Local Civil Air Patrol Unit Congratulates National Blue Beret Participants

Four members of Civil Air Patrol’s 9th Suffolk Cadet Squadron returned from the National Blue Beret encampment, which ran from July 21 thru August 4, in conjunction with the annual Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh event that hails thousands of participants and spectators worldwide - thus ranking it as one of the largest and most prestigious air shows in the world. Participants from the unit were Lt Col Daniel A. Rogers, Cadet Joseph K. Cavanagh, Cadet Karl E. Lindberg and Cadet Joshua D. Perelstein.

The encampment runs for two weeks and is set up so that the second week will overlap with the EAA air show, held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Participants are Civil Air Patrol cadet and senior members who must go though a competitive selection process in order to participate. CAP members help conduct event operations, including flight marshaling, crowd control and emergency services.

The first week is considered a training phase. All participants are introduced to the flight-and-runway environment and receive the necessary training for their duties in the second phase. The training includes flight marshaling, mission radio operator exercises and extensive training on techniques for locating emergency location transmitter (ELT) signals. The second week is focused on operations, with scheduled personnel rotations. During this week flights are also allotted times to see the air show.

Cadet Cavanagh, a returning participant, was given a special assignment as a “special assistant beret” – a designation of responsibility to the event director, Colonel Rick Franz (CAP). Cadet Perelstein met with two guest presenters - former Vietnam-era Air Force pilots, both of whom had been shot down (one of whom was held as a prisoner of war for 6 years) over enemy territory; the former POW expressed to him that, “when I look out at all of you young cadets, I feel reassured that my grandchildren will have a safe and free country to live in for years to come.”

All went well at the activity. Participating CAP members were each awarded a blue beret with St. Alban’s shield – a symbol of CAP as protectors of human life and of selflessness – that can be worn with their battle dress uniforms. The experience continues to give all participants everlasting memories and inspires the next group of members to come and be a part of its tradition.

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Its three congressionally chartered missions include Emergency Services, Aerospace Education and the Cadet Program. CAP has over 61,000 members nationwide and operates a fleet of 550 aircraft.The Cadet Program is designed to forge young leaders of the future aerospace industry through a curriculum of leadership, fitness and study. The program follows a military model and emphasizes Air Force traditions and values.

In its Emergency Services capacity, CAP performs 90 percent of inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), and the organization is credited with saving an average of approximately 80 lives each year. CAP also allocates resources to homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

The 9th Suffolk Cadet Squadron CAP meets Wednesday evenings at the Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach. For more information, please visit their website: www.squadron9.com.