White House Letter Acknowledges

Civil Air Patrol's 82nd Anniversary

Earlier this month, Civil Air Patrol received a letter from the White House congratulating the U.S. Air Force auxiliary on its 82nd anniversary.

President Joe Biden’s letter acknowledging the auxiliary’s lengthy service to the nation is no surprise. Biden joined CAP's Congressional Squadron as a U.S. senator from Delaware and “for decades was one of our best supporters in Congress,” said John Swain, CAP's government relations director.

“While in Congress he always stayed up to date on the various national programs and operations as well as the Delaware Wing,” Swain said. “His key staff also worked closely with CAP, which was a real plus for our early budget requests.”

A hard copy of the letter from the White House made its way to Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, CAP's national commander/CEO, but we wanted to share an electronic version with our members as well.

CAP Adds 7 New Cessnas to its Fleet

Civil Air Patrol is adding five Cessna Skyhawks, one Cessna Skylane, and one Cessna Turbo Stationair HD from Textron Aviation Inc. to its fleet. Five of the seven aircraft can be seen from overhead (above) at Textron's manufacturing plant in Independence, Kansas.

The new aircraft will join a fleet of 540 Cessnas owned and operated by CAP — the world’s largest Cessna piston aircraft operator. In addition, CAP awarded Textron Aviation a contract in September for the further acquisition of 14 Skyhawk 172s and one Skylane 182T.

“Civil Air Patrol is thrilled to welcome these new Cessna aircraft to the world’s largest fleet of single-engine piston aircraft,” said Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, CAP’s national commander/CEO.

“CAP is proud to continue to partner with Textron Aviation as we utilize their outstanding products in executing complex and varied missions for America,” Phelka said.

Team Helps Assess Tornadoes' Impact

The Civil Air Patrol Geospatial Team’s damage assessment team identified more than 2,400 damaged structures after a series of tornadoes ripped across the midwestern and southern U.S. on Dec. 9, wreaking the greatest destruction in Clarksville and Hendersonville in northern Tennessee, near the Kentucky border.

The CAP team provided federal and state officials with timely, accurate information that resulted in a federal disaster declaration for the stricken counties.

'Father John' Serves Air Force, CAP as Chaplain

When John F. Reutemann III, who serves as a chaplain in both Civil Air Patrol and the U.S. Air Force, was promoted to Air Force major Nov. 3, he marked yet another milestone in his journey serving members of CAP and the military.

Reutemann, who many in CAP and the Air Force call “Father John,” is an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama — also the home of CAP National Headquarters.

He serves as the course director for the Embedded Religious Support Team Course after previously serving as one of two course directors for the Basic Chaplain Course, which all new active-duty, National Guard and Reserve Air Force chaplains attend.

A former Maryland Wing cadet, Reutemann now holds the rank of chaplain lieutenant colonel in CAP.

Alabama Cadets Create Spaceflight Simulator

Many young people dream of blasting off to the International Space Station in a rocket, especially those who live in or near the Rocket City — Huntsville, Alabama.

Fittingly, two Alabama Wing cadets in the area — Cadet Col. Nehemiah Groder (pictured left) and Cadet Maj. Ben Lambertson — have created a way for their fellow cadets to experience the excitement of a space mission without leaving the ground.

Their multistation software simulation replicates a launch, an orbital flight culminating in a docking with the space station, all the way to a splashdown, much to the delight of the 83 cadets in the Redstone Composite Squadron.

Members Help Send Off Families of the Fallen

Utah Wing members from across the state gathered Dec. 2 at Salt Lake City International Airport to escort, honor and salute Gold Star Families boarding a holiday season flight to Florida provided by the Gary Sinise Foundation Snowball Express.

The Utah members had the opportunity to mingle with the families of the fallen and hear their stories. As the families boarded their plane, the Civil Air Patrol contingent gathered on the tarmac alongside active-duty military, first responders, youth program participants, and other volunteers.

The ranking officer called the color guard and officer to attention and gave the command to present arms and salute the Gold Star Families as the airplane taxied to the runway.

Southeast Region Members Become 1st CAP Grads of Air Force Leadership Development Course

A pair of Southeast Region members marked a first for Civil Air Patrol when they graduated from a virtual U.S. Air Force’s Leadership Development Course on Nov. 17.

Lt. Cols. Arnold C. Staton, Alabama Wing Group I commander, and Shannon M. Brumfield, region cadet programs chief of staff, joined 93 active, National Guard, Reserve, and civilian Air Force and Space Force students taking the course.

Their involvement marked the first time in the course’s six-year history that CAP members participated in the Air University flagship course. 

Adult Member Orientation Launched in North Carolina

The North Carolina Wing’s Asheville Composite Squadron has initiated a new adult member orientation training program in response to flourishing membership numbers.

The new approach was inspired by the Civil Air Patrol cadet program’s Project Great Start, which has led to 93 active cadets and high retention rates in the squadron. Led by Maj. Scott Stevens, squadron commander, training is planned about a month after the Project Great Start day and is to involve new cadets’ parents that have joined along with other adult members who have joined within the past quarter.

NHQ News

Donate by Dec. 31 to Elevate Dreams

Your year-end gift can help deserving Civil Air Patrol cadets attend encampments, create cadet scholarship opportunities, and fund teachers and aerospace and STEM education.

Your donation of …

• $35: Trains a K-12 teacher in aerospace education.
• $50: Fuels one child's aerospace education.
• $125: Provides an hour of flying time.
• $250: Supports a cadet for summer experiences.
• $500: Brings aerospace education to a classroom.
• $1,000+: Funds academic or flight scholarships for cadets.

Civil Air Patrol Nearing 30K Units of Blood

With less than 50 blood units to be collected/donated until the end of the year, CAP's Operation Pulse Lift is on track to reach its year-end goal of 30,000 units of blood.

Be a part of the humanitarian mission's “Season of Giving” with a lifesaving blood donation during the holidays. Both adults and cadets (over 16 with parental permission) can donate. If you need help finding a blood donor site, go to this link or check into your local blood donor registry.

'A Game of Cat and Mouse' Available Online

If you don’t have access to Smithsonian Channel content through your cable provider and missed “A Game of Cat and Mouse,” you can use this link to get a free 24-hour pass to watch it.

The episode, which originally aired Dec. 10, is part of the Smithsonian Channel's On The Fly: Adventures in Altitude documentary series. It featured Civil Air Patrol in its U.S. Air Fore auxiliary role performing two joint training missions as a Total Force partner.

Special thanks to Cols. Frank Blazich, national historian emeritus, and Tim Nelson and the Massachusetts Wing (pictured below during the filming of the production), the Massachusetts Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing, Time Studios, and the Lifetime Network for key contributions to make the piece a reality.

Volunteer Staff Positions in IT, Logistics Open

National Headquarters is now accepting applications for three new volunteer staff positions — National Information Technology Manager, National Aircraft Maintenance Officer, and National Supply Manager. The deadline for applying for these positions is 5 p.m. CT Jan. 15 for the first two positions and Jan. 22 for the last one.

Details and the desired requirements for these new positions as well as others are available here.

'Next Generation' Helps Honor Veterans, Families

Cadets and adult members from CAP units across the country participated in the annual Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 16, recognizing the service and sacrifices of fallen U.S. veterans and their families.

As CAP's North Central Region pronounced in its Facebook post, “Bravo Zulu to our members for again participating in this worthy annual event” — where, nationwide, 3 million wreaths were placed at over 4,200 veterans’ cemeteries and monuments across the country — including more than a quarter-million at Arlington National Cemetery.

Participation in Wreaths Across America (pictured above in scenes from ceremonies in Minnesota and Missouri) garnered a ton of publicity nationwide. Here's a sampling of stories from media outlets featuring our members:

This Week's Top Headlines

“Civil Air Patrol Honors U.S. Veterans with Wreaths Across America”

-KTCC.com

(Rochester, Minn.)

“Little Arlington Cemetery Participates in Wreaths Across America”

-MSN.com

(Elkins, W.Va.)

“Wreaths Across America Led by Next Generation of Service Members”

-News.Yahoo.com

(Pflugerville, Texas)

“Wreaths Across America Celebrates 18 Years in Bismarck-Mandan”

-KXnet.com

(Mandan, N.D.)

“Nearly 2,000 Wreaths Honor Veterans in Wenatchee Cemetery for Wreaths Across America”

-WenatcheeWorld.com

(Wenatchee, Wash.)

“Wreaths Across America Ceremony Makes Sure 'Veterans are Never Forgotten'”

-News-Journal.com

(Tyler, Texas)

“Young Cadets Place Wreaths in Honor of Veterans at Aroostook Cemeteries”

-TheCounty.me

(Caribou, Maine)