Smith Inducted into CAP Hall of Honor | | |
Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, who served an extended term as national commander/CEO helping guide Civil Air Patrol through the first year of the COVID pandemic, is the newest member of the CAP Hall of Honor.
Smith is the 36th member of the hall, established in June 1972 to pay tribute to individuals, past and present, who were either instrumental in the establishment of the organization or contributed to its development over the years.
“I am humbled to receive such recognition from Civil Air Patrol,” said Smith, who headed CAP from September 2017-August 2021, with the fourth year coming at the request of the Board of Governors in light of the special challenges the pandemic posed throughout the organization.
“I very much consider this to be a team award. I was blessed to have exceptional teammates both on the national staff and in the ranks of our volunteer leadership,” he said.
| | AFNORTH Commander's Award Recognizes Hurricane Helene Response Team | | |
Civil Air Patrol’s Hurricane Helene Response Team — more than 400 members from the North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee wings — has been recognized with the 2025 Air Forces Northern Command (AFNORTH) Commander’s Award.
Representatives from each wing accepted the award. presented annually for the most meritorious CAP mission of the previous year, on the mission’s behalf from U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Daniel C. Clayton, First Air Force (AFNORTH) deputy commander. The presentation occurred Aug. 16 during the Summer Command Council meeting in Atlanta.
| | Texas Senior Member, Washington Cadet, Puerto Rico Squadron Top National Award Recipients | | |
A Washington Wing cadet with exceptional leadership skills and a Texas Wing adult member committed to youth development took top honors Aug. 16 at Civil Air Patrol’s 2025 National Awards Ceremony in Atlanta, joined by a high-achieving Puerto Rico Wing squadron.
Lt. Col. Arthur “Gerry” Levesque was recognized as CAP’s Senior Member of the Year and Cadet Col. Lucas J. Morrow as Cadet of the Year during the ceremony, held following CAP’s Summer Command Council meeting. The Muñiz Air National Guard Base Cadet Squadron was honored as the Squadron of Distinction.
| | CAP Welcomes New Command Chief Negrón | |
New York, Tennessee Cadets
to Lead National Advisory Council
Cadets from the New York and Tennessee wings are the new heads of the National Cadet Advisory Council.
Cadet Lt. Col. Ben McGarvey (left) of the New York Wing’s Rochester Composite Squadron will serve as the council's 2025-2026 chair. He's the New York Wing's public affairs officer, the Rochester squadron’s cadet commander, and the Finger Lakes Group’s cadet communication officer. He has participated in five National Cadet Special Activities, including National Blue Beret, Cadet Officer School, and the International Air Cadet Exchange.
Cadet Col. Saul Andino of the Tennessee Wing's Music City Composite Squadron will serve as council's vice chair, moving up from National Cadet Advisory Council recorder as well as chair of the Southeast Region advisory council. He previously held the roles of vice chair and recorder at both the Puerto Rico Wing and Southeast Region levels.
| | CAP Digitally Upgrades Its Fleet Management | | |
Civil Air Patrol’s aviation maintenance and management services are getting a digital upgrade — partnering with PLANELOGIX to help keep the world’s largest fleet of single-engine piston aircraft in the skies.
“Partnering with PLANELOGIX marks a revolutionary step forward for CAP aviation,” said Mike Valdez, CAP’s chief logistics management officer. “This modern maintenance information system will transform how we manage our fleet, making it more efficient, more responsive, and ultimately more mission-capable than ever before.”
He added, “This system brings CAP in line with industry standards for aircraft maintenance. With PLANELOGIX we are enhancing our ability to deliver safe, mission-ready aircraft to our volunteer pilots across the country so they can execute our primary mission of serving America’s communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.”
| | California Wing's Veta Joins Board of Governors | | |
A long-time attorney with aerospace engineering and program management and global strategic procurement experience as well as expertise in complex organizational management and growth through innovation is the newest member of the Civil Air Patrol Board of Governors.
Col. Ross E. Veta, the California Wing commander from 2019-2023, joins the board immediately as a CAP selectee, filling the vacancy left by Col. John Longley, who resigned in June.
Veta’s appointment was announced by Maj. Gen. Regena M. Aye, CAP’s national commander/CEO, after the CAP Senior Advisory Group selected him for the board, effective Aug. 4.
"I am excited to work with Col. Veta as a member of the Board of Governors,” Aye said. “His multifaceted career brings tremendous expertise that will be invaluable as the board charts the strategic direction for Civil Air Patrol.”
| | NESA Training Sharpens Skills for 200+ Participants | | |
More than 200 cadets and adult members from across Civil Air Patrol spent a week of rigorous hands-on training in basic and advanced courses at the National Emergency Services Academy emerging with elevated skills in air operations, ground search and rescue, incident command, and emergency services communication.
“In addition to the students who attended one of over 20 training courses, we had a dedicated staff that made sure everything went off without a hitch, from instructors sharing their knowledge to the administrative staff tracking personnel and finances, to our public information and safety staffs who, respectively, shared the great training that took place with those outside the academy and who made sure all personnel were kept out of harm’s way,” said Col. Philip E. Argenti, NESA director.
“Their dedication to training and service is a testament to the work our volunteer professionals perform every day when called upon.”
| | High-Altitude Balloon Challenge Flies High in Indiana | | |
Civil Air Patrol’s fifth annual launch day for the national High-Altitude Balloon Challenge for cadets soared to success Aug. 2, with three weather balloons climbing into the stratosphere carrying payloads containing nearly 200 experiments from 105 squadrons across 42 wings.
The launch at Anderson Preparatory Academy in Anderson, Indiana, brought together CAP cadets and adult members, National Headquarters staff, and mission partners from across the country for a full day of STEM engagement, aerospace education, and real-world mission experience.
It is the centerpiece of CAP’s national cadet STEM challenge — an experiential program aimed at sparking cadet interest in science, technology, engineering, and math though space science, atmospheric research, and aerospace engineering.
| | Arizona Teams Shine in Region Cadet Competition | | |
Cadet teams from the Arizona Wing's Davis-Monthan Composite Squadron 334 (pictured) and Sky Harbor Composite Squadron captured the top two spots in this year’s Southwest Region Cadet Competition, going last year’s first-place finish one better.
The top-ranked Davis-Monthan team, competing as “Strike Force Six,” finished first in nine of the 13 team categories, second in two, and third in one, with team members capturing four of six individual categories, including one tie.
| | Ohio Wing's Panchula Honored with Spaatz Award | | |
Cadet Col. Megan Panchula of the Ohio Wing’s Frank H. Kettlewood Composite Squadron is the newest recipient of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, achieved by less than one-half of 1% of all Civil Air Patrol cadets.
A member of CAP since July 2019, Panchula has held leadership roles at the squadron, wing, region and national levels, including squadron cadet commander and wing assistant cadet activities officer. She is the most recent chair of the National Cadet Advisory Council and previously served on the Ohio Wing and Great Lakes Region advisory councils.
She attended the Great Lakes Region Cadet Leadership School and the national Cadet Officer School, where she earned the Top Writer award for her unit. Panchula also represented CAP in Australia through the International Air Cadet Exchange program.
| | North Central Region Academy Focuses on Cybersecurity | | |
Cadets from across Civil Air Patrol expanded their cybersecurity abilities and aspirations at the North Central Region Cyber Academy, traveling from as far as Guam and Alaska for five days of intensive training.
The academy at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota, immersed participants in comprehensive cybersecurity education, covering essential topics from cyber ethics and virtual machine operations to advanced networking concepts involving routers, switches, and internet protocol configurations. Cadets gained hands-on experience with Windows security policies, Linux command line operations, mobile device forensics, and real-world threat-monitoring systems.
“CAP is at its best when we look to the future, see what will benefit our cadets, and give them avenues to chase their dreams. I'm looking forward to seeing these cadets have successful careers in cyber and creating other venues for them to pursue different fields,” said Maj. Rezac, the academy's activity director.
| | Squadron Arranges World War II Experience for Ill Teen | | |
The New York Wing's Vanguard Composite Squadron reached out this summer to provide a 14-year-old terminal bone cancer patient with a memorable experience at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's "Gathering of Warbirds" in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The Marty Lyons Foundation, which grants wishes to children with terminal conditions, contacted the squadron's deputy commander, Maj. Susan Neal, in October about the young World War II enthusiast's desire to visit Pearl Harbor. His illness made such a journey impossible, but Vanguard members' participation every year in the museum's World War II re-enactment offered an opportunity to help address the youth's interests, especially since he had never attended the event.
| | 4 More National IAEM Awards for CAP | | |
For another year, Civil Air Patrol leads the nation in awards conferred by the International Association of Emergency Managers.
“Of the IAEM's 15 awards, CAP members and programs will be receiving four of them in 2025,” said Lt. Col. Robert L. Ditch, CAP’s liaison to FEMA's National Disaster Emergency Management University and the IAEM.
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Ditch is director of Operation Pulse Lift and the National Emergency Service Academy Mobile Training Team, two CAP programs receiving this year's Business and Private Sector Integration and Public Sector Partnership and Emergency Management Education & Training Program of the Year awards, respectively.
Other CAP awards announced for 2025 include the Volunteer Emergency Manager of the Year Award, to be presented to Maj. Rob Yusko, the Colorado Wing's director of operations, and the Uniformed Services Emergency Manager of the Year, going to Col. Todd Canale, former CAP-U.S. Air Force and current NESA Mobile Training Team instructor and Headquarters First Air Force emergency preparedness liaison officer.
“No other organization has received so many awards in any previous year,” Ditch said, noting that CAP took home five of IAEM's 15 national awards last year and has received 23 of the awards over the last five years.
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Celebrating Our Sponsors — And Your Success
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Thanks to the generous support of our founding sponsors, CAP members like you have had access to powerful leadership and learning opportunities.
Consider this:
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The leadership training sessions you attended over the weekend in Atlanta? Sponsors made it possible for adult members to guide cadets in developing confidence and character.
- The networking events you joined? Sponsors helped connect mentors and peers who are shaping the future of aerospace and service.
- The recognition ceremonies you participated in? Sponsors ensured we could celebrate the achievements of those who’ve made a real difference — including you.
Your growth and impact are a direct reflection of their belief in CAP’s mission. Let’s continue to honor that support by leading with excellence.
| | CAP Observes National Make-A-Will Month | | |
Join thousands who are making a will in August to:
- Dictate your vision for the future and your assets.
- Show your loved ones just how much you care about them.
- Create a legacy to shape the next generation of service leaders through Civil Air Patrol.
In just 20 minutes, you can create or update your own will. And it’s completely free.
By using this service today, you’ll get lifetime access to make updates and changes to your plan at no cost. And if you choose to include a gift to CAP, we are so grateful for the generational impact you’ll make for our cadets and community.
| | When you include Civil Air Patrol in your estate plans, like CAP member Maj. Christopher Ince (pictured), you also become eligible to become a member of the Semper Vigilans Society. | | CAP Accepting Applications for Volunteer Vacancies | | |
Top Headlines
“A Life in the Cockpit: Local Veteran Logged 26,000 Hours Behind the Controls”
-msn.com
“Air University at Alabama's Maxwell AFB Hosts Civil Air Patrol's Top Cadets”
-spotonalabama.com
“Northern Illinois Pilots Train for Emergency Responses with Civil Air Patrol”
-wifr.com
“Civil Air Patrol Takes Flight with Altus C-17 Crew”
-altus.af.mil
“Civil Air Patrol Practices Disaster Response”
-homernews.com
| | For more information, go to Operation Pulse Lift'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. | |
CAP Marketing & Strategic Communications
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