Apr. 22—CUMBERLAND — The command staff of the local Civil Air Patrol branch is looking to bolster its ranks after the coronavirus pandemic made recruiting challenging in recent years.

Based at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport, the Cumberland Composite Squadron provides assistance during emergencies while building character and leadership skills in young cadets.

In addition to accepting adults, the squadron accepts youths from age 12. The local unit recently had a change in leadership with Brett Cole transferring the role of commander to Crystal Joy. Cole and Joy both have sons in the program.

Cole was recently awarded a citation in honor of his service from Mark Widmyer, Western Maryland representative for Gov. Larry Hogan.

"The best part for me is you see young people come in and they are unsure of themselves and then through the program you see them develop these leadership skills and turn into confident respectful leaders is awesome," said Cole. "It's the most rewarding thing for me."

Established by Congress in 1941, the Civil Air Patrol is a federally supported nonprofit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the Air Force. Since its inception, the CAP has been called on missions ranging from spotting German U-boats along the coastal U.S. during World War II to performing search and rescue operations across the country.

The local branch of the CAP got its start in 1942 when the group was formed at Rannell's Field at the Mexico Farms Airport. The squadron was initiated with 34 pilots, 15 planes and 70 student pilots called cadets.

Today, the squadron has about 50 members with 27 being cadets ages 12-20.

"There are no qualifications to be a cadet," said Joy. "My son saw a person in uniform and he wanted to be that. He saw the Civil Air Patrol at a memorial service."

Her son Cody joined in December 2017 and Crystal Joy joined in February 2018.

"My son is now 18. He is getting ready to take his pilot's license," said Crystal Joy. "He started in CAP and that got him into flying. He went into Glider Academy and learned his basics."

Programs offered at CAP include the Cyber Patriot Program, where kids learn to defend from computer hacking, and the Rocketry Team American Challenge, which teaches the basics of aviation and rocketry, as well as the Learn to Lead Program.

"There are so many kids that you would be surprised don't get out at all," Joy said. "We took kids to Ocean City for the air show; some kids had never seen the ocean. We've had kids that haven't seen Rocky Gap. So you put them on a plane and they are nervous at first and they are so excited about what they saw. Some kids don't have opportunities and to see them advance is amazing."

Joy said some cadets have gone on to get scholarships in part due to being in CAP. "Since there is shortage of pilots they are making all kinds of scholarship money available," she said.

"We had one cadet ... she moved on to a college in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she is in a ROTC program," said Cole. "She really excelled and got her private pilot's license. She got a full ride scholarship through the Civil Air Patrol. She is planning on going on to fly C-17s for the Air Force Reserve.

"We had another one move on to West Point (Military Academy) this past year. He earned the highest honor in CAP which is the Gen. Carl A. Spots Award. He just finished his first year at West Point."

The Cumberland Squadron of CAP meets Tuesdays at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport from 6-8 p.m. Anyone wanting to learn more can email Joy at [email protected] or Cole at [email protected].

Greg Larry is a reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. To reach him, call 304-639-4951, email [email protected] and follow him on Twitter.

___

(c)2022 the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.)

Visit the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.) at times-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.