In the past month the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) North Tampa- Lutz Cadet Squadron (NTLCS) has been doing many activities. October 26, the NTLCS CAP held an open house for the community to come out and experience a little bit of what they do. There were several activities. The festivities started with a Flag raising ceremony. Then visitors were invited to enjoy Flight Simulation, rocket building, team building and classroom activities. The following weekend, The NTLCS hosted a bivouac, a type of camping trip that teaches skills such as aerospace , search and rescue, drill, emergency services, teamwork and so much more. This particular bivouac was search and rescue and emergency services based. During the Bivouac cadets learned how to make a stretcher out of the things they had around them, how to use a GPS and other navigational skills, they also learned some basic first aid skills. During the evening the cadets had a flag retirement ceremony, retiring approximately 20 flags. Following the bivouac, the weekend of Veteran’s Day, NTLCS CAP joined with the Zephyrhills CAP and carried a 30 foot flag during the Zephyrhills Veteran’s Day Parade.

In the coming weeks, NTLCS CAP has many more events on the schedule. In December they will be at Wreaths Across America, laying wreaths on the graves of our veterans. Taken from wreathsacrossamerica.org “We understand we have Veterans Day in the fall and Memorial Day in the spring, but our service members sacrifice their time and safety every single day of the year to preserve our freedoms. In many homes, there is an empty seat for one who is serving or one who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. There is no better time to express our appreciation than during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We hope you will join us at any of our more than 1,600 participating locations to show our veterans and their families that we will not forget. We will never forget”.

Also in December CAP will be at another parade, they will be volunteering at a Toys for Tots event and a Breakfast with Santa event, and they have a Color Guard event that they will be participating in.

At the end of the year CAP has a large group event, this event is called Encampment. Encampment is hosted at Camp Blanding in Stark Fl. Encampment is a weeklong experience of challenges, hands on activities, tours, and a lot of learning. During Encampment the cadets learn about leadership skills, aviation, space, drill, technology, and the importance of regular exercise.

Taken from gocivilairpatrol.gov “Civil Air Patrol is America’s premier public service organization for carrying out emergency services and disaster relief missions nationwide. As the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP’s vigilant citizen volunteers are there to search for and find the lost, provide comfort in times of disaster and work to keep the homeland safe. Its 60,000 members selflessly devote their time, energy and expertise toward the well-being of their communities, while also promoting aviation and related fields through aerospace education and helping shape future leaders through CAP’s cadet program. “Supporting America's communities with emergency response, diverse aviation and ground services, youth development, and promotion of air, space and cyber power.”