Senate recognizes Washington Wing, Civil Air Patrol volunteers for their "unwavering dedication to our citizens"

Senate recognizes Washington Wing, Civil Air Patrol volunteers for their "unwavering dedication to our citizens"

Watch video of the Washington State Senate presentation of SR 8616 recognizing Civil Air Patrol

OLYMPIA… Last week the men and women of the Washington wing of the Civil Air Patrol were front and center as the Washington State Senate welcomed CAP cadets, leaders and supporters for the reading of a resolution in honor of the organization.

Sen. Jim Honeyford, a Sunnyside Republican who is a CAP member and commander of the Washington wing’s legislative squadron, said he introduced Senate Resolution 8616 to recognize the contributions of an organization that usually goes unrecognized, as it quietly and faithfully serves the people of Washington. As the resolution points out, in 2016 alone, 144 CAP volunteer aircrew personnel and 779 emergency responders flew their 14 aircraft 1,537 hours in service to our state: service that would ordinarily be valued at $4.9 million.

The resolution traces the Civil Air Patrol’s history from its inception 75 years ago this coming December, just before the United States entered World War II, through its role in providing response and relief supplies during the deadly Oso landslide in 2014.

“Whether it was helping evacuate cities and towns during natural disasters such as the eruption of Mount Saint Helens or Darrington following the Oso slide, or using cutting-edge technology to help find the passengers and crews of missing planes, the Civil Air Patrol has been there, helping protect our communities and our people,” Honeyford said.

SR 8616 mentions how the CAP Washington wing's commitment to service includes three nationally recognized leaders: 2014 Chaplain of the Year, (Lt. Col.) Dave Franklin; 2015 Legislative Squadron Commander of the Year, Senator (Lt. Col.) Jim Honeyford; and 2016 Public Affairs Officer of the Year, (Capt.) Jessica Jerwa, along with approximately 744 senior members and 626 cadets.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. 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 for more information.