Photo 1:  MDWG Commander, Col. Jerry Weiss (left, center) attaches the honorary “Squadron of Merit 2008” streamer to Mt. Airy’s Guidon.  Group 1 Commander, Lt. Col. Eric Haertel, (left, rear) announces the award.  Maj. Judith McLellan (right, center), Mt. Airy Squadron Commander, and 1Lt Steven Weinhold (far right), Mt. Airy’s Deputy Cadet Commander, look on.

Photo 2:  Col. Weiss presents the award to Maj. Judith McLellan.

Photo 3:  Col. Weiss speaks with cadets after the ceremony.

Photo 4:  The Deputy Cadet Commander, 1Lt  Steven Weinhold, and cadets of Maryland Wing’s Squadron of Merit 2008. 

2nd Lt. Stacey Bowen, CAP

Public Affairs Officer

Mt. Airy Composite Squadron

5/19/2008 – Mt. Airy, MD – On May 15, 2008, during a ceremony held at the Mt. Airy Senior Center, the Mt. Airy Composite Squadron of the Maryland Wing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was presented with an award marking their designation as Maryland Wing Squadron of Merit for 2008. 

The ceremony was led by the commander of CAP’s Maryland Wing, Col. Jerry Weiss, and attended by Group 1 commander, Lt. Col. Eric Haertel.  Major Judith McLellan, commander of Mt. Airy Squadron, accepted the award, and an honorary streamer was attached to the squadron guidon.

This award denotes meritorious cadet programs performance throughout the year of 2007.  Col. Weiss said, “It’s a privilege to come here and present this (award).  Only one squadron gets this each year, and the squadron that receives it is the squadron that’s shown the most progress over the last year.  That means you’ve gained more cadets, and you’ve advanced more cadets than, proportionately, any other squadron in the Wing.”

Currently, Mt. Airy Squadron has 49 members.  Last year, cadets and officers from the squadron participated in CAP activities such as Tri-Wing Encampment, Aerospace Academy, Air National Guard Cook Team, CAP Legislative Day, Maryland Wing Solo Flight Scholarship Program, Search and Rescue Exercises and Missions, and powered orientation flights provided by Group 1.  They made recruiting visits to local middle schools, marched in the local Firemen’s Parade, led ceremonies for flag placement on veteran’s graves, and assisted with parking detail for the Mid Atlantic Air Museum’s Annual World War II Weekend in Reading, PA.  In addition, this squadron supported community events sponsored by the Mt. Airy Lions Club and the Greater Mt. Airy Chamber of Commerce, and was recognized during their annual awards banquet in April by the Mayor of Mt. Airy, Mr. Frank Johnson, and the president of Mt. Airy’s Lions Club, Mr. Ben Gue, for the generous support they give to the town of Mt. Airy throughout the year.

Following the ceremony, Col. Weiss led a discussion with cadets and officers about emergency services readiness, and encouraged cadets to work toward qualifications.  He also spoke about the many opportunities available to cadets, and prompted them to make the most of their membership in the CAP, “You can get out of Civil Air Patrol what you wish to get out of it.  I expect that you will go as far as you want to go.”

The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into World War II. CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 55,000 members nationwide. The organization's members perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions, as tasked by the Air Force's Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 58 lives in 2006. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet Program. CAP's cadet programs provide young men and women with a safe and motivating environment in which to grow and explore opportunities in the military and aviation industries. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 63 years.

There are approximately 1,300 members of CAP in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds.

Maryland Wing Public Affairs also offers an e-mail alert system for news releases. When news breaks, a subscriber receives an automatic e-mail with a summary of the news release and a link back to the story on the MDWG web site. Signing up for e-mail news alerts is easy. Just go to: http://mdcap.org/?fuseaction=newsalert.form and fill in your e-mail address.

For additional information about the Maryland Wing Civil Air Patrol, visit www.mdcap.org.

The Mt. Airy Composite Squadron meets 7 p.m. Thursday evenings at the Mt. Airy Senior Center, 713 Ridge Ave., Mount Airy, MD 21771. Prospective cadets, ages 12-18, and their parents are always welcome. Adults seeking mentoring opportunities are invited as well.  For more information e-mail md091@mtairy-cap.org , call 301-829-9057, or visit www.mtairy-cap.org .

Any comments and/or suggestions: webmaster@mtairy-cap.org.