New Civil Air Patrol flight forming in Huntingburg; seeking senior leaders

A new flight of the Civil Air Patrol is forming in Dubois County with plans to meet regularly at the Huntingburg Airport beginning in May.

The Civil Air Patrol is the civilian wing of the Air Force. Formed in 1941, the CAP mobilized the nation’s civilian aviation resources for national defense service. Early missions included protecting the shores of the United States from enemy submarines and other incursions. Though the organization no longer performs those types of military missions, the Patrol does respond to emergencies on the air and ground.

For youth involved in the program, this means they will gain age-appropriate experience helping their home communities.

“This is an incredible program devoted to developing leaders through exposure to aerospace and emergency services,” said Lt. Joshua Bowers. “I can’t even begin to convey how excited I am that this is finally happening.”

Lt. Bowers is Cadet Programs Officer with Group 12 of the Indiana Wing. The new program is expanding from the River City Cadet Squadron. If the flight grows large enough, it can become its own squadron.

Bowers has been involved in the Civil Air Patrol for four years now and it has become a family affair. His wife, Second Lt. Jonda Bowers, will actually be the commander of the new Huntingburg Flight when it gets formed up. His oldest son, James, 16, is a Cadet Captain, and his 13 year-old daughter Jolynn is a Cadet Chief Major Sergeant. The couple’s youngest son, 10-year-old Jernie, can’t wait to become a member when he turns 12.

He appreciates the exposure cadets get helping their communities while learning leadership skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

It is inspiring to see the teenage cadets grow in their skills for Bowers.

“My own son is about as shy as anyone you’ve ever met,” he said. “To see him stand up and take command of a flight of 30 people, plan (operations) or make a public speech; he wouldn’t have been able to do that without Civil Air Patrol.”

This flight was ready to start about two days before the pandemic shut everything down in 2020.

“Civil Air Patrol did some amazing work throughout the pandemic, but starting a new unit wasn’t on the table,” he said.

Civil Air Patrol did serve the area during the pandemic supporting transportation of vaccines. They also assisted in the recent avien flu outbreak in Dubois County and the surrounding area by transporting samples to the labs for testing.

“In Dubois County, they are going to be working closely with the local EMA (Emergency Management Administration) to train and be able to respond when something happens,” Bowers explained about the new flight’s role in the community.

During meetings, Saturday training sessions and the annual weeklong encampment, cadets will learn military discipline through drills and learn about aerospace through flights on CAP and USAF aircraft, model rocketry, flying drones, and participating in flight planning.

“These cadets will actually directly serve this community by qualifying to become communicators (radio operators), ground team members who are qualified to serve on ground teams in search and rescue missions, participate in teams flying drones, render first aid, work emergency shelters, do administrative tasks, and more,” said Bowers.

With the recent approval to use the airport passenger terminal building as a meeting area, the flight is set to form up in May.

Currently, Bowers is seeking adult volunteers to help with the program as senior members. They will begin meeting with adult volunteers the first Tuesday in April to prepare for the cadet program meetings beginning in May.

If you are interested in becoming a senior member, Bowers said the commitment is pursuant to your availability. “Don’t worry if you are limited on time. You don’t have to be active at every meeting,” he explained.

If you have questions, you can contact Bowers by email at joshua.bowers@inwg.cap.gov, or by phone at 812-840-0314.

An open house is planned for Thursday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Huntingburg Airport Terminal Building, and the first cadet meeting is scheduled for the first Tuesday of May.

For more information, you can check out www.gocivilairpatrol.com to research the organization. Check out the local unit on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GLRIN220; the Wing at https://www.facebook.com/IndianaCAP. Bowers serves with Group 12, the level of supervision between the Wing and the local unit https://www.facebook.com/inwggrpxii.