Remembering Katrina: 20 Years Later

Two nationally recognized Civil Air Patrol experts — emergency services mobile training team director Lt. Col. Robert Ditch and CAP meteorologist Maj. Gerry Creager — have seen their share of disasters.

Both recently recalled their experiences with Hurricane Katrina, a devastating Category 4 storm that made landfall on the Gulf Coast Aug. 29, 2005.

While neither was a CAP member when Katrina battered the coast of Mississippi and broke the levees surrounding New Orleans and southern Louisiana, both have a story to tell about the massive storm. And they also are quick to offer counsel about how CAP, the official U.S. Air Force auxiliary, should respond to future cataclysmic events.

Civil Air Patrol Volunteers 'Uniquely Suited' for NASA Aviation Weather Mission

The Civil Air Patrol/NASA Aviation Weather Mission team has played a key role in supporting the organization’s partnership with NASA and leading a nationwide effort to advance scientific understanding of weather in the layers of the atmosphere where aircraft fly.

The mission engaged more than 3,800 CAP volunteers in 48 states and two U.S. territories, who collected atmospheric observations and documented aircraft information using the GLOBE Observer app, providing NASA researchers with data that cannot be captured by satellites alone.

By observing how aircraft interact with the atmosphere, volunteers were able to observe phenomena, like the formation of different types of contrails, that help NASA scientists estimate the temperature, humidity, and wind conditions at different layers of the atmosphere.

“This is the type of data that NASA uses to improve the aviation weather forecasts that pilots rely on,” said Capt. Shannon Babb, Rocky Mountain Region deputy chief of staff for aerospace education. “But studying the layers of the atmosphere where aircraft fly is notoriously difficult and requires a high level of teamwork on a national scale.

“Luckily, Civil Air Patrol volunteers were uniquely suited to conduct this mission.”

Cadets Pick from Multiple Academy Appointments: Squadron Sees 3 Off to Colorado Springs

An Arizona Wing cadet is attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy after choosing that destination over the other four service academies for which he received appointments.

In addition, cadets from the Minnesota and Missouri wings both decided on the U.S. Air Force Academy after receiving appointments not only to the Colorado Springs institution but also to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy.

And the North Carolina Wing's Apex Cadet Squadron can claim three cadets who accepted their appointments to the Air Force Academy.

Squadron Renamed for Apollo 16 Astronaut

The South Carolina Wing’s Anderson Composite Squadron has been rededicated as the Charles Duke, Jr., Composite Squadron, paying tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Brig. Gen. Charles Moss Duke, Jr. (left), a retired U.S. Air Force officer, Apollo 16 astronaut, and test pilot.

The rededication ceremony brought together community leaders, Civil Air Patrol members from across the state, and distinguished guests to honor Duke, who also attended. His ties to the Palmetto State and pioneering role in space exploration left an indelible mark on American history.

Wing Assists with Operation Northern Strike

Civil Air Patrol pilots from across the Michigan Wing took to the skies above the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in support of Northern Strike 2025, participating in MQ-9 launch and recovery operations, expeditionary air traffic control training, and target exercises.

Operation Northern Strike, hosted annually by the Michigan National Guard and the National Guard Bureau, is the Department of Defense’s premier joint, reserve-component readiness exercise. Army and Air National Guard elements, active-duty service branches, and coalition partners are involved, with academia and industry providing technical support.

Idaho Wing Team Takes Cadet Competition

Cadets from the Idaho Wing’s Eagle Rock Composite Squadron captured first place at the Rocky Mountain Region Cadet Competition, with the Colorado Wing’s Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron team placing second and another Idaho Wing team, from the Nampa Composite Squadron, finishing third,

The Colorado and Thunderbird teams reversed their order from 2024.

The Colorado Wing’s Valkyrie Cadet Squadron — 2024 competition winner — and the Utah Wing’s Blackhawk and Thunderbird cadet squadrons also participated in the event at Gowen Field National Guard Base in Boise, Idaho.

Alaska Wing Cadets Capture Competition Crown

The top two performers in the Pacific Region Cadet Competition switched places this year when the Alaska Wing’s Kodiak Composite Squadron team captured first and the Washington Wing’s Overlake Composite Squadron finished second.

The California Wing’s San Diego Cadet Squadron 144 repeated its third-place performance from 2024. 

National Cyber Academy Focuses on Security Skills

More than 30 cadets and adult members gathered this summer at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland for Civil Air Patrol’s 2025 National Cyberspace Academy — one of the organization’s premier technical training events, designed to equip participants with real-world cybersecurity skills and leadership experience.

The training also enhanced participants’ potential performance in CyberPatriot, the Air and Space Forces Association’s national youth cyber defense competition, by developing strong foundational skills.

NHQ News

2 More CAP Members Receive Emergency Services Credentials

Two Civil Air Patrol members have received the nation's highest credentials in emergency services by the International Association of Emergency Managers, the certified emergency manager (CEM) credential.

They are:

• Col. Carol Lee Lynn, Pacific Coast Region emergency services officer.
• Col. William A. Schlosser, Pennsylvania Wing commander.

They represent a handful of CAP members who have successfully met the challenging national board testing and rigorous application requirements for national certification. Other CAP CEMs are:

• Lt. Col. Harold Damron, Illinois Wing disaster relief officer.
• Lt. Col. Robert Ditch, Rocky Mountain Region emergency services officer.
• Lt. Col. Edward Wolff, National Headquarters security director.

For more information on the IAEM national credentialing process, go to the IAEM certification webpage here.

ACE Registration Open for Educators

Registration is underway for Civil Air Patrol’s Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Program, an interactive STEM program for kindergarten-through-sixth-grade educator members and CAP volunteers working with those grade levels.

ACE offers:

• Aerospace-themed lessons in academics, character education, and physical fitness.
• Free, grade-specific manipulatives (like sixth-grade rocket footballs) for every participant.
• Downloadable curriculum guides in eServices.

Innovation Competition Accepting Applications

Applications are being accepted through Oct. 31 for the 2025 Maj. Gen. Mark Smith Innovation Competition, a national initiative designed to inspire creativity, leadership, and mission-focused innovation across Civil Air Patrol’s membership.

Cadets and adult members — individually or in teams of up to five — are invited to develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges that align with CAP’s mission and values.

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Lt. Gen. Steven W. Gilland (left), superintendent of the United States Military Academy, and his command sergeant major pose for a photo with CAP Col. Bill Martin, New York Wing commander, after they donated blood earlier today at the Operation Pulse Lift Blood Donor Center at West Point.

For more information on Operation Pulse Lift, go to OPL's webpage on GoCivilAirPatrol.com. There you will find the latest Blood Donation Center schedules, instructions on how to set up a BDC, and other mission information.