Cadet 2d Lt Mark Petrin accepts Cadet Command of Lone Eagle, CAP.

Shown L – R: 1st Lt David Charleson, Deputy Commander for Seniors, C/CMSgt Matthew Stamatiou, Cadet First Sergeant, and C/2nd Lt Mark Petrin, Cadet Commander.

Cadet 2d Lt Mark Petrin, of Long Valley, NJ, accepts Cadet Command of the Lone Eagle Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol (CAP), NJ Wing, from Cadet Maj Patrick Jackson at a recent ceremony at the Scout Cabin, Peapack-Gladstone, NJ. Cadet Maj Patrick Jackson, of Bernardsville, NJ, was thanked for his service as Cadet Commander and will continue as Cadet Advisor. He attends Oratory Preparatory School, Summit, NJ, where he is active in ice hockey and cross country.

Cadet 2d Lt Mark Petrin is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Petrin of Long Valley, NJ.

Within CAP, he has served as Cadet Flight Sergeant, Flight Commander, and Cadet Deputy Commander. In July, he attended a one week highly competitive US Air Force Para-rescue & Survival Orientation Course at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. To qualify, he had to pass a demanding physical fitness evaluation. During the course, he received training in land navigation, survival techniques, rock climbing, rappelling and other various skills used in rescue operations.

Other Cadet assignments included C/2dLt Robert Boden from Mendham as Cadet Deputy Commander Operations, C/1stLt Derek Petrin from Long Valley as Cadet Flight Commander, C/SMSgt Matthew Stamatiou from Long Valley as Cadet First Sergeant, and C/SMSgt Craig Petrin from Long Valley as Flight Sergeant.

The Lone Eagle Composite Squadron meets on Wednesday nights at the Scout Cabin, Borough of Peapack-Gladstone, NJ. Youth can start the cadet program at age twelve. For more information about the Lone Eagle Composite Squadron, contact Major Judith Bascone, Commander, at 973-876-2309 or Judith.Bascone@njwg.cap.gov. Also, see: www.loneeagle.org.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, 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 80 lives annually. CAP’s 57,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. CAP also plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to 24,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information. At the NJ State, Group, and Squadron level, visit respectively: www.njwg.cap.gov , www.group221.njwg.cap.gov , and www.loneeagle.org .