CAP marks 70th anniversary with National HQ observation, honors for WWII members

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CIVIL AIR PATROL NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS - --  Civil Air Patrol observed the 70th anniversary of its founding with a ceremony Thursday at National Headquarters that paid tribute to the past, celebrated the present and looked forward to the future, culminating in the presentation of Exceptional Service Awards to a pair of the organization's World War II members.

Lt. Cols. Wendall Haas and Otha Vaughan, both members of the Alabama Wing, were honored for their service during CAP's wartime years. They received their awards from Col. Al Bedgood, Southeast Region commander. In addition, Don Rowland, executive director at National Headquarters, presented each man with a framed commemorative 70th-anniversary poster and an anniversary coin.

Haas, 88, joined CAP in 1942, serving as an officer in a squadron in California's San Fernando Valley. He played a vital role on the ground in support of CAP's subchasers as an airplane and engine mechanic, including patching planes shot while towing targets for pilots training in military planes.

His educational background and expertise includes a bachelor's degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He is also a master aviation mechanic graduate of Curtiss Wright Technical Institute.

Hass has more than four decades of experience in aircraft, missile and spacecraft design, development and fabrication, and he holds patents in fasteners, automatic storage, retrieval systems and vibration isolation.

Vaughan joined CAP in 1944 as a 15-year-old cadet. His mother drove him to squadron meetings in Anderson, S.C., because no unit existed in his hometown of Seneca.

A Distinguished Air Force ROTC military graduate of Clemson A&M College, he was commissioned as an Air Force second lieutenant and entered active duty June 7, 1951. After nearly two years of active duty, he entered the Air Force Reserves. His active and reserve service spanned nearly three decades by the time he retired in 1989. His career also includes nearly 40 years with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, where he retired as an atmospheric electricity research scientist, and six years with the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, both in Huntsville, Ala.

Now 82, Vaughan is an active member of the Huntsville Senior Squadron, having rejoined CAP in 2005. He serves as the unit's historian, as an assistant aerospace education officer and as a mission scanner during search and rescue exercise missions.

Along with Haas, Vaughan, Bedgood and Rowland, those assembled heard from U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Roger Watkins, commander of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell Air Force Base, where National Headquarters is located, and U.S. Air Force Col. Paul Gloyd, commander of CAP-USAF.

Watkins told the assembly that "Dec. 1 is a special day in the history of Civil Air Patrol, for it officially marks the organization's 70th anniversary. Seventy years ago, as America prepared for World War II, CAP was born, through the bravery of patriotic men - and women - like these two members who we honor here today."

"CAP members who served during World War II played a critical role in the defense of America's homeland," he continued. "Their contributions were varied, as evidenced by the distinguished service of our honorees, but their collective efforts, both on ground and in the air, were nothing short of remarkable. As volunteer patriotic Americans, who provided service at their own expense and even by flying their own airplanes, they actually spotted nearly 150 German submarines, attacked 57 and sank two."

Gloyd echoed Watkins' praise for that wartime record, lauding "the thousands of men and women who followed their hearts and volunteered to serve their country during World War II."

"That same patriotic service is still the hallmark of success of Civil Air Patrol," he assured the audience. "Today, CAP is a world-class public service organization consisting of members who, like their forefathers, give selflessly every day to make a profound difference all across America in their communities.

"No matter when and how they are called to serve - whether providing aerial and ground team reconnaissance for natural disasters and emergencies, nurturing the leadership skills of our youth, promoting aerospace education, partnering with the Air Force to keep America safe, or honoring veterans through the Wreaths Across America program - CAP members never cease to impress me with their dedication and commitment to this outstanding organization," Gloyd said.

Rowland reminded his listeners of the effort under way in both houses of Congress to secure approval of legislation that would honor CAP's World War II senior members with a Congressional Gold Medal.

"Their wartime service was highly unusual," he stressed, "because they were civilian volunteers flying combat missions in their own aircraft."

John Salvador, CAP assistant executive director, noted that the anniversary ceremony was being held during Civil Air Patrol Week in Alabama, Nov. 27-Dec. 3, as proclaimed by Gov. Robert Bentley.

Salvador read passages from the proclamation, which cites the organization's service during World War II, makes note of CAP's core congressional missions - emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education - as well as its chaplains' contributions, its role in recent high-profile missions and its partnership with Wreaths Across America, and observes that:
· "Modern-day Civil Air Patrol has emerged to become one of the nation's premier humanitarian service organizations, saving lives, finding those who are lost, helping fellow citizens in times of disaster, working to keep America safe, preparing future leaders, offering aerospace education to inspire our nation's youth and honoring our military.

· ""As a top resource for disaster relief, Civil Air Patrol is often first on the scene, providing aerial photography and damage assessment to help emergency officials pinpoint critical infrastructure needs in real time as well as ground team support, often provided door-to-door, which includes water, food and supply delivery, even laundry services, for victims."

Proclamations by other governors also paid tribute to CAP's 70th anniversary in several additional states, including Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

(Article courtesy of the Civil Air Patrol)