NEWS: NatCap members receive awards from MER
April 27, 2009
WASHINGTON — National Capital Wing and three of its members recently received recognition from Civil Air Patrol's Middle East Region (MER) for excellence in 2008 at the annual conference and awards banquet held in Richmond, Va.
National Capital Wing was honored for its outstanding work in the area of homeland security. The wing participated in numerous air sorties, in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force and other agencies, that provided a training platform for security of the National Capital Region (NCR). Col. Richard Cooper, wing commander, accepted the award from Col. Joseph Vazquez, Middle East Region commander.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Hoffmann received the 2008 Chaplain of the Year award from MER. Hoffmann is the National Capital Wing Chaplain. During the year, Hoffmann received an excellent on the wing compliance inspection performed by a team from the U.S. Air Force. He has supplemented Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) as they face their own shortage of military chaplains. Additionally, Hoffmann is a qualified CAP pilot, performing emergency services and homeland security missions.
Capt. James Dunn was recognized as the 2008 Communications Officer of the Year. Dunn is assigned as the communications officer at National Capital Wing's Andrews Composite Squadron. His inexhaustible energy and unwavering dedication to the mission was evident when he created a mobile incident command post, increasing wing and squadron emergency services mission capabilities. He contributed considerable technical expertise and countless hours to the remodeling of a donated travel trailer into a viable and practical mobile command post. He was able to convince many outside organizations to donate materials along with installation and welding services of every necessary piece of equipment in the mobile command post to make it operational – thus saving the wing thousands of dollars in the process. During the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, Dunn spearheaded the operation of the mobile command post providing communications support to the wing's missions supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
Receiving the 2008 Logistics Officer of the Year, Lt. Col. John Davies serves as the National Capital Wing director of logistics. Davies automated the wing's processes and created databases to monitor all equipment and transportation aspects of the wing. His work was noted by the Air Force Liaison as excellent and a benchmark for other wings in Civil Air Patrol.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 56,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the Air Force with saving 91 lives in fiscal year 2008. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the nearly 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 67 years. For more information on CAP, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.
Civil Air Patrol’s National Capital Wing currently has 215 volunteer officers and senior members and 110 cadets in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Federal employees and military personnel can support CAP through the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area – CFC charity number 26757.
For more information and media inquires about CAP and its missions in the national capital area, e-mail NatCap Wing Public Affairs at pa@natcapwg.cap.gov.
By Col. Jane Davies
National Capital Wing
 |
Col. Richard Cooper, left, accepts the Homeland Security Wing of the Year award from Col. Joseph Vazquez. |
 |
Capt. James Dunn, left, accepts the Communications Officer of the Year award from Col. Joseph Vazquez. |
 |
Lt. Col. John Davies, left, accepts the Logistics Officer of the Year award from Col. Joseph Vazquez. Photos by Col. Jane Davies |
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Hoffmann received the 2008 Chaplain of the Year award from MER. Hoffmann is the National Capital Wing Chaplain. During the year, Hoffmann received an excellent on the wing compliance inspection performed by a team from the U.S. Air Force. He has supplemented Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) as they face their own shortage of military chaplains. Additionally, Hoffmann is a qualified CAP pilot, performing emergency services and homeland security missions.
Capt. James Dunn was recognized as the 2008 Communications Officer of the Year. Dunn is assigned as the communications officer at National Capital Wing's Andrews Composite Squadron. His inexhaustible energy and unwavering dedication to the mission was evident when he created a mobile incident command post, increasing wing and squadron emergency services mission capabilities. He contributed considerable technical expertise and countless hours to the remodeling of a donated travel trailer into a viable and practical mobile command post. He was able to convince many outside organizations to donate materials along with installation and welding services of every necessary piece of equipment in the mobile command post to make it operational – thus saving the wing thousands of dollars in the process. During the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, Dunn spearheaded the operation of the mobile command post providing communications support to the wing's missions supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
Receiving the 2008 Logistics Officer of the Year, Lt. Col. John Davies serves as the National Capital Wing director of logistics. Davies automated the wing's processes and created databases to monitor all equipment and transportation aspects of the wing. His work was noted by the Air Force Liaison as excellent and a benchmark for other wings in Civil Air Patrol.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 56,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the Air Force with saving 91 lives in fiscal year 2008. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the nearly 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 67 years. For more information on CAP, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.
Civil Air Patrol’s National Capital Wing currently has 215 volunteer officers and senior members and 110 cadets in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Federal employees and military personnel can support CAP through the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area – CFC charity number 26757.
For more information and media inquires about CAP and its missions in the national capital area, e-mail NatCap Wing Public Affairs at pa@natcapwg.cap.gov.
By Col. Jane Davies
National Capital Wing