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Group III Cadet Advisory Council elects new Chair

Cadet Erich Welch was named Group III CAC Chair.
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Group III's C/Capt. Erich Welch smiles as he answers a question during his speech, prior to his election to CAC chairperson.

Welch replaces Herten

By 2d Lt Julie Holley
Bowie Composite Squadron Public Affairs Officer

8/28/2007–Edgewater, MD–The Maryland Wing Group III Cadet Advisory Council (CAC) has elected new leadership. Cadet capt. Erich Welch is the new chairperson and cadet chief master sgt. John Brennan was elected as new vice-chairperson. Both were elected to their positions by the cadet members of CAC during a recent Group III CAC meeting held at the Annapolis Composite Squadron headquarters. Each candidate offered a speech before the votes were cast.

Welch replaces cadet capt. Matthew Herten who resigned to fill the position of Maryland Wing CAC Chairperson. Welch is a member of the Bowie Composite Squadron and currently serves as the cadet executive officer.

Brennan is filling the vacancy created with Welch's promotion. Brennan is a member of the Bowie Composite Squadron.

The recorder position remains open. Those interested are encouraged to apply.

Turnout for the elections was very light. Cadets are encouraged to attend and participate in the council's activities. Group-level CAC provides a voice for cadets to the wing, advising the group commander on cadet-issues and policies.

The Group III Cadet Advisory Council meets monthly at the Annapolis Composite Squadron headquarters in Edgewater, Md. For more information on how to get involved, email Welch at CXO@BowieCap.org.

The U.S. Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into World War II. CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 55,000 members nationwide. The organization's members perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions, as tasked by the Air Force's Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 58 lives in 2006. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program.

Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 23,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet Program. CAP's cadet programs provide young men and women with a safe and motivating environment in which to grow and explore opportunities in the military and aviation industries. Cadets progress through a 16-step program of leadership and aerospace education. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 65 years.

There are approximately 1,300 members of CAP in Maryland.

For information about the Maryland Wing of CAP, visit http://mdcap.org/ or listen to weekly episodes of "Civil Air Patrol Today" broadcast every Sunday morning on the following radio stations:

  • Annapolis, MD - WYRE-AM 810, 8:00-8:30 a.m. ET
  • Baltimore, MD - WFBR AM 1590, 8:00-8:30 a.m. ET
  • Ocean City, MD - WKHZ-AM 1590, 7:00-7:30 a.m. ET
  • Potomac, MD - WCTN 950 AM, 6:00-6:30 a.m. ET
  • Rockville, MD - WLXE-AM 1600, 7:00-7:30 a.m. ET
  • Washington, DC - WZHF-AM 1390, 7:00-7:30 a.m. ET

In addition, programs may be listened to at the Maryland Wing web site at http://mdcap.org/radio/ and can also be subscribed to as a podcast.

Maryland Wing Public Affairs also offers an e-mail alert system for news releases. When news breaks, a subscriber receives an automatic e-mail with a summary of the news release and a link back to the story on the MDWG web site. Signing up for e-mail news alerts is easy. Just go to: http://mdcap.org/?fuseaction=newsalert.form and fill in your e-mail address.