Brownsville CAP ground team gets national award

The Civil Air Patrol Brownsville Composite Squadron ground team received the National Ground Team Award this month and will be heading to the Air Force National Conference held in San Antonio this September.

This is the first year the Air Force presents this award.

"Being the first to achieve the award means a lot to the unit," Squadron Cmdr. Maj. Sean Crandall said, "especially to set the standard on a national level for other units to achieve."

CAP is a U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, in which civilian volunteer members gain experience and training through cadet programs, emergency services and aerospace education.

According to the CAP Web site, there is about 1,600 units nationwide and more than 56,000 members.

"Volunteering in hopes of saving someone’s life is something you won’t find in other youth programs," Crandall said.

In addition to this honor, the Brownsville Composite Squadron has remained the number one ground team in the state of Texas for the past four years. Currently there are about 65 ground teams in the Texas Wing.

Crandall, 41, has been a member of CAP since he was 12 years old and understands the importance of CAP cadet involvement in missions; he encourages all cadets

In order for CAP cadets to reach ground team status they must pass ground team certification, which takes about a year to complete. Their preparation includes class curriculum, exams and skill-level tests.

Crandall’s ground team focuses on search and rescue missions an0d responds to locations throughout Texas.

These missions involve locating distressed or overdue aircraft, plane crashes or sunken vessels. Ground team members are trained to perform rescue procedures and provide medical attention.

If a disaster occurs, an Emergency Location Transmitter or Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon will send a signal to satellites, which reach the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and a state alert officer will be notified to get a ground team to conduct a search and rescue mission.

Ground team members are on call 24 hours a day, Crandall said, and they can be called at anytime during a disaster situation.

CAP conducts 95 percent of all inland searches and rescues for the Air Force, Crandall added.

Cadet Cmdr. Thomas Kraft has been a CAP member for four years and recalls several missions with the ground team, one of which was an aircraft crash site in Giddings.

"That is what all our training amounts to," Kraft said. "This is what we prepare for."

Kraft said being the number one ground team in the nation is his biggest accomplishment and he is grateful for all of the training he has received from senior members.

"Everything has become second nature to us," Kraft said about search and rescue training.

"They have turned it into an instinct and without them pushing us we never would have been this good."

Cadet Capt. Carlos Castro has also been a CAP member for four years and is happy to see the team’s training shine.

"This award will bring greater awareness to our ground team’s abilities," Castro said.

CAP was established in Brownsville in 1957. Currently there are 31 people in the Brownsville CAP unit, and members can range from 12-21 years of age.

Meetings are held once a week and members gain training through three missions: cadet programs, emergency services and aerospace education — each with sub-areas of training.

Some of the emergency services programs are homeland security missions, search and rescue and disaster relief.

Cadet Senior Airman Vienney Sanchez joined CAP a year ago with her mom and brother. She is thrilled about the award and encourages others to consider joining their team.

"It’s a good chance to learn how to do things you wouldn’t learn in your normal life," Sanchez said. "We all work for a common purpose, and that is to help people."