Civil Air Patrol open house

LACONIA — The Hawk Composite Squadron will host its Fall Open House and membership information night on Thursday, Sept. 26. The group is looking for cadet members ages 12-18, as well as senior members over 18 to join the Lakes Region program.

The open house will include displays of emergency services equipment, aerospace displays, and information on cadet program opportunities.  On display will be CAP vehicles and aircraft as well as CAP remote control and Redbird flight simulators.

This is an opportunity to meet the squadron staff and cadets, all of whom will present about the benefits of joining the 291 cadets and 355 senior members of the New Hampshire Wing. This is one of two opportunities annually to join the squadron as a cadet.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. CAP is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

Its members play a role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young members in the CAP cadet program. Civil Air Patrol received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II Veterans. Congressionally chartered 75 years ago, the nonprofit organization currently has over 61,000 members.

Join CAP on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Laconia Municipal Airport at 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. All are encouraged to attend.