Lanse, PA — While some teenagers are content to spend their time on video games, a few local teens are doing something very different.

One of these teens is West Branch sophomore Brad Wood.  The past two years he has been a member of the local squadron of the United States Civil Air Patrol. He along with others from the Nittany Composite Squadron have attended many activities. Some of these included orientation flights in gliders and powered aircraft such as the Cessna 182.  Over the summer he attended the Pennsylvania Wing’s Basic Encampment at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania and an Advanced Ground Search and Rescue School at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Recently he toured New York City with his fellow cadets. Stops were made at the World Trade Center Memorial, Battery Park, Times Square, and an overnight tour and stay on the Intrepid Air and Space Museum.

 With his next promotion he will rise from the NCO rank of cadet Chief Master Sergeant to cadet officer Second Lieutenant.  He has interest in Aerospace Education and Emergency Services activities.

 Chief Wood credits the Civil Air Patrol with giving him a head start in his career goals.  Next summer he plans to attend a Cadet Leadership School and the Hawk Mountain Ranger School in Kempton, Pennsylvania.  When he graduates high school he would like to attend an Air Force ROTC program at Penn State, where he would later become a commissioned officer in the US Air Force.

 The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 57,000 cadet and adult members nationwide.  The organization performs ninety percent of continental US inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.  They have been credited with saving one hundred lives so far this year alone. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies. Not only does it offer opportunities for today’s youth but also for adults as well.   Their members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people currently participating in Civil Air Patrol cadet programs. This organization has been performing missions for America for over 70 years. For more information visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.

 If you have an interest in joining or for more information about the local Nittany Composite Squadron at University Park Airport, contact the Deputy Commander, Lieutenant Brian Andrews, (570) 295-2854.