New AMC Commander Got Her Start in CAP |
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U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, the new commander of Air Mobility Command and the only female four-star on active duty, is a former Civil Air Patrol cadet.
Ovost (at right in an Air Force photo taken by Senior Airman Miranda Simpson) assumed command of AMC on Aug. 20 at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. The command's mission is to provide rapid global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces.
Ovost was a CAP cadet in what is now the Florida Wing's Treasure Coast Composite Squadron in Fort Pierce. She joined right before she turned 18, serving from July 1983 to July 1984 before entering the Air Force Academy. She recently told the Air Force Times it was CAP that sparked her interest in going into the military.
The rest, as they say, is history, which has led Ovost to a 32-year Air Force career that includes her recent promotion as a four-star general.
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Red Cross CEO: Ariz. Wing Is Rising Star
Among Nation's Blood Donation Sponsors
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After collecting more than 600 units of blood at 18 CAP-sponsored emergency donation centers since mid-April, the Arizona Wing’s COVID-19 blood donation mission has been singled out by American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern as “an example for others to emulate.”
Jason Benedict, regional donor services executive for the Red Cross Arizona/New Mexico region, called the numbers “compelling both nationally and for the region.”
“Of over 17,000 blood drive sponsors from March-June of 2020, the Arizona Wing of Civil Air Patrol was in the top 500 sponsors for blood collections,” Benedict said. “Remember, that number includes a lot of our community drives across the entire nation that run much more frequently, so that is an amazing accomplishment for your organization!”
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CAP Flies In Aftermath of Hurricane Isaias |
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Hurricane Isaias's path across Delaware earlier this month resulted in torrential downpours, severe thunderstorms and multiple tornadoes up and down the state. One tornado caused a path of destruction for almost 40 miles in two counties. Flooding was severe in all three counties of the state during the hurricane and its residual storms days afterward. |
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Delaware Wing aircrews were activated after each of the storms to provide the Delaware Emergency Management Agency with photos and videos of the damage in each county. Maj. Gary Emeigh and Senior Member Casey Moorman flew three sorties, obtaining high-quality imagery used by the state agency for damage assessment and by the National Weather Service as part of its tornado determination.
Delaware Wing aircrews fly daily as part of a long-term partnership with the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security and Department of Transportation.
Other CAP wings in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regions also worked in the aftermath of Isaias, including Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina. As these wings wrapped their missions, the Louisiana and Texas wings in the Southwest Region were preparing for two other tropical storms – one expected to become a Category 2 or 3 hurricane – along the Gulf Coast.
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Ind. Schools with CAP Squadrons Receive State's Department of Education Purple Star Designation |
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Two schools with CAP cadet programs have been awarded the Indiana Department of Education’s inaugural Purple Star School designation, which honors schools that have displayed a significant commitment to servicemembers, veterans and students and families connected to the U.S. military.
Anderson Preparatory Academy in Anderson is a military-style, public charter school academy for girls and boys that focuses on a college preparatory curriculum of liberal arts and sciences. All students in grades six through eight participate as CAP cadets.
John Adams High School in South Bend is a traditional four-year public high school and the only such school in Indiana with a cadet program. The school’s 5-year-old CAP cadet squadron, commanded by Maj. Dan Walsh, is experiencing steady growth.
Earning the Purple Star School Designation required schools to perform such specific actions as assigning a point of contact for military families, passing a resolution supporting military students and families, guaranteeing job interviews for servicemembers and their immediate family who meet the minimum qualifications, and more.
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Mich.'s Kadans Is 52nd CAP Cadet to Earn 'Wings' |
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On Aug. 19, Cadet 2nd Lt. Sarah Kadans of the Michigan Wing's Livonia Thunderbolt Composite Squadron became the 52nd cadet to earn her private pilot certificate via CAP's Cadet Wings program.
Congratulating Kadans is her flight instructor, Lt. Col. Mario Accardo.
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Region Staffer Meets 'Walk to Mars' 4-Million-Step Goal |
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Only a week before the one-year challenge was initially set to run out, Lt. Col. Sarah Wildman of the North Central Region staff became the first participant to cross the imaginary 4-million-step finish line as part of CAP’s national “Walk to Mars” challenge.
“While I enjoy walking, the challenge really made me up my game quite a bit,” said Wildman, the region's assistant director of safety and a professional pilot. “Once I started walking at that level, I realized that it was going to be a lot harder than I thought.”
She bested almost 2,000 participants to achieve the 4-million-step challenge issued last year by Col. Dale Newell of CAP's Board of Governors.
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BoG's Bechdolt Named Vice Chair of CAP Foundation |
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Stacey Bechdolt has been elected vice chair of the trustee board of the Civil Air Patrol Foundation. A member of CAP's Board of Governors since 2016, Bechdolt is senior counsel at the Moak Group. As the foundation's vice chair, she will serve with the foundation chair, Paul Graziani, who is a former member of the Board of Governors.
The foundation provides general support for CAP and its programs and missions, direct financial support to the organization’s operations and scholarships to CAP members.
Other foundation trustees include CAP Col. Raj Kothari, managing director at Cascade Partners and commander of the Michigan Wing; CAP Lt. Col. Richard Flowers, retired attorney and a member of the Florida Wing; retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Leon Johnson; retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin McLaughlin, president of McLaughlin Global Associates; Martha King, co-chair of King Schools; Karl Geng, former CAP member and CEO of Siemens Communications; and the newest member approved earlier this month – Vanessa Blacknall-Jamison, Federal Aviation Administration change management and leadership advisor, and chair of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals.
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New CAP History Pamphlets Available On eServices |
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The following three pamphlets were recently published by the staff of CAP's National History Program:
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P40-110 Historian Specialty Track (Study Guide)
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P110-1 Civil Air Patrol Written History Guide
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P110-2 Managing Historical Repositories
These pamphlets can be found in eServices – CAP Pubs, Forms, and Regulations - Pamphlets.
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Cadet Postcard
Coming in Sept.
Attention, CAP commanders and cadet leaders:
In September, the organization's nearly 28,000 cadets will receive a postcard via U.S. mail that advertises the CadetInvest opportunities for flight training and career explorations (National Cadet Special Activities).
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This Week's Top Headlines
“Office of Emergency Management Doles Out Millions of Pieces of PPE to Schools, Agencies”
(Springfield, Missouri)
“Teens Learn the Importance of Details While Giving Back to Community”
(Butte, Montana)
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CAP Marketing & Strategic Communications
877-227-9142
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