The Civil Air Patrol is the official civilian auxiliary of the United
States Air Force. It was created just days before the Attack on Pearl
Harbor in 1941, and is credited with sinking at least two German
U-boats during the War. It was seen as a way to use America's civil
aviation resources to aid the war effort, rather than grounding them,
as was the case in the United Kingdom. Today, the Civil Air Patrol is
a volunteer organization dedicated to education and national service,
including people from all backgrounds and all walks of life. It
performs three key missions: Emergency services (including search and
rescue), aerospace education for youth and the general public, and
cadet programs. The September 11, 2001 attacks demonstrated the
importance of the Civil Air Patrol, as it was this organization's
aircraft that flew blood to victims of the attack as well as providing
the first aerial pictures of the World Trade Center site.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Air_Patrol
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1862:
The U.S. Army Medal of Honor was first authorized by the U.S.
Congress.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor)
1967:
Race riots began in Newark, New Jersey, leading to 27 deaths in four
days.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newark%2C_New_Jersey)
1975:
São Tomé and Príncipe declared independence from Portugal.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe)
1979:
The Gilbert Islands gained independence and became known as Kiribati.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati)
1993:
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off the shore of Hokkaidō?, Japan launched
a devastating tsunami, killing 202 on the small island of Okushiri.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to
please everybody." -- Bill Cosby
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby)