Dickens, Hudnall Join CAP Board of Governors

A rising U.S. Air Force general and one of the nation’s aerospace industry leaders are the newest members of the Board of Governors — Civil Air Patrol's top governing body.

Brig. Gen. Richard R. Dickens and Amy Kohler Hudnall were recently appointed to the CAP board, both effective immediately.

Dickens is the vice commander of First Air Force, U.S. Air Forces Northern, and U.S. Air Forces Space, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and succeeds Brig. Gen. William Betts, who previously served in that role. Betts moved to a new Air Force assignment.

Hudnall is the recently retired director of the Georgia Center of Innovation – Aerospace. She replaces Stacy Bechdolt, who has served on the CAP board the past six years.

“I thank Gen. Betts and Ms. Bechdolt for their leadership and look forward to the opportunity of working with Gen. Dickens and Ms. Hudnall,” said Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, Civil Air Patrol’s national commander and CEO. “Their vast and diverse experiences, in the Air Force as well as the public sector, will contribute greatly to CAP’s growth and success in the years ahead.”

Cell Phone Team Points Searchers to Injured Hiker

Civil Air Patrol’s National Cell Phone Forensics Team provided coordinates that led to the helicopter rescue Aug. 14 of a seriously injured hiker near Mount Washington, about 90 miles northeast of Eugene, Oregon.

The request for assistance — made to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center by Scott Lucas, search and rescue coordinator for the Oregon Department of Emergency Management — was assigned to the cellphone team just before noon local time.

Acting as a Total Force partner and official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, Civil Air Patrol helps First Air Force rapidly respond to nonmilitary threats domestically in a Defense Support of Civil Authorities capacity to save lives, relieve suffering, prevent property damage and provide humanitarian assistance. 

Innovation Team Names JanEX Project Finalists

Congratulations to the following CAP innovators who have been chosen as finalists for the 2022 Maj. Gen. Mark Smith JanEX Prize. Listed in alphabetical order by the name of their idea, the finalists are:

• A Day in the Life Cadet Job Shadowing
• 2nd Lt. John Douglas, Virginia Wing
• CAP Audio Book Static Podcasts
• 2nd Lt. James Burtoft, Pennsylvania Wing
• Geospatial Center of Excellence
• Capt. Scott Kaplan, Virginia Wing
• Lt. Col. Brian Cuce, Pennsylvania Wing
• 1st Lt. Nick Hawley, Pennsylvania Wing
• Maj. Mike Zabetakis, Maryland Wing
• Capt. Cole Brown, Maryland Wing
• 2nd Lt. Oliwia Baney, California Wing
• TRACS
• Maj. Steve Groner, California Wing

“The JanEX team sends its gratitude for your thoughtful contributions to CAP’s innovation efforts,” said Lt. Col. David Dlugiewicz, vice commander of the Ohio Wing who led the selection committee, “As finalists, you are eligible for support from the JanEX team to move your idea to the next phase of innovation, which includes piloting and demonstrating capabilities.”

The team will announce the winning ideas at the 2022 National Conference in Louisville Aug. 25-27.

Massachusetts Sisters Earn Highest Cadet Award

The Massachusetts Wing’s latest recipients of Civil Air Patrol’s top cadet achievement, the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, have more than that honor in common.

Cadet Cols. Leah (left, in photo) and Sarah Vigevani are sisters. The two Bridgewater State University Composite Squadron members received their Spaatz awards Aug. 1 from Brig. Gen. Virginia Gaglio, Massachusetts Air National Guard commander and chief of staff.

Earning the Spaatz is impressive enough, Gaglio said, “but to have two in the same state at the same time is really nothing short of amazing.”

“The fact that they're both sisters just speaks to their dedication — their family's dedication — to the ideals of the Air Force,” she said

Balloon Challenge Experiments Launched, Recovered

Over 500 Civil Air Patrol cadet teams’ scientific experiments soared skyward Aug. 13 in north central Indiana for Civil Air Patrol’s second National AE High-Altitude Balloon Challenge.

Participating cadets from 122 squadrons representing all eight regions designed experiments for launching to the stratosphere in 50-milliliter test tubes on high-altitude balloons. The experiments were carried aloft as payloads in three balloons, ascending to heights from 98,663 feet-105,661 feet before falling back to Earth for recovery.

Cadets and senior members from both the Indiana and Kentucky wings — including the Indiana Wing cadets seen above inflating one of the balloons — helped prepare and release the balloons at Anderson Preparatory Academy in Anderson, Indiana. 

Civil Air Patrol Continues IAEM Awards Dominance

Three more CAP members — (from left, above) Cols. Mark Lahan, Carol Lynn, and Jerry Wellman — have been recognized by the International Association of Emergency Managers 2022 Awards Program.

“These awards represent the highest recognitions that individuals can receive within the international/national profession and community of emergency management,” said Lt. Col. Robert Ditch, CAP's IAEM liaison.

Such a showing in the IAEM award program has become commonplace for CAP. Over the past five years — since volunteers and volunteer organizations began receiving these annual awards — CAP has led the nation in these recognitions.

“This year was no different, with three of our highly prized emergency managers taking all of the individual volunteer member awards for the third year in a row and fourth time in five years,”  Ditch said.

This year's CAP IAEM winners are:

• Col. Mark Lahan - IAEM Uniformed Services Auxiliary Emergency Manager of the Year (competes with all CAP, Merchant Marine, Navy Sea Cadet, and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members). This has been awarded to a CAP member for five straight years.
• Col. Carol Lynn - IAEM Rising Star Award. It is given to an individual who has shown the most promise as a new and "Rising Star” within the emergency management profession across the nation. This is the first time this award has been presented.
• Col. Jerry Wellman - IAEM National Volunteer Emergency Manager of the Year Award. This has been awarded to a CAP member in four of the last five years. This is the highest award given to a volunteer emergency manager.

New Pilots Talk About Their Cadet Wings Experience

Three new Civil Air Patrol flyers from California, Michigan and Texas discuss their Cadet Wings experiences in a new question-and-answer feature posted today on CAP.news. 

(From left, above) then Cadet Col.-now Senior Member Naveen Abraham, Cadet Capt. Kayden Maly, and Cadet Lt. Col. Dylan Cabrera earned their private pilot certificates earlier this summer through the CAP program.

The main goal of the program — funded by the U.S. Air Force and the James C. Ray Foundation — is to increase the nation's pilot population.

Idaho Team Copes with Encampment Summer Heat

Tech. Sgt. Damen Therkildsen, Idaho Wing assistant safety director, met the challenge of soaring summer temperatures head-on recently by crafting an innovative approach as safety director for the wing’s recent Mountain Eagle Encampment.

Before the encampment began, Therkildsen asked cadet staff to provide him with a cadet safety officer to provide assistance throughout the week. That assignment went to Cadet 2nd Lt. Nathan Church of the Eagle Rock Composite Squadron.

“I saw this as an opportunity to train a cadet in safety, but more importantly to have an assistant embedded within the same age range as the cadets that were attending encampment,” Therkildsen said. In addition, another wing assistant safety director, Maj. Paul Young, helped train Church when Therkildsen was otherwise engaged.

Church’s involvement “gave cadets a chance to confide in someone within their age range and within their own chain of command,” Therkildsen said. 

NHQ News

CAP Launches 2nd Aircraft Artwork Series

The popularity of Maj. Ronald C. Finger's “Timeline Flight” paintings leading up to CAP's 80th anniversary has inspired a second series of vintage aircraft artwork — the Silvered Wings Series.

Debuting today, this series once again features the work of Finger, a national staff member on CAP's Marketing & Strategic Communications team.

Here is the first installment of the Silvered Wings Series, as seen earlier this week on CAP.news. The next one will be posted on the news site in mid-September.

August is National Make-a-Will Month

August is National Make-a-Will Month — the perfect opportunity to use your will to make your mark on the people and causes you care about.

CAP has partnered with FreeWill so our members can complete this important life task with ease. This self-help estate planning resource from FreeWill guides you through the process of writing your legal will online in 20 minutes or less.

You Can Join the Semper Vigilans Society

When you include Civil Air Patrol in your estate plans, you will be eligible to join the Semper Vigilans Society. The society was established in 2020 to recognize supporters who have made provisions for CAP in their estate plans. These planned gifts ensure CAP is always ready for the future.

This Week's Top Headlines

“Misawa Civil Air Patrol Undergoes Training”

-Japan.Stripes.com

“CAP Cadets Fly Solo”

-DIVIDShub.net

“Civil Air Patrol Trains with Drones to Aid Disaster Recovery”

-nola.com

“Future Leaders Winner Learning Aerospace Education in Civil Air Patrol”

-MSN.com

“CAP Cadets Clean Veterans Headstones”

-Yahoo.com

Tweet of the Week @Civil Air Patrol

Every unit of blood collected through the combined efforts of CAP volunteers saves three lives, according to the Red Cross. During the pandemic response, Operation Pulse Lift has collected this number of units:

Operation Pulse Lift's new stretch goal for the beginning of the fiscal year, Oct. 1, is 15,000 units, with a 2022 year-end goal of 16,667.