Civil Air Patrol Open House

BARABOO - The Civil Air Patrol Col Sac Composite Squadron will host an open house October 29 at 7 PM at the Baraboo American Legion Post, located at 113 2nd St., Baraboo, WI, with a special invitation to youth ages 12 to 18. Members of the public will be able to experience a life-size F-16 simulator, tour the American Legion Post and learn more about Civil Air Patrol's three programs. In addition, other displays will include Rocketry, Search and Rescue, and Cadet Programs. ?We want to focus the open house around what we can offer the youth of America because there is a huge need for that in our area,? said Lt Col Cheryl Carroll, a Ground Team Leader and Deputy Ground Branch Director for the local squadron. ?It seems that the Civil Air Patrol is America?s Best Kept Secret, even to the detriment of the local youth programs, and we want everyone to know that we are a great resource for experiences with aerospace, search and rescue, and character development. Our squadron was instrumental in finding the lost hiker at Baxter?s Hollow a few years ago, and supported the efforts for cleanup with the Sauk Floods.? ?All of our emergency services personnel, whether they are pilots, ground team, communications or finance, are FEMA certified,? said Carroll. ?Being a member of the Civil Air Patrol is a good way to give back to the community and volunteer, while also furthering your own career.? The cadet program trains young people in search and rescue, and teaches them about aerospace, including offering flights in powered aircraft and gliders. It provides leadership training, technical education and scholarships. The Civil Air Patrol, a nonprofit organization, is an auxiliary of the Air Force that performs emergency services, including the search and rescue missions. Its members act as mentors to the cadets. Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. 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 54 lives in fiscal year 2011. 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 nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 70 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information. For Wisconsin Wing information, please visit http://wicap.us.