Welcome

I am Major Jon Stokes and I am the Group Commander for Group 1, Los Angeles. Welcome to the new Group 1 blog, where members can come to learn more about what is going on in Group 1 and the California Wing and to ask questions to me or any member of the group command staff.

One of the first questions I get asked is what is a "Group" in the Civil Air Patrol? While some wings do not have groups, the larger and more active Wings, in order to maintain a greater level of control on multiple units, have broken the Wing into sections called "Groups." The Groups are comprised of a number of smaller units called squadrons and is expected to help guide and oversee the activities of these squadrons and ensure that all necessary administrative functions are completed at the direction of the Wing. The Groups, under the direction of the group commander and group command staff, are expected to help set the tone and agenda for the group to ensure that the three missions of CAP, Emergency Services, Cadet Programs and Aerospace Education are fulfilled.

In California, there are seven Groups that comprise the California Wing. Group 1 is comprised of the majority of Los Angeles County and consists of 10 cadet, composite and senior squadrons and about 500 members. We have five corporate CAP aircraft located at Torrance, Santa Monica, and Van Nuys Airports and Whiteman Airport in Pacoima. Group 1 has always been a very active Group within the California Wing and continually strives to fulfill CAP's missions.

The group command staff, consisting of the squadron commanders and and group staff, has just completed our annual planning meeting for 2010 and I believe that 2010 will be a banner year for the group. We have a number of new initiatives planned with an emphasis placed on training and mentoring of both new and existing members.

Beginning today, I will be using this blog to communicate to all of you about what we are doing both at the Group and Wing levels. Most members who aren't involved in the management of their units don't understand fully what or why the Group or Wing does what it does and it is the purpose of this blog to help give you that insight. I also want to give you an opportunityt to ask questions of me or the group staff in order to help you through the maze of CAP. As often as I can, I will be posting new topics on the blog in order to explain what we are doing and why. I encourage all of you to check back often to see what we are talking about and encourage your fellow members to do the same and participate in the discussions.

Semper Vigilans - Always Vigilant

Jon Stokes, Maj CAP