Air Force Reservist Visits Local CAP Unit

On October 18, 2011, Walton County Composite Squadron, the local Civil Air Patrol (CAP) unit, was honored to have, as guest speaker, Airman Kelly Fitzpatrick, a security specialist in the United States Air Force. Aiman Fitzpatrick is a former CAP cadet who was a member of the Loganville, GA based unit.
 
Airman Fitzpatrick recently returned from Bagram, Afghanistan, where she was stationed for six months as part of the Security Forces providing security for the flight line and for special operations forces.

Before deploying to Afghanistan, Airman Fitzpatrick was stationed at Patrick AFB, FL where she was the Lead Patrol Officer and Dispatcher for base security.
 
Currently, Fitzpatrick is becoming an Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) where she will be allowed to serve all of her reserve time at once, typically attached to an active duty unit.
 
Before the start of a question and answer session, Airman Fitzpatrick informed the cadets, “The military has updated the GI Bill. The post 9/11 GI Bill, gives you money while you go to college. It’s for living expenses.”
 
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 54 lives in fiscal year 2011. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 70 years. It is a major partner of Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information on CAP.
 
Michele Schneck Lt, CAP
Walton County Composite Squadron