Health & Fitness
Howard Composite Squadron Cadet Change of Command
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Cody Taylor assumed command of the cadet component of the Howard Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol in a ceremony at the Fifth District Volunteer Fire Department.
by Maj. Jacob Gerstein, CAP
CLARKSVILLE, MD–On Thursday July 11, 2013, Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Cody Taylor assumed command of the cadet component of the Howard Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. Outgoing Cadet Commander Cadet 1st Lt. Joni Taylor relinquished command in a ceremony at the Fifth District Volunteer Fire Department.
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Taylor intends “to carry on the traditions of the squadron and Civil Air Patrol while expanding the cadet membership.” His goals include starting a squadron color guard, expanding the existing ground team, and arranging museum tours for the squadron.
Cadet 1st Lt. Taylor begins her freshman year at Texas A&M University this fall, where she will be a member of the university's Corps of Cadets. She intends to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering and participate in the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. She feels that her experiences in Civil Air Patrol have helped prepare her to take on these new challenges. Cadet 1st Lt. Taylor served in leadership roles in a variety of Civil Air Patrol activities, including the Tri-Wing Encampment, the Squadron Operations and Administration Retreat, and the wing's Cadet Advisory Council.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 71 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.
Over 1,600 members of CAP serve in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 13 search and rescue missions and were credited with five finds and one life saved. Maryland Wing flew 32 missions for the State of Maryland totaling 2,106 hours. Volunteers contributed services estimated at 4.6 million dollars. For more information contact the Maryland Wing at www.mdcap.org.
The Howard Composite Squadron meets on Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. The squadron does not meet on days that Howard County public schools are closed.
