Civil Air Patrol: Focus on Aerospace Education and Youth Training

During his career, Roderick C. Wright II served with both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. Roderick C. Wright also spent several years as a commander of a Civil Air Patrol squadron located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The government established the Civil Air Patrol in the late 1930s as a way for volunteers to use their flying skills to defend the United States at the start of World War II. In 1948, the Civil Air Patrol officially became an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, and it continues to support the U.S. and its citizens today.

The primary goals of the Civil Air Patrol are to provide aerospace education, train youth for potential service in the U.S. Air Force, and offer various emergency services as needed. There are aerospace education programs for both the general public and volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol, and this instruction is a key component of the organization’s youth training cadet program.