Civil Air Patrol continues mission in Hernando | Lifestyle | chronicleonline.com – Citrus County Chronicle
Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 51F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 51F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Updated: January 2, 2022 @ 4:00 pm
Bryson Tucker of Inverness, center, is shown at the ceremony in which he was promoted to cadet staff sergeant. At right, is Cadet 2nd Lt. Linden Shawcroft, who received that title after this photo was taken. Commander of the Hernando County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol Marlene Welch is shown with her back to the camera.
This is glider training at the Civil Air Patrol headquarters at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport in Brooksville.
Richard Johnson, public affairs officer with the Hernando County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol at the CAP headquarters.
Cmdr. Marlene Welch of the Hernando County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.
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Bryson Tucker of Inverness, center, is shown at the ceremony in which he was promoted to cadet staff sergeant. At right, is Cadet 2nd Lt. Linden Shawcroft, who received that title after this photo was taken. Commander of the Hernando County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol Marlene Welch is shown with her back to the camera.
This is glider training at the Civil Air Patrol headquarters at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport in Brooksville.
Richard Johnson, public affairs officer with the Hernando County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol at the CAP headquarters.
Cmdr. Marlene Welch of the Hernando County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.
Three Citrus County Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadets have decided to turn lemons into lemonade by joining the Brookside-based Hernando County Composite Squadron of CAP.
The Citrus County Cadet Squadron was deactivated recently after several of its cadets graduated from high school and some moved out of the area to attend college. Others moved to attend a military academy or joined the military between 2020 and 2021, according to Richard Johnson, public affairs officer with the Hernando Squadron.
And “COVID did play a large role in the demise of the squadron,” Johnson wrote in an email. He explained how difficult it was to recruit new cadets when all that was available to them was ZOOM meetings. Meanwhile, some of the Citrus squadron’s adult leaders resigned for various reasons during the pandemic.
After squadron leader Capt. Shannon Straubel was transferred out of state by her employer, no one was available to assume command of the unit and the unit was deactivated, according to Johnson.
When the Citrus unit closed, there were six cadets. Three transferred to Hernando, the closest squadron, and the other three to an out-of-state unit.
Neither Straubel, nor the three Citrus cadets, nor their parents were available to speak to a reporter.
But the father of cadet Bryson Tucker, 13, said he feels that when Bryson joined the Hernando CAP squadron, “It was the biggest day in his life.”
Bryson and dad Seth and their family live in Inverness. The Tuckers moved to Citrus County in March 2021 and checked out several squadrons before joining the Hernando squadron.
Seth said Bryson joined the Hernando group because it’s a “composite” squadron, meaning that both adults, as well as young people ages 12-20, are eligible for membership. The Citrus County group had been a youth, or cadet-only group.
Johnson said the Hernando group has welcomed the three Citrus County cadets, whom he said are doing well. The Hernando squadron would be pleased if both young people and adults from Citrus County would join, according to Johnson.
Founded in 1972, the Hernando squadron will celebrate its 50th birthday in February. There are 56 members, including 22 cadets.
Johnson said the Citrus County squadron had been “a well-established squadron, which thrived for many years.” However, information about the Citrus County squadron’s history wasn’t immediately available.
As Johnson tells it, the nonprofit, all-volunteer CAP is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force but is not a military force. The Air Force uses CAP to perform humanitarian deeds, such as search and rescue; help during natural disasters, including hurricanes; and monitor such environmental damage as oil spills.
During the COVID pandemic, CAP has been activated on a broader national scale than at any time since World War II, Johnson said in an interview.
It has provided millions of meals and delivered millions of medical test kits during COVID, Johnson said.
Founded a week before the Pearl Harbor bombing that launched America into World War II, CAP started as a home guard, and, at first, did a lot of patrolling for enemy submarines off the U.S. coasts.
Today, CAP is devoted to emergency response, aero education, and cadet programs. It is funded by Congress.
Johnson said 90% of search and rescues by plane are done by CAP, and over 100 people are rescued each year.
CAP members work with middle and high school teachers to provide aero and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. CAP has programs in model rocketry, computers, and other aero and STEM fields.
The cadet programs that CAP offers enable young people to not only learn about aircraft and how to fly, but also about emergency operations, including search and rescue.
The Hernando cadets soon will be learning to build model rockets, Johnson said. They also will visit the Kennedy Space Center.
Cadets also learn physical fitness, nutrition, and leadership skills, Johnson said.
Cadets in Florida get the chance to attend two “encampments” a year, where they get more intense training in leadership, team building, independence, and flying.
There are scholarships for flight training and other educational opportunities, as well as the chance for cadets to groom themselves to be desirable candidates for the Air Force and other military academies.
The Hernando Squadron has its own glider, and cadets from around the state come to the Brookside CAP base for glider orientation and training.
When one is in a glider, “You hear the wind and almost feel like a bird,” Johnson said.
He said once a person has had this experience, he or she is “hooked” on flying.
Seth Tucker of Inverness said he believes that young people who are involved in CAP “will excel in adult life. … When you see these kids around their peers, you see the difference. They learn how to lead and how to follow. They learn respect. And these are aspects that you can’t get in school. To see these kids respond to the training is incredible,” Tucker said.
He said his son, Bryson, “is really big on the space aspect of aerospace.” Tucker said he’s fairly confident Bryson “will serve our country in some kind of flying capacity.”
Johnson’s son, Sean, 14, has been involved in CAP for two years. He said he might like to attend the Air Force Academy and join the Space Force, or else be an MRI technician.
Johnson’s daughter, Kate, 17, also is involved in CAP and has finished ground school.
Tucker said he was involved in CAP in North Carolina when he was young, and it led to a career in public safety – both as a firefighter and as a sheriff’s deputy. He said the Hernando squadron welcomes not only young people to join but also adults. He said it would be especially nice if some of the many retired veterans in the area would join the group.
“There are so many veterans and retired military people here. I wish they’d come and check us out,” Tucker said. “It’s a good way to symbolically put the uniform back on and continue to serve.”
Lt. Col. Marlene Welch is the commander of the Hernando Squadron.
She said she participates in CAP because “I love watching the cadets grow.”
As she sees it, “The Civil Air Patrol is the best-kept secret. It’s a great opportunity for kids 12-20.”
The Hernando County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol meets at 3151 Air Commerce Blvd. at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport in Brooksville. Cadets meet at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and senior members at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. The group’s website is https://fl301.cap.gov, or check out its Facebook page. Lt. Col. Welch can be reached by email at marlene.welch@flwgcap.us.
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