NO Squadron 150 Meeting this Week!!

Friends, our squadron will NOT be meeting this Thursday (29 March) as it is the fifth week of the month and we are "dark" during the fifth week. If you were planning on visiting our squadron we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting which will be on 5 April, 2018.

Maj. Jerry Civalleri (L) and other Squadron 150 members during a meeting.
Civil Air Patrol picture by 1st Lt. Rommel Anacan

The Symbols of Civil Air Patrol: Part Two

(This post was originally posted on 9 August, 2016)

Civil Air Patrol has three main symbols-the Seal, Command Insignia and Logo. While all three symbols have different purposes and usages, they are all derived from the original CAP insignia which we discussed in Part One. 

The Civil Air Patrol seal is the legal seal of the organization and is most commonly found on official documents, letterhead and business cards when the use of the CAP Seal would be more appropriate than the CAP Logo (which we will discuss in a future post.) The CAP Seal is also used on the CAP blue polo shirt uniform. 

As you can see the Civil Air Patrol Seal (below) is derived from the Seal of the United States Air Force (bottom) and incorporates the CAP propeller in triangle first seen on the original CAP insignia. An earlier version of the Seal had the words "Civil Air Patrol" at the top of the circle and "Auxiliary United States Air Force" on the bottom-which was succeeded by the current seal in the early 1980's. 

Here is the official description of the Seal according to CAPR 900-2:

(1) Crest. The crest includes the American eagle, which is symbolic of the United States and air-striking power; the cloud formation behind the eagle depicts the creation of a new firmament; and the twists of the wreaths beneath the eagle incorporate the colors of the basic shield design 

(2) Shield. The CAP logo is superimposed on the shield. 

(3) Encircling Stars. The encircling 13 stars represent the original 13 colonies of the United States, and the three set apart at the top of the design portray the three departments within the Department of Defense —the Army, Navy and Air Force.

CAP is proud of our connection with the US Air Force and to serve as it's Auxiliary! Did you know that in 2015 Civil Air Patrol was named a full member of the US Air Force Total Force when performing missions as the USAF Auxiliary?

Next time we will discuss the Command Insignia most commonly worn on flight duty uniforms and found on CAP aircraft and vehicles and the Logo. 

Squadron 150 to Host "Pathway to Becoming a CAP Pilot"

Squadron 150 will host this month's South Coast Group 7 Joint Training Meeting, which is open to all senior members of the six Group 7 squadrons in Orange County. The topic will be "The Pathway to Becoming a CAP Pilot" facilitated by Maj. Tom Barbre (Squadron 41) and Capt. Rick DeMartino (Squadron 68). Attendees will be taken through the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Form 5 process.

The meeting will begin at 1900 (7:00) pm at Group 7/Squadron 150 HQ at 3976 Constitution Avenue at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base. (Note-this is a different start time than our typical meetings!)

The History of Civil Air Patrol Symbols: Part One

(This post was originally published on 26 July, 2016)

The symbols of Civil Air Patrol reveal our origins as a component of the Office of Civilian Defense. For decades the Civil Defense logo was ubiquitous all around the nation and could be found everywhere from cars, signs, shelters, and sirens. Remember this?

On 12 February, 1942 CAP NHQ approved the official CAP symbol:

"Operational Directive No. 2 February 12, 1942, (OD No. 2)  National Headquarters, Civil Air Patrol Office of Civilian Defense(Washington) 

The Civil Air Patrol insignia (blue disk with superimposed white triangle and with red three-bladed propeller superimposed on white triangle) shall be placed on the wings and fuselage of all aircraft engaged in official Civil Air Patrol Missions. Any aircraft while displaying such insignia shall be flown exclusively by members of the Civil Air patrol."

A member of CAP during World War II. You can see the CAP insignia on her left shoulder

The insignia on the right was used circa 1942-1944 while the insignia on the left, with "Civil Air Patrol" added to the patch was introduced in 1944. 

Because CAP was a part of the Office of Civilian Defense it was only natural that CAP's insignia was derived from CD insignia. CAP's symbol during the WWII era was the blue circle and white triangle found on the Civilian Defense insignia, with a red triangle replacing the letters "CD." Later versions of this emblem included the letters "US."

For reference here is a poster with the other CD insignia of the era. 

Interestingly, CAP's insignia (albeit used in a modified form today) is the only insignia on this poster still used today, as the concepts of and the term Civilian Defense (and later Civil Defense) fell out of favor as the nation transitioned to policies of "Emergency Management." In fact, today's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a direct descendant of The Office of Civilian Defense (and it's various incarnations during the post-World War II and Cold War period.)

CAP kept its CD-derived insignia even after it was transferred to the authority of the War Department and became the auxiliary of the United States Army Air Forces. 

In future posts we will see the evolution of the symbols of CAP and the balance of maintaining a link to CAP's history and looking forward towards CAP's future.