Upper Valley wants to bring back Civil Air Patrol Unit

City leaders of the Upper Valley want to bring back a Civil Air Patrol unit to the area. On Thursday night, the squadron held an open house.

The Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer group that helps with search and rescues, teaches aerospace education to kids and offers cadet programs for teenagers. On Thursday evening, more than 20 kids packed the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall wanting to learn more about the squadron.

“I was really impressed by a lot of the cadets and how professional they were . I’ve always wanted to be involved with something like that in Idaho, but we don’t have many opportunities for youth in Idaho. I thought civil air patrol would be great and give me a taste of the military lifestyle that is crucial,” said Gregory Drake, a Second Lieutenant.

The squadron that encompasses the upper valley had to retire, but now city leaders want to have it up and running again. Unit Commander, Steven Drake, said they still need more members.

“We actually teach cadets how to become certified so they can help search and rescue teams and they are able to communicate with rescue teams and other personnel. It is valuable because it teaches them that they play a responsible role in the community as well,” said Drake.

Second Lieutenant Jett Hawk said you also learn other valuable skills.

“You can learn leadership skills from this and then as you move up the ranks it is almost more of a management position. There are ground teams. You learn self discipline and getting to know people. Those are some of the most amazing things about this program,” said Hawk.

The squad still needs to have a commander, support staff, more members and donations before it begins operations in Oct. If you would like to make a donation or learn how to be a part of the squadron, call Unit Commander Drake at 208-240-1240.