Civil Air Patrol Ranger - History

History

After World War II, as the United States shifted out of Wartime focus, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) sought a new purpose. Instead of patrolling sea lanes, CAP enlarged it's largely successful Search and Rescue operations. During the early 1950s, Colonel Phillip Neuweiler, commander of CAP's Pennsylvania Wing and an avid aviator, suffered a 'hard landing.' While laying on his back in a cornfield afterwards, Neuweiler devised a plan to train CAP members for ground support of aerial search and rescue missions. He sent several teams to Westover AFB, Massachusetts, for instruction by United States Air Force Pararescuemen. The Air Force instructors were so inspired by the dedication, motivation, and quality of the students that they called their students 'Rangers.'

The success of this one school inspired Col Neuweiler. In 1956 he moved the school to a property he owned in Berks County, and dedicated the land for use by CAP. During this time, the school was staffed by both Civil Air Patrol members and USAF personnel. During the late 1950s, the school continued to grow.

In the early 1960s, a cadet staff training program was implemented. For the first time, cadets would instruct other cadets, greatly enhancing the school's overall mission. The combined expertise of CAP personnel augmented and eventually replaced the need for USAF personnel to conduct training.

During this time, CAP Rangers would not only conduct search and rescue missions by ground, but several teams also had Airborne members that would parachute into crash sites to quickly administer aid.

By the mid 1970s, several Ranger schools appeared around the country. Ranger Schools in the Everglades of Florida, at Black River Mississippi, and in Puerto Rico, all produced CAP Rangers. Washington Wing's Challenger School, a similar program, was also incorporated into the Ranger program. All of these schools were called National Emergency Assistance Training schools, or NEAT schools, by CAPNHQ in 1974. NEAT schools and served as the origins and basis for CAP's emergency services training.

In 1972, female cadets were allowed to attend the Everglades Ranger School on an experimental basis. The experiment proved successful, and in 1973, female cadets were allowed to participate in all Ranger programs. In 1974, medical training was officially incorporated into the curriculum of all staff members, who would further expanding the capabilities of the Ranger program by teaching the material to Ranger trainees.

Although the Ranger program flourished and numerous Ranger schools were founded to teach the fundamentals of search and rescue, some perceived portions of the school as hazing or as an initiation process. Hazing allegations combined with a general decline of funding, led to the closing of nearly all Ranger Schools. Only the original Hawk Mountain Ranger School (HMRS) survived through the 1990s.

More recently, CAP Rangers have been involved in recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. 31 CAP Rangers from Pennsylvania Wing alone traveled 28 hours to Pascagoula, Mississippi to aid in relief efforts. Rangers from numerous other wings assisted as well. CAP Rangers went door-to-door ensuring that local residents had the food, water, and medical care they needed.

Their involvement, however, was controversial at best, as they were repeatedly chastised for not following command directions, and were ultimately sent home because of their inability to follow simple and basic CAP procedures and directions from the incident commanders. This was noted specifically in the official After Action Report.