Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCivil Air Patrol, child of WWII, still active here 1980Civil Air Patrol, child of WWII, still active here BY MIRE SNYDER Chronicle Staff The Civil Air Patrol, created during World War II to boost national morale and enable civilians to aid in the war effort, today is quietly active in the Houston area, grooming young cadets for possible military service and standing by to help in emergencies ranging from floods to missing planes. There are "probably 400 or so on the rolls" of the CAP's 13th group, which covers Harris and Brazoria counties; says 2nd Lt. Judy Bundy, spokeswoman for the group. But she says that only perhaps half of these are active cadets or "senior" (adult) members. "We have quite a few who just pay their du says. The Civil Air Patrol was organized on Dec. 1, 1941 - six days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor launched the United States into the war and imposed a staggering drain on the nation's resources. The purpose of the organization, Mrs. Bundy says, was to provide civilian services to "free the military for bigger and better things." The U.S. Air Force pays for mission expenses, reim- bursing owners for fuel and oil on private planes, and furnishes fatigue uniforms and some equipment. Other- wise, CAP members pay their own way. During the war, CAP members flew more than 24 million miles on coastal patrols, spotted enemy subma- rines, answered calls from 91 ships in distress, summoned -help for survivors of submarine attacks and flew a variety of other wartime missions, according to a CAP "fact sheet" put out by the Air Force. The focus of the group changed after the war. In 1946, Congress passed the original act chartering the CAP as the official U.S. Air Force auxiliary. The act mandated three missions for the CAP: cadet training, emergency services and aerospace education. Locally, the rust of the three missions takes up the bulk of the all- volunteer group's time and effort. The 13th CAP group includes nine cadet squadrons, for youths age 13 to 18. Cadets receive training in such areas as communications, air and ground search and rescue, _ and pmerpe_nry mod inal treatment. WINF cadets - all receive essentially the same training, but the emphasis can be different in different squad- rons," Mrs. Bundy says. The youths begin their training learning "the basics" Ofr — drilling, how to salute, how to wear and care for a uniform. The second training phase concentrates on aviation. CAP bylaws require each cadet to have at least six orientation flights in a small plane during this period. The final leg of the program is "staff training," chan- neling the cadets to a specialty such as communications, public affairs or emergency services. Cadets progress through the ranks on the basis of "achievement contracts," spelling out goals to be met by a specific date. Completion of 15 such contracts makes the youth a cadet colonel. Mrs. Bundy says the cadets are not necessarily work- ing for a career in the military, but that "a lot of them are using it as a stepping stone to one of the service , academies." "I have a lot of respect for these cadets," says Lt. Col. Ed Saad, commander of the CAP's Sector 2, which in- cludes the 13th group. "They're usually the first on the scene (in an emergency mission) and they get a heck of a lot of information in a short period of time." The CAP's role in emergencies, described by Mrs. Bundy as "one of our major missions," was demonstrat- ed last year when the Houston area suffered three major floods during the spring and fall. CAP volunteers logged over 10,000 man -hours in flood relief, Mrs. Bundy says, providing radio communications and vehicles suited to transport people and equipment through high water. "We did a lot of communications for remote shelters in Brazoria County," she says. "There were several days when our radios were the only communications they had with the Red Cross." The Harris County CAP also has a few mission - trained pilots qualified to conduct air search -and- rescue, though this occurs only rarely. The Texas Department of Public Safety has first prior- ity in Conducting searches for missing aircraft, Mrs. Bundy says. If the state police need help, they may call on the Air Force, which in turn may authorize a CAP search. In the first three months of this year, CAP pilots in Texas flew nine search - and - rescue missions, and were credited with one "find," a successful rescue. They also flew two emergency blood missions to remote areas.