Courtesy photo Firing M-16 rifles was one of the many activities Civil Air Patrol cadets enjoyed during the 2009 Summer encampment at Fort gordon June 22-28. Two hundred sixteen Civil Air Patrol members from Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Nebraska participated in training at Fort Gordon June 22-28.

Under U.S. Air Force and adult CAP leadership, two schools of instruction were conducted simultaneously -- the annual basic encampment and a specialized Regimental Noncommissioned Officer Academy program.

According to Maj. Andrew Gowasack, NCO cadet deputy commander "the purpose of a basic encampment is to master the art of followership and begin to discover the art of leadership. The training goal of the NCO Leadership Academy is to give students the knowledge and practical skills needed for leadership at the NCO level."

Encampment and academy activities utilized the rappelling tower, M-16 firearms training, land navigation, and confidence course to achieve training goals. The cadets were rewarded for their hard work with Blackhawk and C130 orientation flights at Bush Regional Airport. This training will allow them to advance in grade, increase the scope of their leadership responsibilities, earn awards, and become eligible for nationally-sponsored special activities and scholarships.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 57,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 90 lives in fiscal year 2008. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug 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 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 67 years.

For more information visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.