Four Long Island Civil Air Patrol Squadrons Win Quality Cadet Unit Award

SAYVILLE, N.Y., September 26, 2017 – It was announced by Civil Air Patrol's (C.A.P.) national headquarters in Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that four squadrons in Nassau and Suffolk County have each won the Quality Cadet Unit Award for 2017. As cited on C.A.P.'s main website, “Any cadet unit that displays strong program fundamentals can earn the Quality Cadet Unit Award. This award motivates squadrons to pursue goals that will inevitably lead to their having a vibrant Cadet Program.”

Presented as an annual nationwide challenge for C.A.P. cadet and composite squadrons, the criteria for the Quality Cadet Unit Award include excellence in aerospace education, individual progress metrics, Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) exercises, encampment participation, fielding a CyberPatriot team and other membership statistics. Visit www.capmembers.com/qcua for more information.

“I would like to express my pride and admiration for the four Quality Cadet Units here in Long Island Group,” said Lt. Col. Louis P. Fenech Jr., commander of C.A.P.'s Long Island Group. “It shows that our units are doing a fantastic job here on Long Island. I am certain that next year all of our cadet squadrons will earn this award.” The four winning squadrons are Col. Francis S. Gabreski Cadet Squadron from Bayport, Suffolk Cadet Squadron 10 from Holbrook, 9th Suffolk Cadet Squadron from Westhampton Beach and Lt. Quentin Roosevelt Cadet Squadron from Bethpage.

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, C.A.P. 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.

C.A.P.’s 57,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. C.A.P. also plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to 24,000 young people participating in C.A.P.’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.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.