`Flying Minutemen': stand ready to defend homeland: best known for search and rescue, the Civil Air Patrol is poised to play a crucial role in defending the home front

VFW Magazine, Jan, 2003 by Max Macauley

One man who made a career of CAP service is Richard Greenhut, Northeast Region commander, who oversees nearly 11,000 volunteers on the Eastern seaboard.

Greenhut, 52, and his wife of 25 years, live in Manhattan. A CAP pilot since he was in high school more than 30 years ago, he began working for CAP in 1990.

As Greenhut pointed out, in fiscal year 2002 alone, CAP was directly responsible for saving 91 lives in the 50 states and Puerto Rico. He's confident CAP will get the support it needs to help with homeland defense. "Our supporters in Congress and the Air Force," Greenhut explained, "have always provided funding for us to get the job done."

Membership information is available from: CAP National Headquarters, 105 S. Hansell St., Bldg. 714, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 36112-6332 or online at www.capnhq.gov. For potential sponsorship of Cadet groups or squadrons, call (334) 953-2828.

MAX MACAULEY is a free-lance writer based in Sacramento, Calif.