CAPITAL CLOSE-UP

and searches,” a comment that generated applause.
Contributions from the New York and Massachusetts
wings highlighted the wings’ missions in the aftermath of
the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks — from transporting
medical supplies
to flying photographic
missions
above Ground Zero.
“It was an easy
decision for us,” said
Massachusetts Wing
Commander Col.
David Belcher. “We
tried to think of
something significant
that happened,
and for us, the
events of 9/11 surely
were very prominent
in the Northeast,
New York,
Massachusetts and the surrounding area.” In addition to
the New York Wing’s aerial photos of Ground Zero and
lower Manhattan from Sept. 12, 2001, a wing headquarters
patch and a news release symbolic of the wing’s
disaster relief support after 9/11 were submitted.
Emergency response missions were also represented in
the Colorado Wing's contributions. Commander Col.
Greg Cortum presented a photo and article about the
wing’s blizzard missions in January 2007, when CAP aircrews
spotted stranded motorists and cattle. “The
Colorado Wing wants everyone in the future to know
we train hard and we’re ready to perform when we are
needed. We live to serve and help the state,” he said.
One time capsule contribution embodied both the
spirit of the wing from which it came and the spirit of
CAP — the New Mexico Wing’s Zia Sunset patch. “The
symbol was designed 1,500 years ago by the ancestors of
the Zia Indians,” explained New Mexico Wing
Commander Col. Frank Buethe. “It represents the sun,
the giver of life. The rays that emanate from the sun in
four cardinal directions represent the Zia belief that man
CAP time capsule contributions includes an assortment of wing patches
from across the nation, a wing patch plaque from the Wisconsin Wing, an
emergency locator transmitter, a South Carolina Wing encampment shirt, a
Mississippi Wing hat and an ornamental bell from the West Virginia Wing.
has four sacred obligations — to develop a strong body,
a clear mind, a fierce spirit and devotion to the welfare
of the people, which today we translate into the core
values of the Civil Air
Patrol. Sixty-five years
from now, this symbol will
mean the same thing to
those who will open the
time capsule.”
To help future CAP
members make sense of the
submissions, CAP National
Historian Col. Len
Blascovich submitted
monographs explaining the
history behind CAP wing
patches and aeronautical
badges, noting, “I thought
that was appropriate since a
lot of wing patches were
submitted. The monographs
explain what we
wore, when we wore it and why.”
Besides the wing and region commanders, CAP
National Commander Maj. Gen. Antonio Pineda, Vice
Commander Brig. Gen. Amy Courter, Executive Director
Donnie Rowland, CAP-U.S. Air Force Senior Adviser Col.
Russell Hodgkins and CAP Board of Governors Chairman
and former national commander Maj. Gen. Richard
Bowling also submitted items to the time capsule.
The emphasis on the future gave CAP members a
chance to ponder the legacy of present-era CAP members.
Said Montana Wing Commander Col. Robert Hoffman:
“I hope the members in the future will look back on our
time capsule era as an era of change for the better.”
His feelings of hope were echoed by Pineda. “I hope
the CAP members of the future will look back on us
with the same awe and appreciation we have when we
think about the subchasers from 65 years ago, who vigilantly
patrolled our shores against the U-boat menace,
fueled by patriotism and courage, and with much simpler
tools than the ones we use today in our Missions for
America,” he said. ▲
Civil Air Patrol Volunteer 18 May-June 2007