Civil Air Patrol officers Lt. Col. Neil Rapozo and Lt. Col. Ronald Victorino were honored for their 50 years of service to the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary of the Civil Air Patrol. More than 60 CAP members were on hand
Civil Air Patrol officers Lt. Col. Neil Rapozo and Lt. Col. Ronald Victorino were honored for their 50 years of service to the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary of the Civil Air Patrol.
More than 60 CAP members were on hand as Maj. Gen. Charles Carr presented Rapozo and Victorino with the 50-Year Membership Award at a ceremony last week at the CAP hangars at Lihu‘e Airport.
Both CAP officers are Search and Rescue pilots who serve the community on CAP Emergency Services Missions, flying as pilots and crew members in air searches, disaster relief operations, homeland security operations and tsunami warnings, states a CAP release.
One week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, there were more than 150,000 volunteers who loved aviation and proposed creation of an organization that would put their planes and flying skills to use to defend the country. This was the seed which gave birth to the Civil Air Patrol.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands of volunteers answered America’s call to national service, with volunteers assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps.
The contributions of the CAP included flying more than 500,000 hours, sinking two enemy submarines and saving hundreds of crash victims during World War II.
Congress formally established the CAP as an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force on May 26, 1948.
The group’s congressionally chartered mission in Hawai‘i includes emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education, as well as a growing role in the nation’s homeland security operations.
Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
