Good evening,
I am a former Marine, infantrymen, and thinking of joining the CAP. As a veteran of three tours of combat, NCO school and a number of other leadership classes the Marines taught me well the value of being a leader. In my profession I manager large international engineering projects and have around 1200 people working for me, each day I apply the basics of leadership in my profession and my dealings with others.
I have a some reservations about joining, primarily around the cadet aspect of it. As I haven't been around CAP before, I have this high school ROTC meets SSDF view of what it may or may not be like. I am a 100% in or 100% out type person so joining means I go all in. I am also a type A person, no none sense, matter of fact, speak my mind.
My interest in joining is to be around other military types as well as to serve the aviation community as well as my own community in a time of need. During my service in the Marines TRAPs were my favorite missions and something I was well versed at. The SAR aspect is appealing in this manner. I also like the thought of aerial observation as well.
From some light reading here it seems the officer track is the best route and the clearest in CAP, though I don't mind being an enlisted guy, in the Marines they run the place. I'm not doing this for any ego issues, so a bar doesn't matter to me in reality, though I am driven and seeing accomplishments and goals met are a motivator for me.
My wife is also thinking of joining, as we would do this together. She is a former Army officer and science teacher, her goal is aerospace education.
Any advice, views or warnings?
Endless searching topics/posts here on captalk, then taking them with a grain of salt.
Dont set your expectations too high: Not that CAP is a bad thing, but basically everyplace is different; what they bill in the big picture may not be what you find in your area. But dont despair, being an organization in a state of constant flux, things are apt to change with sometimes the smallest amount of input. Unlike the military (at least to a certain extent) if things are broke, YOU can actually change them.
If it is possible, shop around your area for units. Visit them all, and see what really seems to be going on in reality vs what their web page or what their sales pitch is.
Dont get to wrapped up into the politics of whats going on right now. Learn CAP, find out where to apply your military skills/knowledge, do some CAP specific professional development... Learn CAP. Once you have the two meshing nicely see where you want to be/need to be in the scheme of CAP.
Basically I see one of to things frequently happen: either the member wants to jump in feet first and "fix" the problems or the unit sees some talent and tries to get the new guy to jump in feet first and solve their problems..... it doesnt always go well.
there are many other words of wisdom that I and many others can give you, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.
MK
Go on to the CAP website to find the nearest unit(s). Visit them and let the them know you're in interested in joining. Every unit while similar in mission, may be different due to leadership, resources, size, and finances. CAP requires that you attend at least 3 meetings before they'll accept a membership. This is so that you can see what you're getting into and who the unit is getting.
My local unit is less than a year old. We know one of the leaders and he is a solid guy/leader.
Something to keep in mind, CAP is a benevolent non-profit corporation based upon the Air Force. As a retired high speed/low drag Marine, you may discover some conflict with kinda-military doesn't equal military and Air Force certainly has some differences from the Corps.
I'm not saying this makes CAP bad, it doesn't, but it will different from what you're used to.
As for the cadet program, if you have reservations about how CAP operates compared to JROTC, that's easy. Focus on one or both of our other two missions while you observe the cadet program from a distance and decide if it's right for you based upon the caveats I mentioned above. I hope it is, I suspect the cadets could benefit from your experience.
As a former Marine, you have a place in CAP just like a former USAF vet, USN vet, Army, CG...... local cop who has a son in the program. A Search conducted by CAP is nothing even remotely close to a TRAP. You really just have to come in and enjoy the program and adhere to the standards CAP puts forth. Don't come in and let every other line out of your mouth be "Well, when I was in the Marines we _______ "
Another bad step I see vets do when the come into CAP is many immediately discount the contribution of the people who are already there. The NCO/Officer comparison you made..... absolutely not even relevant in CAP. You need to join and really just have fun with it.
Quote from: RED1775 on September 22, 2015, 12:42:13 AM
Any advice, views or warnings?
No matter what you do in CAP, you get from it what you put into it. It is also one of those things where a squadron may become great at something right up until the driving force behind that leaves the squadron.
Such is the nature of all volunteer organizations.
If you see a deficiency in the squadron and you think it needs fixing, expect to be tasked with said fixing. When that happens, assuming you end up in a squadron where you see a series of senior members each meeting sitting in a break room going nowhere and doing nothing, feel free to ask them to help you.
Be prepared to do fundraising as well.
Be sure to read through the regs.
The cadet program is not necessarily an area that you will often interact with, depending on your role in CAP.
Like any other organization, you're going to have your bosses that you'll have to listen to and put up with. You'll also have your own responsibilities that people will expect you to get done. Whether you like every aspect or not is moot, since you're taking on responsibilities voluntarily.
As with all groups, including the military, your opinions aren't always welcome no matter how much someone tells you they are. There are times when your biggest challenge will be to keep quiet and just listen intently without providing feedback. And that feedback, when appropriately provided, will be done in a "professional" manner, despite the adult military environment. Sure, we all may sit around the table and B.S. from time to time, and you may hear a dirty word once in a while, but, especially when you're around kids, which may not be an option even if you aren't working directly with them, you'll need to watch yourself.
Prior military or not, you'll have a lot of learning to do when it comes to CAP because it's an entirely different environment. You'll have your owning training to get done as well. It isn't always fun, usually boring and a lot of "common sense" stuff that you feel shouldn't be part of an exam but it's CAP's way of saying "You were informed about our regulations."
My best advice:
Keep an open mind, and try to find your niche without too much effort. Know what your skills are and what you can provide, then try to get some information on what you can provide and what type of programs CAP can offer to utilize those skills. It's a very dynamic organization and everyone has different opinions. Nothing in CAP is going to be perfect. Never.
Also....expect a lot of young guys like myself who know nothing and a lot of young guys who know quite a bit more than you'd think. Expect a lot of old guys and gals who know nothing and a lot of old guys and gals who know a ton. You never know who you might be talking to---either a genius, veteran, schoolteacher, or town moron.
I'll keep this very brief:
1. Your military experience will help tremendously, but keep in mind CAP is much different from the military.
2. The rank/grade structure is CAP is based on professional development, not necessarily leadership/command/responsibility. In many squadrons the Lieutenants and Captains are in charge and do the heavy lifting while the Lt Colonels make the coffee.
3. Everyone is accepted and appreciated. Their ability level (mental or physical) is irrelevant. We accept everybody that meets our minimum qualifications and has a desire to advance our cause.
4. Safety is always paramount. Accomplishing the mission is important, doing it safely is more important. We are not expected to put our safety in jeopardy to accomplish the mission.
There's plenty more, but that would be my top four bits of advice.
Thank you all for your advice, views and thoughts. Very informative and much to think about.
While I am a Marine, I am quiet sure that a CAP SAR is far from anything I know from a TRAP mission, my comparison of these is in the end it is aircraft search and rescue as a basic.
I'll continue to think this over, I have offered 700 acres to the local group to use for field training, so I may await their first exercise there and evaluate my thoughts and views at that time.
I do like to help folks and teaching/mentoring is important and seems lost today compared to 40 years ago. I spend a good bit of time mentoring guys on long distance shooting and get more than I can handle as it is.
I have been in CAP since JUN 2015 when my daughter joined. I served 22 years in the Army National Guard, infantry and as a medic. 2 Combat deployments and retired as E6.
I choose to be enlisted in CAP. Didn't want to be a officer. Basically I'm the squadron first sergeant. Duty positions: Advisor to Commander, Communications and Search and Rescue Officer. Specialty Health Service Officer. Professional development is the same. You can take officer rank at a later date if you choose.
The military side of CAP is a small part. I'm learning the CAP/USAF way of life. I have concentrated on customs and courtesies, marching and proper wear of the uniform. The side that is missed by those without a military background.
Training is good. Your experience will be a asset. You can make it what you want.
Good luck.