How we learned about CAP

[Indaweeds]

^ Hope we didn't leave you with too bad of a first impression.

I certainly have had lots of questions (and a few concerns) come up in my mind but have enjoyed the discussions on CAP Talk that usually seem to welcome all viewpoints to participate.  Nearly all involved here, in their own way, keep the eye on the ball of serving others...whether that be to those in need of CAP's Operations, Cadets in our Programs, or by furthering the aims of Aerospace Education.

Glad you think so! 

Welcome to CAPTalk.  So have you actually put in the membership papers yet, or still working on the process or decision? 

My membership has been processed!

[addo1]

^ Hope we didn't leave you with too bad of a first impression.

I certainly have had lots of questions (and a few concerns) come up in my mind but have enjoyed the discussions on CAP Talk that usually seem to welcome all viewpoints to participate.  Nearly all involved here, in their own way, keep the eye on the ball of serving others...whether that be to those in need of CAP's Operations, Cadets in our Programs, or by furthering the aims of Aerospace Education.

Glad you think so! 

Welcome to CAPTalk.  So have you actually put in the membership papers yet, or still working on the process or decision? 

My membership has been processed!

Congratulations!!  Which squadron are you at??

[smitjud]

LTC Jane Davies, now the NATCAP wing cc, then the squadron cc of MVCS, was a friend of my dad's.  Her husband and my dad had been longtime Army friends for I don't know how long.  My dad mentioned that she was in CAP and that he was thinking about putting me in.  Anyway, she came over for dinner one night and I started bugging her about CAP.  My parents ended up taking me to the meetings and I became hooked.

She used to be our DCP here in the Alabama Wing when her husband was stationed at Ft. McClellan and almost turned me off to the program (ask me offline about the 1999 Alabama Wing Encampment fiasco - or I can share some info here, not really appropriate for this thread though).  Glad I stuck with it though, it's been a great program for me ever since.

I actually first heard about the program when some folks from the Sable Cadet Squadron in Flordia (right outside Orlando) came and visited my USMC JROTC unit in Apopka, FL.  I really didn't do anything with that info at the time, but when it became apparent I was going to move to AL with no JROTC at my school, I went to a month or so of their meetings to familiarize myself with the program, joined as soon as I got to Alabama and have been in 10 years as of this June (hope the good Lord lets me make it as long as some of ya'll that have been in forever and a day)

[Chappie]

I was a volunteer chaplain with a local law enforcement agency.  One of my former parishoners joined a CAP squadron in a nearby community where he had moved to.   He contacted me one evening to see if I would be interested in becoming their squadron's chaplain since theirs was moving away.  He filled me in about the SAR aspects of the organization.  having been a first responder, working with EMT/Fire/LE types at all sorts of incidents as well as victims and their families, I thought...a chaplain is a chaplain is a chaplain.  That is probably something I could do.  That is until I went to my first meeting and learned about the other two parts of the CAP Mission...AE and Cadet Programs.   I shaved a beard that I had worn for over 20 years so that I could wear the USAF-style uniform.  I know...I could have wore the alternate...but I felt that it was imperative if I were to effectively relate to the cadets and senior members who proudly wore the military style uniforms.  That was in 1996 and I am still here

[DC]

I have wanted to be in the military since I was six, and was really into aviation. When I was 12 I moved to a new city and got into homeschooling. We lived in a really rural area, and mom was concerned about me socializing, so she talked to a friend, whose son was in CAP. I was hooked by my first meeting, and was a member by the end of the month. Unfortunately my mom's friend's son, who became a good friend of mine, quit about two months after I joined..

None the less, I was in hog heaven, military, flying, woohoo!

[notaNCO forever]

 I heard about it at a homeschool conevention and was forced to go and soon found out I liked it and being I had no life it was good for me.

[Ken]

I just did a simple web search, when the National headquarters web site was listed, I investigated CAP further, then I used the unit locator and found a squadron near me and I've been a member of CAP  since Octorber 2003.

[Tim Medeiros]

my mom was taking stained glass lessons, her instructors had a daughter that used to be in and when my mom mentioned that I was hoping to join the AF they mentioned it to her, she brought me in so I could ask my questions.  I found the NHQ site, looked around, asked for info, called the local unit commander and the rest is history.

[RickFranz]

I was asked to come to a meeting by a friend Chris Mini back in the late 60's in Concord CA.  I liked what I saw and joined, my family moved to NM about a year later and I lost track of Chris.  After a 6 year cadet tour I joined the USAF and on my first day of basic, just after we got our "haircut" I looked over about 4 chairs and there was old Chris.  I could hardy believe my eyes.

The next time I became very serious about CAP was in 1992, my daughter was invited to a Squadron meeting in SD.  She went to the 3 meetings and joined, my wife spilled the beans and told her that I had been a Cadet, so here we go again.

[RogueLeader]

bump

[tarheel gumby]

My Grandfather &  Grandmother were LtCol & Maj respectively in Asheville Composite Squadron, way back when I was a small one. Both of my Mother's brothers were cadets in the same squadron that my grandparents were Senior Members in. So I kinda grew up around CAP. Joined as a cadet in 1982, left to join the NCARNG, rejoined as a SM in FLWG in 86 while I was in college. Left again when I got married in 88. Now my youngest son got me back in when he wanted to check out CAP, he found out about CAP from the History Channel and my old cadet books.

[SaBeR33]

A close friend from HS introduced me to CAP. Even though he's no longer a member, we're still close friends after 18 years, which is par for the course for most of my close friends having been CAP members that I knew as a cadet.

[AlphaSigOU]

While attending the Dobbins AFB (it's now ARB) air show in 1977 I stumbled across a CAP recruiting booth and got hooked. A few weeks later (after waiting the requisite three meetings) I joined Dekalb County Cadet Squadron (09065, now SER-GA-065) on November 2, 1977. (Membership didn't officially start until the following month, though.)

I remained active as a cadet in Georgia and Florida Wing until my cadet membership lapsed at the end of December, 1984.

Rejoined CAP as a senior member at Bitburg-Spangdahlem Cadet Squadron (99117) then after I got out of Ma Blue transferred to National Capital Wing and Fairfax Composite Squadron. Let my membership lapse in 1988.

17 years later, after running into a couple of CAP members in uniform at the Plano Balloon Festival, I rejoined CAP in Texas Wing at the Addison Eagles Composite Squadron (SWR-TX 390). I'm still active today.

[ThorntonOL]

I got involved similar to Pylon.
It was my mom's friend who told her about it but in the end her friend's son got the credit for recruiting me. He got out shortly after while I joined and stayed in.
The second year was the toughest, wasn't sure If I wanted to go or not and by the end of my third year I was fully hooked on the program.
Didn't get my Mtichell because of the PT change and regretted it after they went to the 3 out of four instead of the 4 out 4.

[Always Ready]

I first learned about CAP by seeing a few cadets at clothing sales on F.E. Warren AFB, WY. I was only 7 or 8 at the time and asked my dad why 'kids' were in uniforms. He had no idea who or what they were. The only reason I now know they were CAP was that I remember the WYWG patch on their shoulder of their blues. When I was 10, I was taking martial arts from a guy that was a former CAP cadet and a former Sea Cadet. He was going to start a Sea Cadet unit on base (NAS Keflavik, Iceland) and wanted me to join as soon as he got it started. He PCSed and so no Sea Cadets . A few years later, I was living on Sembach AB, Germany and saw the advertisement for the Ramstein Squadron (located on Vogelweh) and this time I was actually old enough to join. But, 9/11 happened and between the long hours my dad was pulling, scheduling issues, and traffic/long lines getting on base, I was going to be an hour late to every meeting so my folks nixed it . Fast forward four years, CAP was brought up by my doc as an alternative for sports while I was recovering from a concussion. I've been with it ever since with sports on the side. My football coach would even let me do a presentation on CAP every year. Four years of attending meetings last week! AND STILL NO PAYCHECK!

[dwb]

My neighbor was in CAP.  He went on and on about it until I agreed to attend a meeting with him.

He learned of CAP because his dad's co-worker's son was a cadet.

I'm not sure how my neighbor's dad's co-worker's son learned about CAP.   I'll ask him about it some day... he's the godfather to both of my kids now.

[Viper QA]

My neighbor was in CAP.  He went on and on about it until I agreed to attend a meeting with him.

He learned of CAP because his dad's co-worker's son was a cadet.

I'm not sure how my neighbor's dad's co-worker's son learned about CAP.   I'll ask him about it some day... he's the godfather to both of my kids now.

I'll answer that!

I learned about CAP in the summer of 1986 from a display the now defunct Rome Composite Squadron had at the now closed Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY.

I joined in April 1987 & have been a member ever since.

[dwb]

I was tempted to E-mail you a link to this thread.  Looks like that was unnecessary.

Now get back to work, slacker!

[Viper QA]

I was tempted to E-mail you a link to this thread.  Looks like that was unnecessary.

Now get back to work, slacker!

Why would I do that?

If I wanted to be productive I wouldn't be working for the government!

[jimmydeanno]

I joined CAP in May of 1997 at age 15, however the lead up to that was about 2 years.  My buddy had joined 3 years earlier and was always coming in telling me about all this cool stuff he did; shooting M-16s, Encampments, Color Guards, Orientation flights, etc.  I just thought he was a story teller and shrugged him off when he'd start telling his war stories.

Now that I think about it, I don't even remember him telling me what organization he was doing all these things in.  

Then, one day (a Monday to be exact), he comes in and tells me that he went on a refueling mission with the NHANG.  "Yeah Right" I thought.  He tells me that they refueled a group of F-15s.  I wanted proof.  The next day he brings me pictures from the boom operators seat and him grinning ear to ear.

The next week, I was a member.