Carroll Squadron Has a New Chaplain, First Lieutenant Deric Dunn

March 2016. Westminster, Maryland. First Lieutenant (1st Lt.) Deric Dunn of the Carroll Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing, recently accomplished two pivotal Civil Air Patrol (CAP) goals. In March 2016, Dunn was officially appointed as a CAP Chaplain and received a promotion to 1st Lt. Carroll Squadron located in Westminster, Maryland, is comprised of 28 seniors and 34 cadets. Dunn joined the squadron in August 2015 with his son, Jeremy, who now is a member of the CAP cadet program. Squadron commander, 1st Lt. Randy Budge, joined by Lt. Col. Frank Jarosinski, Group II Deputy Commander and squadron members congratulated Dunn on his achievements and expressed their appreciation for his commitment to the squadron.

CAP offers many professional development options for adult members including training opportunities to become a CAP Chaplain. CAP has a vital interest in the moral and spiritual welfare of its members. The CAP chaplaincy is an organization of clergy who are appointed and endorsed as CAP chaplains. They represent their various denominations and support the pluralistic ministry of the CAP Chaplain Corps. As a CAP Chaplain, Dunn will advise his squadron commander on ethical and moral issues, provide for religious observances, provide pastoral care and emergency ministry and help coordinate character development for cadets. The CAP Chaplain Corps was organized with the guidance of the United States Air Force (USAF) Chief of Chaplains in January 1950. Since that time, as a component of the Air Force Auxiliary, the CAP Chaplain Corps has partnered with the USAF Chaplain Corps.

As representatives of America’s religious community, the CAP Chaplain Corps provide resources and personnel to enable the free exercise of religion by CAP members. Chaplains promote the role of the CAP core values in all CAP activities through education, presence and advice, respond to emergencies with skill and professionalism and conduct themselves with compassion and respect toward all members of CAP.

Dunn, an ordained minister, has served in several positions since he began his ministry including church elder, associate pastor, senior associate pastor and currently serves a youth minister in his congregation in the Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints in Hampstead, Maryland. When asked about his future goals as a CAP chaplain, Dunn responded, “The Chaplaincy is all about those being ministered to and not about those doing the ministering. It is my hope that I can be the vessel for God to touch people’s lives both with CAP and those who CAP serves.”

Discussing why 1st Lt. Dunn decided to join CAP, “I love aviation, and hope to earn my pilots license someday, but so far it just hasn’t coincided with the Lord’s will. My son expressed an interest in flight, possibly due to my excitement rubbing off and I wanted to support him in that possible career track. When I was a teenager, I attended a few meetings at Fort Douglas, in Salt Lake City, Utah. I wanted to join but soon after those meetings my family moved to Massachusetts. With the move and everything that came with it, CAP simply didn’t fit in the priorities. In August of last year, I was reading the Carroll County Times and a saw an advertisement for the Carroll Composite Squadron. The article caught my interest and after I discovered it was CAP I told my son we were going for an adventure; attended a meeting, and a couple weeks later we joined!”

In addition to his ministerial duties with his church and his participation in CAP, 1st Lt. Dunn works for Lockheed Martin and is Scout Master for Boy Scouts of America, Troop 950. Celebrating his 23rd wedding anniversary this year with his wife, Melanie, Dunn also has a daughter, Julia.

The CAP chaplain application process includes several professional and ministerial requirements that must be completed to meet the criteria to become a chaplain; however, Dunn said, “I was happy to go through the training and the process as it included many steps that were uplifting. I was ordained 26 years ago and look forward to using my experience in a pluralistic environment by assisting all CAP members to exercise their chosen spiritual development. I hope that all of our squadron members will use CAP’s chaplain services.” For more information, related to becoming a CAP chaplain visit www.capmembers.com/cap_national_hq/chaplain_corps/

The Carroll Composite Squadron meets 6:45 p.m. Tuesday evenings at the Hilltop Assembly of God Church Hall at 30 North Cranberry Road in Westminster, Maryland. Prospective cadets, ages 12-18, and their parents are always welcome. Adults seeking mentoring opportunities are invited as well. For more information, email carrollcomposite@yahoo.com or visit www.carrollcap.org. You can also follow the squadron on Facebook at www.facebook.com/capcarrollcomposite.

Nearly 1,600 CAP members serve in Maryland. Last year wing members flew 13 search and rescue missions. The wing was credited with four finds. Maryland Wing flew 32 missions for the State of Maryland. Members flew 2,245 hours in all mission categories. Volunteers contributed services estimated at 4.6 million dollars. For more information, contact the Maryland Wing at www.mdcap.org, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarylandWingCivilAirPatrol and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWGCAP.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.

Article by: Alice Raatjes, Captain, Group II, Maryland Wing, Civil Air Patrol. Photo credit: 2nd Lt Carol Scanlan, Carroll Composite Squadron. Pictured L-R Lt. Col. Frank Jarosinski, Group II Deputy Commander; Chaplain 1st Lt. Deric Dunn and Carroll Squadron Commander, 1st Lt. Randy Budge.