CAP offers world of opportunities

Thirteen-year-old Mariah Sing looked liked she’d be more at home in shorts and flip-flops instead of BDUs. She stood at attention on the hot tarmac. A gusty summer wind whistled through the hangars at Felts Field, but not a strand of hair escaped her tightly coiled bun.

When Chief Master Sgt. DeEstan Turner addressed her regarding the lack of sharp creases on her uniform pants, she softly replied “Yes, Chief,” with her blue braces barely visible behind her lips. At Turner’s urging she repeated, “Yes, Chief” louder and more forcefully.

Sing, an eighth-grader at Mead Middle School and Turner, a 16-year-old student at Mead High School, aren’t part of a boot camp for wayward teens. They’re members of the Civil Air Patrol, a 67-year-old civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force.

Each week, members of the Spokane Composite Squadron meet at Felts Field. Beneath Sing’s small stature and quiet voice is a steely resolve. “I want to be in the Air Force,” she said. She enjoys the structured military environment.

Jon Caesar, public affairs officer for the Spokane Squadron, said, “At present we have about 17 cadets who range in age from 12 to 18.” The program is staffed by adult volunteers. “It teaches them (cadets) leadership and self-worth, as well as confidence and critical thinking.” He stressed that the CAP is not limited to those who are interested in careers in the armed forces. Many teens sign up because they’re interested in emergency services training or aerospace education.

One of the missions of the CAP is to teach cadets about the history of aviation and the fundamentals of aerospace science. Turner has already accrued five hours of flight time. This summer he’ll be attending flight school in Ephrata. “I’m going to be learning how to fly a Cessna 182,” he said.

Mel Anderson oversees another CAP unit, the Fairchild Squadron. He said the group includes members from the West Plains area. “It’s an opportunity to have fun and participate in activities related to aerospace. We’re directly involved assisting the Air Force for the upcoming Skyfest.” He said his group will help run the event and will work with the participating pilots. “The pilots are wonderful with the cadets. I’ve seen them take patches right off their uniforms and hand them to the kids.”

Those cadets who feel more comfortable with both feet on the ground are often interested in the search-and-rescue operations. Cadets receive emergency-services training and offer their assistance to area law enforcement agencies.

Spokane Squadron commander Lt. Col. Rande Lindner said, “I’m on call for the Sheriff’s Department, and we’re on several EMS alert rosters. We can have 60 people ready to mobilize at any given time.” Members of the squadron have assisted in searches for downed aircraft, lost hunters and missing hikers.

Aimee McFadden is the deputy commander for cadets for the Coeur d’Alene Squadron. She said she’s participated in searches in the Mica Peak and Kellogg areas. “Most of what we do is downed aircraft searches,” she said and added, “Most don’t turn out badly.”

Twenty-one cadets from her squadron marched in Coeur d’Alene’s Fourth of July Parade. In addition, the color guard traveled to the Civil Air Patrol’s regional competition this spring. “We won best in Idaho,” she said.

When McFadden joined the Civil Air Patrol, cadets could enlist at a younger age. “I started out as an 11-year-old cadet. I learned responsibility,” she laughed. “And how to become an overachiever. I stayed involved because of the leadership training.” She recently graduated from college with a bachelors degree in marketing.

That leadership training is what attracts many young people to the program. Fifteen-year-old Courtney Wasata is the Basic Instructor for cadets in the Spokane Squadron. “I take care of the kids who are just starting,” she said. Her responsibilities include teaching military customs and courtesies and basic marching drills. She said she enjoys being around other young people who’ve set goals. “Civil Air Patrol helps kids grow up a little bit more.”

Lindner believes that maturity comes from teaching cadets to take pride in themselves. “We stress respect and courtesy.”

Evelyn Perez, Deputy Commander for Cadets at the Spokane Squadron, agreed. “We have high expectations of them and they rise to that.” She said a former cadet recently returned for a visit. He’s now an instructor at the survival school at Fairchild. Another former cadet is currently leading troops in Iraq. “The CAP helps kids evolve into really good citizens.”

Lindner said Cheney area residents developed a deep appreciation for those good citizens this past winter. His cadets participated in The Big Dig. They shoveled out fire hydrants and helped clear blocked roads. He laughed. “We were very popular.”

And for 16-year-old Turner, offering help when needed is exactly why he joined the Civil Air Patrol. He said, “Being able to serve your community at this age is rare.”