Massachusetts Wing Costal Patrol Base #18 Ceremony & Historic Information

[RADIOMAN015]

Somene I know very well was at the MA wing conference and reports that the dedication ceremony including a plaque mounted on a rock was extremely well.   The MA Wing Commander prior to dedication (at the hotel conference assemby) also provide a narrative about many of the volunteers that manned that base World WW II.

Weather was pretty cold out a the sight,but many warm feelings.

The Cape Cod Composite Squadron also has adopted a new patch which incorporates Patrol 18's patch info there's.

Great work :clap:

RM

[MIKE]

Slide show of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59U17f3W1eI

[RADIOMAN015]

Slide show of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59U17f3W1eI

A very nice photo slide show with appropriate background music.  Outstanding work :clap:
RM

[Smithsonia]

If you'd like to see more on this event? Click here:
2011 Coastal Patrol Base No. 18 Dedication Program
http://www.scribd.com/doc/52161756/2011-Coastal-Patrol-Base-No-18-Program
Give it time to load. It is a quite well done.

Story to go with Program:
http://www.capvolunteernow.com/news.cfm/mass_wing_honors_wwii_base_members?show=news&newsID=10333

Courtesy Mark Hess TeamCap

[YakYak]

The Massachusetts Wing Conference was, by all accounts, a stirring and memorable occasion both for the members of the MAWG and the families of the vets.  Just a few more vignettes to give a little more flavor of the event . . .

Col. Bill Meskill, the MAWG CC, has a great feel for this history and for the famiies.  The result is a pitch-perfect ceremony conducted with dignity and warmth.  The flyover pilot reported that flying against a strong wind with tears in his eyes was a bit of a challenge.   He was certainly not the only one with tears.

Lillian Yonally, niece of Gordon Gibbs, attended in her WASP uniform.  Last year, she attended the ceremony in Washington where the WASPs were awarded the Congressional Gold Medla.    At 89, she is sharp as a tack and still smart-looking in her blues.   She was especially attentive to the cadets.   One said, excitedly to Bill Meskill, "SIR!  I met a WASP!"  There was a standing O for Lillian at the banquet.

The Cape Cod Military History Museum made a small  portion of its extensive collection of artifacts from the Falmouth base available in the Exhibit Hall.   The Museum has been given a 3-acre parcel of land in Bourne, adjacent to the Mass. Military Reservation where the Cape Cod Squadron and the NER have their HQs.   Not far from the Falmouth site.   The soldiers from Camp Edwards have volunteered to clear the land.   A capital campaign is underway now.  A lovely collaborative relationship has developed between the Wing and the Museum.

At this conference, the Cape Cod Squadron officially adopted an updated version of the orginal WWII patch from the Falmouth base showing an imp riding an outline map of the Commonwealth of Mass and dropping a bomb on a u-boat.  The original patch was a gift to CAP. Lt. Col. Ray Lyon from the estate of Louis "Jerry" Keefer, the author of FROM MAINE TO MEXICO.  Lyon made the patch available for copying.   Lyon also played a role in the creation of presentation pieces for the vet families.   They included a copy of the patch and the group photo from the Falmouth base.   Lyon is a key figure in developing the relationship with the Musuem and in building its collection of artifacts, gathered from the vets and their families.   Electronic copies of all items and photographs have been sent to the Cape Cod Museum (which houses the orginals), the CAP National Historian, the CAP Historical Foundation,  the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, the National Military History Center in Auburn, IN, the Falmouth Historical Society and the Team Cap website where most of them can be viewed.

That Team CAP website was a real resource.   Mark Hess was very responsive about receiving and posting information as it came in--up to the very last minutes.   He spent considerable time doctoring dog-earred photos while Power Points were put together on this end.   Mark will be directing some of the members of the MAWG as they become history hunters over the next few months.    No one knows more about how to gather this history than Mark, who is generous with his knowledge.  That Team Cap website is already starting to enable history outreach in a way that hasn't been possible before.   

Keith Raymond, who produced the YouTube presentation you've seen,  is the Historian and PAO for the MAWG.  He and John Flattery of the Cape Cod Squadron played the lead (and enormous!) roles in planning the Conference.  I don't think anyone could have worked with more heart and dedication.

The event would not have been the same without the famillies of the vets.   These also worked very hard to gather and transport other family members, to find pictures and artifacts, to make old stories available to us.   Many members of the Falmouth base remained friends for life.  Some of the children know each other, but had not been together for years.

This is a representative thank you form Gigi Wolfe, granddaughter of Gordon Gibbs, the first base commander:

Thank you again for the tremendous gift of finding and contacting our family and making it possible for us to be included in this past weekend's festivities. It was such a moving occasion, and we were thrilled to be present. In addition to learning more about what Gordon Gibbs accomplished, we loved standing on the field in its stark simplicity on a brisk windy day; I felt as though it probably didn't look too different all those years ago. Additionally, I am fascinated to learn what the CAP has become today. Gordon would have been absolutely tickled to see how the next, very young, generation is carrying on with such accomplishment and enthusiasm.

It was also such a gift to attend the event with our cousin and WASP, Lillian Yonnelly, and to watch all the young people seeking her out to talk to her. What a thrill. I get a little teary just thinking about it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing this extraordinary piece of  family history to us.

With warmest regards,
Gigi


Col. Chris Hayden, NER CC, announced that he is encouraging the other wings in the NER to follow MAWG's lead in gathering, memorializing and celebrating CAP's founding days.  At the banquet, he said he had not seen as much energy at a conference or as much education.  It's work, but it's some of the most rewarding work you could possibly do.

[SABRE17]

I was one of the cadets who accepted the Patch from Col. Meskill and presented it to Lt. Col. Lynch my commander at CP 18. that was by far one of the greatest honors I've ever had in CAP. i also attended the base ceremony and (ill admit) had tears in my eyes during some of the speeches. I definitely have a new respect for my home rock (Cape Cod), and cant wait to sew the new patches on my BDU's.

MAWG just took ownership of a refurbed. 172, call sign CAP1941, and I suggested we paint it yellow and put a big blue circle with a white triangle on the emphanage... I don't know if the Wing Commander will spring for that...