Newly Formed Squadron Receives Charter from Civil Air Patrol

McMurray, PA – Members of Pennsylvania Wing’s Group One of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) recently witnessed the newly formed Greene County Composite Squadron 606 receive its official CAP Charter during the Group One Conference and Awards Banquet held in McMurray, PA this past Saturday. During the event, the Group One Commander Major Ed Silassy of Canonsburg instated Command of the new squadron to Captain Dave Shaw of Waynesburg. An official Charter dated January 12, 2017, was presented to the Greene County Composite Squadron by Pennsylvania’s Wing Commander Colonel Gary Fleming.

Captain Shaw began dedicating his volunteer service within the Civil Air Patrol to form a new squadron in early 2016. From securing meeting space to recruiting new members, Shaw has spent many hours in his efforts to create a squadron in Greene County. A squadron that will bring with it amazing opportunities for area youth and adults as well as eventually offer Emergency Service resources to the county. Captain Dave Shaw has extended an open invitation to anyone within the community to learn more about CAP and its missions, “It will be a pleasure to work with members of the community to provide community service, emergency services, and to provide another activity for the youth and adults to do. Please stop in and see what we are all about. We meet every Monday from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Waynesburg VFW.”

Shortly after receiving the Charter, Captain Shaw presented its very first promotion to Cadet Chase Hixenbaugh of Waynesburg. Cadet Hixenbaugh received the Major General John F. Curry Achievement enabling him to be promoted to Cadet Airman. In addition to this promotion, Hixenbaugh’s father, Senior Member Shane Hixenbaugh, was recognized as the unit’s first adult member to receive the Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager Aerospace Education Achievement Award.

The following squadrons and members also received awards or recognition during the Group One Conference and Awards Banquet. Washington County Composite Squadron 601/Quality Cadet Unit Award; 2d Lieutenant Tonya Heckler/Drug Demand Reduction Officer of the Year, Captain Alexander Ladzinski/Aerospace Officer of the Year, Cadet Colonel Adam Parker/Cadet of the Year. Allegheny Composite Squadron 602/Quality Cadet Unit Award; Cadet Airman Asher Alderette/Commanders Commendation, Captain Earl Gardner/Commanders Commendation, Captain Cynthia Gironda/Safety Officer of the Year, Captain Eric Gironda/Incident Staff Member of the Year and Commanders Commendation, Senior Member Ryan Gironda/Commanders Commendation, Cadet Airman Dev Hareshbhai Kachhadiya/Commanders Commendation, 2d Lieutenant Melissa Parker/Public Affairs Officer of the Year, Cadet Senior Master Sargent Seth Parker/Commanders Commendation, Major Timothy Steiner/Cadet Programs Officer of the Year and Commanders Commendation, Golden Triangle Composite Squadron 603; Captain John Clelland/Character Development Officer of the Year, 1st Lieutenant Naor Wallach/ Grover Loening Award, Major Glenn Ward/Communications Officer of the Year. Butler Composite Squadron 712/Quality Cadet Unit Award; 1st Lieutenant William Esau/Commanders Commendation, 1st Lieutenant Joshua Nussbaum/Senior Member of the Year. Group One Staff; Lieutenant Colonel William Geyer/Counter Drug Officer of the Year and Lieutenant Colonel Robin Steiner/Commanders Commendation.

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.