Connecticut Wing to Present Congressional Gold Medal to Local Members for WWII Service

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Jan. 18, 2015 - PRLog -- Civil Air Patrol was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of its founding members’ role in protecting the homeland against deadly German U-boat attacks during World War II and carrying out other vital wartime domestic missions.

In recognition of this service, Civil Air Patrol’s Connecticut Wing will hold a Congressional Gold Medal presentation ceremony at 10 a.m. on January 24, 2015, at the New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Conn. Four living veterans, members of their families as well as the families of deceased veterans will be in attendance. All media are invited to attend and should contact Major Peter Milano, Public Affairs, Connecticut Wing at publicaffairs@ctwg.cap.gov.

Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, United States Senators from Connecticut, will present the bronze medals with Connecticut Wing Commander Colonel Ken Chapman. Colonel Dan Leclair, CAP Northeast Region Commander, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman and local politicians will also be in attendance. Music will be provided by members of the Connecticut National Guard 102nd Army Band. A reception will follow at the 103rd Air National Guard Base, East Granby, Conn.

Some 200,000 men, women and teenagers from all walks of life participated in CAP during the war years. Members of CAP’s coastal patrols flew 24 million miles from March 1942 through August 1943 over the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in order to ward off German U-boat attacks against U.S. shipping. The patrols spotted 173 U-boats and attacked 57. They escorted more than 5,600 convoys and reported 17 floating mines, 36 bodies, 91 ships in distress and 363 survivors in the water.

Civil Air Patrol members patrolled the country’s borders by air, vigilant for potential saboteurs. In addition, they towed targets for military trainees, watched for forest fires, conducted search and rescue missions, provided disaster relief and emergency transport of people and parts and conducted orientation flights for future pilots.

In all, 65 CAP members lost their lives in the line of duty by the end of the war, including two members from Connecticut Wing. In-depth information about CAP and its World War II missions and members can be found at www.capgoldmedal.com.

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   Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 26,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 73 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans.

Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com