There are youths on Maui, known as cadets, who love their country and have
enormous respect for their education, their elders and each other.
They are part of a volunteer aviation program, a United States Air Force
auxiliary service called Civil Air Patrol (CAP), that carries out several
specific missions. Through training for and executing these missions, CAP
demonstrates courage and commitment to building character, education and service
to others. The experience offered at CAP proves to be of enduring value to the
cadets, as those involved are irrevocably changed in a number of positive
ways.
CAP enjoys a proud legacy of selfless sacrifice and service. In 1941, its
first members were a heroic breed who assisted aviation’s role in America’s
military operations just as World War II was breaking out.
“Today we handle 90 percent of inland search and rescue missions, saving many
lives each year,” said Major General Amy Courter, the current national commander
of CAP. “We have provided disaster relief as well as humanitarian missions.” CAP
now provides top-notch, year-round professional development training
opportunities with aircraft equipped and available for search and rescue.
“The experience of my first orientation flight as a cadet is somehow still
alive in me,” said 1st Lt. Commander Ed Zayas of CAP’s Kīhei Flight. “The
discipline I learned in CAP helped me succeed in my military career.” This is
the reason why he wants kids to experience the program. “I see no better way to
invest in America than helping young adults learn and experience aerospace
education and leadership through participation in CAP.”
CAP meets once a week on Thursdays, 5 to 8 p.m., at the Veterans of Foreign
Wars Clubhouse in Kīhei. They start with a fun exercise in aviation, or a
hands-on component in land navigation. The cadets raise the American Flag, hold
a formation to share information and inspect their uniforms. Then they practice
drills and ceremonies and begin their different types of training, whether
aviation, civics, land navigation, flight simulation, or other. Lt. Zayas
teaches history of aviation, physics of flight, Newton’s laws of motion,
Bernoulli’s principle of aerodynamics, aircraft components, instrumentation, jet
engines and rockets.
To acquire rank advancement, cadets can test once a month. “Some of the
promotions require taking a test on aerospace technology, leadership and
physical fitness,” said Lt. Commander Zayas. Cadets learn how to use military
style compasses and GPS equipment, as well as first aid training and CPR. They
must also demonstrate that they are able to apply what they have learned before
being promoted.
Sammy Parrella, a seventh-grader from the STEM Academy Charter School in
Kīhei, has been a cadet for almost two years. His rank is 1st Sergeant, and he
is aspiring for a career in the Air Force.
“I love everything about CAP,” said Parrella. “You can see the teamwork we
have if you come to a meeting. We actually learn to fly on CAP aircraft and
practice our lessons on computer-based flight simulation software.”
“I began with CAP by just driving my grandson there, and I liked what I saw,”
said Parrella’s grandmother, Diane Parrella, a 2nd Lt. Deputy Commander. She is
a retired teacher who decided to support the group’s work. She teaches a broad
spectrum of civil education subjects, such as government, election and court
procedures. Presently, she is teaching about the various wars America has been
in, with an emphasis on the role of the Air Force. “Once the meeting begins, my
grandson calls me ‘ma’am,’ and I call him ‘sergeant.’”
“Actually, the CAP program is not just for kids,” said Zayas. “We offer
training opportunities and interesting programs for adults.” They want to
recruit educators, pilots, engineers—in sum, adults that have experiences to
share and would like to help young adults. “We would also like to reach out to
educators in our community who want to bring the topic of aviation and space
into their classrooms using CAP lesson plans and materials.”
On Saturday, April 25, at the Kīhei Charter High School, Civil Air Patrol is
offering a seminar in partnership with TEACH Maui Inc. from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30
p.m. Educators for grades K–12 are invited to a complimentary continental
breakfast and lunch, while finding out how to obtain lesson plans and classroom
materials free of charge.
Come join the cadets! Learn how your students can participate in fascinating
and useful enrichment activities such as Aerospace Education, Model Rocketry,
Flight Physics and Mathematics, Leadership, Meteorology, History of Aviation and
Aerospace Careers. Join them and observe firsthand some of the lessons, try a
computer-based flight simulation, or if you want to soar over the clouds, sign
up for an Educator Orientation Flight in one of Civil Air Patrol’s aircraft.
For more information, visit http://www.capinkihei.org/ or call 879-4605 or 879-4601. Email
Lt. Zayas at edzayas@gmail.com.