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Civil Air Patrol cadets take flight from Shaw

  • Published
  • By A1C Hunter Brady
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
July 3, 2012 --  South Carolina Civil Air Patrol cadets toured Shaw Air Force Base as part of a nine-day summer encampment located at the McCrady Training Center at Fort Jackson, S.C., June 28.

The Civil Air Patrol is a military and non-profit organization founded in 1941 and became the official auxiliary for the U.S. Air Force in 1947.

The nine-day encampment is held annually and consists of the cadets sleeping in barracks, drill practice and Air Force-related classes. The purpose is to simulate the Basic Military Training experience.

While at Shaw AFB, the 110 young cadets first took a tour of the 20th Civil Engineer Squadron firehouse and spoke to firefighters about their everyday operations.

The cadets were also given the chance to experiment with some of the equipment and saw first-hand how the Airmen operated in an emergency situation.

After the firehouse tour, the cadets ate lunch at the Chief Master Sgt. William Emerson dining facility to get a taste of what life is like for Shaw Airmen.

"The cadets get to see the operations of an Air Force Base up close," said Mark Rutan, S.C. CAP liaison officer. "It takes away the unknown and the fear factor from the young cadets."

A C-17A Globemaster III from Charleston AFB flew onto Shaw's runway, providing the CAP cadets an early afternoon flight. For many of these young adolescents, this was their first flight on a military aircraft.

"It was scary at first," said Cadet Airman 1st Class Johanna Roberts. "But after going inside the C-17, it was really cool."

While airborne, the cadets we allowed to get up and look around the aircraft, which included taking a quick tour inside of the cockpit.

"To see them (the cadets) smile, that spark in their eyes..." said CAP Capt. Joshua Cunningham, commandant of cadets. "It reminds me of when I first joined CAP as a cadet 12 years ago. That's all I need."