Contact [email protected] In the late 1930s, more than 150,000 volunteers with a love for aviation argued for an organization to put their
planes and flying skills to use in defense of their country. As a result, the Civil Air Patrol was born one week prior
to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thousands of volunteer members answered America's call to national
service and sacrifice by a
ccepting and performing critical wartime missions. Assigned to the War Department under
the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps, the contributions of Civil Air Patrol, including logging more than 500,000
flying hours, sinking two enemy submarines, and saving hundreds of crash victims during World War II, are well
documented. After the war, a thankful nation understood that Civil Air Patrol could continue providing valuable services to both
local and national agencies. On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman signed Public Law 476 incorporating Civil
Air Patrol as a benevolent, nonprofit organization. On May 26, 1948, Congress passed Public Law 557
permanently establishing Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the new U.S. Three primary mission areas
were set forth at that time: aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services. (Links or references to individuals or companies do not constitute an endorsement of any product or service you may receive from such sources. CAPR 110-1)
