Civil Air Patrol: America’s best kept secret Published Sept. 20, 2013 By Staff Sgt. Terri Paden 15th Wing Public Affairs office JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Throughout its 66-year history, the U.S. Air Force has been successful in its mission to fly, fight and win largely because of the capabilities it offers through various specialized components and commands. One of these components is the Civil Air Patrol. The Civil Air Patrol, which is a humanitarian and educational nonprofit organization, is the official civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, and is often referred to as America's best kept secret, said Abraham Cheng, CAP member. With more than 500 aircraft nation-wide, the CAP boasts the largest fleet of single-engine aircraft in the nation. The organization is composed of more than 56, 000 volunteer members who work together to support the Air Force and its mission. With pilots, aircrew members, support, logistic, medical and religious personnel, the CAP offers a variety of ways for volunteers to serve. "The amount of education and training we provide our members is awesome," said Col. Jeffrey Stickel, 66th Composite Squadron commander. "We consider ourselves to be a military force multiplier." As an officially sanctioned, though little known, Air Force component, CAP provides state assistance with search and rescue, disaster relief, aerial reconnaissance, communication, transportation of high value equipment and personnel and homeland security. Even though there is a CAP presence in each state and U.S. territory, the organization is particularly active in Hawaii where it's charged with the tsunami warning mission as well. With Hawaii's most severe natural threat being tsunamis, CAP offers a reliable way for the state government to reach the 70 percent of the population that the warning sirens cannot reach in case of emergency. "Here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam the CAP plays an active role in support of not only the Air Force, but the Coast Guard, the Department of Emergency Management and the Hawaii State Civil Defense," said Cheng. "Recently teams from the 66th CS successfully located two distress beacons within an hour of activation and deployment. This event not only demonstrated the dedication and commitment displayed by Civil Air Patrol members nationwide, but also potentially saved the military and state government thousands of dollars in man-hours, maintenance and operational costs that could have been incurred had CAP not covered the mission." In addition to providing state and military support the CAP also offers young adults ages 12-18 leadership opportunities and mentorship through the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. "Kids that come into Civil Air Patrol find the value of giving," said Stickel. "It's a safe place for young people to experiment with leadership and find out what they can do as leaders. It's an investment in the future and we do our best to get these kids ready for life." According to Stickel, the program, which allows cadets who come into the organization before the age of 18 to stay until they are 21, provides the cadets with character development, military leadership, aerospace education emergency services skills and leadership training opportunities. However, though the CAP is closely connected with the Air Force and is guaranteed three slots at the Air Force academy a year for its members, cadets are not required to join the military after completion of the program. "This equips the kids with a variety of essential skills whether they are going into the Air Force or not," said Stickel. "These are systematic skills and can make them very well rounded people." With a mission as diverse as humanitarian relief, disaster relief, national defense and cadet mentorship, Stickel said there are countless opportunities for would-be members to do their bit to better the world. "The only motivation a person needs to joint Civil Air Patrol is a desire to serve their community," he said. For more information on Civil Air Patrol, visit www.cap.gove or call 1-800-FLY-2338.