A message from Maj. Richard West, San Francisco Bay Group 2 Commander
Group 2 has a proud tradition of excellence and leadership throughout the Bay Area and California.
Each year, Group 2 is well represented in all three missions of Civil Air Patrol. Our Cadets regularly compete in Color Guard competition, the annual Bears and Wings Challenge, participate as Staff and students at Encampment, and we host many Integrated Leadership Program (ILP) schools. Our Cadet and Composite Squadrons in Watsonville, Palo Alto, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Jose, Hayward, Concord and Livermore provide excellent leadership opportunities to our Cadet members. We provide an excellent opportunity to our Cadet members to receive flights in Corporate aircraft and are happy that pilots from these squadrons as well as our Senior squadrons in Oakland and San Jose volunteer their time to fly them.
Group 2 has a strong showing in Emergency Services. We conduct Tsunami Warning Missions along the coast, perform damage assessment and aerial reconnaissance after fires, earthquakes, and tsunamis, conduct search and rescue operations, participate in numerous homeland security missions, and train continuously throughout the year to safely, efficiently, and successfully execute these missions. We are also proud that Group 2 is routinely chosen to host our annual state-wide exercises.
Group 2 members participate actively in our third mission of Aerospace Education. Numerous members assist elementary and middle-school aged children by bringing CAP’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) based learning into classroom. We are extremely active in Cyber Patriot, CyberPatriot Cyber Camps, the Aerospace Education STEM Academy, StellarXplorers, and outreach to local schools for STEM education.
I salute our many volunteers who spend their time, money, and energy on giving back to our community, state, and nation through Civil Air Patrol. Our wonderful members make these things happen every day, protecting our homeland, saving lives, and developing our youth. I am looking forward to seeing you and working with you. If you are new to CAP, enjoy your time at one of our local squadrons where you will see and can be a part of this tremendous organization.
