistance with a variety of military activities including coastal defense. The volunteers in the patrol flew their planes along the coast looking for German submarines and their victims. Today the group exists to help with emergency patrols and homeland security operations. It is still a volunteer organization, using privately owned planes.

       "This is the best expenditure of taxpayer money because it educates," said McCabe, as he looked on the newly erected sign. He did, however, add an apology for the amount of information on the sign, saying there was much more to the story than he could fit into one paragraph.
       And it was the stories that caused the group of former and present members of the Civil Air Patrol and their families to gather for the reunion, held every year for the last 60 years.

       FARGO, N.D. - Procedures for the release of information on missing or overdue aircraft will be reviewed in the wake of a missing plane incident in North Dakota, officials say.
       It was more than 24 hours before information was made public on the search for pilot Bob Nelson, 60, of Battle Lake, Minn., and his single-engine Piper Cherokee. Nelson and the plane disappeared Aug. 24 after taking off from Bismarck in stormy weather.
       Public information should have come out earlier, said Col. Karl Altenburg, wing commander with the Civil Air Patrol office in Fargo.
       Altenburg and Rick Robinson, a spokesman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, said their agencies plan to review their public notification policies and work toward improving the process.
       "We're going to perform an after-action meeting to see if there are ways that we can improve the communications between the agencies that were involved in the search and rescue activities," Robinson said. "See if we can't get the information out to the public a little quicker."

       OCT. 12 12:39 P.M. ET EFJ Inc., primarily a manufacturer of handheld and mobile radios, base stations and other wireless systems, said Thursday its EFJohnson subsidiary received a $2.7 million order from the Civil Air Patrol for mobile radios and accessories.
       The contract calls for Project 25-compliant products, or digital products that are interoperable and allow public safety workers from separate agencies to communicate with each other in the case of an emergency.

       RENO, Nevada. Civil Air Patrol made history today when the organization's national board elected Col. Amy Courter of South Lyon, Mich., as CAP's national vice commander – the first woman to serve CAP at the national command level in the organization's 65-year history. The election took place during CAP's summer national board meeting and annual conference, which is being held at the John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort.

       RENO, Nev. — Volunteer pilots and crews from Nevada are will patrol the Arizona-Mexico border as part of the federal government's increased security effort, according to the head of the state's Civil Air Patrol unit.
       Three single-engine Cessna 182 Skylanes will operate out of Yuma, starting next month, said Col. Dion DeCamp, commander of the patrol's Nevada Wing.
       The patrol is an auxiliary of the Air Force and is made up of 57,000 volunteers nationwide.

       GALLUP — The local Civil Air Patrol squadron is the recipient of the F. Ward Reilly Leadership Award, which is awarded to the top CAP program nationwide.
       Of 1700 squadrons nationwide, Gallup's program received top honors and will be recognized at the organization's national board meeting later this year. It will also receive a $500 stipend and a streamer to post on the squadron flag.
       The CAP program educates its members about aerospace, search and rescue, military etiquette and CAP history. Gallup's squadron has about 50 cadets and senior members whose ages range from 12 to 84. Members meet on Thursday at the municipal airport.
       "We are very humbled by the award," member Melinda Sanchez said.

       NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. --About a dozen Civil Air Patrol cadets were taken to hospitals Wednesday after feeling sick during an orientation flight on a military cargo plane.

       "They're airsick," said Col. Augustine Comella, head of the Civil Air Patrol.
       All had been released by Wednesday evening.
       Several dozen cadets were on the C-130 when it encountered turbulence, Comella said. Thirteen were taken to hospitals as a precaution after it landed at Quonset Point, he said.
       The group of boys and girls ranges in age from 12 to 18, but Comella said he was not sure of the ages of the sick children.
       One child apparently broke a finger when it was caught in webbing between the seats while the airplane was landing, said Lt. Col. Mike McNamara of the Rhode Island National Guard.

       GEORGIA – The 1960 Cessna 210A aircraft belonging to Col. A. Scott Crossfield of Herndon, Va., has been located. Georgia Wing conducted air and ground searches along the flight path and located the crash site in Gilmer County. There were no survivors.
       Crossfield was on a flight from Prattville, Ala., to Manassas, Va., Wednesday morning when the aircraft disappeared from radar in north Georgia.
       Crossfield, 84, was born in Berkeley, Calif. on Oct. 2, 1921. Although best known for his role as a legendary test pilot, he was a strong supporter of the Civil Air Patrol and, in particular, CAP’s aerospace education program. He created the A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year Award to recognize and reward teachers for outstanding accomplishments in aerospace education and for their dedication to the students they teach. The Scott Crossfield Award for senior members is CAP’s highest award in aerospace education. At his 80th birthday in 2001, Crossfield was still flying 200 hours per year as a private pilot/instrument rating.

       ROGERS — After tornadoes and high winds struck northwest Arkansas Sunday evening, the Arkansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol was activated early Monday morning to conduct damage assessment flights and to deactivate aircraft emergency beacons set off by storm damage.
       The Arkansas Wing’s 115 th Composite Squadron in Rogers launched a six-person ground team under Lt. Holly Jones at about 7 a.m. after being activated by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. The center’s satellites had picked up numerous emergency beacons transmitting from the Bentonville-Rogers area. Shortly after leaving 115 th headquarters at the Rogers Municipal Airport, the team picked up the signals and eventually pinpointed their location at the Bentonville Municipal Airport.
       At the Bentonville airport, the team discovered 11 planes that had been damaged enough that the emergency beacons had been accidentally activated. Jones’ team deactivated the beacons on those aircraft.

       St. Paul business owner William R. Cammack Jr. died when his plane veered off course 700 miles and crashed late Friday night in West Virginia as fighter jet pilots tried unsuccess-fully to contact him.
      A leader in the St. Paul business community, Cammack was the son of pilots and had known flying all his life. His job meant he was constantly flying across the country, and he served as a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol searching for downed pilots.
      Authorities said it was unclear what led to Friday night's crash but it appeared Cammack had the plane on autopilot and crashed when the fuel ran out.
      Cammack was flying his Beechcraft Baron 56TC plane home to St. Paul after a business trip in Montana, but the 56-year-old's plane ended up more than 700 miles past its destination.
      The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.
      "All we know is that at some point between Montana and St. Paul, he seems to have lost consciousness," said Cammack's brother, Dave Cammack. "(But) that's all a conjecture. The NTSB is still figuring out what happened."

       Mike Sandstrom found a great seat at Detroit's Ford Field — except he was there in the middle of the night and 10 days before Sunday's Super Bowl.
       Sandstrom was the co-pilot of a single-engine plane used to test security for the football game; he flew over the field and downtown Detroit. "We were part of a counterterrorism exercise because there will be restricted airspace around Detroit for the Super Bowl," he said Monday. "But it's not restricted unless you enforce it."
       Sandstrom, 45, of Quincy, is a lieutenant in the Kellogg Field Senior Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, one of several agencies involved in the air defense coordination exercise with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.
       The exercise included planes and personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard and the Canadian Air Force and was designed to test the response to an aircraft attempting to fly into the restricted air space, Sandstrom said.
       "They have to practice how to intercept and how to make decisions quickly and who is doing what," he said.

       It's hard for fire officials to maintain wildfires, especially if they don't know a fire exists.
       Since late December, fire officials in some of Texas' fire-prone counties have been receiving help from the sky in locating fires.
       Civil Air Patrol pilots, including four from Longview, have been flying wildfire detection missions throughout Texas.
       "We fly over land and if we see a lot of smoke, we radio it in to local fire officials," said Capt. Rick Block, public affairs officer for the Gladewater Civil Air Patrol Squadron. "Sometimes we are the first to see the fire."
       The Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, "is focused on early detection of fires to facilitate effective initial attacks," according to the State of Texas Web site .
       Since Dec. 26, there have been 2,184 fires in Texas, which burned about 486, 296 acres, according to the Web site. As of Friday, Texas Civil Air Patrol pilots had flown more than 728 hours dedicated to fire detection and had located 120 blazes.

       When a Civil Air Patrol pilot spotted engines and metal debris on Granny Ridge, he thought it was the wreckage of a Cessna 182 that went missing New Year's Eve 2005.

       But the wreckage turned out to be from a Lockheed PV-2 bomber, turned into a fire bomber. The two crewmembers that were fighting the June 1974 fire lost their lives in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, in an area of the Mogollon Rim near Chevelon Canyon.
       "My wife (CAP Lt. Sally Tyrell) and I went out to the crash site. The main thing that identified the plane for us was the tail wheel strut," said Lt. Col. Charles Bendixen. He is the Squadron Commander in Flagstaff and is one of the CAP pilots who flew back to investigate the 31-year-old wreck.
       "The old crash was less than half a mile from the Cessna," he said.
       Bendixen drove in on a forest road, then hiked half a mile through a ravine to get to the wreckage, within a thick growth of pine trees.
       Once armed with a registration number, N7263C, he was able to research the crash.

       It's hard for fire officials to maintain wildfires, especially if they don't know a fire exists.
       Since late December, fire officials in some of Texas' fire-prone counties have been receiving help from the sky in locating fires.
       Civil Air Patrol pilots, including four from Longview, have been flying wildfire detection missions throughout Texas.
       "We fly over land and if we see a lot of smoke, we radio it in to local fire officials," said Capt. Rick Block, public affairs officer for the Gladewater Civil Air Patrol Squadron. "Sometimes we are the first to see the fire."
       The Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, "is focused on early detection of fires to facilitate effective initial attacks," according to the State of Texas Web site .
       Since Dec. 26, there have been 2,184 fires in Texas, which burned about 486, 296 acres, according to the Web site. As of Friday, Texas Civil Air Patrol pilots had flown more than 728 hours dedicated to fire detection and had located 120 blazes.

       Everyone’s ready for Super Bowl XL.
       The Pittsburgh Steelers. the Seattle Seahawks.
       But not the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
       NORAD, a bi-national command based at Peterson Air Force Base, will repeat a wideranging exercise that was held early Thursday to ensure airspace-security preparedness for Detroit’s 65,000-seat Ford Field on Feb. 5.
       NORAD spokesman Canadian Forces Maj. Darren Steele refused to disclose weaknesses revealed by the first exercise or scenarios upon which the practice was based. He said the rerun, set for next Wednesday, was triggered by “weather issues” that prevented a comprehensive exercise the first time. 

       The agencies included the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration, Continental Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, NAV Canada and Canadian Air Defense Sector.

       To mark the 65th anniversary of Civil Air Patrol, a new Web-based museum has been established. It details the growth of the organization from providing anti-submarine patrols during World War II to search and rescue and disaster relief in peacetime to the counterdrug and homeland security missions the Air Force Auxiliary provides today.

       The galleries on the site provide detailed histories and many photos of CAP members at work.

       Mike Fjetland ,a Republican attorney from Missouri City, formally announce his candidacy for the District 22 congressional seat currently held by Tom DeLay.

       Fjetland, (pronounced Fetland), who filed on Friday, Dec. 9, formed a congressional campaign exploratory committee earlier this year, is an international attorney, negotiator, and expert on counter terrorism and national security issues with experience in over 50 countries.
       He also serves as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol), volunteering as a mission pilot. His most recent assignments include aerial surveys of hurricane related damage and assisting hurricane emergency teams. 

       A small plane crashed into nearly inaccessible woods south of Orangeburg late Friday night.

       The pilot, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to The Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg for assessment. She told authorities she was flying from Savannah, Ga., to Columbia. The pilot was trapped until rescue workers could find the wreckage and free her.
       “The Federal Aviation Administration will complete the investigation, but it appears she ran out of gas,” said John Smith, Orangeburg County’s director of emergency services.
       After the crash, the woman used her cellphone to call authorities. But she did not know where she was, except that she was near some industries and a railroad track.

       A Civil Air Patrol plane that already was in the air in response to the ELT signal was immediately redirected to Orangeburg. “We were talking to her on the phone, and she didn’t know where she was,” Smith said. She couldn’t reach her global positioning system device and “she was trying to describe things” she could see from her plane, Smith said.
       The CAP plane picked up her transmission, and ground crews located the downed plane. 

       Fletcher F. Anderson, the Jackson Hole Civil Air Patrol pilot who died in a Snake River plane accident Friday morning, was remembered as "one of the best pilots I ever flew with" by Bill Jepsen on Monday. Jepsen, a commander with the Wyoming Wing's Teton Composite Squadron, is the last person known to have talked with Anderson before his fatal crash. Anderson, 57, died Friday morning just before 9 a.m. when the singleengine Cessna 182R he was piloting plunged into the Snake River just south of Wolf Creek in Lincoln County, according to Jepsen and a Forest Service press release.
       Jepsen, who approved Anderson's flight release Friday morning, said he believed the pilot was flying at around 25 feet, well below the 1,000-foot altitude safety margin, when the plane struck a flood water gauging cable hanging across the canyon.
       "There is no reason known or unknown for flying that low," Jepsen said.
       Anderson had been a member of the Teton Composite Squadron since October 2004 and was a commercial charter pilot who ran his own private charter and flight instruction company. Jepsen said Anderson was an FAA-certified pilot and an expert mountain flight instructor who had written a book on piloting in mountainous terrain. "He had logged around 4,000 flying hours, maybe even 4,500, we don't quite know how many yet over his career," Jepsen said. 

       The Delaware Department of Transportation prepared for additional traffic with increased monitoring by the agency’s Traffic Patrol Units, assigned to assist disabled vehicles and observe traffic conditions.
       Wednesday and today are considered peak travel times for the Thanksgiving weekend.
       In addition, the Civil Air Patrol provides aerial reports to DelDOT’s Traffic Management Center.  

       DANVILLE, Va. - When 15-year-old Kirsten Buslinger joined the Civil Air Patrol two years ago, she never dreamed she would be traveling to Richmond to speak before a quarterly meeting of the Air Force Association of Virginia.
       However, on Saturday, she will be sharing with the group the experiences she had while attending space camp this summer in Huntsville, Ala.
       Buslinger earned the honor of attending the camp by winning an essay contest sponsored by the Aerospace Education Foundation of the Air Force Association. Because it was the foundation’s 50th anniversary, the members chose 50 students to sponsor for the space camp at a cost of at least $1,500 apiece. The essay topic concerned which planet the students would choose to explore and what they would do when they got there.  

       BAY ST. LOUIS - At some point, everyone has that dream: Standing around with a few good friends, and all of a sudden chocolate just falls from the sky.
       For the 150 children crowded in the bleachers at the Bay High football stadium Monday morning, that dream came true.
       Chocolate-covered sandwich cookies, topped with Halloween sprinkles and equipped with miniparachutes, were dropped from a plane to Bay-Waveland School District children, who have been out of school since the Aug. 29 hurricane.

       The Mississippi Civil Air Patrol conducted the drop, and because they were only allowed to fly as low as 1,000 feet, strong winds forced organizers to throw most of the candy on the field by hand.  

       BOXBOROUGH - The Northeast Region of the Civil Air Patrol will be hosting a concert featuring The Air National Guard Band of the Northeast in conjunction with The Northeast Regional Civil Air Patrol Annual Conference at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, Veteran's Day, at The Holiday Inn in Boxborough.
       The concert is being held to honor those who have served our country in the Armed Forces. A special invitation goes out to veterans, veteran's families, active duty servicemen and women as well as members of veteran's organizations. Veterans are encouraged to wear their uniforms. The Civil Air Patrol would also like to invite those who serve our local communities in police, fire fighting and emergency services organizations. The general public is also invited to attend this concert.   

       NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – The Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, has established a relief fund to help with the extensive multi-state recovery efforts now underway in the wake of Katrina, a Category 4 hurricane that ripped into the nation's Gulf Coast Aug. 29.
       Donations can be made to the CAP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund online at www.peopleware.net/1044b or checks, made payable to “CAP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund,” may be sent to: CAP National Headquarters, CAP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 105 S. Hansell St., Maxwell AFB, AL 36112.  

        A software publisher has released a new video game based on Civil Air Patrol.

        Civil Air Patrol Pilot is an Expansion pack for Microsoft Flight Simulator that lets flight sim fans experience the missions of the Civil Air Patrol. Starting in the 1940s as an all-volunteer flying unit, the CAP quickly became a primary source for urgent search and rescue flights, air and ground support for disaster relief, and many other vital missions. Perform the same missions as these highly-respected aviators, as you pilot all-new aircraft.

        Fly these Civil Air Patrol Pilot aircraft: Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, DHC-2 Beaver, Cessna 185 Skywagon, Gippsland GA8 Airvan
        Take officials and staff to remote locations, transport essential medical supplies to accident sites, perform aerial damage assessment, and locate ELTs.
        Packaging will features information on the volunteer organization and its aviation-based missions, for those interested in joining.   

       “This is the first of its kind for CAP,” said Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander. “By teaming with Abacus, Civil Air Patrol members will not only be able to fly the CAP colors in Flight Simulator, but they will also see tangible benefits in funding for our cadet programs as well.” 

        She was only five years old when she saw an F-4 Phantom fighter jet soar and maneuver through the clouds during an air show. It was then, that she knew she would someday do the same.
        Now, 26 years later, Capt. Nicole Malachowski is getting her chance to do just that and making history while she’s at it. The 494th Fighter Squadron C-Flight commander and F-15E instructor pilot here was recently selected to be the first female pilot to fly with as a member of the elite U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds.
        A native of Las Vegas, Nev., Captain Malachowski never thought she could be a part of the Thunderbirds.
        "My husband was chatting with me one day, and he brought it up," she said, referring to the first time she thought about applying for the elite Air Force demonstration team. "I thought, ‘Really? I qualify to apply? I could never be a Thunderbird.’"
        With reassurance from her husband, Captain Malachowski’s disbelief turned to motivation.
        "The Air Force has so many great opportunities out there, and all you have to do is apply," she said. "It never hurts to try, does it?"   

       Practicing takeoffs and landings used to mean hours of work and money in the gas tank. Flying through some of Kodiak’s treacherous passes used to mean risking life and limb.        Only actual experience used to prepare pilots for Alaska’s difficult weather and terrain.
       Not anymore.
       Monday the Kodiak Civil Air Patrol welcomed the Personal Computer Aviation Device; in other words, a flight simulator without the movement. The program can be customized to simulate flights through major passes in Alaska and landings at any airfield, or even sea and land landings. Adjustable weather also lets users make safety decisions, like whether or not to fly into a foggy pass with low-visibility.   

       Edward Joseph Vazquez is nobody's junior. Not even to his father, Edward M. Vazquez, a chief petty officer in the Coast Guard.
       A rising senior at Arundel High School, the Odenton resident is riding high these days. He's one of only three members of the Civil Air Patrol in the state to participate in the first CAP horse-mounted unit formed since 1946.
       Along with his two younger brothers, Michael, 14, and Christopher, 12, he's shared the vagabond educational track of other "military brats." An honor student, listed the past two years in "Who's Who Among American High School Students," the teen has maintained a high B average despite attending six grade schools and two high schools as his father was transferred from Massachusetts to Ohio, Michigan, Florida and Maryland.
       In Florida, mounted on a speedy bike, he was an accomplished racer in NBL/BMX (National Bicycle League/Bicycle Motocross Racing), ranked sixth in his four-state region. He joined the Air Force Junior ROTC unit at Southridge Senior High School in Miami.
       When Edward arrived in Maryland early in the summer of 2003, he discovered there was no Air Force ROTC unit nearby. The Odenton resident enrolled, instead, in the Cadet Unit of the Bowie Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol. His mother, Ramona, a civilian employee of the Coast Guard in Annapolis, signed on as its volunteer public affairs officer. His father is also active in CAP.  

       If a natural disaster or terrorist attack were to occur, the Civil Air Patrol would spring into action.
       Since practice makes perfect, the Louisiana Wing of the Civil Air Patrol conducted a search and rescue exercise at the Louisiana Regional Airport in Gonzales Saturday to sharpen the skills of both air and ground crews.
       The training events are held four times a year around the state and draws nearly 100 volunteers, said Ascension Parish Civil Air Patrol Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Mickey Marchand.
       The Civil Air Patrol, the official U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is a non-profit organization with nearly 62,000 members throughout the country. It performs more than 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions for the Air Force Rescue and Coordination Center.
       Missions deal with homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.  

       WASHINGTON -- This year has brought a wide array of emergency services missions to the personnel of Civil Air Patrol's National Capital Wing. In terms of size, it's the smallest wing in the nation but has over 600 members. CAP's NCW area of responsibility covers the approximate area inside the Capital Beltway around Washington, including portions inside Maryland and Virginia with a span of only 25 miles.
       Since Christmas, the wing has responded to five emergency locator transmitter searches, tracking their distress signals -- none of which have been routine. Ground teams searched a U.S. Secret Service warehouse, conducted ramp checks of the HMX-1 aircraft (Marine One), circled the Pentagon, toured the local marinas, climbed to the rooftops of several tall buildings and took readings from inside the city's subway system. One of the major problems inside a city like the District of Columbia is sorting out all the distress signals reflected between buildings and re-transmitted through other types of radio antennas.  

       "This was one of the better annual training exercises we have had in the last three years," Sgt. 1st Class Dave Burr said. "At the state level, I thought they did an excellent job with the training and we have plans to return next year.
       Joint Thunder is a training exercise that has been held for 22 years in South Dakota. Nearly 1,600 military personnel from the Army National Guard, Air Force, Active Army, Naval Reserve and Civil Air Patrol participated this year in and around Custer State Park. 

       June 11, 2005 - The threat of a hurricane hitting South Carolina is real possibility. One group is gearing up for an overactive season that could bring a hurricane to our shores.

       As tropical storm Arlene churns on the Gulf Coast, forecasters around the country are keeping an eye on the first storm of the season in South Carolina.
       The Civil Air Patrol is bracing for Hurricane Steve. Captain Francis Smith is part of the Patrol, "We're ready to go if we're called."
       There's no need to be alarmed, Hurricane Steve is a part of the Patrol's disaster response drill.
       Captain Francis Smith says the exercise is important part of their training, "If you don't practice it and the real thing happens, and the conditions are a lot worse than what they are today, you have no prayer of doing it right, if you haven't practiced." 

NEW YORK - It's a simple proclamation that can bring you instantly back to the land of Oz: "As coroner, I must aver / I thoroughly examined her / And she's not only merely dead / She's really, most sincerely dead!"

       The familiar recitation — a confirmation that the Wicked Witch of the East was killed — was uttered by Meinhardt Raabe, on leave from his job with Oscar Mayer to appear as the munchkin coroner in "The Wizard of Oz."
       The scene is etched in the minds of legions of Oz buffs. But Raabe's role in the movie is just one chapter in a life that has included flying with a Civil Air Patrol during War II and crisscrossing the country with the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.

       But he says the accomplishment he is most proud of is his service with the Civil Air Patrol, an organization similar to the National Guard. He worked as a ground instructor during the war and says he flew every kind of single-engine airplane made at the time.

       The Civil Air Patrol responds to 95 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the United States. Now the Louisiana Wing has a new system that can make their lives easier in disaster response, search and rescue.
       Through a grant with the Calcasieu Parish Office of Homeland Security... the local Civil Air Patrol has a new satellite digital imaging system.
       "We can take photo reconnaissance from the air craft," Captain Robert Kingham says. "Then up link it to a satellite through a satellite phone and post pictures on a secure web site."
       The pictures can then be used by state and federal officials for use in damage assessment and recovery plans. And it takes less then a minute to receive the pictures on ground.
       On Saturday the CAP held training exercise to help the patrol grow accustomed to the new equipment and prepare for a real rescue mission.
       "The more you exercise in the search and rescue, the more efficient you become when the real thing comes," Cadet Micah Joslyn says.
       Practice makes perfect, and with the satellite equipment... it can save more lives.

       When the sirens sounded yesterday at 11:45 a.m., agencies and organizations from the American Red Cross to Waikiki hotels geared up for an imaginary tsunami, arriving from off the coast of Alaska.

       Civil Air Patrol planes circled O'ahu beaches, announcing a test of the tsunami warning system.

       "Except that we told them not to use the word 'tsunami,' " said John M. Cummings III, a spokesman for O'ahu Civil Defense. "We were afraid there would be people who would hear 'tsunami' and not hear the 'test' part."
       The statewide tsunami-warning exercise, which did not involve public participation, was organized and coordinated by State Civil Defense. Ed Teixeira, vice director of that agency, said it went well.
       "It was a very, very successful exercise," he said.
       The exercise kicks off tsunami awareness month in Hawai'i and was designed to get key agencies, organizations and businesses to examine policies and procedures.   

       It was a tragedy that no one cares to see repeated. It was a tragedy that struck so close to home that it shook the sense of security some students and their parents have about school safety. And, the Minnesota Army National Guard is taking steps toward prevention for the future.
       Keeping a tragedy of the magnitude of the Red Lake High School shootings of two weeks ago out of other schools in the area is exactly the idea behind a program which took place at the Civil Air Patrol building in Grand Rapids.
       A three hour class for Civil Air Patrol cadets taught by Sgt. T. J. Smith of the Minnesota Army National Guard on Tuesday evening addressed the issues of conflict resolution and violence prevention. Sgt. Smith hopes the messages he delivered to the young cadets, who are also students at Grand Rapids, Nashwauk-Keewatin, Greenway, Deer River, Northland, Hibbing and Hill City high schools, will go back to their respective school communities.  

       RAPID CITY, S.D. - Dry conditions and a dry forecast make for conditions that could spark a lot of fires again in the tinder-dry Black Hills, but much of the firefighting effort going into the season is to keep the fires small.

       Joe Lowe, head of the state Division of Wildland Fire Suppression, said the number of forest fires hasn't really fallen over the past several years, but fewer have turned into major infernos because of an aggressive response.

       ''We've had the same number of fires. We've just been very successful in our initial attack efforts,'' he said. ''We hit them hard and keep them small.''

       When a fire is spotted, fire engines and crews are dispatched immediately, as is an air tanker that can snuff out the flames, when the fire risk is high.

       Much of the credit for keeping fires small goes to the local Civil Air Patrol, Lowe said.

       The volunteer CAP pilots, known best for finding missing or lost people, now take to the air when the weather and forest conditions are right for fires sparked by lightening. 

      By Mardi Suhs, Cadillac News
      CADILLAC - For members of the Civil Air Patrol, aerospace education is a mission assigned to them by the United States Air Force.
      To fulfill that mission, the local Civil Air Patrol is sponsoring a weekend of educational, hands-on activities for youth ages 10 to 15.
      "We have two ways to accomplish this mission," said Major Bill Dumont. "We teach aerospace education internally, to our cadets. And then we take the message about aviation and how it affects the country to the community."
      Topics will include: basic aerodynamics; introduction to flight; aircraft systems and airports; air, environment and weather; rockets; space environment; and spacecraft.
Civil Air Patrol Senior Members and cadets will teach the classes.
      "We have a huge national program," Dumont said. "It's up to every unit in every program to run local events."
      The weekend program is limited to 10 participants.
      "I don't think we have the resources if we get swamped with people," Dumont continued.
      Aerospace education is one function of the Civil Air Patrol. The other two functions are Emergency Services and a Cadet Program.
      The educational function of the CAP includes sponsoring about 200 aerospace workshops for teachers in colleges and universities around the country. The organization also develops curriculum and publishes aerospace educational materials for use in the nation's schools.
      The Cadet Program teaches the country's youth to become leaders and good citizens through their interest in aerospace.

       OCALA, FLA. - Imagine being all alone for hours in the cockpit of a single-engine plane at night, with only a dimly lit instrument panel to keep you company. Above you is a starry sky. Below, only blackness stretches ahead.
       That was one of many challenges that Carol Ann Garratt faced two years ago, when she took off in her Mooney M20J aircraft and didn't come home for seven months.
       Now a resident of Ocala, Garratt was living in Orlando when she flew around the world, stopping in places like Singapore, South Africa and France.
       During the daytime, she occupied her time by answering e-mails and logging information about her trip. Then there were those long stretches of darkness.
       ''I'm a loner anyway. I'm an introvert, so time alone didn't bother me,'' Garratt said last week during an interview in her hangar at Leeward Air Ranch.
       Wearing blue jeans and a striped polo shirt, Garratt stepped gingerly around pieces of a packing crate that had encased a new engine for what she refers to as ''the best airplane there is,'' the Mooney M20J she used for the milestone trip.
       ''This is one efficient plane,'' Garratt said. ''It's like a sports car - small inside but economical. Just small and sleek. It's 'slippery,' as they call it, difficult to slow down.''   

      When a plane goes down, a helicopter crashes, or a major storm smashes into a coast of the United States, time is of the essence to find and recover survivors whose life may just be running short.
      The United States Air Force Civil Air Patrol made a giant step in answering any of those potential calls when they rolled out a plane with the nations first fully operational, large-scale hyperspectral imaging system designed for search and rescue operations March 2 at Davison Army Airfield.
      The Airborne Real-Time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance (ARCHER) system is a new power in Civil Air Patrol’s search and rescue arsenal.
      Attached to a Gippsland GA-8 Airvan - an Australian-made utility aircraft - the ARCHER system was designed to cost-effectively fulfill CAPs core missions of search and rescue, disaster relief, drug control and homeland security.

     Wednesday morning the Civil Air Patrol found the wreckage of a 40-year-old small engine Cessna that had crashed near the Hot Springs airport. It went down about a quarter of a mile from the runway, and only 250 yards from a condominium complex off Woodlawn Avenue in Hot Springs.
      80 year old James Williams of Caddo Gap was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the only passenger on the plane.
      He flew from a landing strip at his home to Pine Bluff on Tuesday afternoon. Around 4:20 p.m. he left Pine Bluff to fly to the Hot Springs Municipal Airport. He never made it, and never used the radio to tell anyone he was having problems.
      Investigators think the plane crashed around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. Around 11:30 p.m., one of his family members called the Arkansas State Police to report him missing. A Hot Springs police officer went to the airport to look for the plane, but didn`t find any signs of it.
      Just before 3:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Civil Air Patrol got a call of an emergency beacon going off from a downed plane. They found the wreckage of the small, single engine 1965 Cessna an hour later. They found 80-year-old James Williams dead in the cockpit.
      Investigators with the FAA and the NTSB went to the crash site today. After looking at the plane, they say the engine was probably not running at the time of the crash, and the propeller was not turning. They found only a gallon and a half of fuel in the tank. Investigators think the plane might have run out of gas before making it to the Hot Springs Airport.
      James Williams was a very experienced pilot. He flew for the airlines and piloted crop dusters. He`d logged more than 30,000 hours of flight time.
      Investigators will get the plane out of the wooded area Thursday so they can continue with a more thorough investigation.

       It'll undoubtedly be handy in a search, but the digital camera/computer combination now being tested on some Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft can do a lot more than pinpoint wreckage. In fact, the hyperspectral enhanced reconnaissance system is the same basic hardware used by military patrol aircraft, but it's been scaled down to fit in a Gippsland GA-8 Airvan, an Australian utility aircraft picked for the duty because of its large capacity and modest purchase price ($400,000) and operating costs.  

       FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Gene Hartman finished the checklist on his lap and the single-engine aircraft barreled down the runway, taking off to test technology that will soon lift the Civil Air Patrol to new roles in homeland security.

       In the back, John C. Kershenstein sat at a computer console, examining images of the Washington suburbs being painted across its large screen from a sophisticated digital camera in the airplane's belly.

       These two volunteers - one a retired Air Force fighter pilot, the other a civilian Navy scientist - are testing high-tech equipment that security experts say will vastly extend the reach of the military on homeland-security and disaster-recovery missions. And it will do it at relatively low cost when placed in the hands of the nation's Civil Air Patrol over the next year.

       A number of Edmond students have participated during the past week in air and ground searches through the Edmond squadron of the Civil Air Patrol for a missing plane flown by a Texas pilot destined for Shawnee Jan. 14.
      The plane never arrived in Shawnee, and the pilot hasn't been heard from since.
      Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, has been performing such missions since 1941. It conducts 95 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the United States.
      Preston Zoellick, 15, is a freshman at Edmond North and a First Sergeant in the Edmond CAP.
      He was called to join the search for the missing plane in the McAlester area last Monday.
      "We've talked to a couple of witnesses who claimed to see a low-flying aircraft in the area," Zoellick said.

       ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Six Airmen chosen by their leadership as the "best of the best" in their units, were honored as the Florida Air National Guard's 2005 Outstanding Airmen of the Year, during an awards presentation, Saturday, at the Casa Monica Hotel.

      Honor Guard Program Manager of the Year Tech. Sgt. David Lowe, of Jacksonville, Fla., is a Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Craftsman with the 125th Maintenance Operations Flight in Jacksonville, Fla. His leadership describes him as the "heart and soul of the Wing Honor and Color Guard; consummate leader, outstanding manager and administrator." During the year Lowe supported 23 events, 10 of which were military funerals, and led the color guard through several high-visibility events including NFL games in Jacksonville. He is also a Deputy Commander of Cadets for the Civil Air Patrol, and also participated in humanitarian relief efforts for the four Florida hurricanes in 2004.

       Though last weekend's train derailment kept most San Marcans focused on the ground-level problems at hand, an eye in the sky was getting a whole different perspective on the situation.

       A day after seven cars from a Union Pacific train jumped the tracks, a team of Civil Air Patrol members took flight to assess the situation and document the scene for officials.
       Captains Dave Badal and Leroy Friesenhahn, Tex Hill Composite Squadron, and Capt Bob Spiegel, Group 8, flew over the derailment site on Saturday following Friday's incident.
       Because some of the cars carried hazardous chemicals, about 300 residents within a 1,000 feet of the incident were evacuated until it was determined the cars were essentially empty and that there were no leaks.
       The Civil Air Patrol's Texas Wing, with temporary headquarters moved to Victoria, just happened to be running a state-wide search and rescue exercise that weekend designed to test communications, mission preparedness, and air-to-ground coordination.

       Maxwell AFB, Ala. — The Civil Air Patrol has received national recognition for its volunteer work following hurricanes Charley, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne. The 60,000-member all-volunteer CAP has been selected for a 2005 Award of Excellence from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) in Washington, D.C.
       During August and September 2004, CAP members responded to continuous requests from emergency management agencies for ground and aerial hurricane impact assessment. Using CAP-owned satellite-transmitted digital imagery systems (SDIS) and CAP aircraft, members took high-resolution digital photos and transmitted the images via satellite phone and e-mail, using a laptop computer onboard the aircraft. State and federal officials used the images to assess affected sites and plan recovery efforts. CAP also helped locate and silence hundreds of Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) that were activated as a result of damage to aircraft and boats during the storms.

       Matthew Van Pelt wants nothing more out of life than to become an astronaut, and while his aspirations are heavenly, so is his singing voice.
       Van Pelt, 14, a West Boca Raton High School freshman, flew to California to sing in the 2005 Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir concert Feb. 4 and 5 at The American Choral Directors Association's National Convention.
       He was chosen for the National Honor Choir out of thousands of applicants, said Nancy Cox, National Repertoire and Standards chairwoman for the choral directors association.
       "To make a choir at the national level is quite an accomplishment," Cox said. "We flew in judges from all over the United States, and we take only the best. Selecting the members is a daunting job. There are more than 1,800 kids in the junior high category alone."

       Van Pelt is a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol in Boca Raton and has a wall plaque awarding him second place in the recent Southeast Regional Civil Air Patrol Winter Encampment Squadron 111 Honor Cadet.

       VALDOSTA — After a year that included a deployment to Afghanistan, Maj. Andreas Wesemann of Moody Air Force Base returned to Valdosta to finish what he started. Before deploying in spring 2003, Wesemann wanted to start a cadet squadron of the Civil Air Patrol at Valdosta Middle School.
      On Tuesday, 12 cadets at Valdosta Middle School became the 47th squadron in Georgia.
      “What a wonderful opportunity it is for these boys to join a program that builds character and leadership,” Wesemann said.
      As a U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol provides leadership training, education in science and aeronautics, physical training as well as scholarships starting at the age of 12 for boys and girls.
      During a squadron standup ceremony at VMS, Wesemann recognized the cadets that included eight charter members and their promotions. The promotions were made official when parents participated in pinning the ribbons on the collars of cadets. Wesemann was also promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Civil Air Patrol.
      VMS Principal Marty Roesch said the after-school program has the potential to become an in-school program.

       PLYMOUTH (Jan 26) - Most people familiar with the town hangar at Plymouth Airport know it as the place they cast their votes on election day. Few know it as the training ground of young heroes.
      Step in from the tarmac on any given Tuesday night and they will be there in their camouflaged fatigues or dress blues.
      The Pilgrim Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol numbers nearly four dozen - decorated heroes some, heroes in waiting others.
      Clustered around a topographical map of Middleboro, a half dozen cadets learned to read rises and falls in elevation that someday could make the difference between life and death.
      To date, most of the squad's young men and women have only participated in drills, exercises designed to hone in on the emergency beacon of a sinking ship or a downed plane. But cadets never know when they'll get the call like the one that landed cadet commander Geoffrey Monks at the Statehouse two years ago to collect a medal for heroism from the governor.
      Monks and three other members of Pilgrim Squadron won the prestigious Madeline "Amy" Sweeney Award for civilian bravery for helping rescue three members of a New Hampshire family whose airplane crashed in a remote western Massachusetts forest in the winter of 2003.

       Cable News Network profiled Civil Air Patrol's efforts toward homeland security in their Defending America series. The story profiled a mission pilot and lawyer from Louisiana. The Kentucky Wing is hosting the video for those who missed the report on CNN. Click the above link to access the video.

       EDMOND, OKLA. - A number of Edmond students have participated during the past week in air and ground searches through the Edmond squadron of the Civil Air Patrol for a missing plane flown by a Texas pilot destined for Shawnee Jan. 14.
      The plane never arrived in Shawnee, and the pilot hasn't been heard from since.
      Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, has been performing such missions since 1941. It conducts 95 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the United States.
      Preston Zoellick, 15, is a freshman at Edmond North and a First Sergeant in the Edmond CAP.
      He was called to join the search for the missing plane in the McAlester area last Monday.
      "We've talked to a couple of witnesses who claimed to see a low-flying aircraft in the area," Zoellick said.
      The teen said he wasn't sure when the search - which is now over a week old - would be abandoned.

       WASHINGTON — Americans responded almost immediately to early reports that wounded U.S. soldiers in Germany needed clothing, but now the facility as well as the Army hospital in Washington, D.C., are urging donors to hold off for a while.
      “It seems like every city had a clothes drive for our soldiers,” said Marie Shaw, public affairs officer at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (search) in Germany, which has tended to more than 18,000 servicemen and women wounded in Iraq since the beginning of operations there in March 2003.
      The need spurred appeals like the one from Lt. Col. Lori Noyes, a deputy commander for the Ramstein Cadet Squadron in the Civil Air Patrol in Germany. Her Nov. 22, 2004, e-mail to members of the Civil Air Patrol said that troops were arriving from the battlefield, “with only their torn, dirty, bloody clothes on their back.
      "They have no clothes, underwear or toiletry items. The hospital provides them with only a cotton gown or pajamas, robe and disposable slippers," she wrote, according to a reprint of her plea found on the Web site of South Carolina's Civil Air Patrol.
      Noyes reported that soldiers have a difficult time getting to the on-base store, seven miles away from the hospital, and even then, it runs out of items.
      The response was overwhelming. The e-mail flew across local news reports, e-mails and Internet blogs and the windfall began.

       MONROE, La. (AP) — A small Civil Air Patrol airplane crashed in northeastern Louisiana during a training exercise, killing two men, including a former president of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, authorities said.

       The single-engine 182 Cessna was reported missing late Monday. The wreckage was found at 7:10 a.m. Tuesday off Louisiana Highway 134 near the border between Ouachita and Morehouse parishes following an 11-hour search by police and rescue workers using four-wheelers and boats, said Ouachita Parish sheriff's Capt. Danny Acree.
       The victims were identified as Arlan Rawls and Tommy Ray Nichols, both of West Monroe, said Joe Davis, chief deputy for the Ouachita Parish sheriff. Rawls was a former police jury head. Both men were members of the Civil Air Patrol.

Lt. Andrew Shields

Former South Carolina cadet killed in Iraq

1Lt. Andrew Shields of the South Carolina Army National Guard was killed in Mosul, Iraq, on Dec. 9 in a helicopter collision. Lt. Shields and his twin brother, Philip, were former cadet lieutenant colonels in the Spartanburg Composite Squadron and participated in the International Air Cadet Exchange. Their father, Maj. Don Shields, is a senior member in the Spartanburg squadron.

Spartanburg cadets will remember the time Lt. Shields spent to fly an Apache helicopter to the Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport to show it to cadets and explain its operation. We all join the Shields family in mourning this great loss.

Read Herald-Journal article about Lt. Shields.

Andrew, right, and Philip Shields earned their pilot's licenses at 17 as CAP cadets.

Lt. Andrew Shields brought an Apache helicopter to Spartanburg cadets.
(click on photos to enlarge)

       STATESVILLE - Jim Green's free time is spent with equines.
       His re-enactor Civil War artillery unit is the only one in the state to pull cannons by horse. The retired Marine and first Gulf War veteran plows his Claremont garden by mule.
       So, when a friend asked him to join Iredell County's Civil Air Patrol squadron, Green said he didn't have time for an activity without horses.
       Join and develop an equine program for us, Capt. David Shuping told him.
       That's how the Civil Air Patrol's second Mounted Search-and-Rescue team in the nation was born in Iredell six months ago. The other MSAR is in Oklahoma City and another is in development in Maryland.

      BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Bob Hicks has not been in on the recent fighting in Fallujah. But he can tell you a lot about the aftermath.
It takes the form of the faces, voices and wounded bodies of the soldiers who have been part of the U.S.-led effort to destroy the insurgent hold on the Iraqi city. They have come by the hundreds to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the U.S. military hospital in southwest Germany where Hicks, an ordained Baptist minister who lives in Prattville, is one of the chaplains.
      When many arrive from nearby Ramstein Air Base — and lately there's been an increase in those coming in on stretchers — Hicks is one of the first people they see. In the even tones of his native Kansas, he introduces himself, tells them they are going to be cared for, and asks where they are from and what happened to them. Some, such as an unconscious Alabama soldier with multiple wounds for whom Hicks prayed earlier this week, cannot answer.
      Hicks is a lieutenant colonel with the Alabama Air National Guard's 187th Fighter Wing. When he is not on Guard duty, his civilian job is directing the national chaplain service program for the Civil Air Patrol.

      When Cadet Christina Zarrilli volunteered to help the elderly residents of Lake Delray Apartments