Civil Air Patrol Facts
- Civil Air Patrol was founded December 1, 1941 by Major General John F. Curry, United States Army Air Corps.
- National Headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol is located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
- The current National Commander of Civil Air Patrol is Major General Dwight Wheless.
There are three basic missions to the organization known as Civil Air Patrol:
- Civil Air Patrol was founded in December of 1941 (one week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.) Civil Air Patrol was part of the U. S. Office of Civilian Defense. During World War II, its members provide orientation flights to thousands of prospective aviation cadets and recruits. Members also flew more than 24 million miles on coastal patrol. They summoned help for 91 ships in distress and 363 survivors of submarine attacks. Patrol crews spotted 173 enemy submarines, dropped bombs or depth charges on 57 of them and received credit for sinking or seriously damaging at least two. Others were destroyed by planes and ships summoned by Civil Air Patrol radios.
- In 1943, CAP was assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps.
- CAP pilots flew over a half a million hours, were credited with sinking two enemy submarines, and rescued hundreds of crash survivors during World War II. Civil Air Patrol Crews flew many other wartime missions, including a courier service for airlift of personnel and light cargo; target towing and tracking flights for training anti-aircraft gunners; powerline and pipeline surveillance; forest fire patrol; and patrol along the southern U. S. border. Sixty-four members died while performing wartime operations.
- July 1, 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 476 of the 79th Congress, established CAP as a federally chartered benevolent civilian corporation.
- May 26, 1948, 80th Congress passed Public Law 557. This made Civil Air Patrol an Auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
- There are over 61,441 members and 1,700 units nation wide.
- There are Eight Regions: Northeast, Middle East, Great Lakes,
Southeast, North Central, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific.
(Special Overseas Cadet Squadrons)
- There are a total of 52 wings in Civil Air Patrol, that is including all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and District of Columbia.
Civil Air Patrol Chain of Command
TITLE:
ABBREVIATION:
NAME OF INDIVIDUAL:
President of the United States: The Honorable George W. Bush
National Commander: CAP/CC Brigadier Gen Amy S. Courter, CAP
National Vice Commander CAP/CV Brigadier Gen Amy S. Courter, CAP
Southeast Region Commander: SER/CC Colonel James M. Rushing, CAP
Florida Wing Commander: FL WG/CC Colonel Chris Moersch, CAP
Group 3 Commander: SER-FL-GR3/CC Major David L. Leach., CAP
North Tampa-Lutz Cadet Sq Commander: SER-FL-243/CC Lieutenant Colonel William H. Westcott, CAP
Cadet Chain of Command
TITLE:
ABBREVIATION:
NAME OF INDIVIDUAL:
Cadet Commander: C/Captain Johnathan D. Law, CAP
C/Alpha Flight Commander: C/Second Lieutenant David Terris, CAP
C/Alpha Flight Sergeant: C /Senior Airman Tyler Ericson, CAP
C/Bravo Flight Commander: C/Second Lieutenant Hannah Tucker, CAP
C/Bravo Flight Sergeant: C/Technical Sergeant Luis A. Camacho, CAP
C/Element Leaders:
See NTLCS Chain of Command Chart
ADDITIONAL NEED TO KNOW PERSONNEL
TITLE:
ABBREVIATION:
NAME OF INDIVIDUAL:
Vice President of the United States: The Honorable Dick Cheney
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff: General Richard B. Myers, USAF
Florida Wing Vice Commander: FL WG/CV Lieutenant Colonel. John R. Varsames, CAP
Group 3 Deputy Commander: SER-FL-GR3/CV Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Schultz, CAP
North Tampa-Lutz Cdt Sqdn Dep Cmdr: SER-FL-243/CV Lieutenant Colonel. Diane B. Westcott, CAP
NTLCS Cadet Deputy Commander: C/ First Lieutenant Trung H. Tran, CAP
NTLCS Cadet Executive Officer: C/Lieutenant Colonel Martin L. Lohn, CAP
NTLCS Cadet First Sergeant: C/Master Sergeant Micah Leon., CAP
NTLCS CAC Representative: C/Second Lieutenant Kenneth C. Bradford., CAP