CAP Updates Vaccination and Public Health Measures Policy to Align with CDC Guidelines
Civil Air Patrol, through a memo from National Commander/CEO Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, has issued updated COVID-19 policy that relaxes its requirement for masks and social distancing, especially for vaccinated members. The CAP policy aligns with new guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently made a significant change in its mask and public health policy in relationship to vaccination and the pandemic.

This CDC change is based on scientific, data-supported evidence that vaccinated individuals are at low risk both for becoming infected and for developing severe illness if infected. In addition, recent studies have indicated that infected but previously vaccinated individuals are unlikely to represent a significant risk of contagion for the nonvaccinated.
Wolff 'Shaped CAP's Culture of Service Before Self That Has Remained Constant Over 80 Years'
CAP Col. and former U.S. Rep. Lester Wolff, one of CAP’s earliest members, died May 11. He was 102.

Wolff began his CAP volunteer service early in World War II in the New York Wing, serving for the duration of the war and becoming a squadron commander. He later served eight terms on Capitol Hill, from 1965-1981, as a U.S. representative from New York. He was the oldest living former member of the House of Representatives.

“Rep. Wolff embodied all that is good about Civil Air Patrol,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, CAP national commander.
CAP Explorer Awarded Antarctica Service Medal
Dr. Robert N. Barger III, 82, was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal on May 15 for his service as the official CAP participant in the U.S. Navy’s Operation Deep Freeze II nearly 6½ decades ago.

Barger (seen here reading the citation accompanying the medal, pinned on his lapel), participated as a teenager in a yearlong U.S. Navy-led operation in Antarctica and the South Pole that would prepare a series of bases for the International Geophysical Year.

He received his medal from Brig. Gen. Ed Phelka, CAP’s national vice commander, who called him “a true CAP pioneer.“
CAP Eases Culture Change for Calif. Wing's Lee
Civil Air Patrol recognizes Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a profile of 1st Lt. Angelica-Lorraine Lee, a half-Filipino, half-Chinese native of the Philippines who moved to California three days after turning 18 in May 2010.

Within a year she joined the California Wing’s San Francisco Cadet Squadron 86, later moving on to Jon E. Kramer Composite Squadron 10.

“Civil Air Patrol has been extremely accommodating to me on all levels,” Lee said. “It was the first place I truly felt at home.”
Texas JROTC Cadets Get a Taste of Flight

The Texas Wing's David Lee (Tex) Hill Composite Squadron in San Marcos is providing orientation flights to Byron Steele High School Junior ROTC cadets.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Hinsch is the senior airspace instructor at Byron Steele High School. “We teach our cadets a History of Flight (first-year cadets) and Science of Flight (second year), and these orientation flights culminate for us those lessons,” Hinsch said. “Most of my cadets have never flown a plane and it gives all of them exposure to flight.”

CAP pilots performing the orientation flights are Lt. Cols. Roger Corbin, Mike Duc (at left, in group photo) and Ed Garland, Capt. Mauricio Urquiola and 2nd Lt. John O’Connor. This has become an annual event for the San Marcos squadron and Steele JROTC. About 40 cadets will experience flight this year.
NHQ News
National Commander Provides Retention Tips

National Headquarters' Marketing & Strategic Communications team is reprising National Commander/CEO Maj. Gen. Mark Smith’s Recruiting and Retention Series from 2018.

Smith's  “The Importance of Recognition,” part of the second half of his 2018 series, is featured today.
Posters Added for 80th Anniversary Celebration
Continuing the rollout of CAP's 80th Anniversary celebration, the national-level working group for the observation has added a large Proud Past poster and Proud Past sticker as well as a Come Fly With Us poster (shown here) for units to observe the occasion.

The 80th Anniversary Resource pages can be found on CAP.news and GoCivilAirPatrol.com. Each includes a link to download the new posters and sticker.
Applications Sought for Development Staff Position
The CAP Development Office is accepting applications for a partnership coordinator to work with the NFL Alumni Association. Applications will be accepted indefinitely until the position is filled.
CAP is doubling down for “This Week in CAP History” with a “Carolina Edition.”

At the height of World War II, CAP was responsible for costal patrols, protecting the homeland from German U-boats and rescuing survivors of ships attacked by the subs. This mission was especially active in North Carolina and South Carolina, as members took to the skies to serve. On May 29, 1943, the Charlotte Observer took a page to highlight CAP's outstanding work in both states.

Read the original article from the Observer.
This Week's Top Headlines
“Civil Air Patrol Assists S.D. Air National Guard F-16 Training”

“'Four Hikers Rescued in Pecos Wilderness”
Tweet of the Week @CivilAirPatrol
Insta Photo of the Week @CivilAirPatrol

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