NHQ scraps PA Rebrand and starts anew!

[dwb]

Yes, will be interesting to see what civil air patrol is like 15 or 20 years from now. When most of the old guard has passed on, and  the millennial's and generation Z folks are running the whole show.

Once again, people forget Gen X exists.

[MisterCD]

Seeing my name tossed out into the ring I might as well share the few thoughts rattling around in my head.

First is that the much repeated CAP WWII history is so riddled with inaccuracies and graphene-level of context and analysis that I am not surprised how the past seems irrelevant today. The history was written by journalists for the then and now with a focus on promotion of CAP to non-members rather than as a resource to teach new members and/or leadership as to the evolving action/reaction of organizational policies and efforts.

I have a book coming out later this year/early 2021 that unpacks the coastal patrol effort in relation to CAP's wartime evolution, postwar survival, and future operational uses in/for the Total Force. I opted almost entirely for archival sources to write the work, citing all sources for those wishing to further investigate the material. The research into this manuscript brought out a wide array of documentation I never knew about. The archival sources produced new insight into how close CAP almost failed in early 1942 and lost Army backing.

Perhaps most illuminating of all was discovering a lawsuit brought against Robert Neprud for plagiarizing the coastal patrol chapter of the 1944 book, Sank Same. CAP and Neprud agreed to settle and paid damages out of court. Yes, Flying Minute Men is a work of plagiarism and I have shared the archival files on facebook in the CAP National History Program group (if curious to see them). Lamentably, as Neprud's work remains the orthodoxy on CAP history, almost everything published after 1948 is based on his interpretation, including what the public and other academics know about us - and all cadet and senior member training.

Make the history something relevant to leadership and the membership rather than pure nostalgia and retention of heritage is value added rather than a luxury during times of plenty. The book is under contract with Air University Press and will be freely available as a PDF or as a paperback when published. This is also the first original work about CAP published by AU Press in its 67-year existence.

As to the logo and rebranding, there are three core elements to CAP's public-facing logo/insignia: a red three-bladed propeller, a white triangle, and a blue background. If we consider all the permutations of the design from December 1941 to the present, these have remained consistent even if words came and went, the shape around the logo changed, etc. The short-lived and much maligned "Triangle thingy" logo in essence broke away from retaining the color element while opting for the triangle and propeller.

As Lt Thompson also rightly noted, practically every single CAP member has worn the WWII insignia in some minor variation or another. This design is the key element of almost every CAP wing/region shoulder sleeve insignia or squadron insignia, not counting the center element of CAP aeronautical rating insignia, speciality track badges, etc. I know some members have made rebranding the hill they intend to fight and die upon. While I am not privy to the designs being floated about, I am inclined to believe, based on the information requests I have received in the past, that they will incorporate the colors and basic elements of the previous logo/insignia in the new creation. Success for this effort ultimately will rest on the shoulders of the membership ensuring the design is swiftly and efficiently employed on our aircraft, vehicles, web presence, and uniforms. As it stands, we can still find every insignia/logo of our entire existence in use in some form or another in contemporary CAP operations. 

[JohhnyD]

"You know, we started by teaching cadets to fly!"

"Awesome, can I learn?!"

"Um, well...maybe...after about 4 years, and if you qualify, and there's money in the
budget...um...oh, yeah, you'd have to have a plane nearby and a CFI willing to train
you for free...but yeah, like 50 cadets a year get training...sometimes..."

"Hey, where are you going?  WWII!  WWII! Drones! Come back!"

https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/programs/cadets/cadetinvest/youth-aviation-initiative/cadet-wings-graduates
And we, in fact still do.

[Eclipse]

That's literally what I said in the quote.

And also makes my point.

Wings is no more relevent to the average 12 year old prospect considering
Flyover Composite then ARCHER, Green Flag, Escorts or the Olympics is / was to
the vast majority of senior members.

Yet these things are out front as if they are available for everyone interested,
with the reality being one of the reasons for the retention and churn issues.

[JohhnyD]

That's literally what I said in the quote.

And also makes my point.

Wings is no more relevent to the average 12 year old prospect considering
Flyover Composite then ARCHER, Green Flag, Escorts or the Olympics is / was to
the vast majority of senior members.

Yet these things are out front as if they are available for everyone interested,
with the reality being one of the reasons for the retention and churn issues.

Wings is spinning up FAST.

[supertigerCH]

Yes, will be interesting to see what civil air patrol is like 15 or 20 years from now. When most of the old guard has passed on, and  the millennial's and generation Z folks are running the whole show.

Once again, people forget Gen X exists.

sshhhhh... they're top secret.  that's why they're called Gen-"X"

[etodd]

sshhhhh... they're top secret.  that's why they're called Gen-"X"

You waited five months to reply?  LOL

[rugger1869]

sshhhhh... they're top secret.  that's why they're called Gen-"X"

You waited five months to reply?  LOL

That's on-brand for us Gen-Xers.