Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 volunteer members nationwide, operating a fleet of 560 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 8 lives annually. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction 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 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. Other Air Force missions include slow-mover targets for practice intercepts and the Rated Pilot Preparatory Program. CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 and has been performing missions for America for 80 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor, and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information and to learn how you can join Civil Air Patrol.