February 2020
News for Alumni & Friends
Citizens Serving Communities to Shape Lives and Save Lives
Inside this Issue...Love is in the air, saving lives every day, have you ever done this at an encampment?, cadet interviewed, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 9 gives scholarship, CAP honors fallen WWII veteran, black history spotlight, CAP history corner, final salute and more!
Love Is In The Air

It's the month to celebrate love and partnerships.

We thought it would be fun to share stories from some of our alumni who met and fell in love in Civil Air Patrol. We are NOT suggesting or encouraging cadets to fall in love, but when you bring people together who share similar ideals and values, sometimes it happens. 

We reached out to these alumni with a list of questions and a request for pictures. We hope you will enjoy what they shared with us. 

 -  Col John Knowles, CAP Deputy Chief of Alumni Relations
Jorge & Virginia (Rivera) Montalvo
New York Wing
How did you meet?
As you can tell from two of the photos, we (Jorge Luis Montalvo & Virginia Rivera Pi) were cadets before Civil Air Patrol became "Blue." A couple of years after these photos were taken, we met at a Manhattan squadron meeting in NYC. We married following a whirlwind courtship immersed in CAP activities that focused on drill practices and drill competitions. 

Tell us about your family
Moving forward, we concentrated on family and careers. Jorge earned his pilot license and I finished my degree in teaching. The third photo shows us with two of our four children. Our daughter, like her father, eventually earned her pilot’s license. Our son, who coincidentally was born a few days after Valentine's Day, earned an A&P license and certification.  

What we learned from Civil Air Patrol
Volunteering for an organization that gave us many defining moments in our youth was invigorating.  Above all, we have been able to pass on to newer and younger members many of our experiences of patriotism, the love of aviation, the satisfaction of helping others, teamwork, the camaraderie, and yes, the fun .  
Taylor-Made for CAP...

John & Terri Taylor
Maryland Wing
Taylor Made
How did you meet?
My husband, John, and I met as cadets in the early '80s. We were in neighboring Maryland squadrons and met through SAREXs. We have been married for 31 years.
 
Tell us about your family
John is a Principal Systems Engineer for Monster Worldwide. He is a volunteer firefighter and a child passenger safety technician; I retired from Howard County Fire and Rescue and now work part-time in the fire marshal's office doing public education. I am also a volunteer firefighter and a child passenger safety technician and serve as the deputy commander for cadets in our squadron.

All four of our kids have been through the cadet program. Our two boys are still members, along with our daughter-in-law. My parents and brother are also members.Our entire family is also involved in the fire service.

Advice?
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t work together and be married.    
Taylor Made
Left, all of our children served on encampment staff. Right, my brother, squadron commander, and our granddaughter, future cadet.
Saving Lives....
CAP's Video Corner
Video #1 - The Joys of Encampment
Highlights from the inaugural Joint North Carolina - Virginia Winter Encampment 2019 held at Joint Base Langley - Fort Eustis, Virginia December 28 to January 4.
Which one of these activities do you remember most from your time as a cadet or service member?
Rolling out of bed at ohhhhhhh dark thirty!
Push-ups, most definitely the push-ups!
Chow-time, thank goodness I had 5 seconds to eat!
Standing at attention!
Another memory, and boy was it memorable!
I didn't have these kinds of experiences, but thanks for the video!
Video #2 - Shaping Lives...
An Interview With A Hawaii Wing Cadet
C/1st Lt. Canaan T. Cortes of Hawaii Wing's Wheeler Composite Squadron shares what it is like to be a cadet in Civil Air Patrol and how Civil Air Patrol helps him reach his life goal of becoming a fighter pilot for the U.S. Navy.
Vietnam Veterans of America , Chapter 9 Funds Michigan Wing Cadet ScholarshipsThrough CAP Foundation
A partnership between the Civil Air Patrol Foundation and a Vietnam Veterans of America chapter in Detroit will ensure that over the next five years, needs-based scholarships will be available to assist Michigan cadets who want to further their education.
Are you a member of the following groups that might support scholarships for our cadets?
Civic Organizations (Civitan, Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce)
Veteran Organizations (VVA, VFW, American Legion, etc.)
Military and Military Spouse Organizations
Other
Yes - CAP Is Overseas!
Spangdahlem Cadet Squadron Honors Fallen WWII Veteran, Remembers Sauer River Crossing
Spangdahlem Cadet Squadron members, back, and U.S. Marine Corps members attached to the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg, front, pose on a bridge and in front of a plaque for U.S. Army Pfc. Vincent Festa, at Moestroff, Luxembourg, January 18. The cadets and Marines served as an honor guard detail for a ceremony dedicating the bridge in memory of Pfc. Festa. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kyle Cope)
Ambitious Colorado Wing Cadet Became
Air Force's First Black Female Fighter Pilot
Over 1 million young people have worn the Civil Air Patrol cadet uniform since Cadet Programs was founded in 1942. Countless thousands have grown into dynamic Americans and aerospace leaders. But one in particular — Shawna Rochelle “Lex” Kimbrell — stands out this February as CAP celebrates Black History Month.
Florida Wing Flies In Super Bowl Security Exercise
The Florida Wing took to the skies Jan. 28 in support of a North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) joint air defense exercise in preparation for Super Bowl LIV.
It's Almost Time! Florida and South Dakota Cadets Representing CAP in CyberPatriot XII National Finals
A first-time finalist and a familiar name from past championship rounds will represent Civil Air Patrol next month in the finals of the Air Force Association’s  CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition .

The top-performing CAP team in the semifinals, representing the Florida Wing’s St. Augustine Composite Squadron, will make its inaugural appearance in the CyberPatriot XII national finals, set for March 20-22 in Rockville, Maryland.
From The History Archives...
1961 Washington State Wing Encampment
Portland, Oregon
(We love those cars too!)
Alumni & Friends Spotlight
Col. Darin Ninness - CAP
Why did you join CAP?
I was interested in aviation and the military. Scouting didn't hold my interest, but CAP sure did. Only after I went to my first meeting did I find out that my dad had been in Civil Air Patrol in high school.

What is your current career (or if retired what did you do before you retired)
I am the IT Manager for Segway Inc. in Bedford, New Hampshire (yes, that Segway)

What specific lessons or experiences from CAP has influenced your career or life?
Though Civil Air Patrol, I have learned leadership and management skills that my career wouldn't have imparted. This makes me somewhat of a unicorn in IT: a tech with people skills. I've also had a series of values that I live by that, frankly, I wouldn't have learned as a teenager otherwise.

Anything else we didn’t ask that you would like to share?
As a young teenager, I was a kid who didn't fit well in social settings at school. I was also hanging out with kids who were not going anyplace, and if I continued to stick around them, I wasn't going anyplace either. Civil Air Patrol gave me some structure and hierarchy that I was missing elsewhere, and eventually gave me the tools and the opportunity to find my own voice and path in the wilderness. I wouldn't have been successful in the military without my CAP background, for example. 
Civil Air Patrol offers friends and family the ability to make gifts in memory or honor of someone special. Tribute/memorial gifts made through the link below are listed in each issue of the  Civil Air Patrol Volunteer  magazine.