by Theodore Wiesehan

    The Seward Airport buzzed with activity Feb. 25 as camouflage-clad personnel swarmed between aircraft and emergency vehicles while commanders huddled around radio units directing rescue efforts as part of a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) exercise.
     The Seward wing of the CAP conducted simulated emergency response scenarios with the Capitol City Civil Air Patrol squadron at the Seward Airport Feb. 25.
     The simulations involved the location and rescue of a motorist stranded in a blizzard near the the Staplehurst turnoff and a small aircraft that lost its engine near Seward and then disappeared from radio contact.
     CAP pilots located the stranded motorist and pilot and guided CAP rescue vehicles to the respective locations.
     The CAP serves as an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. It provides its members with aerospace education, assists communities with emergency services and prepares interested cadets for military careers.
     Cadets Phil Kocher and Weston Woldt joined the Lincoln CAP squadron two and two-and-a-half years ago, respectively, and were onhand for the Feb. 25 exercise. Though both plan to pursue military careers, they said that the cadet program is not just for those planning to join the armed forces.
     "It's military-minded, but it's not full-blown military," Kocher said. "So you don't have to be interested in that kind of thing."
     Cadets in the CAP have the opportunity to gain flying experience, participate in the international air cadet exchange and will be eligible for increased rank and pay upon joining the armed forces, though they are under no obligation to military service.
     "It's a great program," Woldt said.
     Seward's CAP wing is a recent start-up, as the first informational meeting was held Dec. 27. The wing currently consists of three senior members and three cadets, though several other youth have expressed interest in the program, Roger Carpenter, Seward wing senior member, said.
     The wing meets Thursday evenings at the Seward Airport. As the Seward wing has just three cadets thus far, they also travel to Lincoln on Monday evenings for training.
     "We need 15 cadets to be our own squadron," Carpenter said. "Right now we're a wing."
     Carpenter encouraged interested youth ages 12 to 18 to contact the wing or visit www.cap.gov for more information on becoming a cadet.
     Carpenter is also seeking a few good men or women to serve as senior CAP members.
     Though many senior CAP members join with flight or military experience, Carpenter emphasized that neither is required.
     "All it takes is an interest in kids and an interest in science and aviation," he said.