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Award winning youth program featured at YARS

  • Published
  • By 2d Lt Shelia Stoneburner, CAP
  • YARS Composite Squadron
YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio --  The Youngstown Air Reserve Station Composite Squadron is the local squadron for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the official Auxiliary of the US Air Force. Charter number GLR-OH-051 was founded on May 4, 1962, and has been serving northeast Ohio ever since. Meetings are held Monday nights from 1900-2100. As of Oct. 1, 2011, the unit is the 19th largest cadet unit in the CAP and consists of 67 cadets and 28 senior members. Members come from all over the Mahoning Valley and surrounding areas, some from as far as Akron, Canton, Dorset, Greenville and Leetonia.

The CAP has three missions. The Aerospace Education mission serves to educate and instill an appreciation for aviation and strives to show the youth of today the value of learning about aerospace and how it affects the world around them. Aerospace Education is achieved through a variety of hands-on activities and field trips including model rocketry, air shows and aerospace events. CAP youth (12-18) also have the opportunity to learn aviation hands-on behind the controls of single-engine and glider aircraft. The squadron is planning a robotics program to further Aerospace Education.

The mission of the Cadet Program is to teach our members how to be not only good leaders, but good followers. There are many group activities and games that encourage cadets to think outside the box to solve problems. Members also learn good physical activity habits, character development and decision-making skills.

The Emergency Services mission includes search and rescue, disaster relief and humanitarian services. Members are taught land navigation, search and rescue, survival techniques and first aid with the goal of learning life-saving techniques to help others.

There are also several teams available for members to join and compete with other squadrons. Drill Team is a competitive event in which the team is judged in standard and innovative drill, uniform inspection, a mile run, a volleyball tournament and aerospace and leadership knowledge through a written exam and panel quiz. Teams can advance in three rounds of competition, up to the national level where our drill team competed in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Color Guard is similar to drill team in many areas but focuses on respect to the flag by posting the colors in a variety of venues. The CyberPatriot team, in its second year, aims to educate and motivate the cadets to protect themselves, and later our nation, against cyber attacks and other security issues with computer technology and networking.

Our squadron is striving to teach good life skills to help our members succeed in life and be good members of the community. We stress integrity and giving back to our community.

As a result of hard work, the squadron has received several national recognitions. The squadron was named the best cadet unit in the state six out of the last ten years and in 2005 was named the best cadet unit in the entire Great Lakes Region (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin). In 2011, the unit received the inaugural "Quality Cadet Unit Award."

For more information on the YARS Composite Squadron, visit their official website at www.youngstowncap.org.
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