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Leesburg Cadets Meet with National Legislators

March 2, 2023

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Cadet members of the Leesburg Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol met with members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate alongside other Civil Air Patrol members from across the nation. The “National Legislative Day” is a unique opportunity where Civil Air Patrol members gather on Capitol Hill to deliver the annual “Report to Congress”. Being a Congressionally-charted 501(c)(3) non-profit and a member of the United States Air Force Total Force, Civil Air Patrol has a responsibility to keep the Nation informed of its operations on an annual basis. National Legislative Day is a tremendous opportunity for cadets to meet with their Congresspersons and Senators and tell their Civil Air Patrol story.

Three cadets from the Leesburg Composite Squadron participated in the event: Cadet Col. William Heppding, Cadet Capt. Medha Indukuri, Cadet 1st Lt. Phillippe Tjahya, and Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Akayla Donn Pfingsten. Split into various groups with Virginia Wing and California Wing members, the Leesburg cadets met with several Senator and Representative’s offices including the offices of Senator Mark Warner, Representative Rob Wittman (VA-1), Rep. Jen Kiggans (VA-2), Rep. Bob Good (VA-5), Rep. Ben Cline (VA-6), Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-7), and Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11).

When asked about the event, Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Pfingsten said, “CAP has been an outlet of so many unique and amazing opportunities that would not be available to me without the program. It was truly awesome to be able to see the people that make all these wonderful opportunities possible, thank them for their generosity, and ask for their continued support, so that other cadets can experience the awesomeness CAP has to offer!"

The Leesburg Composite is proud to have four excellent cadets represent the squadron, the Virginia Wing, and all of Civil Air Patrol to our National Legislators.

 

About Leesburg Composite Squadron

The Leesburg Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol is home to approximately 250 cadet and senior members. The squadron meets at the Virginia Army National Guard Armory in Leesburg, Va. on Tuesday nights from 1900-2100. For more information on the Leesburg Composite Squadron, visit the squadron’s webpage at https://vawg.cap.gov/units/leesburg and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LeesburgCAP/

About Virginia Wing

The Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, with 22 squadrons spread throughout the Commonwealth has approximately 1,800 members, 12 light aircraft, and 29 multi-purpose vehicles. These assets are available to federal, state and local governments, emergency responders and law enforcement agencies to perform search and rescue, homeland security, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and counter-drug missions. For more information on the Virginia Wing, visit the wing’s website at https://vawg.cap.gov/ and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/vawgcap

About Civil Air Patrol

Established in 1941, Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 555 single-engine aircraft and 2,250 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and performs about 90% of all search and rescue operations within the contiguous United States as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Often using innovative cellphone forensics and radar analysis software, CAP was credited by the AFRCC with saving 108 lives last year. CAP’s 58,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies. As a nonprofit organization, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace education using national academic standards-based STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education resources. Members also serve as mentors to 24,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.

Visit CAP.news or GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

For More Information:

1st Lt. Shannon Smith <shannon.smith@vawg.cap.gov>

Written by Cadet Colonel William Heppding

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