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Maryland Wing members earn awards

Col John Knowles and Capt Matt Cauthern
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Col John Knowles, commander of Maryland Wing, presents the Grover Loening Award to Capt Matthew Cauthern at the staff meeting on April 21.

Staff members honored

By Col Kay Joslin Walling, CAP
Maryland Wing Public Affairs

4/23/2012–Baltimore, MD–Several members of Maryland Wing were presented with awards at the monthly drill meeting on Saturday, April 21.

Capt Matthew Cauthen was presented with the Grover Loening Award. The Grover Loening Award is given to Civil Air Patrol (CAP) members who complete Level III of the Senior Member Professional Development Program. It recognizes those members who have dedicated themselves to leadership and personal development in the CAP. This award was first given in 1964 and honors the late Grover Loening. A noted aviation pioneer, he was the first civilian member of the National Air and Space Museum’s Advisory Board. Of CAP’s 35,000 senior members, only about 350 earn the Grover Loening Award each year. Receipt of the award and completion of rank and time-in-grade requirements also makes the member eligible for promotion to CAP Major

Maj Christopher Howell was presented with the Norm Edwards Counterdrug Officer of the Year Award. The award recognizes a member’s lifetime contribution to the CAP Counterdrug Program. Maj Howell received the award from the Middle East Region CAP and is one of eight finalists for the Norm Edwards Counterdrug Officer of the Year Award at the national level.

Col Gerard Weiss Colonel received the Edwin W. Lewis, Jr. Incident Staff Member of the Year Award. This award recognizes active cadet or senior members in CAP who have contributed significantly to the success of CAP’s emergency services and operational mission on the incident staff level. Col John Knowles, commander of Maryland Wing, accepted the award on behalf of Col Weiss at the Middle East Region Conference in March. Col Weiss is one of eight finalists for the national award.

Maj Dana Thorpe was presented with the Meritorious Service Award. The award is presented for outstanding achievement or meritorious service rendered specifically on behalf of CAP.

Maj Martin Brown received the CAP Achievement Award for Outstanding Duty Performance. The award is presented for outstanding service to the unit, group or wing.

Maj Timothy Strickland received special recognition from Col John Knowles, Maryland Wing Commander, for his outstanding service as Director of Emergency Services. Maj Strickland has spearheaded the effort to use the Mobile Incident Command Post (MICP) and the Transportable Incident Command Posts (TCIP) for search and rescue exercises.

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 was credited by the AFRCC with saving 54 lives in fiscal year 2011. 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 nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 70 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.

More than 1,500 members of CAP serve in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information contact The Maryland Wing at www.mdcap.org.