The 72nd birthday of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was celebrated Saturday, Nov. 30 as the CAP’s Calvert Cadet Squadron gathered at Calvert Baptist Church’s auditorium for its awards and recognition dinner.
Cadets and the squadron’s adult volunteers received various plaudits for milestone achievements within the organization, which provides adjunct assistance to the U.S. Air Force. The patrol is technically a nonprofit corporation charged with serving as a civilian auxiliary for the service branch.
The emergency services performed by CAP include search and rescue by air and ground, disaster relief and public education.
“We know how to deliver the leaders of the future,” said Lt. Col. Wes LaPre of CAP’s Maryland Wing.
The evening was especially important for two members of the local squadron—outgoing cadet commander Cadet 2nd Lt. Mark Elsner and the new cadet commander, Tyler Latvala, who was promoted from cadet master sergeant to cadet second lieutenant. Elsner and Latvala were both presented with Billy Mitchell Awards.
“I definitely learned a whole lot,” said Elsner, who added his tenure as cadet commander helped him develop management skills and taught him the value of working with his superiors.
“I hope everybody sucks it up,” said Latvala, who expressed hope his stint as squadron commander would be productive.
LaPre said later that cadets serve as squadron commander from six months to one year and the group tries to have two commanders during a school year.
In expressing his pride with Calvert’s relatively small CAP Cadet Squadron, LaPre noted the local cadre has one of the largest “ground teams” in Maryland. He recalled the time when eight Calvert cadets volunteered to go on a search mission in the Cumberland, MD area where a plane crash had occurred. LaPre said the cadets worked with police to secure the crash site perimeter, allowing federal investigators to conduct their investigation. The gravity of the mission—the loss of life and the need to keep the site uncompromised during the investigation—was a valuable experience for the cadets, LaPre indicated.
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