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Chapter Member Honored
The Civil Air Patrol recently honored Tennessee Chapter Member Otha Vaugh during their 70th anniversary of its founding with a ceremony Dec. 1 at its national headquarters in Montgomery Alabama.
During the ceremony, which celebrated the past, present and future of the official civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, CAP leaders presented Exceptional Service Awards to a pair of the organization's World War II members.
CAP Lt. Cols. Wendall Haas and Otha Vaughan, both members of the CAP Alabama Wing, were honored for their service during CAP's wartime years. They received their awards from Col. Al Bedgood, the CAP Southeast Region commander. In addition, Don Rowland, the executive director at CAP National Headquarters, presented each man with a framed commemorative 70th-anniversary poster and an anniversary coin.
Haas, 88, joined the CAP in 1942, serving as an officer in a squadron in California's San Fernando Valley. He played a vital role on the ground in support of CAP's subchasers as an airplane and engine mechanic, including patching planes shot while towing targets for pilots training in military planes.
Vaughan joined the CAP in 1944 as a 15-year-old cadet. His mother drove him to squadron meetings in Anderson, S.C., because no unit existed in his hometown of Seneca. After nearly 30 years in active and reserve Air Force service, he retired as an Air Force lieutenant colonel in 1989. At 82 years old, Vaughan is an active member of the Huntsville Senior Squadron in Alabama, having rejoined CAP in 2005. He serves as the unit's historian, an assistant aerospace education officer, and a mission scanner during search and rescue exercise missions.
About AFA
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Air Force Association (AFA) non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation.
The AFA publishes Air Force Magazine, conducts national symposia and disseminates information through outreach programs. It sponsors professional development seminars and recognizes excellence in the education and aerospace fields through national awards programs. AFA presents scholarships and grants to Air Force active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members and their dependents; and awards educator grants to promote science and math education at the elementary and secondary school level. Additionally, AFA publishes a wide range of materials on www.afa.org.