Civil Air Patrol members recognized for volunteer service

Alexandria, Virginia -- At an awards ceremony on Wednesday, 26 June 2019, 8 members of Challenger 1 Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol received Awards from the President of the United States for their service to the community, state, and the nation. During the previous year the total hours of volunteer service by squadron members was over 3,500 hours. The President’s Volunteer Service Award program is the premiere nationally-recognized volunteer awards program; it honors those who choose to live a life of service to others.

The President's Volunteer Service Award program encourages citizens to live a life of service through presidential gratitude and national recognition. An Individual's Hours are measured over a 12-month period and awards are designated based on cumulative hours. The awards are offered in multiple levels and are designed to recognize each milestone of your service achievement. (www.presidentialserviceawards.gov )

During the ceremony, the honorees were presented with Bronze, Silver, or Gold level award certificates honoring their service, and letters from the President on official White House stationery. Awards are made to three groups based on their cumulative hours of service: teens, young adults, and adults.

Receiving President’s Volunteer Bronze Awards for their service were: C/CMSgt Anjulina Abdon and Capt R. Hunter Ward (not pictured).

Receiving President’s Volunteer Silver Awards for their service were: C/Lt Col Faizan Khurshid.

Receiving President’s Volunteer Gold Awards for their service were: C/1st Lt Caden Nimmo, C/Capt Haseeb Khan (not pictured), C/Lt Col Kurt Finkenstaedt, 1st Lt Justin Strait, Capt Bebe Finkenstaedt.

Presenting the awards was the Honorable Justin Wilson, Mayor of the City of Alexandria.

Following the presentation of the President's Volunteer Service Awards, several members of Challenger 1 were also recognized for their achievements in Civil Air Patrol:

Redstone Rocketry Certificate: C/CMSgt Peterson
Certificate of Accomplishment: Capt Norberg
Certificate of Appreciation: C/Capt Khan, 1st Lt Strait
Professional Development Level 1: SM Bright
Red Service Ribbons: C/SrA Arnoldi-Nanis, C/SrA Cahill, C/SMSgt Stucchi-Saldana, 1st Lt Kirk
Community Service Ribbon: C/Lt Col Khurshid

Challenger 1 Cadet Squadron serves the City of Alexandria and conducts aerospace education programs, ground and airborne emergency services support, leadership, and character development programs for young people, and is currently recruiting new cadet members from 12-18, and adults from 18 years of age, no experience required. The squadron meets every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Nannie J Lee Recreation Center located at 1108 Jefferson St, Alexandria, VA 22314. For more information visit dc060.natcapwing.org. You can also follow the squadron on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DC060 or follow @CAP_DC060 on Instagram.

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 63,000 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 26,000 young people participating in CAP's Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.