| Van Dyke Cadet Squadron |
| Michigan's Premier Civil Air Patrol Squadron |
| Macomb County, Michigan |
| Tuesdays 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Clinton Township Police Department 37985 Groesbeck Hwy. Clinton Township, MI 48036 (1 mile north of 16 Mile Rd / Metropolitan Parkway) |
CAP History
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Pearl Harbor propelled the United States into World War II,
but many Americans saw the AXIS threat long before Dec. 7,
1941. Among them were nearly 150,000 men and women
involved in aviation.
As early as 1938, they began to argue for the creation of an
organization to harness their aviation resources to aid the
nation in the event America entered the conflict.
Their efforts, led by writer-aviator Gill Robb Wilson and
supported by Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, resulted in the week
before Pearl Harbor.
First organized under the Office of Civilian Defense, headed
by former New Your Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, Civil Air
Patrol members became the “Minutemen” of
The War Department, especially the Army Air Forces,
recognized reassigned from the Office of Civilian Defense to
the War Department and placed under the jurisdiction of the
Army Air Forces.
These “Flying Minutemen,” all volunteers, performed
valiantly during the war. They performed many missions
including coastal patrol to search for enemy submarines,
search and rescue missions throughout United States, cargo
and courier flights to transfer critical materials and
personnel, and even towing targets so Army Air Corps
personnel could practice air-to-air gunnery techniques – a
very risky mission with new gunners.
In all, these volunteers amassed a stunning record – flying
more than half-a-million hours, sinking two enemy
submarines, and saving hundreds of crash victims.
A thankful nation recognized the vital role CAP played during
the war and understood the organization could continue to
provide invaluable help to both local and national agencies.
On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed Public Law
476 that incorporated CAP as a benevolent, nonprofit
organization. When the U.S. Air Force came into its own,
CAP was made its official Auxiliary which it has remained to
this day.
but many Americans saw the AXIS threat long before Dec. 7,
1941. Among them were nearly 150,000 men and women
involved in aviation.
As early as 1938, they began to argue for the creation of an
organization to harness their aviation resources to aid the
nation in the event America entered the conflict.
Their efforts, led by writer-aviator Gill Robb Wilson and
supported by Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, resulted in the week
before Pearl Harbor.
First organized under the Office of Civilian Defense, headed
by former New Your Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, Civil Air
Patrol members became the “Minutemen” of
The War Department, especially the Army Air Forces,
recognized reassigned from the Office of Civilian Defense to
the War Department and placed under the jurisdiction of the
Army Air Forces.
These “Flying Minutemen,” all volunteers, performed
valiantly during the war. They performed many missions
including coastal patrol to search for enemy submarines,
search and rescue missions throughout United States, cargo
and courier flights to transfer critical materials and
personnel, and even towing targets so Army Air Corps
personnel could practice air-to-air gunnery techniques – a
very risky mission with new gunners.
In all, these volunteers amassed a stunning record – flying
more than half-a-million hours, sinking two enemy
submarines, and saving hundreds of crash victims.
A thankful nation recognized the vital role CAP played during
the war and understood the organization could continue to
provide invaluable help to both local and national agencies.
On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed Public Law
476 that incorporated CAP as a benevolent, nonprofit
organization. When the U.S. Air Force came into its own,
CAP was made its official Auxiliary which it has remained to
this day.
| "After the German surrender, one of Hitler's officers was asked why the Nazi U-boats had been withdrawn from U.S. coastal waters early in 1943. The answer was exploded in a curt guttural: 'It was because of those damned little red and yellow planes!' ...from Robert R. Neprud's Flying Minute Men |
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