ATLANTA (March 13, 2015) | Wednesday, Sen. Fran Millar (R – Atlanta) welcomed a number of Georgia’s Civil Air Patrol to the Senate Chamber as part of Civil Air Patrol Day at the Capitol. The Civil Air Patrol was honored with a resolution in the House and Senate chambers. Civil Air Patrol members also served as pages in both the House and the Senate.
“The Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol performs an invaluable service for the citizens of the state of Georgia,” said Sen. Millar. “It was my distinct honor to recognize the men and women of the air patrol for their outstanding work in the defense and development of our community.”
Sen. Millar presented Senate Resolution 384, which marked March 11, 2015, as Civil Air Patrol Day at the capitol, to Georgia Wing Commander Col. Richard Greenwood, Georgia Wing Vice Commander Lt. Col. Joseph Knight III, Georgia Wing Chief of Staff Cadet Lt. Col. Andrea Van Buren, Chief Master Sergeant John Willingham and Cadet Master Sergeant Megan Cordone.
These distinguished service men and women were also praised by Congressman Barry Loudermilk (GA – 11) who also visited the Georgia General Assembly Wednesday.
“The Civil Air Patrol is one of the best kept secrets of the U.S. Air Force,” said Rep. Loudermilk. “These unsung heroes, who give freely of their time and resources, are often the first to respond during a state or national emergency. When disaster strikes, these selfless volunteers rush to the aid of local citizens and provide much-needed humanitarian relief to communities nationwide.”
The Senate’s 29th legislative day began with a brief message from Chaplain Col. James W. Hughes who spoke briefly about how temptations can cloud even the purest of intentions.
“Today, the Senate welcomed Chaplain Col. James W. Hughes as his passionate words of wisdom encouraged each of us to continue being humble servants of the people,” said Lt. Governor Casey Cagle. “As public servants, we should strive not only to hear the word of the Lord at the beginning of each Senate gathering, but to put it in practice with the decisions we make. We are blessed to have wonderful clergy leaders like Chaplain Hughes, and I thank him for the inspirational message.”
Chaplain Col. James W. Hughes is the Chief of the CAP Chaplain Corps leading over 1,100 chaplains and Character Development Instructors who train CAP cadets and support the mission of the CAP and Air Force Chaplain Corps.
About the Civil Air Patrol
Originally founded on December 1, 1941, the Civil Air Patrol is an organization of volunteers that assist the United States military in national defense by performing aerial coastal patrols and emergency services within the continental United States. The Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol consists of over 1,900 volunteer members in 45 squadrons and four groups located throughout this state. Civil Air Patrol air and ground teams perform over 90 percent of inland search and rescue missions tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. The estimated value of the Georgia Wing members’ volunteer hours in 2012 was $4.9 million.