Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol Explained

The Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol[1] (abbreviated INWG) is the highest echelon of Civil Air Patrol in the state of Indiana. Its headquarters is located in Terre Haute, Indiana.[2] The Indiana Wing involves 1,354 adult and youth volunteers organized into five group headquarters, a legislative squadron, and twenty-five total subordinate squadrons located throughout the state, including four School Enrichment Programs. Civil Air Patrol's 2nd largest cadet squadron, the Anderson Preparatory Academy Cadet Squadron (GLR-IN-803), is located in Anderson, Indiana.[3]

Missions

Indiana Wing performs Civil Air Patrol's three key missions:[4] emergency services, which includes search and rescue (by air and ground) and disaster relief operations; aerospace education for youth and the general public; and cadet programs for teenage youth.

Indiana Wing supports Civil Air Patrol's Emergency Services missions by flying eight Civil Air Patrol aircraft, small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and operating twenty vehicles. The Wing operates 19 high-frequency (HF) stations, and 16 very high-frequency (VHF) repeaters and 177 VHF base and mobile radios.[5] Indiana Wing is involved in search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.

Indiana Wing offers the CAP Cadet Program[6] in a number of communities across the state, and provides a free orientation flight program that flew 277 cadets in 2023. Of the 2023 flights, cadets were provided 348 powered orientation flights and 52 glider orientation flights.

Support for CAP's Aerospace Education mission includes outreach to schools, education for cadets, and participation in local aviation events.[7] [8] As part of CAP's Aerospace Education program teachers who join Civil Air Patrol as an "Aerospace Education Member" may receive a flight in CAP aircraft[9] as well as free national academic-standard aligned books, STEM kits, and award programs.[10] The AEM program has a one-time only fee with no requirement for meeting attendance and uniform wear -- and is available for home schools. Additionally, Indiana Wing maintains a hot air balloon for aviation education and community outreach.

Organizational structure

Indiana Wing is organized into a wing headquarters unit, five group headquarters overseeing 25 squadrons, and a legislative squadron. In addition, the Anderson Preparatory Academy Cadet Squadron reports directly to the wing headquarters.

Four group headquarters are aligned with Indiana's Department of Homeland Security districts[11] and have oversight for the squadrons within those districts. The fifth group headquarters oversees units within school districts.

Squadrons of the Indiana Wing
-GroupDesignation Squadron NameLocationNotes
XIIIN-002Monroe County Composite SquadronBloomington
IIN-036Valparaiso Composite SquadronValparaiso
IIN-049St Joe Valley Cadet SquadronNappanee
VIN-069Col James H. Kasler Senior SquadronGreenwood
IIN-084Lafayette Composite SquadronWest Lafayette
IIN-085Ferrier Cadet SquadronCamden
IIIIN-086Grant County Cadet FlightGas City
VIN-123Weir Cook Cadet SquadronIndianapolis International Airport
XIIIN-126Falcon Composite SquadronNew Albany
IIN-144La Porte Senior SquadronLa Porte
XIIIN-181181st Composite SquadronTerre Haute
VIN-184Shelbyville Composite SquadronShelbyville
VIN-193Indianapolis Senior SquadronIndianapolis Metropolitan Airport
IIIIN-201Fort Wayne Composite SquadronFort Wayne
IIIIN-205205th Composite SquadronMuncie
VIN-206Eagle Composite SquadronIndianapolis Executive Airport
IIN-211Lake County Cadet SquadronLake Station
XIIIN-214Bakalar Composite SquadronColumbus
XIIIN-216Patoka Valley Cadet SquadronHuntingburg
XIIIN-220River City Cadet SquadronEvansville
IIIIN-223Anderson Composite SquadronAnderson
VIN-228Ft Benjamin Harrison Composite SquadronGreenfield
VIN-802Titan Cadet SquadronMcKenzie Career CenterSchool Enrichment Program
Direct Report to Wing HQIN-803Anderson Preparatory Academy Cadet SquadronAnderson Preparatory AcademySchool Enrichment Program
IIN-806John Adams High School Cadet SquadronSouth BendSchool Enrichment Program
Direct Report to Wing HQIN-999Indiana Legislative SquadronIndianapolisGeneral Assembly Members and their Staff

Past Wing Commanders

Commanders of the Indiana Wing[12]
Commander's NamePeriod of Service
Col Walker W. Winslow1941–1949
Col Walter B. Smith1949-1950
Col Merle L. Denney1950-1952
Col Wayne W. Ricks1952-1955
Lt Col Sumner M. Sadler1955-1956
Col Stanley H. Arnolt1956-1959
Col Donald H. Lessig1959-1961
Col Cecil W. Armstrong1961-1962
Col John W. Richards1962-1964
Col M. Fred Wood1964-1966
Col Kenneth Lebo1966-1970
Col M. Fred Wood1970-1972
Col James N. Mahle1972-1977
Col Jack R. Hornbeck *1977-1981
Col Edwin D. DesLauries1981-1983
Col George W. Young1983-1987
Col Peter C. Crasher1987-1989
Col Paul Bergman **1989-1991
Col Joseph S. Gilkey II1991-1992
Col Edward F. Mueller1992-1995
Col Larry W. Landick1995-1998
Col Glenn A. Kavich1998-2002
Col Charles Greenwood2002-2006
Lt Col John Bryan ***2006-2007
Col W. Mark Reeves2007-2010
Col Richard L. Griffith ***2010-2013
Col Matthew R. Creed *2013-2016
Col Philip Argenti2016-2020
Col Robert W. Freese2020-2023
*Went on to serve as Great Lakes Region Commander.
**Went on to serve as Great Lakes Region Commander and National Commander in the grade of Brigadier General.
***Spaatz Award recipient.||}

Spaatz Award Recipients

The General Carl A. Spaatz Award is the highest award in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program. The award honors General Carl A. Spaatz, who was the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and the second National Commander of Civil Air PatrolAir Patrol.

First awarded in 1964, only 0.5% of CAP cadets ever earn the Spaatz award. Indiana Wing ranks 18th among the 50 U.S. states in the number of Spaatz awards earned. Award recipients from Indiana include:

Spaatz Awardees of the Indiana Wing[13]
Award #Spaatz RecipientAward Date
24David G. Ehrman20-Sep-66
81Bruce A. Newell8-Jan-69
181Michael K. Hayden8-Sep-72
235Christine O. McKannon7-Sep-73
252Melvin K. Hayden26-Dec-73
253Stephen G. Atkins26-Dec-73
346Gregory A. Moore29-Aug-75
358Michael D. Duke3-Nov-75
441Ronald F. Reimer, Jr14-Oct-77
497Michael J. Caylor4-Jan-79
498George F. Williams4-Jan-79
565David M. Finkel9-Feb-81
597John M. Thackston9-Mar-82
611Michael T. Orr14-Jun-82
612David J. Amin14-Jun-82
623Peter J. Conte12-Nov-82
665John P. Moorman30-Sep-83
679Chris T. Conte9-Jan-84
705James L. Daniels3-Aug-84
850Patrick K. McLaughlin8-Jun-87
852Mathew M. Roush11-Aug-87
972Mark C. Rusk12-Jan-90
1022Thomas C. Judd21-Aug-90
1061Thomas A. Valentine, Jr.13-May-91
1068Andrew D. King24-Jun-91
1178Michael J. Noffze6-Jul-93
1196Nora L. Stephenson8-Dec-93
1199David B. Dennis24-Jan-94
1228Richard L. Griffith*24-Oct-94
1262John F. Bryan*31-Jul-95
1273Charles A. Greene29-Sep-95
1317Christopher C. Curtis19-Dec-96
1318Kathy L. Hoverman13-Dec-96
1329Jamie L. Foote27-Aug-97
1338Kelly L. Waelde15-Aug-96
1365Jason T. Attinger28-Apr-98
1454Noel R. Schutt19-Mar-02
1470Meaghan N. Patten9-Aug-02
1488David E. Bass13-Feb-03
1507Philip M. Foust27-Jun-03
1646Kate A. Whitacre13-Jun-07
1708Daniel A. Fowl20-Aug-08
1724Thomas A. Redfield10-Jan-09
1849John-Paul W. Franks10-Jul-12
1865Christopher Weinzapfel9-Dec-12
1867Elizabeth A. McClamrock12-Jan-13
1874Sierra D. Parsons9-Mar-13
1957Nathan C. Shinabarger14-Jun-14
1964Jason S. Reed18-Jul-14
2050Luke Grace13-Jun-16
2253Kamryn T. Schmidt10-Aug-19
2354Tom L. Huynh27-Jun-21
2437Brayden M. Schrock29-Dec-22
2457Miriam A. Carpenter12-May-23
* Subsequently Indiana Wing commander.|}

Legal protection

Under Indiana law, private employers whose businesses are within the borders of Indiana are forbidden from disciplining their employees who are members of the Indiana Wing, if those employees miss work in order to respond to an emergency as a part of Civil Air PatrolAir Patrol.[14] Private employers are only exempted from this rule if they designate an employee as an "essential employee to the employer," and the state commander of the Indiana Wing must be notified.[15]

The State of Indiana[16] and all political subdivision of the state[17] do not have a right to seek an exemption to giving Civil Air Patrol employees leave time by designating them an "essential employee to the employer." Rather, they are forbidden from penalizing any employee who takes leave from their work responsibilities to respond to a Civil Air Patrol mission.

All Indiana secondary school students, whether public or private, are entitled to leave from school to participate in Civil Air Patrol training and missions. Schools are forbidden by law from marking these students as absent or penalizing them in any way.[18]

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. https://inwg.cap.gov/ Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol
  2. Web site: Address and Directions . Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol Official Website . 26 August 2023 .
  3. https://www.goapa.org "Anderson Preparatory Academy"
  4. [Civil Air Patrol]
  5. https://company-214080.frontify.com/d/crhrf1Aw1Ci9/file-library/show/eyJpZCI6NzM1NjI2OSwidGltZXN0YW1wIjoiMTY3NzI4MzkyMCJ9:frontify:kcqfs5VcHOrCnnLGhPKiCvNxahtitk_VroCxh9kJfvc "Indiana Wing Report 2022"
  6. [Civil Air Patrol#Cadet programs|Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program]
  7. https://www.facebook.com/IndianaCAP/posts/1474966512565272 Americas Freedom Fest at Goshen Municipal Airport
  8. Web site: limited . https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/266030200121585/1511816252209634 . 2022-04-27. La Porte County Squadron, Civil Air Patrol on Facebook . Facebook.
  9. https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/programs/aerospace-education/programs/top-flights "CAP TOP Flight Program"
  10. https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/programs/aerospace-education/for-educators "CAP AEM Program"
  11. http://www.in.gov/dhs/2797.htm IDHS District Map
  12. Indiana Wing Historical Records
  13. Web site: The Spaatz Association . Master List of Spaatz Award Recipients . 2017-12-03 .
  14. Web site: 10-16-19-1. Political subdivision may not discipline employee for absences related to civil air patrol duties — Civil action by employee. . . . 18 October 2017 .
  15. Web site: 10-16-19-2. Private employer may not discipline employee for absences related to civil air patrol duties — Exception. . . . 18 October 2017 .
  16. Web site: 4-15-10-8. Absences from work due to civil air patrol duties. . . . 18 October 2017 .
  17. Web site: 4-15-10-8. Absences from work due to civil air patrol duties. . . . 18 October 2017 .
  18. Web site: 20-33-2-17.2. School shall authorize absence and excuse of each secondary school student who is member of Indiana wing of Civil Air Patrol and who is participating in Civil Air Patrol program or operation. . . . 18 October 2017 .