CAP Display at Library
By Capt Doris Mangano
Finance, Admin & Personel
McHenry County Composite Squadron
The McHenry County Composite Squadron placed a month-long display at Marengo Library to celebrate the birthday of the Civil Air Patrol. The display was geared toward recruitment of youth. Photos were used from the past 5 years showing cadets doing interesting and fun activities. The label at the top stated “What We Do:” Five words or less was used to describe the photo. The CAP creed was taken and glued to a different color paper and set near a group of photos. Aerospace Education included building a Saturn V Rocket out of cardboard, glider and powered flights, rockets taking off and the C-130 flight from Mitchell AF Base last year. Emergency Services included adults handling an ELT, and cadets doing compass training at the winter SAREX known as the Ice Bowl. Cadet Programs included Leadership Games, Great Lakes Region and National Cadet Competitions, NCOA training school, our trip to Washington DC, hosting IACE, and the visiting the Oshkosh Air Show.
One shelf was devoted to Summer Programs. A bright colored poster board was folded in quarters, and photos from NCSA were used. A list was attached of all NCSA offered, and each photo again contained no more than 5 words to describe the activity. Two used rockets were placed in the display at eye level to attract attention, along with a flag from CAP. A paragraph was written about the military and Challenge Coins, and 2 coins were laid before it, along with the coveted National Blue Beret. Another shelf had a model of an airplane, along with a photo of the MCCS POW/MIA table and the written paragraphs about the meaning of the table (this is in observance of Veterans Day).
The bottom shelf represented our uniforms. A BDU and Blues blouse were folded and the cover laid nearby. Inserted index cards identified ”name tag” and “squadron patch”. Additionally, rank and all the ribbons were identified. Total time with this project took 15 hours. Thanks to Lt. Col. Connie Kelly for the idea.
