Oregon is one of six states, or "wings," that comprise the Pacific Region of Civil Air Patrol -- the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Civil Air Patrol (CAP), headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, under the Air Education and Training Command , is a non-profit, federally-chartered volunteer organization dedicated to serving the people of the United States through its three missions: Emergency Services, Aerospace Education and the Cadet Program.
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Cadet activities away from normal Squadron Meeting Location
CAP NHQ has changed their policies and now allows High Adventure Activities. Per CAPR 52-16
2-10. High Adventure Activities. With "challenge" being one of the key traits of cadet life (see paragraph 1-2), commanders are encouraged to offer cadets youth-scaled, high adventure activities (HAA). HAAs include rappelling, obstacle courses, low-ropes courses, water survival courses, and similar endeavors. Short day hikes, compass courses, and bivouacs are routine aspects of cadet life and therefore are not considered HAAs. Unit commanders and activity directors will submit CAPF 54, Civil Patrol High Adventure Activity Request, to the wing commander for approval. Also, the unit commander or activity director will use the CAPF 54 to inform the wing commander on the safety precautions that will be in place. HAAs will be conducted only with the wing commander's approval using CAPF 54. Cadets must obtain written permission from their parent or legal guardian via a completed CAPF 31, Application for CAP Encampment or Special Activity, to participate in HAAs.
Oregon Wing will now use the CAPF 54 for all cadet activities away from the normal Squadron Meeting Location. For NON High Adventure Activities you do not have to complete information about the Host Agency. If you have an Ops plan that may be attached to satisfy any information that is requested and already in the Ops Plan.
Submit an electronic copy of your completed CAPF 54 to the DCP at iratax@frontier.com for review and he will forward to the Wing Commander for approval. Please allow at least 10 days if at all possible for review and approval.
New Procedures and Clarifications
There are new procedures and clarifications for using WMIRS in place of previously used WMU functions, which has been discontinued by ORWG.
There is also a new form for submitting receipts to request reimbursement for fuel, etc. on approved AF missions.
The form and instructions are available at the Operations section of this WEB site.
CAP Thanks – a Three Way Street
At the Summer National Board in San Diego, Major General Garry Dean made it a point to thank us for Civil Air Patrols service to the nation. He’s in a good position to know about us, as his title says it all: He’s the commander, 1st Air Force (AFNORTH), and Commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, at Tyndall Air Force Base, FL. That’s a big mouthful of words that says that he’s in charge of the part of the Air Force (the 1st Air Force) that is responsible for operations in the continental US. It’s the 1st AF that asks us to fly critical missions such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill photo reconnaissance. He then went on to make a special point to ask us to thank our families for supporting us in our endeavors. Without our families’ understanding of our long hours away while we perform any of our three missions, we would not be able to be effective CAP members.
It’s not just our families we should thank – we should also thank our employers. (Yes, cadets have an employer, too. It’s called your school.) Without the understanding and support of those who expect most of our time, none of us can break away to do our work.
Then it occurred to me – what have we as members done to earn the thanks of our families and employers? CAP provides leadership training to our cadets that any school would love to see. Have our cadets shown leadership at home? I sure hope that you have. Does the discipline we develop in CAP help for a smoother family life? I had one father thank me for what CAP has done for his son. The self-discipline, the attention to responsibility, and the awareness of others were all skills that this father credited CAP with teaching his son.
And what about work? Are our senior members taking what we’re learned and applying it in our day jobs? Have we taken advantage of the leadership training and professional development offered by CAP so that our employers will thank us? I would like to think that as we provide leadership to our schools or companies, just maybe they will thanks us for what we do.
All in all, we are training ourselves not just to drill or launch rockets or fly missions. We prepare to serve “our community, state and nation.” Let’s help each other out, and let’s not forget to do things in our everyday lives make want our families, classmates and employers want to say “thank you.”