Civil Air Patrol travels to CA for educational experience

WORCESTER -- Seventeen members from Goddard Cadet Squadron, a local unit of Civil Air Patrol, recently traveled to San Diego and San Francisco during the school vacation week as part of a program of continuous education for its members. Teen-aged cadet members, accompanied by adult members, visited Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island on San Diego Bay. They toured Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 (HSC-6), visited the hangar, the flight line, and received first-hand information from pilots and crew chiefs about what missions this unit performs.

“It was amazing to see how many helicopters were taking off and landing on North Island during our short stay” offered Lt Col LouAnn Maffei-Iwuc, the unit’s Deputy Commander for Cadets.

HSC-6 is a carrier-based helicopter squadron assigned to Carrier Air Wing 17 in support of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the Carrier Strike Group 11. The squadron's all-weather rotary wing operations include the following capabilities: vertical lift Search and Rescue, Combat Search and Rescue, support of Naval Special Operations Forces, and Vertical Replenishment. In the latter role, HSC-6 transports personnel, goods, and supplies from shore to ship and between ships, sometimes making hundreds of trips during a single mission.

Goddard Cadet Squadron members also visited the San Diego Zoo, toured the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park and toured the US Naval Shipyard while in Southern California before departing for San Francisco. In addition to visiting numerous historical landmarks around that city, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) members also hiked in Muir Woods, the site of the one of the last surviving groups of coastal redwood trees and the Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

As the U.S. Air Force auxiliary and a nonprofit agency, CAP volunteers perform missions for federal government agencies and assist states and local communities. As such, CAP is an organization of “national interest” to Congress. Last year was a record year for CAP, with 158 lives saved and over 89,000 hours flown on a wide range of Air Force-assigned missions, including emergency response, disaster relief and support for state as well as local programs and youth orientation flights. CAP is also part of the United States Air Force’s “Total Force”, which recognizes CAP as an integral part of the Air Force mission, even though members are volunteers and only participate in benevolent missions.

In Massachusetts, nearly 1000 hours were flown last year, including aerial photography of the entire Massachusetts coastline, which is used by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and other state agencies to compare before and after photos of coastal damage from storms. CAP also aided the state with aerial photography of the damage caused by the Lawrence gas line explosion, so agencies could assess where the most heavily damaged areas were.

In addition, the organization helped 320,000 cadets and non-CAP students across the nation learn more about aerospace and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. Eighty percent of those young people have expressed greater interest in seeking STEM careers because of CAP’s efforts.

Goddard Cadet Squadron (GCS) is a very active squadron. It offers STEM programs to schools and after school programs. Its members go on a variety of educational trips like this one throughout the year. Over the summer, members will be traveling to various CAP activities around the state, the country and even internationally.

GCS also has a very strong CyberPatriot team that is looking to get even stronger. This season, the team placed second in the northeast region in their division. If you are a student considering a career in computers or cybersecurity, then please contact the squadron and see what opportunities are available.

With over 500 aircraft, CAP also plays a leading role in aerospace education and adult members serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. Cadets can join from age 12 to 18. Goddard Cadet Squadron was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard and meets in the Worcester area most Sunday’s from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The unit has been awarded the Quality Cadet Unit Award for the past 7 consecutive years, recognizing them as one of the top units in the entire country. For more information, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.GoddardCadetSquadron.com.