Southwest Iowa Civil Air Patrol hosts training exercise in Red Oak
RED OAK — Members of a reorganized Civil Air Patrol Iowa Wing recently participated in a search and rescue mission headquartered at the Red Oak airport.
Atlantic’s Southwest Iowa Composite Squadron (formerly of Red Oak) volunteers arrived in Red Oak that morning, established an Incident Command Post (ICP) at the airport and conducted a joint air and ground search for an 8-year old boy, simulated by a First Aide manikin, missing from his Red Oak home.
The ICP coordinated efforts of three dozen volunteers from squadrons in Atlantic, Davenport, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, and Sioux City, Iowa, and the CAP squadron from Offutt Air Force Base, Bellevue, Neb.
Red Oak Police Chief Drue Powers, who is also a SWI squadron commander, remarked how pleased he was not only with the squadron’s performance but with how well air and ground teams including volunteers from multiple squadrons worked together.
According to Powers, there was no artificiality built into the SAREX or the conditions surrounding it. The volunteers, who ranged in age from 12 through adult, operated under real conditions, with the people and equipment on hand.
CAP Col. Anita Elliott, the Iowa Wing Commander, also thanked members of all squadrons from the Iowa Wing and Offutt.
“All but one of our seven squadrons were involved but one and Offutt was helpful in compensative for that,” she said. “I’m very excited about how we’re coming together as a wing, which is better than we have in years. Members of the wing worked very well together to find ‘the missing boy’.”
CAP Maj. James Currie, Incident Commander for the SAREX, reported the “boy” was located based on CAP analysis of aerial photographs taken just before noon on Saturday. The images, he said, revealed a small red spot on the ground, believed to match clothing reportedly worn by the missing boy. Based on that information and the imagery, CAP dispatched a ground search team to investigate and the boy was later found.
Although the exercise took most of the day to complete, both Elliott and Powers were impressed that the “boy” was found and found within the time limit set for the exercise. This, they said, indicated CAP’s ability to perform when needed.
The CAP Southwest Iowa Composite Squadron is headquartered in the American Legion Building, 201 Poplar Street in Atlantic. Meetings are there every Tuesday, beginning at 6 p.m. Visitors are welcome.