Delaware Wing Civil Air Patrol

The Delaware Wing Civil Air Patrol is the highest echelon of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in the state of Delaware. Delaware Wing headquarters is located at the New Castle County Airport. It comprises eight squadrons from Claymont to Georgetown, and a unit just over the border in Elkton, MD. Delaware Wing is abbreviated as DEWG. As a federally chartered organization, CAP has 3 primary missions as instructed by Congress. The missions include providing aerospace education and training for all of its members, teaching leadership skills to Delaware youth, and performing various domestic emergency services for the United States of America in a noncombatant capacity.

Delaware Wing Civil Air Patrol
Delaware Wing of Civil Air Patrol
Associated branches
United States Air Force
Command staff
Commander Col Robert Mooney
Vice Commander Lt Col Robert A Hotchkiss Jr
Chief of Staff Lt Col Kay Rudo
Current statistics
Squadrons10
Cadets158
Seniors256
Total Membership414
Awards
Unit Citation Award
Statistics as of 7 July 2020[1]

History

Delaware Wing has a long CAP history since CAP's inception in 1941. Delaware is home to one of the original "Coastal Patrol" units, based in Rehoboth Beach.[2] Using private aircraft, the "Flying Minute Men" patrolled the Atlantic Ocean for German submarines. They operated off of a small, unpaved airport near Airport Road in Delaware.[3] Civil Air Patrol planes that crashed in the line of duty while patrolling the East Coast during World War II were hauled to the historical Dover Post building, which was an aircraft hangar at the time.[4]

Missions
CAP officers collect uniforms donated to Delaware and Pennsylvania CAP units by the Delaware National Guard.

Delaware Wing works in all three CAP missions: Cadet Programs, Aerospace Education, and Emergency Services. Most notably, Delaware Wing regularly assists DelDOT through the use of CAP planes, including Cessna 172 Skyhawks and Cessna 182 Skylanes. Delaware Wing has six corporate aircraft, one of which is a state-of-the-art Cessna 182 with a Glass Cockpit. For example, CAP aircraft monitor traffic during the Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway in Dover, DE. In addition, CAP aircraft monitors daily traffic volume and reports to DelDOT road blockages from downed trees or a major accident, street and highway flooding, collapsed or washed-out bridges, and weekend beach traffic.[5] By working closely with DelDOT, responders can be dispatched promptly and road crews can be summoned to block off accident sites while rerouting traffic if necessary.[6]

Delaware Wing has excelled in the National Cadet Competition, where the top CAP cadets across the country compete. Diamond Flight Drill Team, Delaware Wing's team, has won one National competition and numerous regional competitions. Delaware Wing annually holds in a Wing Picnic held at Fort Dupont, Cadet Ball, Wing Conference, and Rocket Launch. Held in January, the annual Cadet Ball, hosted by the Delaware Wing Cadet Advisory Council, draws seventy cadets each year from Delaware and neighboring wings. The Delaware Wing Conference and Banquet, held in March, analyzes the accomplishments of the previous year and sets goals for the upcoming year. Notable guest speakers make the conference worthwhile to attend and various awards are presented during the day. During the 2006 Wing Conference and Banquet, Mary Feik and Judge M. Jane Brady, a Superior Court judge, were the guest speakers. At the banquet in the evening, major CAP milestone awards are presented and select CAP members are promoted to new ranks. In May, CAP members assist the Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation in launching model rockets of various sizes (many as large as six feet tall) at Cape Henlopen State Park during Rockets for Delaware. Often, CAP cadets will choose to camp there the night before to enhance their skills in Emergency Services.

Delaware Wing Cadet Advisory Council

The Delaware Wing Cadet Advisory Council (CAC) consists of 10 cadets from across Delaware Wing to promote and further cadet activities in Delaware. Each of the 8 cadet and composite squadrons in Delaware Wing elects one primary representative and one alternate representative to attend the monthly CAC meetings. In addition, the CAC representatives elect the Chair, Vice Chair, and Recorder, who heads the monthly meetings and writes the agenda and minutes. Also, the Delaware Wing CAC elects members to the Middle East Region Cadet Advisory Council. The CAC organizes the extremely popular Cadet Ball, held annually at Dover AFB.

Encampment and National Cadet Special Activities

Delaware Wing coordinates with Maryland Wing and National Capital to hold Tri-Wing Encampment every year at Camp Frettard in Maryland. Delaware Wing is one of the few wings who does not have its own encampment due to its small population and area.

In addition, Delaware Wing cadets frequently attend National Cadet Special Activities, which gives cadets a diverse experience of military installations across America. Activities focus on career exploration, leadership development, search and rescue skills, aeronautical training, Air Force familiarization, government, and a variety of other topics.[7]

Squadrons in Delaware Wing

Delaware Wing has ten typical squadrons registered to the state. Five are located in New Castle County, three in Kent County, one in Sussex County, and one in Cecil County, Maryland. There is one composite squadron, seven cadet squadrons, and two senior squadrons. There are also three non-standard squadrons (000, 001, and 999) under Delaware Wing Headquarters.

Lt. Col. Mildred Pagan-Perez (left) and Staff Sgt. Mark Metzelaar, 512th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, simulate first response treatment of a Delaware Civil Air Patrol cadet Sam Rundle during a training exercise.
Squadron Name Designation Location Website
Inactive DE-000 No specific location
Wing Headquarters DE-001 New Castle, DE Website
Brandywine Cadet Squadron DE-004 Claymont, DE
Dover Senior Squadron DE-006 Dover, DE
Eagle Cadet Squadron DE-007 Dover, DE
DE Air National Guard Cadet Squadron DE-008 New Castle, DE
Fred Johnson Memorial Cadet Flight DE-015 Wilmington, DE
Coastal Patrol Base 2 Memorial Composite Squadron DE-019 Georgetown, DE
North Chesapeake Cadet Squadron DE-020 Elkton, MD
New Castle Senior Squadron DE-022 New Castle, DE
Middletown Cadet Squadron DE-025 Middletown, DE Website
Legislative Senior Squadron DE-999 Dover, DE

Past Wing commanders
Senior Airman Greg Meyer applies makeup to a Delaware cadet in preparation for a mass casualty exercise.
Master Sgt. Robert Burns demonstrates to a Delaware Wing CAP cadet how to play a victim during a mass casualty exercise.

Delaware Wing has had 22 Wing Commanders since the inception of Civil Air Patrol. A list of each commander and their years of service are listed below.

Commanders of the Delaware Wing
Commander's Name Period of Service
Maj Holger Hoiriis Dec 1941 - Aug 1942
Maj Herman S. Miller Aug 1942 - Jun 1943
Maj Don Seevers Jun 1943 - Oct 1944
Maj James P. Hanley Oct 1944 - Dec 1944
Col William J. Simpson Dec 1944 - Dec 1946
Col Walter A. Caskie Dec 1946 - Mar 1951
Col Frank J. Lynch Mar 1951 - Sep 1953
Col Louisa S. Morse Sep 1953 - Jul 1976
Col William H. Everett Jul 1976 - May 1977
Col Howard N. Pratt May 1977 - Dec 1980
Col James W. Keener Dec 1980 - Dec 1982
Col Herbert M. Wood Dec 1982 - Dec 1984
Col Larry D. Tasker Dec 1984 - Oct 1986
Col Herbert M. Wood Oct 1986 - July 1989
Col David C. Driscall July 1989 - Jan 1993
Col James H. Tazelaar Jan 1993 - Jan 1997
Col Robert L. Vawter Jan 1997 - Jan 2002
Col Raymond E. Harris Jan 2002 - Aug 2003
Col Russell M. Opland Aug 2003 - Sept 2007
Col Eugene L. Egry Sept 2007 - Sept 2011
Col William S. Bernfeld Sep 2011 - Jun 2014
Col Michael R. Moyer Jun 2014 - June-2018
Col Robert Mooney June 2018-Present

Recognition and accomplishments

Overall, Delaware Wing has had 35 Spaatz cadets.[8]

In 2006, Delaware Wing received a Unit Citation. In the fiscal year 2005, they had the highest number of hours flown per aircraft than any other wing in Civil Air Patrol by over 60%, a very wide margin.[9] In addition, they have earned one of the best compliance Inspection grades in the country over the past 5 years.

Delaware Wing's Lt Col John McGaha was featured in the Nov/Dec 2008 edition of CAP's Volunteer Magazine. He was named National Senior Member of the Year this past August. The story speaks of his lifelong dedication to the cadet program. [10]

See also

References
  1. "eServices, National Headquarters". Civil Air Patrol., login required
  2. "Introduction to Civil Air Patrol CAPP 50-5" (PDF). Civil Air Patrol. 2002-08-01. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  3. "State of Delaware archives". State of Delaware. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  4. Jim Flood Sr. (2008-12-23). "Dover Post building was an airport, skating rink and more". Dover Post. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  5. "State of Delaware Press Release". State of Delaware. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  6. "January–February 2009 Volunteer Magazine" (PDF). Civil Air Patrol. January–February 2009. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  7. "TODAY'S CADETS, TOMORROW'S AEROSPACE LEADERS" (PDF). 2006. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  8. Matt Johnson (2008). "Master Spaatz Award Recipient Listing". The Spaatz Association. Archived from the original on 2010-09-21. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-01-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "November/December 2008 Volunteer Magazine" (PDF). Civil Air Patrol. 2008-03-16. pp. 42–43. Retrieved 2008-11-15.

Further reading


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