Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol

Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol

175px The Colorado Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary
Associated branches
United States Air Force
Executive staff
Commander	Lt Col Celeste Gamache
Vice Commander	Lt Col David Hurtado
Current statistics
Squadrons	30
Cadets	816
Seniors	893
Total Membership	1709
Statistics as of Dec 14

Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the highest echelon of CAP in the state of Colorado. Its headquarters are located at Peterson AFB, and the wing is under the command of Lt Col Celeste Gamache.

The Colorado Wing (COWG) operates in the Rocky Mountain Region for the CAP. The Wing consists of 30 squadrons in three groups within Colorado. CAP squadrons are of three types: Cadet, Composite and Senior: 1) "Cadet" squadrons consists of basic cadets, with a minimum of three senior members (adults) for supervisory, administrative, and training requirements; 2) "Senior" squadrons consists exclusively of senior members, all over the age of 18; and, 3) "Composite" squadrons consists of both cadets and senior members, conducting both cadet and senior programs.

Structure

The Colorado Wing is the highest echelon of Civil Air Patrol in Colorado, and reports to Rocky Mountain Region CAP, who reports to CAP National Headquarters. The wing supervises the individual groups and squadrons that comprise the basic operational unit of CAP. The Colorado Wing headquarters are located at Peterson AFB, Colorado.

Below the Wing level, Colorado is divided into smaller groups. Each group conducts its own training and programs,

Underneath each group are numerous squadrons. Squadrons are the local level of organization, and squadrons meet weekly to conduct training. There are three types of Civil Air Patrol squadrons:

• A cadet squadron focus primarily on training, leadership development and activities for CAP cadets.
• A senior squadron is a unit dedicated to allowing senior members to focus on CAP's missions, normally search and rescue activities.
• Composite squadrons offer programs for both cadets and senior members.

Group 1

Group 1, Sqdn 167, conducts operations in Northern Colorado, out of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, Building B8.

File:Zachery Olson gets acquainted with Civil Air Patrol aircraft in Colorado.jpg

A youth gets acquainted with a Civil Air Patrol aircraft in Colorado.

File:Senior Airman Paul Kelly explains weapon handling and safety to members of the Civil Air Patrol Colorado Wing.JPG

Senior Airman Paul Kelly explains weapon handling and safety to members of the Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron.

Squadrons of Group 1

Sqdn No.	Name/Type	Location	Meets at	Website
023	Arvada Cadet	Arvada	Lincoln Academy	ColoWingCAP.org
072	Boulder Composite	Boulder	Calvary Bible Church	ColoWingCAP.org
099	Broomfield Composite	Broomfield	First Baptist Church	ColoWingCAP.org
031	Foothills Cadet	Golden	Belmar Baptist Church	ColoWingCAP.org
021	Greeley Composite	Greeley	Greeley–Weld County Airport	ColoWingCAP.org
136	Jefferson County Senior	Rocky Mountain Metro Airport	Runway Grill dining room	ColoradoCAP.org
143	Mile High Cadet	Aurora	Buckley Air Force Base	ColoWingCAP.org
068	North Valley Composite	Thornton	Village Baptist Church	ColoWingCAP.org
181	Steamboat Springs Composite	Steamboat Springs	Steamboat Springs Airport	ColoWingCAP.org
147	Thompson Valley Composite	Ft. Collins	Military Sciences Bldg, Colorado State University	TVCSEagles.com
022	Vance Brand Cadet	Longmont	National Guard Armory building	ColoWingCAP.org

Group 2

Group 2, Sqdn 169, conducts operations in Western Colorado, from Montrose, out of Montrose Armory.

File:First Lt. Chad Morris of the Civil Air Patrol's Colorado wing photographs a sports utility vehicle.jpg

First Lt. Chad Morris of the Civil Air Patrol's Colorado wing photographs a sports utility vehicle from 1,000 feet during a homeland security mission simulation.

Squadrons of Group 2

Sqdn No.	Name/Type	Location	Meets at	Website
139	Cortez Senior	Cortez Municipal Airport	CAP Hangar, Cortez Airport	ColoWingCAP.org
160	Heart Of The Rockies Composite	Alamosa	San Luis Valley Regional Airport	ColoWingCAP.org
189	Mesa Verde Cadet	Dolores	K-9 Search And Rescue Building	ColoWingCAP.org
141	Montrose Composite	Montrose	Montrose National Guard Armory	ColoWingCAP.org
015	Thunder Mountain Composite	Grand Jct.	near Grand Junction Regional Airport	ColoWingCAP.org

Group 3

Group 3, Sqdn 165, conducts operations in the greater Denverarea and Southern Colorado.

File:Cadets from the Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron at Peterson AFB participate in winter training.jpg

Cadets from the Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron at Peterson AFB participate in winter training.

File:Civil Air Patrol recruiting table at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado.jpg

A member of the Colorado Wing of the Civil Air Patrol speaks to military veterans while manning a recruitment booth.

Squadrons of Group 3

Sqdn No.	Name/Type	Location	Meets at	Website
159	Air Academy Cadet	USAF Academy	USAFA (various locations on site)	ColoWingCAP.org
190	Banning Lewis Cadet	Colorado Springs	7094 Cottonwood Tree Dr	ColoWingCAP.org
162	Black Sheep Senior	Centennial	South Metro Fire Rescue Authority HQ	ColoWingCAP.org
030	Colorado Springs Cadet	Peterson AFB	Peterson AFB, Building 350	ColoWingCAP.org
186	Dakota Ridge Composite	Littleton	Centennial Community Church	ColoWingCAP.org
157	Douglas Cadet	Castle Rock	New Hope Presbyterian Church	ColoWingCAP.org
188	Evergreen Composite	Evergreen	Evergreen Lutheran Church	ColoWingCAP.org
098	Fremont-Starfire Cadet	Canon City	Freemont County Airport	ColoWingCAP.org
148	Mustang Cadet	South Aurora	Department Of Military Affairs	ColoWingCAP.org
173	Parker Cadet	Parker	Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church	ColoWingCAP.org
080	Pikes Peak Senior	Peterson AFB	Peterson AFB Chapel, Building 1410	ColoWingCAP.org
179	Pueblo Eagles Composite	Pueblo	Colorado National Guard Armory	ColoWingCAP.org
183	Valkyrie Cadet	East Denver	Wings Over the Rockies Museum	vcs.cowg.cap.gov

School Squadrons

School Squadrons operate from within the School District.

School Squadrons

Sqdn No.	Name/Type	Location	Meets at	Website
803	27J School District	Brighton	Brighton Heritage Academy	ColoWingCAP.org

Encampment

Cadet encampments, usually a week in length, provide cadets with an intense look at military life. Encampment attendance is a prerequisite for the Gen. Billy Mitchell Award. Senior members may also be awarded the ribbon for providing leadership at CAP encampments.

Colorado Wing's Encampment has been held at the US Air Force Academy, Ft Carson and Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs, CO.

Ground search and rescue

The Wing operates a ground search and rescue ("GSAR") school on an annual basis, normally held in the Gore Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Kremmling To participate, Cadets must be at least 14 years old, hold the rank of at least Cadet Senior Airman, successfully pass a physical fitness test, and have previous participation in cadet summer activities. Additionally, all participants must have completed basic training in emergency services (offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and be able to hike long distances with a 20-25 pound pack. Participants spend the entire school (normally, eight days) in a field environment, and are awarded a Ground Team member badge at the successful completion of the school.

Air search and rescue

File:2CP.jpg

N652CP, Thompson Valley's Cessna 182T, sits on the ramp at Akron Airport, Colorado.

CAP cadets can qualify to participate in FAA-approved air-search flights as observers with a CAP-certified pilot. Cadets with their pilot-in-command license can qualify as cadet pilots for air-search flights. Training is provided, along with age and license requirements.

Awards and decorations

Main article: Awards and decorations of the Civil Air Patrol

See also

• Colorado Air National Guard
• Colorado State Defense Force

External links

• CoWG.CAP.gov official site