Thriving During Lockdown
By C/MSgt Grace Anderson, CAP
Cadet Public Affairs Officer
Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron is not only surviving but thriving during the COVID-19 quarantine. Major General Mark E. Smith, Commander, Civil Air Patrol, announced that the Civil Air Patrol would stop all in-person meetings on March 14th, 2020. In the subsequent 4 months, the unit participated in several emergency services missions, training activities, cadet and senior member meetings, cadet-focused activities, and more. Participation in Squadron, Group, and Wing activities have skyrocketed during the lockdown.
Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron participated in several emergency services missions, including Points of Distribution (PODs) missions, in which people distribute supplies provided by the government during times of emergency, and Mission Staff Assistant (MSA) missions which primarily involve driving vans of supplies in order to assist North Carolina Emergency Management. The unit had 7 cadets (members aged from 12-21) and 8 senior members (members above age 21) assisting at PODs across North Carolina and 8 senior members providing MSA support. The squadron’s MSAs and Senior Members have been volunteering since April 1st, 2020, which makes this mission the longest-running mission in North Carolina Wing’s history.
When it comes to training, the Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron went above and beyond during the COVID-19 lockdown. They have hosted 8 training sessions, with some repeating or continuing for weeks or months. In addition, the unit’s Emergency Services Officer, 1st Lt Wendy Peters, hosted weekly “CAP Talks” for the North Carolina Wing featuring 7 speakers on assorted topics. “CAP Talks” has had an average attendance rate of 100 members. The unit is also hosting a training event covering the Garmin G1000, an all-glass avionics suite designed for a range of business aircraft, led by Maj Jeremy Browner and 1st Lt Wendy Peters. This aviation ground school training has attendees from 5 Civil Air Patrol Wings with an average of 80 attendees! Maj Alberto Griffa, Commander, Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron, is very proud of the excellence shown by his unit in elevating their training and skills.
Attendance at regularly scheduled meetings, now held 100% online, has increased by nearly 40%. Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron grew its membership during the COVID-19 lockdown as well. After attending several online meetings, 4 cadets and 3 senior members joined the unit.
The cadets of Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron are staying busy by completing online training, attending meetings, obtaining promotions in rank, and completing squadron improvement projects. The cadet commander, C/Capt L. Parker Perkins, is proud of the action and initiative his cadets are taking. He stated, “I am very proud of the work ethic and dedication that our squadron displays on a daily basis, especially in the face of the many challenges that we face as a community.” C/Capt Perkins created an online cadet competition to keep cadets active and motivated during lockdown. The virtual cadet competition allows cadets to earn points – by performing physical activities like running or pushups, by attending online training, by receiving promotions, and even by participating in a uniform competition judged by photos submitted online. There are currently more than 24 cadets in the competition, with Cadet Airman Basic Ilam Maya in the lead with 64,879 points. Cadets also participate in committees such as the Study Tools Committee to help improve the squadron. The Study Tools Committee is researching ways to improve the unit’s education program to allow cadets to better learn, retain, and apply required educational material offered by Civil Air Patrol.
Cadets will be competing in a paper plane design competition. This competition will have various levels of competing groups as well as individual contests. Cadets will be evaluated on distance, design and appearance of their craft. Cadets whose crafts advance to the finals will be required to have their craft built and flown by a senior member who will be chosen at random. Group competition will combine similar elements and will also evaluate teamwork and team building elements.
During the lockdown, cadets and senior members have earned many achievements and promotions. So far, 32 cadets and 4 senior members received promotions during lockdown and 28 members have obtained emergency services qualifications. Lt Col Brendan Kearns, Vice Commander, North Carolina Wing praised many of the practices put into place by the Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron to adapt to the COVID lockdown and he listed two of these practices on the North Carolina Wing’s Best Practices web page.
