Civil Air Patrol Cadets travel to Oxford to visit veterans
OXFORD – On Jan. 18, a group of young Civil Air Patrol Cadets (CAP) from the Schenectady Composite Squadron, a local civil air patrol unit based at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, NY, traveled nearly an hour and a half to the New York State Veterans’ Home in Oxford to visit with and honor the nation’s servicemen and women.
“The trip was all about honoring the service and sacrifice of our beloved American Veterans and having our cadets learn valuable leadership lessons from these patriotic, brave men and women,” said Major Brian Benedict, CAP.
During the visit, cadets had the opportunity to talk individually with veterans, most of whom served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
“I met with a gentleman who served in World War II as a cryptographer. He spoke about his job taking messages, such as mission assignments, and encrypting them to avoid interception by the Japanese,” said Cadet Capt. Andrea Parker, CAP. “He explained how there weren’t computers to do this work and how the process was all done manually; it was well worth the time. I heard stories from some real heroes.”
Major Benedict, the trip’s organizer, served as an escort on an honor flight to Washington, D.C. last fall for one of the home’s veterans and realized an opportunity to involve the cadets in the lives of these heroes.
After meeting individually with many veterans, the cadets took the time to usher them personally to the assembly hall where Cadet Capt. Andrea Parker delivered a moving speech about the group’s appreciation and respect for each and every one of these brave men and women.
Directly after, the group performed a mock opening of their weekly Civil Air Patrol meetings and bid the audience a farewell with a salute. The unit hopes to return again sometime this spring.
Heeyoun Cho, Activities Director and Music Therapist at the NYS Veterans' Home at Oxford said, “The visit was a great opportunity to connect the young generation with aging veterans from WWII, Korean and Vietnam conflict, who played an important role in our country’s history by serving the country.”
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide.
CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 113 lives in 2010.
Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 26,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs.
CAP has been performing missions for America for 71 years. It is a major partner with Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans.
For more information on Civil Air Patrol, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com.
“The trip was all about honoring the service and sacrifice of our beloved American Veterans and having our cadets learn valuable leadership lessons from these patriotic, brave men and women,” said Major Brian Benedict, CAP.
During the visit, cadets had the opportunity to talk individually with veterans, most of whom served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
“I met with a gentleman who served in World War II as a cryptographer. He spoke about his job taking messages, such as mission assignments, and encrypting them to avoid interception by the Japanese,” said Cadet Capt. Andrea Parker, CAP. “He explained how there weren’t computers to do this work and how the process was all done manually; it was well worth the time. I heard stories from some real heroes.”
Major Benedict, the trip’s organizer, served as an escort on an honor flight to Washington, D.C. last fall for one of the home’s veterans and realized an opportunity to involve the cadets in the lives of these heroes.
After meeting individually with many veterans, the cadets took the time to usher them personally to the assembly hall where Cadet Capt. Andrea Parker delivered a moving speech about the group’s appreciation and respect for each and every one of these brave men and women.
Directly after, the group performed a mock opening of their weekly Civil Air Patrol meetings and bid the audience a farewell with a salute. The unit hopes to return again sometime this spring.
Heeyoun Cho, Activities Director and Music Therapist at the NYS Veterans' Home at Oxford said, “The visit was a great opportunity to connect the young generation with aging veterans from WWII, Korean and Vietnam conflict, who played an important role in our country’s history by serving the country.”
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide.
CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 113 lives in 2010.
Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 26,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs.
CAP has been performing missions for America for 71 years. It is a major partner with Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans.
For more information on Civil Air Patrol, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com.
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