Area Civil Air Patrol Unit Accepting New Members

Washington Composite Squadron 601 of the Civil Air Patrol is accepting membership applications for both youth ages 12-18 and adults. The unit was founded in 2007 and its primary goal is to serve the Washington Community through volunteer service in Cadet Leadership, Air/Ground Search and Rescue, Aerospace Education, Disaster Relief, and Drug Demand Reduction. Training cadets and adults with valuable skills to help their fellow man in times of need and bringing needed, trained personnel to emergency situations, should they happen to arise. Interested youth, adults, and family members are encouraged to attend a weekly meeting or to visit www.pasquadron601.org for further information.

The squadron, commanded by Capt. Nancy Parker, meets every Wednesday at the Washington Flyers’ Club from 7-9pm. CAP was founded just before the start of American involvement in World War II. Squadron 601 is just one of 1,500-plus squadrons around the country involved in cadet programs, emergency services, and aerospace education within their communities.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.