Vanguard Composite Squadron, New York Wing Civil Air Patrol

Last updated
Vanguard Composite Squadron
NER-NY-390
Vanguard Composite Squadron Patch.png
Active2008 – present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States of America
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
TypeComposite Squadron
RoleCivilian auxiliary
Part of New York Wing
Part ofMid-Eastern Group
Decorations2009 Mid-Eastern Group Squadron of The Year
Location Cairo, New York
Website
Commanders
Commander Lt Col Sean Neal, CAP
Vice Commander Maj Gerard T. Ward, CAP
Cadet Commander C/Maj Kyle P. Golden, CAP

Vanguard Composite Squadron (NER-NY-390) is a squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, falling under direct jurisdiction of the Mid-Eastern Group territory of New York Wing. Vanguard Composite Squadrons headquarters is located at the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cairo, NY. The squadron consists of cadet and adult members from the counties of Albany, Columbia, Schoharie and Greene.

Contents

History

Main Vision

Shortly after moving to the area from out of state, Sean Neal, who had been a part of the program for over 20 years had realized that there were no available squadrons in the rural area. At the time, the closest squadron within Mid-Eastern Group territory was about an hour north in Albany, NY. The closest squadron outside of Mid-Eastern Group territory was an hour south, located in Ulster County, NY. Susan Neal, the wife of Sean Neal, had two children that recently moved to the area as well, and it was very quickly discovered that there is not much to do outside of school. [1]

Lt Col Anita Martin, Mid-Eastern Group commander was contacted and a meeting was set up about potentially opening a squadron to fill this big void. With successfully being able to recruit enough members, the squadron was officially charted on January 16, 2008, as a composite squadron.

First Year

In January 2008, the squadron was officially chartered in Freehold, NY, by Lt Col Sean E. Neal. Lt Col Neal was the first commander of the new charter, and his first two-year included a dramatic growth in membership, several successful training drills and two calls for rescue missions. [2]

The Squadron as a whole has participated in training drills with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, including a search and rescue operation in the middle of a rainy night. The team ground team searched a large field for a fake missing person and the drill was successfully completed. the Squadrons’s crowning achievement during this time, according to Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Sean Neal, was when it was called for two official search and rescue missions. In June 2009, a team from the squadron was activated to find a pilot and a plane which had suffered a hard landing in Freehold. A few months later in August, a team was activated again to search for a missing plane in the Adirondacks..

Freehold, New York

Vanguard Composite Squadron was originally chartered out of the Freehold Community Center, which is adjacent to the Freehold Volunteer Fire Department. The meetings were held every Friday night from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Durham, New York

On November 25, 2016, The Squadron moved to the Durham Elementary School, which is currently being used as a community center operative under the Cairo-Durham School District. With this location change, the focus, goals, mission and vision of the squadron changed substantially. Moving from a drill and ceremonies focused squadron, they refocused on Emergency Services Training, Operational Management, and more Cadet Program services.

Squadron Logo and Patches

Original (2010-2016)

In 2010, a cadet by the name of Russell Jennings drafted the first idea of the squadron patch. The shield-style patch consisted of a red Fairchild 24R, modeling a WWII-Era Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol plane. The plane depicted in the photo is actually owned by the Neals, and it is constantly being used for historical purposes, as well as historical outreach throughout the nation. [3] The symbology behind the patch represents the squadron partaking in annual WWII-Reenactments, where they represent Civil Air Patrol. Vanguard Composite Squadron was the first squadron in history to ever produce cadet reenactors. Also, they contribute the most certified reenactors to the Historical Outreach Program, annually.

New (2017-)

With the squadron relocation to Durham, it was decided to change the patch to follow Air Force heraldry. The new patch follows the same depiction of the original patch. What makes the patch unique is that it follows proper Air Force Heraldry. Typically, Squadrons have round patches with top and bottom rockers, where groups and higher echelons have shielded patches. The patch also depicts three white stars in the sky, symbolizing the three missions of the Civil Air Patrol—Emergency Services, Aerospace Education, and Cadet Programs. Half of the Mountains have snow on them, and half of them do not. This is referencing that the squadron is already ready to respond, no matter what the conditions may be. The dark blue sky indicates the same, whether it may be day or night.

Previous Commanders

Vanguard Composite Squadron Previous Commanders
YearSquadron CommanderDeputy Commander for SeniorsDeputy Commander for Cadets
2008Lt. Col Sean E. NealMaj. Susan A NealLt. Col. Sean E. Neal
2009Lt. Col Sean E. NealMaj. Susan A NealLt. Col. Sean E. Neal
2010Lt. Col Sean E. NealMaj. Susan A NealLt. Col. Sean E. Neal
2011Lt. Col Sean E. Neal2nd Lt. Peter Profera2nd Lt. Michael L Profera Sr.
2012Maj. Susan A Neal1st Lt. Michael L. Profera Jr1st Lt. Michael L Profera Sr.
2013Maj. Susan A Neal1st Lt. Michael L. Profera JrCapt. Michael L Profera Sr.
2014Maj. Susan A Neal1st Lt. Michael L. Profera JrCapt. Michael L Profera Sr.
2015Maj. Susan A Neal1st Lt. Michael L. Profera JrCapt. Michael L Profera Sr.
20161st Lt. Michael T. Cassidy2nd Lt. Gerard T. WardMaj. Michael L Profera Sr.
20171st Lt. Michael T. Cassidy1st Lt. Gerard T. WardCapt. Kayla M. Sieburg
2018Capt. Michael T. Cassidy1st Lt. Gerard T. WardCapt. Kayla M. Sieburg
2019Capt. Kayla M. SieburgCapt. Michael T. CassidyCapt. Gerard T. Ward
2020Capt. Kayla M. SieburgCapt. Michael T. CassidyCapt. Gerard T. Ward
2021Capt. Kayla M. SieburgCapt. Michael T. CassidyCapt. Gerard T. Ward
Vanguard Composite Squadron Previous Cadet Commanders
YearCadet CommanderDeputy Cadet Commander
2008C/SSgt James P. LoringC/SSgt Johnny T. Bondrew
2009C/CMSgt Johnny T. Bondrew
2010C/CMSgt Bradley E. Boomhower
2011C/1Lt Michael T. CassidyC/2Lt Brenden P. Ward
2012C/2Lt Brenden P. WardC/SMSgt Matthew Seeley
2013C/SMSgt Matthew SeeleyC/Maj Andrew R. Teubl
2014C/Maj Andrew R. TeublC/2Lt Jarrett Field
2015C/2Lt Jarrett FieldC/2Lt Mark Stadtlander
2016C/2Lt Cameron BaitsholtsC/1Lt Jarrett Field
2017C/2Lt Jared T. SpringC/1Lt Jarrett Field
2018C/2Lt Jack B. HummingbirdVacant

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References

  1. ↑ "CAP celebrates first year". Columbia-Greene Media. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  2. ↑ "Civil air patrol squad celebrates 2nd year". Columbia-Greene Media. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  3. ↑ "MID-ATLANTIC AIR MUSEUM'S WW II WEEKEND - AIRSHOW PERFORMERS". www.maam.org. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
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