information provided by the Civil Air Patrol
Fourteen individuals were honored with awards, which were announced in a statewide newsletter by Colonel Robert M. Dempsey, Jr, Civil Air Patrol IL Wing Commander. Among the honorees is Major Barbara Buckner, Civil Air Patrol Thunder Composite Squadron Commander and Illinois Wing Group 2 Public Affairs Officer. Buckner received the Col R Payton Public Affairs Officer of the Year award.
Buckner is a former cadet herself who joined Civil Air Patrol as a teenager. She now oversees Thunder Composite Squadron IL-317, which meets weekly in Lansing.
Those interested in joining CAP can learn more at gocivilairpatrol.com, at the “CAP Thunder Composite Squadron” Facebook page or at a weekly meeting. Cap meets each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Heritage Middle School and the squadron includes cadets from communities in the south suburbs and NW Indiana.
Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary program of the U.S. Air Force founded in 1941. Squadrons work in their communities in a volunteer capacity. The program enables cadets respond to emergency and relief efforts and promotes aviation and related fields through aerospace and STEM education.
