Civil Air Patrol's Nassau & Suffolk County-Level Body Bestowed Multiple Recognitions

SAYVILLE, N.Y., May 8, 2017 – Long Island Group Civil Air Patrol (C.A.P.), representing seven units in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, was distiniguished by receiving the State level's honor of "Group of the Year" by the New York Wing C.A.P. Commander, Col. Thomas Carello, at the Wing's annual conference in Lake George. Long Island Group demonstrated excellence in 2016 in all aspects of the C.A.P. mission, namely, Aerospace Education, Emergency Services and the Cadet Program.

Achievements included logging the most orientation flying hours, presenting award-winning aerospace-related static displays, fielding a championship-winning color guard, demonstrating leaps in local unit membership and administering a maelstrom of personnel records and regulatory updates for the Group's constituents in a timely manner.

C.A.P. Lt. Col. Louis P. Fenech Jr. received the honors as Long Island Group Commander; he also stood in place of one of his local unit commanders to receive the award of "Squadron of Merit," given to Bayport-based Francis S. Gabreski Squadron for distinguished achievement. C.A.P. 1st Lt. Mark Del Orfano was on hand to receive the award for his unit, the Bethpage-based Quentin Roosevelt Cadet Squadron, winning the New York Wing Cadet Aerospace Competition. Other recipients from were C.A.P. officers, Major Francisco Agtarap of Nesconset, who received Cadet Orientation Pilot of the Year, and Major Debbi Ozer of Selden, who received Administrative Officer of the Year.

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. C.A.P., 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.

The organization'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 C.A.P. cadet program.

Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, C.A.P. received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. C.A.P. 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.

Long Island Group Civil Air Patrol is headquartered on the grounds of Long Island MacArthur Airport. For more information, please visit the Group’s website at http://lig.nywg.cap.gov.