Civil Air Patrol has PT man as new commander

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A Port Townsend resident is the new commander of the area’s Civil Air Patrol squadron.

The Dungeness Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, installed a new commander in a brief ceremony held on Dec. 2 at Sequim Middle School.

In a change-of-command ceremony, Lt. Col. Donald Long, commander of Washington Wing’s West Central Group, officially handed over the squadron flag, called a guidon, to 1st Lt. Matthew Stewart.

Stewart replaces Lt. Veronica Turner, who stepped down as the squadron commander in October. The new commander is also a new resident of Port Townsend; he was formerly involved in the Civil Air Patrol organization in the Chicago, Illinois, area.

For the Dungeness squadron, the change of command is part of a reorganization that moved the group to Sequim this fall. It was formerly housed in facilities at Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles.

The squadron’s name is also new. It was formerly called the Port Angeles Composite Squadron. Washington Wing commander Col. James P. Furlong approved the change, designed to encompass the North Olympic Peninsula, on Dec. 3.

“Our group is small right now,” said 1st Lt. Stewart, “and we are building on the foundations of the former Port Angeles Squadron. We plan to recruit from the Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend area.”

The Civil Air Patrol cadet program, said Stewart, is “an excellent way for teens to get involved in aviation and prepare for education or careers involving high technology. For many, it’s the best way for parents to encourage their kids interests in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics].”

Male and female teens, ages 12-18, are encouraged to visit the squadron, which meets Tuesday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Sequim Middle School cafeteria.

One of Stewart’s first moves was to appoint Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Siana Turner, a Sequim High School student, as the organization’s cadet commander. With guidance and direction from adult officers, Civil Air Patrol cadets largely supervise and train each other within an Air Force–style command structure.

The squadron also seeks prospective adult officers, known as seniors, who are interested in the Civil Air Patrol’s three missions of aerospace education, the cadet program and emergency services.

For information about the Civil Air Patrol, visit

gocivilairpatrol.com or visit the Dungeness Squadron on Facebook at

facebook.com/dungenesscap.

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a nonprofit organization with 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 assigned by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.