Got into CAP

[Hawk200]

My delayed joining was an example of how youth can sometimes include a lot of stupidity.

I was about 14. My father worked on planes at a little airport on weekends to make some supplemental income. One weekend, CAP had a SAR-EX. My father told me about it, mentioned that if I made the Mitchell I could probably go in the Air Force as an E-3. My response? (You're gonna love this one) "But Dad, I'll never go in the Air Force!"

Nope, I didn't join at that time. I was 14, and knew everything. Just ask me, I would have told you.

Anyway, fast forward to about January '93, (after I'd been active duty Air Force for about four and a half years). Was walking to the chow hall one day with a friend, and he points over to one side and says "Look at the kids playing Army!". I kinda ignored his jibe, and looked a little closer. The next day, I looked up the CAP Liaison in the base phone book, called him, got details on meetings. Went and joined up.

Dropped out for a few years. Moved back to the state I grew up in, and the town where Dad was living. One night he calls, says "There's a notice on the bulletin board in the airport terminal that a CAP unit is forming. You've been wanting to get back in. They're gonna be meeting at one of the hangars."

I guess, in a roundabout way, my father was most responsible. We've both never actually been in CAP at the same though. Maybe someday.

[flyerthom]

A friend asked me to go to a meeting with him, he wasn't a member.  Like most, I had never heard of CAP until I got there, and honestly didn't know what I had joined for a month or two in.  I was just entranced by uniforms and shiny shiny rank insignia.  We both joined, he has since quit and moved to Vegas, and here I am 4 years later.

There are two cadet squadrons, two senior squadrons and a composite squadron in the Vegas area. If he's still interested there's a spot for him.

I got into CAP when I moved to Vegas. I did volley EMS in PA and one of my friends I volunteered with is a member (and he's an infrequent poster here). When I got to Vegas EMS was all paid and I had some hoops to jump through to get on board with one of the companies. I remembered CAP and was about to finish my PPL so I contacted a squadron and the rest is history. I did get on with one of the EMS units and used the paycheck for flying.

[Maj Ballard]

A cute guy was Cadet Commander of the local squadron and talked me into it. Him and another guy who had a crush on me. LOL

And here I am, 17 years later. Wow. I'm old.

[KFreeman]

Was JROTC in 1946 at W.C.Striplin HS in Ft.Worth, Tx and a couple of classmates were in CAP Cadets. I had always wanted to be involved in some way with aviation and knew I would join the Army Air Corps after graduation.  I joined USAF 3 Feb.'49.

Happy New year everyone!

Regards,
Ken

[W3ZR]

I originally joined back in 1985, interested in communications,
lasted until 87 when I discovered girls.

Now an old married man , I decided to switch from the Fire/EMS service and re-join CAP.

I still am interested in the radio side of things, but also want to explore
some of the other facets of the organization.

[Major Carrales]

Was JROTC in 1946 at W.C.Striplin HS in Ft.Worth, Tx and a couple of classmates were in CAP Cadets. I had always wanted to be involved in some way with aviation and knew I would join the Army Air Corps after graduation.  I joined USAF 3 Feb.'49.

Happy New year everyone!

Regards,
Ken

If I may be so bold, Sir.  You are a genuine CAP legend. 

Thank you for your years of service to CAP.

[star1151]

I'd known vaguely about CAP since I started flying, but was scared off by the idea of a bunch of old men sitting around talking about flying.  Fast forward a few years and I figured it would be better than sitting at home, so here I am.

[Major Carrales]

I'd known vaguely about CAP since I started flying, but was scared off by the idea of a bunch of old men sitting around talking about flying.  Fast forward a few years and I figured it would be better than sitting at home, so here I am.

CAP is what we choose to make it.  It can be a lowly existance or a fruitful one.  I'm glad to say this our has recently been fruitful.  Let's all work to revitalize CAP.

[Gunner C]

I was a Boy Scout in Iowa (1966) and the scoutmaster got introduced to CAP.  He put up posters - the ones with the cadets in the old khakis sitting in the old gliders.  It immediately captured my imagination.

My parents had seen cadets at a Texas Wing encampment a few years earlier at Sheppard AFB.  My mother thought that it was barbaric that these kids were out marching around in the hot Texas sun, so they wouldn't let me join.

A few months later, my father got transfered to Elmendorf AFB, AK.  I was in the 8th grade and they had clubs starting up for the school year.  Two CAP officers came to the school and talked to three of us.  They were restarting the Elmendorf Cadet Squadron.  The cadet commander was a cadet A1C - we started off with about 12 cadets that October night in 1967 and, when I left we had about 120 cadets, 21 with Mitchel awards and 8 of us with Earharts.

To this day, it was the best CAP unit I've ever seen.  I can't tell you how much that experience has shaped my life.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made as a teenager.

I still keep up with some of them.  One is a region chief of staff back east.

GC

[RogueLeader]

I believe that all should have a chance. . . .

[flyguy06]

My mother got me invovled in CAP when I was 15. I was also a Boy Scout and in JROTC. She kept me busy I guess to develop me socially. And I have been in CAP ever since. Now, as an adult I do it to give back to my community. Aviationis not taght much here and I thinks its a good way to expose kids to something they may not normally see

[fireplug]

1954 or '55 NY State Fair in Syracuse. The Syracuse Group/Sqdn had a display in one of the bldgs - an engine-less L-4 hanging from the ceiling! Two yhears as a cadet, break in svc, 48+ years as a SM; three different Wings, and a bunch of different squadrons.!

[RickFranz]

In 1968 a friend invited to a meeting.  I have in or around every since.

[tarheel gumby]

My Grand Parents were responsible for introducing me to CAP. I joined as a cadet left when I joined the ARNG, returned when I was in College as a senior member, left when I got married now I am back because my son got interested in CAP. That all started waay back in 1984

[Fifinella]

I was minding my own business at my husband's work picnic when one of his co-worker's daughters came up and put the full court press on me.    "I've been in CAP a few months, and I really like it, but we need more adults, and we could really use your help, etc."  Her Mom was considering membership too.  So, she recruited both of us.  Since then, the cadet has made her Mitchell and been the cadet commander.  I was the squadron commander for about a year.  And her Mom is the current squadron commander.

I had a blast working with the cadets (and the seniors), and put in a lot of time, money, and energy (as have many of you).  But I didn't really realize how much I had gotten from CAP until I started working on updating my resume recently.  It has definitely been a win-win, and it's all because one cadet got up the nerve to talk about CAP.  :clap:

[brenaud]

Never knew about CAP when I was cadet age.  Discovered it when searching the Internet and found some airfield photos hosted on the National HQ website (I guess that was 2 or 3 websites ago).  Mentioned it to a CFI who said he was a member and told me where the meetings were.

[Hobbsh1]

I'm like brenaud, I had never heard of CAP when I was Cadet age.  I grew up in a town called Hokes Bluff Al.  It wasn't untill after I had met and married my wife that I had heard of CAP.  We moved back to her hometown and I met a friend of her family.  He eventually heard about and attended a CAP meeting and talk to me about it.  Then, I guess about 3 or 4 years later we were doing some maintenance on our lake that he told me that he was trying to start a new unit in our town (the unit that I am now Commander of).  I got to researching it online and then decided to join.  It was during that research that I found out that as a teenager that I lived about 30mins from a unit at the Gadsden Al airport.  Sure wish I had known about it then.

[jb512]

Came from a military family..  Was a League Cadet at age 11, then we moved overseas to Panama where there happened to be a CAP squadron so I joined up.  Got my Mitchell, etc, etc...

[NC Hokie]

Found out about CAP when I took my daughter to an EAA Young Eagles event at the local airport; the squadron I joined was hosting the event.

I, too, echo the lamentations of those who wish they'd heard of CAP sooner.  I grew up in an area that currently has three squadrons within thirty minutes of my old home. I was active in NJROTC, had friends in other local units, went to local airshows, and never heard a peep about CAP.

Oh, the things that might have been...

[hatentx]

Wow my reason is really odd in comparison.

I got back from Iraq to some situations in which were not my planning.  Left with a wife and money can back with no wife and no money but plenty of issues and started to deal with my issues the wrong way, namely alcohol.  After a long weekend and waking up in San Antonio not sure how I ended up there when we left for Dallas Thursday night and not remembering any of the weekend I decided I needed something positive in my life and something worth while.  Thus I looked for an opportunity to work with a youth organization.  Nothing was close to my area and I remember CAP from a friend I had in my High School days and thought that would be the best place for me.  So there I joined put some purpose to my life and got myself back on track.  Really not the normal story here huh.