On April 5, 2016, the Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol announced the Valparaiso Composite Squadron, based at the Porter County Regional Airport, as the 2015 Squadron of Merit. The annual award is established to recognize the top cadet or composite squadron in each Wing.
Col. Matthew Creed, the Indiana Wing Commander said the Valparaiso based unit “showed excellence in member growth and retention and extraordinary level of participation in all three of CAP's core missions” of aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services.
As a local squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, the all-volunteer unit provides vital ground search functions which include searching for missing persons or aircraft. In 2015, the squadron was actively engaged in the search for a missing aircraft that was found near Lebanon, Indiana using information from a Civil Air Patrol cell phone forensics team. The squadron is composed of sixty-four total members about 75% are cadets ranging in age from twelve up to twenty-one.
In addition to emergency services, the Valparaiso Composite Squadron also provides cadets with leadership training, aviation ground school training, and flights in Civil Air Patrol aircraft.
For more information on the Valparaiso Composite Squadron, or to locate a Civil Air Patrol squadron near you, visit www.indiana-wing.org.