AUBURN — In a change-of-command and promotion ceremony held Saturday at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport terminal building, Col. Daniel Leclair, Maine Wing Commander of the Civil Air Patrol, relinquished his position to Maj. Marc Brunelle.

Leclair has been selected as the new Northeast Region commander.

The event followed a flag transfer protocol rooted in many centuries of military history. Local CAP cadets posted the colors and Col. Christopher Hayden, commander of Northeast Region Civil Air Patrol, directed the passage of the Maine Wing CAP flag from Leclair to Brunelle.

Leclair will succeed Hayden as Northeast Region commander in about two weeks.

The ceremony also included promotion of Leclair to permanent status at that rank, and promotion of Brunelle to temporary rank of colonel for the four-year period of his new Maine Wing CAP position. Both are licensed pilots.

Brunelle advances from several years as director of operations to leadership of the Maine Wing.

Leclair also received a distinguished service medal at Saturday’s ceremony.

Leclair and Brunelle are graduates of Edward Little High School and Lewiston High School, respectively. Both are successful businessmen who volunteer their time to support Maine communities with emergency response, diverse aviation and ground services, youth development and promotion of air, space and cyber power.

In his remarks, Leclair emphasized that his proudest accomplishment has been a 100 percent accident-free record for the Wing, as well as a four-fold increase in training funding.

He told the attendees that several key CAP personnel could not attend because they were involved at that time in a vital mission. They were in the air and on the ground participating in a search for a missing hiker along the Appalachian Trail in Carrabassett Valley.

Brunelle, in his remarks, also referred to the CAP role in the hiker search in association with the Maine Forest Service and the Maine Warden Service.

He said the CAP volunteers “are like no others,” adding, “It demands and challenges your best, and we have the best.”

Leclair presented a framed aerial photo to Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport Manager Rick Lanman, noting that the local airport has hosted CAP since 1941.

Several commendation awards were presented by Leclair. They went to Lt. Col. Lindon Christie, director of aerospace education; Maj. Mary J. Story, Wing DDR administrator; Maj. Warren King, aircraft maintenance officer; Maj. Catherine Spaulding, CIS officer; Maj. Gary Brearley, director of safety; Maj. Donald Godfrey, vice commander of the Maine Wing; Capt. William Ryan, transportation officer; Capt. Stephen Vorpagel, supply officer; First Lt. Cristal LaPrade, administrative officer.

Also, Maj. Raymond Hanson, director of communications; First Lt. James LaPrade Jr., cadet activities officer; Wayne Merritt, emergency service officer; Lt. Col. James Jordan, chief of staff; Capt. Mark Beck, IT director; Lt. Col. Douglas Grosso, inspector general; and Capt. Nathan Fellows, director of cadet programs.

Several dozen CAP officers, cadets and family members attended the ceremony. Maj. Donald Godfrey, vice commander, directed the program.

Civil Air Patrol is congressionally chartered and operates as a nonprofit corporation. Founded in 1941, CAP originally assisted the War Department by defending the coastline of the United States during World War II. Two of those Coastal Patrol bases were located in Maine, at Portland and Trenton.

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