South Carolina Wing, Civil Air Patrol, Wins National Awards

Columbia, S.C.—During the Civil Air Patrol National Conference held earlier this month in Baltimore, Maryland, the South Carolina Wing of Civil Air Patrol and its members received National Awards and Commendations for their service during 2018.

In recognition of work in 2018, the members of the South Carolina Wing were celebrated for their accomplishments. The wing was selected as the Mid-Atlantic Region Search and Rescue winner based on its scores as determined by United States Air Force evaluation.

The South Carolina Wing Public Affairs Officer, Lt Rachael J. Mercer, CAP, was selected as the 2018 Col Bud Payton Public Affairs Officer of the Year, and received her award from Maj General Mark Smith, the Civil Air Patrol National Commander.

In addition to these awards, the South Carolina Wing Commander, Col Lee Safley, CAP, received a Meritorious Service Award from the National Commander, Maj Gen Smith, CAP, for his service on the National Diversity Initiative Working Group. South Carolina Wing Vice-Commander Lt Col Nicole Shaffner, CAP, received a National-level Commander’s Commendation for her service on the Professional Development Working Group.

The South Carolina Wing of Civil Air Patrol is very excited about the success of its emergency service mission as well as the success of its members. The South Carolina Wing of Civil Air Patrol has over 900 members in 16 units throughout the state of South Carolina. Members of this volunteer service organization work to complete the civilian mission of the United States Air Force through their commitment to serving communities during emergencies, developing teens into leaders through their Cadet Program, and advancing STEM education principles through the Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education program.

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 60,000 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 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.
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