10 Noteworthy Achievements in 2023

Civil Air Patrol recorded many amazing accomplishments in 2023. Ten accomplishments were selected by the Marketing & Communications team that represent as many different directorates as possible. The 10 achievements, featured in this video, are also noted below:

1. 60 Lives Saved
2. Auxiliary Listed on AirForce.com Homepage
3. History Team Commemorated 50th Anniversary of End of Vietnam War
4. CAP Foundation Exceeded $4M in Managed Funds
5. Operation Pulse Lift Success Continues
6. ACE Participation Sets New Record
7. Orientation Flight Hours Set a 15-year High
8. Cadet Membership Topped 29,000
9. CAP Featured on Smithsonian Channel Broadcast
10. Registration Zone App Launched

Operation Pulse Lift Celebrates Multiple Milestones, Including 30,000 Units of Blood

Operation Pulse Lift, Civil Air Patrol’s emergency blood donation mission, celebrated multiple milestones in its longest-running humanitarian service in CAP's history.

In December, Operation Pulse Lift:

• Hosted its 500th Operation Pulse Lift blood donor center at the Arizona Wing's Falcon Composite Squadron in Mesa.
• Marked the 100th time the squadron hosted a blood donation activity.
• Reached its year-end goal, 30,000 units of blood.

“So much good has come from Operation Pulse Lift,” said Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka (pictured), CAP's national commander/CEO who donated blood before the year-end celebration in Arizona.

A week before, Brig. Gen. Regena Aye, national vice commander, participated in an American Red Cross ceremony in which the Kansas Wing received the Lifetime Hero Award for 50 years of support.

Cadet Collects Cereal for Children's Home

The children and teens served daily at the Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes in Milledgeville, Georgia, won’t have any concern about where breakfast is coming from for the next several months. Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Melinda Kaye Mercer of the South Carolina Wing’s Lexington Composite Squadron took care of that the day after Christmas.

Mercer takes Civil Air Patrol’s core value of volunteer service to heart. Her community service work this fall included providing food for several Blessing Boxes in different communities, serving underprivileged children who visit The Hotdog Club in Macon, Georgia, and donating nonperishable items to Free Fridges in Macon and Milledgeville.

She expanded her efforts after reading about the Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries and after her mother, Maj. Rachael Mercer, South Carolina Wing Group 3 commander, visited the nonprofit’s website and learned about college students volunteering to organize a pantry.

That’s when the cadet, who joined CAP just after turning 12 in March 2020, decided to pitch the idea of a cereal drive.

Hawaii Members Join Pearl Harbor Remembrance

Every Dec. 7, people from all over the world unite to honor and remember the brave men and women who lost their lives during the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii Wing members (pictured) and others commemorated the 82nd anniversary with the theme "Legacy of Hope.” Those gathered observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the fallen. A wreath was laid to symbolize their gratitude and the commitment never to forget their sacrifice.  

Nevada Wing Cadet Receives Spaatz Award

Cadet Col. Gerald Mon Père (third from left in photo) received CAP’s top cadet honor, the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, during the Tahoe-Truckee Composite Squadron’s Christmas dinner and awards banquet Dec. 14.

Col. Deborah Pierce, former Nevada Wing commander, presented the award at the squadron’s headquarters in Truckee, California.

Squadrons Support Rocketry Event for Veterans

Rhode Island Wing members from two squadrons pitched in at an annual activity allowing military veterans to launch model rockets free of charge, with cadets acquiring some hands-on experience of their own.

Rhode Island Model Rocketry Association asked the wing to provide volunteers, prompting aerospace education officers from the 102nd and West Bay composite squadrons — 2nd Lt. Brian Kile and Lt. Col. Andrew Thorne, respectively — to call on cadets and adult members to provide support.

NHQ News

Honoring an Historic Achievement: Hawaii's Lynch to Receive 2,500th Spaatz Award

The Spaatz Association announces Cadet Col. Kieran R. Lynch of the Hawaii Wing's 77th Saint Louis Crusaders Composite Squadron will be recognized as the 2,500th recipient of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award — CAP's highest cadet achievement — at the association's annual Awards Gala, set for March 2 in Washington, D.C.

Lynch's achievement coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Spaatz award and the 30th anniversary of the Spaatz Association.

In celebration of Lynch's historic milestone and in memory of former Florida Wing cadet Jonathon N. Calise (Spaatz #1,457, awarded in April 2002), his friends and family have purchased a lifetime membership to the Spaatz Association for Lynch. “Jonathon was a role model to cadets and this legacy will help honor his memory as the next generation moves forward,” said Lt. Col. Jay Sliwinski, the association's secretary.

The Awards Gala will be held two days after CAP's National Legislative Day on Capitol Hill and immediately following the Winter Command Council. The event will feature Gen. David W. Allvin (right), U.S. Air Force chief of staff, as keynote speaker. Other program highlights include Spaatz award presentations, the unveiling of a new Lifetime Recognition Program, and presentation of the “Torch Award” for mentors of Spaatz award recipients.

“This exclusive event in Washington is open to all,” said Col. Janon D. “JD” Ellis, the association's national president. “Join us in honoring the remarkable achievements of Cadet Col. Kieran R. Lynch and the Spaatz community.”

Applications Open for Upcoming CEO Vacancy

Civil Air Patrol is accepting applications for the national commander/CEO vacancy to be created when Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka's three-year term ends in August.

CAP members may nominate themselves to fill this position, with the deadline for applications set for March 5.

Minimum requirements are:

• Be a CAP member in good standing.
• Have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• Have completed Level V of the CAP Education and Training Program.
• Have served as a CAP wing commander who completed their term of office other than due to a removal for cause.

Resource Provided for Your Estate Planning

Civil Air Patrol wants to provide you with a resource that others like you have found helpful in taking control of their planning.

CAP's personal estate planning kit is a tool that can be used to facilitate your future estate plans, document your intentions for your family and your loved ones, and support the causes most dear to you.

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