Southtowns Cadet Squadron

WELCOME to the official page of the Southtowns Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. Views and comments are not necessarily those expressed by the Southtowns Cadet Squadron or Civil Air Patrol. We reserve the right to delete any inappropriate comments and/or posts



In the late 1930s, more than 150,000 volunteers with a love for aviation argued for an organization to put their planes and flying skills to use in defense of their country. As a result, the Civil Air Patrol was born one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thousands of volunteer members answered America's call to national service and sacrifice by accepting and performing critical wartime missions. Assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps, the contributions of Civil Air Patrol, including logging more than 500,000 flying hours, sinking two enemy submarines, and saving hundreds of crash victims during World War II, are well documented.

After the war, a thankful nation understood that Civil Air Patrol could continue providing valuable services to both local and national agencies. On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed Public Law 476 incorporating Civil Air Patrol as a benevolent, nonprofit organization. On May 26, 1948, Congress passed Public Law 557 permanently establishing Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force. Three primary mission areas were set forth at that time: aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services.


THE CORPORATION

• Is classified as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation.
• Operates as the all-volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force when performing services for the federal government.
• Includes eight geographic regions consisting of 52 wings (the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia).
• Has nearly 1,500 squadrons, and more than 60,000 volunteer cadet and adult members nationwide.
• Provides opportunities for members to serve the community, participate in resident and/or distance learning leadership development training and acquire new skills to benefit personal and professional growth.
• Operates one of the largest fleets of single-engine piston aircraft in the world, with 550 currently in the fleet.
• Flies approximately 112,000 hours annually.
• Maintains a fleet of more than 900 emergency service vehicles for training and mission support.
• Provides support to cadets and adult members through more than 550 chaplains.
• Supports members with about 100 corporate staff at CAP National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
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-Southtowns Cadet Squadron: NER-NY-020