We — Emily Warthan and Joy Fisher — are two Civil Air Patrol cadets from Greenbrier Composite Squadron. From April 9-11, we participated in the Mountaineer Emergency Services Academy (MESA) training activity at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, West Virginia. The course we attended was called Ground Pounders Session 1 and other cadets from around West Virginia were also there.
The Ground Pounders course was on emergency services and it taught us how to be part of a ground team. We learned how to prevent and treat hot/cold weather injuries, how to avoid natural hazards, how to apply universal precautions in first aid, how to prevent and treat fatigue, what to do if we get lost, how to use a compass, and how to conduct a phone alert.
Emily: One of my favorite classes was learning how to use a compass.
All the cadet’s meals throughout the weekend (Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Sunday breakfast) were provided free of charge. We each had our own room, also free of charge. The room was furnished with a bed, desk, small fridge, microwave, TV, and a bathroom with a shower. Camp Dawson is a lovely camp with modern clean buildings.
Emily: For me, the highlight of this trip was meeting all the cadets and making friends.
Joy: My highlight of this camp was meeting an air force sergeant who was on base there. I really enjoyed talking to her and learning about the Air Force and how to join.
We’re going to be attending the second Ground Pounders course in June. Once we complete that training, we’ll be qualified to be part of a ground team, which will allow us to save lives by finding crashed airplanes and missing persons.
If you haven’t heard of Civil Air Patrol and you’re interested in all the opportunities it has to offer like aerospace, leadership, and emergency services, then you should look into it. Anyone 12 years and older can join.
To find out more about Civil Air Patrol, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com. Or you are invited to attend an open house on May 1 from 1–3:30 p.m., with a presentation at 2 p.m., at the Greenbrier Valley Airport in Lewisburg. If you want to attend RSVP to hmoloney@wvwg.cap.gov.
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