Civil Air Patrol Updates Remobilization Phases

For the last several months, Civil Air Patrol's COVID-19 Plans Team has been working on strategies to modernize our remobilization efforts. The system under which we've been operating for nearly two years has become outdated. Vaccines and other pharmaceutical interventions have significantly reduced the lethality of COVID-19. Health care professionals and epidemiologists have a much broader knowledge of the virus and how to effectively treat it.

CAP members have demonstrated an ability to conduct activities of all sizes safely without them becoming super-spreader events. Event exceptions, follow-ups, the study of best practices, and our members' attention to detail have proven effective.

For all these reasons, National Commander/CEO Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka has sent a memorandum to the Command Council updating CAP’s COVID-19 phase criteria and including an updated phase chart for CAP wings to follow. With these updates, most wings will be able to loosen several meeting restrictions.
Parsons Named New National Command Chief
Chief Master Sgt. Todd H. Parsons of Civil Air Patrol’s Mid-Atlantic Region will be the organization’s next national command chief.
 
National Commander/CEO Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka announced the appointment Feb. 1. A ceremony marking the changing of responsibility will take place Feb. 18 at the Winter Command Council meeting in Washington, D.C.
 
“I am excited to welcome Chief Parsons to the command team as CAP’s next national command chief,” Phelka said. “His professional military experience and outstanding leadership skills make him ideally suited to lead the NCO corps and provide key insight and advice to CAP senior leaders at all levels.”
145th Cadet Earns 'Wings' Through
CAP Program

Cadet Lt. Col. Joel Mink is the 145th graduate of CAP's nearly 3-year-old Cadet Wings program funded by the U.S. Air Force.

Mink, a member of the Kentucky Wing's Boone County Cadet Squadron in Florence, received his FAA private pilot certificate Jan. 15.

He is the 15th cadet from CAP's Great Lakes Region to earn his wings and the first from Kentucky Wing to do so.
February is Black History Month. Did you know National Headquarters stands only 2.8 miles from Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took his first important steps toward national prominence as the pre-eminent leader of the Civil Rights Movement by helping organize and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott? The bus boycott lasted from December 1955-December 1956.

National Headquarters moved from Ellington Air Force Base, Texas, to Maxwell AFB, a few blocks away from downtown Montgomery, in July 1967.
NHQ News
Call Issued For Conference Program Proposals
It's time once again to prepare for the 2022 Civil Air Patrol National Conference, scheduled for Aug. 25-27 in Louisville, Kentucky.

At the 2021 National Conference, CAP explored a new way of finding and selecting content for presentations and learning sessions by accepting proposals from any member who wants to present. This resulted in a variety of sessions created and presented by members and staff from National Headquarters, national staff, and more than 25 wings and regions.

Conference planners are taking the same approach this year.
Update Unit Locator Notes for Prospective Members
As COVID-19 status levels adjust, squadrons should consider updating the “Unit Notes” section displayed following a search using the CAP Unit Locator on GoCivilAirPatrol.com. This update will benefit prospective members who choose to attend a meeting without notifying the squadron. Yes, this has happened.

To update your notes section, go to eServices Personnel > Membership System > Org. Maintenance > and then click on the Notes tab. Members with these duty assignments can edit the unit information: Administrative Officer, Chief of Staff, Commander, Director of Administration, Director of Personnel, Personnel Officer, and Vice Commander.

Also, we added this message at the top of the CAP Unit Locator page: “Due to COVID-19 restrictions varying throughout the country, some CAP units have had to modify their meeting days, times, or locations.” Please reach out to the squadron point of contact to verify that unit's current meeting arrangements prior to making an in-person visit.
Tweet of the Week @CivilAirPatrol
Every unit of blood collected through the combined efforts of Civil Air Patrol volunteers saves three lives. During its 21-month response to COVID-19, Operation Pulse Lift has collected this number of units:
Operation Pulse Lift's new stretch goal is 10,000 units by Feb. 14.

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