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A Saturday ceremony at Hancock Central High School saw a changing of the guard for the Civil Air Patrol in the Upper Peninsula. The organization has individual squadrons overseen by a group commander. Lieutenant Colonel Donald Poe is leaving the post and being replaced by Major Jeffrey Burl, also a Michigan Tech professor.
Replacing Burl as head of the Copper Country Composite Squadron is First Lieutenant Cristy Kirschke. She talked about the cadet program in Hancock, which is a little over a year old.
Kirschke recognized the efforts of Cadet Major Daniel Douglas, who received the Amelia Earhart Award, the third of four available to CAP’s youngest members.
Douglas’ parents were in attendance. They hail from the Battle Creek area. Douglas is maintaining membership in CAP while also attending Michigan Tech, where he is part of the Air Force ROTC.
Civil Air Patrol is the auxiliary support unit for the United States Air Force. The Copper Country Composite Squadron meets regularly at the Houghton County Memorial Airport. In addition to overseeing the cadet program, it runs flight school during Michigan Tech’s Summer Youth Program.
