The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) welcomed cadets from 12 Ohio Civil Air Patrol squadrons at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Site’s Petrarca Range and the Gary Anderson CMP Marksmanship Center, where the group participated in a day of learning.
Led by CMP Highpower team member, Danny Arnold, CMP smallbore manager, Brad Donoho and CMP education and training manager, Steve Cooper, the instruction focused on safety and basic rifle shooting fundamentals. The young cadets participated in classroom instruction and live practice using .22 caliber rifles at 50 yards, firing on sandbags for stability. The event concluded with a 40-shot qualification match.
“I thought the event went well,” said Arnold, who is an adult member of Oklahoma’s Civil Air Patrol Wing. “As usual, there were a few cadets who had never touched a firearm before, but they learned a lot.”
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that was established in 1938, in the years preceding World War II. The core missions of CAP are emergency response services, such as search and rescue/disaster relief, aerospace education and youth cadet programs. CAP also conducts 90 percent of inland search and rescue in the U.S. – equipped with the largest fleet of single-engine planes in the world at over 500. The program is congressionally chartered and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Currently, there are 25 squadrons in the Ohio Wing, with a cadet component and over 66,000 youth and adult members nationwide.
“I think CMP’s mission dovetails with CAP in that we are reaching out to youth in a way that exposes them to the shooting sports in a responsible way. Responsible marksmanship focuses on self-control, improvement and learning new things,” Arnold said.
Arnold has been involved with CAP since 2009 and holds the rank of Major in the Oklahoma Wing. There, he ran a marksmanship program for about five years while also helping out with the Kansas Wing.
“I had college friends who had been members when they were younger and wished I had known about it,” he said. “When my son was old enough to join, he became interested and I followed along.”
Recently, the CMP Board of Directors learned of CAP’s cadet program and reached out to CAP National, located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Arnold briefed CMP Board members about CAP’s mission, history and what his experiences have been with the program. They were impressed and instructed him to reach out to the Ohio and Alabama Wings to see if he could coordinate a youth training session.
“We, CMP, should be seeking out opportunities like this,” said Arnold. “CMP already has partnerships with other youth organizations, and CAP is a large one to partner with.”
Covering all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, CAP is composed of eight geographic regions consisting of 52 wings. Its cadet program attracts youth ages 12 through 20, which makes up around 10 percent of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s classes. Members of CAP also have the opportunity to earn college scholarships in several different disciplines and may even enter the Air Force at a higher pay grade.
“CAP is a well-kept secret, kind of like CMP,” Arnold explained. “The program is different for adults, but still quite rewarding. I’ve been part of an aircrew, helped out with the Moore, Oklahoma, tornado relief efforts, been involved in cadet programs and have been able to teach marksmanship – so it’s been a good experience.”
Learn even more by visiting CAP’s official website at https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
