Wing News Story

Civil Air Patrol Day at Legislature

Governor Joe Manchin III and members of the West Virginia Wing Civil Air Patrol.

Charleston, W.Va. -- The West Virginia Wing held a Civil Air Patrol Legislative Day at the State Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. on 29 January 2008. The activity was an excellent Public Affairs tool to inform and educate state government officials on what CAP does everyday for the state and nation. West Virginia Wing ranks third in the nation when it comes to state appropriation funding.

23 participants walked the capitol grounds, and talked throughout the day with important leaders in government, and thanked them for their continued support in West Virginia Wing and Civil Air Patrol. Units participating were: Charleston Cadet, Beckley, Parkersburg Composite Squadrons, and Wing Staff.

The first stop was a meeting with Governor Joe Manchin III. During a photo op, Governor Manchin thanked the cadets and senior officers for their service and dedication. From there, the group sat in and watched a floor session of the State Senate, and afterwards had a photo op with Senate President and Lt Governor Earl Ray Tomblin of Logan County, W.Va. Members also met with Del. Jeff Tansil of Taylor County, W.Va. Tansil also serves in CAP and is a member of the Clarksburg Composite Squadron. The last event was a tour of the Capitol and Governor's Mansion.

Gov Manchin recently issued a proclamation making Dec 1-7, 2007 as Civil Air Patrol Week in West Virginia. The West Virginia Wing has approximately 680 cadet and senior officers comprising of 12 squadrons based in the state.

The U.S. CAP 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, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 55,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center with saving 58 lives in 2006. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. For more information, go to www.cap.gov.