The Massachusetts Wing Civil Air Patrol (abbreviated MAWG), commonly referred to as "Mass Wing", is the highest echelon of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in the Commonwealth of
. Its headquarters is located at
Hanscom Air Force Base
Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located predominantly within Bedford, Massachusetts, with portions extending into the adjoining towns of Lincoln, Concord and Lexington. The facility is adjacent to Hanscom Field ...
in
Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Bedford was 14,383 at the time of the 2020 United States Census.
History
''The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information ...
. MA Wing reports to
Northeast Region CAP, which reports to CAP National Headquarters.
Emergency services
Training for all Emergency Services functions is based on the Incident Command System. The most basic qualifications require certification in th
ICS-100course available online.
Members of the wing assisted in the search for
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American lawyer, journalist, and magazine publisher. He was a son of the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kenn ...
's plane crash site.
More recently, a few Massachusetts Wing members aided with Incident Command at the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster.
In April 2020, members of the Massachusetts Wing began assisting the
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that coordinates federal, state, local, and private resources throughout the Commonwealth during times of disasters and emergencies.
It is headq ...
(MEMA) in its response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
by helping to load and unload trucks, inventorying personal protective equipment and other needed medical supplies, and assembling orders of those items for delivery to local municipalities around the state.
Aerospace Education
Aerospace Education includes a monthly aerospace education class, up to 7 Orientation Flights for Cadets under 18, and a display competition based on the STEM principles which is judged at the annual Conference.
Cadet Program
The Cadet Program culminates each summer in an encampment. In recent years, encampments have been held at
Joint Base Cape Cod
The Joint Base Cape Cod is a state-designated joint base created by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States War Department in 1935. Governor James Curley signed the state bill to allocate and purchase land for a military facilit ...
, normally in the month of August.
Massachusetts Wing has credit for 18 Spaatz-earning Cadets.
Squadrons
At one time, Massachusetts Wing oversaw approximately 25 primary subordinate squadrons under 4 groups located throughout the state, however the groups were eliminated when the number of squadrons dwindled below the 20 required to justify their existence. To date, there are currently 12 Active Squadrons in the Massachusetts Wing.
*Beverly Composite Squadron MA-019
*Boston Cadet Squadron MA-002
*Bridgewater State University Squadron MA-005
*Coastal Patrol 18 Composite Squadron MA-044
*Essex County Composite Squadron MA-070
*Brigadier General Arthur J. Pierce Squadron MA-013
*Goddard Cadet Squadron MA-007
*Hanscom Composite Squadron MA-043
*Lt Col. Frank Pocher Minute Man Squadron MA-059
*Pilgrim Composite Squadron MA-071
*Westover Composite Squadron MA-015
*Worcester Cadet Squadron MA-022
References
External links
Massachusetts Wing Civil Air Patrol
{{US military navbox
Wings of the Civil Air Patrol
Military units and formations in Massachusetts