Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol

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 1122 adult and youth volunteers organized into five group headquarters, a legislative squadron, and twenty-six 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]

Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol
Indiana Wing of Civil Air Patrol
Associated branches
United States Air Force
Command staff
Commander Col Aaron Angelini
Chief of StaffLt Col Joe Curry
Current statistics
Squadrons26
Cadets696
Seniors426
Total Membership1,122
Websiteinwg.cap.gov
Statistics as of October 29, 2022

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 has involved over 470 cadets in 2022 alone.

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 26 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.

  • Indiana Group I: IDHS Districts 1, 2, and 4
  • Indiana Group III: IDHS Districts 3 and 6.
  • Indiana Group V: IDHS District V.
  • Indiana Group XII: IDHS Districts 7, 8, 9, and 10.
  • Indiana Group 800: Indiana Wing Schools Group
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Group Designation Squadron Name Location Notes
XII IN-002 Monroe County Composite Squadron Bloomington
I IN-036 Valparaiso Composite Squadron Valparaiso
I IN-049 St Joe Valley Cadet Squadron Nappanee
V IN-069 Col James H. Kasler Senior Squadron Greenwood
I IN-084 Lafayette Composite Squadron West Lafayette
I IN-085 Ferrier Cadet Squadron Camden
III IN-086 Grant County Cadet Flight Gas City
V IN-123 Weir Cook Cadet Squadron Indianapolis International Airport
XII IN-126 Falcon Composite Squadron New Albany
I IN-144 LaPorte Senior Squadron LaPorte
XII IN-181 181st Composite Squadron Terre Haute
V IN-184 Shelbyville Composite Squadron Shelbyville
V IN-193 Indianapolis Senior Squadron Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport
III IN-201 Fort Wayne Composite Squadron Fort Wayne
III IN-205 205th Composite Squadron Muncie
V IN-206 Eagle Composite Squadron Indianapolis Executive Airport
I IN-211 Lake County Cadet Squadron Lake Station
XII IN-214 Bakalar Composite Squadron Columbus
XII IN-220 River City Cadet Squadron Evansville
III IN-223 Anderson Composite Squadron Anderson
V IN-228 Ft Benjamin Harrison Composite Squadron Greenfield
V IN-802 Titan Cadet Squadron McKenzie Career Center School Enrichment Program
Direct Report to Wing HQ IN-803 Anderson Preparatory Academy Cadet Squadron Anderson Preparatory Academy School Enrichment Program
I IN-806 John Adams High School Cadet Squadron South Bend School Enrichment Program
Direct Report to Wing HQ IN-999 Indiana Legislative Squadron Indianapolis General Assembly Members and their Staff

Past Wing Commanders

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Bryce Bookwalter instructs a squad of Indiana CAP cadets in the use of equipment used to locate aircraft ELT signal devices, during a ground team training exercise.
Members of the local Civil Air Patrol prepare to conduct an exercise with the Grissom emergency management team and members of the 434th Communications Squadron.
Civil Air Patrol Cadets navigate the conditioning course at Camp Atterbury.
Commanders of the Indiana Wing[12]
Commander's Name Period of Service
Col Walker W. Winslow 1941–1949
Col Walter B. Smith 1949-1950
Col Merle L. Denney 1950-1952
Col Wayne W. Ricks 1952-1955
Lt Col Sumner M. Sadler 1955-1956
Col Stanley H. Arnolt 1956-1959
Col Donald H. Lessig 1959-1961
Col Cecil W. Armstrong 1961-1962
Col John W. Richards 1962-1964
Col M. Fred Wood 1964-1966
Col Kenneth Lebo 1966-1970
Col M. Fred Wood 1970-1972
Col James N. Mahle 1972-1977
Col Jack R. Hornbeck * 1977-1981
Col Edwin D. DesLauries 1981-1983
Col George W. Young 1983-1987
Col Peter C. Crasher 1987-1989
Col Paul Bergman ** 1989-1991
Col Joseph S. Gilkey II 1991-1992
Col Edward F. Mueller 1992-1995
Col Larry W. Landick 1995-1998
Col Glenn A. Kavich 1998-2002
Col Charles Greenwood 2002-2006
Lt Col John Bryan *** 2006-2007
Col W. Mark Reeves 2007-2010
Col Richard L. Griffith *** 2010-2013
Col Matthew R. Creed * 2013-2016
Col Philip Argenti 2016-2020
Col Robert W. Freese 2020-2023
*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

Carl A. Spaatz ribbon

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:

A member of the local Civil Air Patrol operates a radio direction finder during an exercise with the Grissom emergency management team and members of the 434th Communications Squadron in Kokomo, Indiana.
Civil Air Patrol Cadets train with direction finding equipment used to locate aircraft distress beacons referred to as ELTs.
Civil Air Patrol Cadets work together to cross a gap at the conditioning course at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center.
Spaatz Awardees of the Indiana Wing[13]
Award # Spaatz Recipient Award Date
24 David G. Ehrman 20-Sep-66
81 Bruce A. Newell 8-Jan-69
181 Michael K. Hayden 8-Sep-72
235 Christine O. McKannon 7-Sep-73
252 Melvin K. Hayden 26-Dec-73
253 Stephen G. Atkins 26-Dec-73
346 Gregory A. Moore 29-Aug-75
358 Michael D. Duke 3-Nov-75
441 Ronald F. Reimer, Jr 14-Oct-77
497 Michael J. Caylor 4-Jan-79
498 George F. Williams 4-Jan-79
565 David M. Finkel 9-Feb-81
597 John M. Thackston 9-Mar-82
611 Michael T. Orr 14-Jun-82
612 David J. Amin 14-Jun-82
623 Peter J. Conte 12-Nov-82
665 John P. Moorman 30-Sep-83
679 Chris T. Conte 9-Jan-84
705 James L. Daniels 3-Aug-84
850 Patrick K. McLaughlin 8-Jun-87
852 Mathew M. Roush 11-Aug-87
972 Mark C. Rusk 12-Jan-90
1022 Thomas C. Judd 21-Aug-90
1061 Thomas A. Valentine, Jr. 13-May-91
1068 Andrew D. King 24-Jun-91
1178 Michael J. Noffze 6-Jul-93
1196 Nora L. Stephenson 8-Dec-93
1199 David B. Dennis 24-Jan-94
1228 Richard L. Griffith* 24-Oct-94
1262 John F. Bryan* 31-Jul-95
1273 Charles A. Greene 29-Sep-95
1317 Christopher C. Curtis 19-Dec-96
1318 Kathy L. Hoverman 13-Dec-96
1329 Jamie L. Foote 27-Aug-97
1338 Kelly L. Waelde 15-Aug-96
1365 Jason T. Attinger 28-Apr-98
1454 Noel R. Schutt 19-Mar-02
1470 Meaghan N. Patten 9-Aug-02
1488 David E. Bass 13-Feb-03
1507 Philip M. Foust 27-Jun-03
1646 Kate A. Whitacre 13-Jun-07
1708 Daniel A. Fowl 20-Aug-08
1724 Thomas A. Redfield 10-Jan-09
1849 John-Paul W. Franks 10-Jul-12
1865 Christopher Weinzapfel 9-Dec-12
1867 Elizabeth A. McClamrock 12-Jan-13
1874 Sierra D. Parsons 9-Mar-13
1957 Nathan C. Shinabarger 14-Jun-14
1964 Jason S. Reed 18-Jul-14
2050 Luke Grace 13-Jun-16
2253 Kamryn T. Schmidt 10-Aug-19
2354 Tom L. Huynh 27-Jun-21
2437 Brayden M. Schrock 29-Dec-22
2457 Miriam A. Carpenter 12-May-23
* Subsequently Indiana Wing commander.

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

References

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