Civil Air Patrol Cadets Serve Putnam County Veterans at Chow Down

Civil Air Patrol cadets from the Putnam County Composite Squadron served veterans as waiters, bussers, runners and dishwashers at the Oct. 28 Veterans Chow Down at the Putnam County Golf Course in Mahopac, which included two seatings.

Billed as “an appreciation dinner to honor those who have served in the U.S. armed forces,” the event began with the squadron’s Color Guard participating in the opening ceremony. Then, cadets joined other volunteers in serving 500 veterans and their guests a meal, while the USO Show Troupe provided entertainment.

Karl Rhode, director of the Putnam County Office of Veterans’ Affairs, thanked volunteers for making the program a success, and many veterans personally thanked the cadets for helping out.

“Working with other volunteers that are dedicated to support those who have sacrificed so much for our country has been an excellent experience,” said Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Eduardo Gonzalez. “I see doing events such as these as a small way to thank veterans. The people I saw here were some of the best this country has. It was an honor and a privilege to meet them.”

The Chow Down was organized by the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Vet2Vet Program, whose mission is to assist veterans and their families through free confidential and anonymous vet-to-vet outreach programs.

The program is named in honor of Private First Class Joseph Patrick Dwyer, who served in Iraq as an army medic and passed away after a long battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Members of the Civil Air Patrol Putnam County Composite Squadron meet Fridays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Paladin Center, 39 Seminary Hill Road, Carmel. For more information, email elenamac@aol.com or visit www.facebook.com/PutnamCountyCompositeSquadron

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 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.