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CAP cadets visit McGuire to train

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Mark Swanson
  • NJ Wing Civil Air Patrol
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  Starting today, you'll see them marching, waiting in mess hall lines at Fort Dix and driving around in white vans. They'll wear real woodland camouflage BDUs and polished black boots that will have to pass inspection. They're Civil Air Patrol cadets, on base for a week for CAP NJ Wing Basic Encampment. 

If you're not familiar with the Civil Air Patrol, it's the official civilian volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force, established in December 1941, just before Pearl Harbor. Adult CAP members perform 95 percent of inland search-and-rescue via the world's largest fleet of general aviation aircraft, mostly Cessnas. The CAP cadet program, for kids ages 12-18, is also one of the world's largest. The cadets will be on base through July 6, learning military drill and courtesies, tackling the leadership reaction course, eating up aerospace education classes and working on their physical fitness. 

During the encampment week, most of them will also have a chance at the controls of CAP Cessna 172 or 182 aircraft at Trenton-Mercer Airport, along with certified flight instructors. Cadet orientation flights are much like the driver education programs that many of us had in high school -- not designed to teach them to fly, but to give them a feel for flying. As any cadet will tell you, they'll do just about anything for CAP as long as they periodically get up into a plane. 

"Encampment is hard work, an accomplishment for the cadets," said CAP Lt. Col. Robert Jennings, encampment commander. "It's not easy, but at the end, the kids know they have accomplished something real and made many friends they'll have for years in CAP." 

CAP Basic Encampment is the cornerstone of the the organization's cadet program. For the 23,000 CAP cadets in the U.S., it's the first hurdle they must get over before taking part in bigger programs, like airshows and weeklong visits to other bases. It's also part of the cadet program's 16 steps through the Airman, non-commissioned officer and officer ranks. 

At Fort Dix, an expected 150 CAP cadets and their adult officers will be staying at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center. They are expected to arrive today. A graduation program for the cadets and their parents is scheduled for July 6 at the Timmerman Conference Center at Fort Dix. 

On base, CAP has its NJ Wing headquarters on Neely Rd. You can learn more about NJ Wing at www.njwg.cap.gov or visit the national Web site at www.cap.gov.