COVINGTON, GA — The Newton County Composite Squadron, local unit of Civil Air Patrol (CAP), is hosting an open house from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28 at Covington Municipal Airport at the former FBO located at 15200 Airport Road, in Oxford. 

According to Lt Calvin Mitchell, squadron commander, the entire community is welcome to attend and learn more about CAP.

Members of the squadron will be present to greet visitors and explain CAP’s missions for America. CAP was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, and Newton County Composite Squadron is celebrating Civil Air Patrol Week Nov. 27-Dec. 3. The open house is part of the 75th-anniversary observance designed to create a greater awareness of CAP’s presence and contributions in the community. 

CAP, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. 

Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. 

Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.