AUBURN — The 77th Composite Squadron, local unit of the Civil Air Patrol, has moved to the Auburn-Lewiston Airport from its home at Lewiston High School, according to Maj. Greg Curtis, Squadron Commander.

Col. Daniel LeClair, Maine Wing Commander, spoke to the airport board about the services to the community the Civil Air Patrol provides. Rick Lanman, the airport manager, and the airport board of directors welcomed the squadron at a meeting earlier this year.

Members of the squadron hold meetings at the airport on 80 Airport Drive on Thursdays at 6 p.m.

The move brings the squadron closer to the two CAP aircraft stationed at the airport. The airport location allows the squadron to practice its aeronautical education and search and rescue activities. The 77th Composite Squadron is looking for new members and cadets to participate in squadron activities.

CAP was established Dec. 1, 1941. Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 61,000 members nationwide and operates a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and has been credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.

Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief, damage assessment and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs.

CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 71 years. For more information, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.

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