Winona Area Public Schools
The following is a press release from the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol - Wisconsin Wing
When he visited his first Civil Air Patrol meeting more than four years ago, Elijah Vieth left excited about flying, the Air Force, and challenging himself. However, he did not necessarily expect that four and half years in the future he would be tapped to lead the squadron’s cadet corps or that it would grow to the be the largest corps of cadets in the state.
His new role as the Cadet Commander for the La Crosse-based unit, puts him in charge of more than 50 cadets as he oversees their weekly training and development. While the squadron saw membership losses during the COVID-19 shutdown, it has experienced record growth over the past year. When asked about what he looks forward to in being the Cadet Commander, Vieth replied, “I’m looking forward to the challenge of helping our newest cadets learn and grow, while being able to help mentor our more experienced ones as well.”
Cadet First Lieutenant Vieth’s journey has allowed him to explore many facets of aerospace and leadership that he otherwise may never had encountered. Through CAP’s summer training program, he had the opportunity to lead groups of fellow cadets during the week-long summer training camp held at Volk Field. In 2021 his effort earned him recognition as the Honor Flight Commander for the week. This past summer he served as a Squadron Executive Officer, helping oversee the training of more than 50 fellow cadets. His CAP involvement also allowed him to get started in flight training, pursuing a passion he has had since flying on his first EAA Young Eagles flight many years ago. He has earned the Red Service Ribbon, Crisis Service Ribbon, Disaster Relief Ribbon with “V” device, the Wright Brothers Award, and the General Billy Mitchell Award.
Outside of Civil Air Patrol, Vieth is a junior at Winona High School who is an avid competitive swimmer. Over the next two years he hopes to complete his Private Pilot’s Certificate and earn an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.
The La Crosse Composite Squadron meets at 6:30 p.m. on Monday evenings at the CAP Center located at 2906 Fanta Reed Road on the east side of the La Crosse Municipal Airport. Prospective cadets, ages 12-18, and their parents are always welcome. Adults looking to volunteer are welcome as well. For more information e-mail tmandel@cap.gov or call Lt Col Todd Mandel at 608-633-1496. Information is available on the unit website at http://caplacrosse.org or the unit’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/lacrossecap.
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of more than 80 lives annually. CAP’s more than 65,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to nearly 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.