Local Civil Air Patrol unit assisting state against COVID-19

WORCESTER, MA -- Since its beginnings just prior to the onset of World War II, through 9/11, through Hurricane Katrina, and now with the COVID-19 crisis, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has consistently been helping the United States, mainly from behind the scenes. With the current crisis, CAP volunteers from around the country are assisting various government agencies to prepare for the current pandemic, including members of Goddard Cadet Squadron, based in Worcester.

Members of Goddard Cadet Squadron (GCS), along with other CAP members from around the state, have been assisting the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) by helping to load and unload trucks, inventorying personal protective equipment and other needed medical supplies, and assembling orders for these items for delivery to local municipalities around the state. This includes most of the N95 masks that the New England Patriots and the Kraft family flew to China to get and bring back to the state a few days ago.

The volunteers have been working alongside MEMA personnel, the Army National Guard, and various other state agencies to fulfill equipment requests from around the state. The orders are received from the various cities and towns, the equipment requested is gathered together, verified, and prepared for shipment.

As the U.S. Air Force auxiliary and a nonprofit agency, CAP performs missions for federal government agencies and assists states and local communities. As such, CAP is an organization of “national interest” to Congress. Last year CAP was credited with 117 lives saved and nearly 96,000 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.

In Massachusetts alone, thousands of hours have been flown in just the past few years. Aerial photography of the entire Massachusetts coastline has been used by MEMA, the governor’s office, 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. Together, it is estimated that CAP saved the state several hundreds of thousands of dollars through their volunteer efforts.

This COVID-19 related mission, along with these other tasks, are part of CAP’s Emergency Services mission. CAP has two other important missions as well, Aerospace Education and Cadet Programs. Aerospace Education includes STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, while Cadet Programs teaches youths to become leaders. The organization helped 600,000 cadets and non-CAP students across the nation learn more about aerospace and STEM careers. Eighty percent of those young people have expressed greater interest in seeking STEM careers because of CAP’s efforts.

In the Cadet Program, teens learn about the various aspects and styles of leadership and are given increasing responsibilities and duties over time so they can hone their own leadership skills. Two current cadets have been selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Naval Academy respectively starting next fall. Two former Goddard cadets are currently attending U.S. Service Academies as well.

Goddard Cadet Squadron is a very active squadron. It offers STEM programs to schools and after-school programs. Its members go on a variety of educational trips throughout the year. Typically during the summer, members travel to various CAP activities around the state, the country and even internationally.

With 560 aircraft, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace education and more than 38,000 adult members serve as mentors to the more than 28,000 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. Although meetings are currently being held virtually, the unit normally 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 8 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.