Which specialty track...

[usafcap1]

Which specialty track would you recommend to a senior member who wants to do CounterDrug, Homeland Security, and Humanitarian(blood or organ transport) missions?

[SarDragon]

I believe this was already covered in a previous thread. None of these missions are directly related to the specialty tracks. Read CAPR 50-17 for the list, and CAPP 200-series pamphlets to see what each position is all about.

Professional Development (PD) is all about learning the skills necessary to operate a squadron, and later on, a group, or a wing. Each specialty covers a staff position in a unit, with slight variations, based on unit type - senior, composite, or cadet.

The missions you mentioned are all operations, versus PD, and are done over and above the unit staff positions.

[SJFedor]

Which specialty track would you recommend to a senior member who wants to do CounterDrug, Homeland Security, and Humanitarian(blood or organ transport) missions?

The "spend a ton of money and become a pilot", "spend more money and become a commercial pilot" and the "fly lots of hours to become an TMP/MP" track may help you achieve some of these goals. However, participation in CD is restricted to >21years of age (CAPR 60-6).

Honestly, what I would recommend you do is focus on progressing in the cadet program. You've been in long enough to receive the Red Service Ribbon, yet you're only a C/A1C. That's failure to progress, right there. And as someone who was a former Group-level Ops Officer, I'd want someone who can truly commit and follow through with something that they've started, especially when you're wanting all these fancy, high level, secret squirrel taskings.

Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer organization, not a career option.

[BigShu]

Wait! I want secret squirrel taskings too! 

[Eclipse]

Which specialty track would you recommend to a senior member who wants to do CounterDrug, Homeland Security, and Humanitarian(blood or organ transport) missions?

Emergency Services Officer and / or Operations officer, however they are not required to perform the above types of missions.

Counternarcotics and blood / organ transportation are exclusively air operations, as is the majority of HLS work (depending on how you define HLS),
so if you aren't aircrew, you won't see much of it.

[Brad]

Cadet, have you even looked at WMIRS to see if those missions come down regularly? My Wing does the Homeland Security missions quite regularly, but that's only because we have a great relationship with the base where the fighters fly out of. I know here also CD is all but dead, and the blood and organ transport missions....well I've been in since 2007 and I haven't seen one. That's probably because the hospitals use SCHP and other law enforcement agencies and possibly medical helicopters for the primary transport means. Oh sure if it was a mass incident, yea I could see a potential for CAP getting tasked, but for anything aside from that, it's highly unlikely.

Think of it this way: in the Navy, you have your rating, which is analogous to your specialty track. There are tons of them, such as Storekeeper, Machinist's Mate, Boatswain's Mate, Mass Communications Specialist, the list goes on and on. It's basically your career field within the Navy, then you have your specific duty assignment within that rating, which is analogous to CAP duty assignments.

All that is fine and dandy, but when the GQ (General Quarters, aka "Battlestations") alarm activates, everyone has a designated place to go and job to perform. Think of it as putting the ship on Red Alert. They also train for these incidents. That can be compared with the CD, Homeland Security, and Humanitarian missions. You don't specialize in them, but you can train for and participate in them, sure.

[usafcap1]

Which specialty track would you recommend to a senior member who wants to do CounterDrug, Homeland Security, and Humanitarian(blood or organ transport) missions?

The "spend a ton of money and become a pilot", "spend more money and become a commercial pilot" and the "fly lots of hours to become an TMP/MP" track may help you achieve some of these goals. However, participation in CD is restricted to >21years of age (CAPR 60-6).

Honestly, what I would recommend you do is focus on progressing in the cadet program. You've been in long enough to receive the Red Service Ribbon, yet you're only a C/A1C. That's failure to progress, right there. And as someone who was a former Group-level Ops Officer, I'd want someone who can truly commit and follow through with something that they've started, especially when you're wanting all these fancy, high level, secret squirrel taskings.

Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer organization, not a career option.

Thank you Sir or Ma'am for your input. 

And actually I became a SM last night(Thank you, thank you!!),  . . . .

I took nearly a year away from actively participating in CAP to focus on finishing high school.  My family and I thought it was best for me to focus my efforts in that direction.  Had I not, I'd have progressed further sooner than I have but may not have graduated w/ the GPA I ended with.  However, I will add without going into detail, if you knew my situation, you'd have more of an understanding of the choices I had to make to both achieve what I have. 

Thank you again for your input.

[usafcap1]

Which specialty track would you recommend to a senior member who wants to do CounterDrug, Homeland Security, and Humanitarian(blood or organ transport) missions?

Emergency Services Officer and / or Operations officer, however they are not required to perform the above types of missions.

Counternarcotics and blood / organ transportation are exclusively air operations, as is the majority of HLS work (depending on how you define HLS),
so if you aren't aircrew, you won't see much of it.

Thank you for answering my question!!!

[Pylon]

Take a look at the Senior Member Great Start guide.  It explains in summary the various specialty tracks as well as the upcoming professional development and membership tasks you'll have to complete as a new senior member, starting of course with Level I.

http://www.capmembers.com/media/cms/Great_Start_Booklet_Adults_7836A661C9F11.pdf

[abdsp51]

I would recommend you update your sig block to reflect your senior member status as well.

[usafcap1]

I would recommend you update your sig block to reflect your senior member status as well.

Thank you I'm working on that.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I would recommend you update your sig block to reflect your senior member status as well.

Thank you I'm working on that.

Is it that hard to go in and remove the C/A1C signature?

[usafcap1]

I would recommend you update your sig block to reflect your senior member status as well.

Thank you I'm working on that.

Is it that hard to go in and remove the C/A1C signature?

No! I have been busy lately plus someone else made my sig for me