Marlborough – The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal Dec. 10 on Capitol Hill in honor of its founding members’ role in protecting the homeland against deadly German U-boat attacks during World War II and carrying out other vital wartime domestic missions.
About 40 living veterans and dozens of members of their families as well as the families of deceased veterans will be in attendance.
Lt. Col. Donald LaCouture of Marlborough, who passed away 2010, served in the Civil Air Patrol at Coastal Patrol Base 18 in Falmouth. From there he flew missions searching for German submarines and distressed sailors. He later joined the Army Air Force and was awarded the Air Medal for his wartime service.
Among the living recipients of the medal will be Massachusetts native and current Arizona resident Dr. Richard G. Snyder, who served as a cadet and later as a senior member in the Northampton and Holyoke squadrons from 1943 to 1948. He later joined the Air Force and eventually learned to fly.
The Civil Air Patrol was founded Dec. 1, 1941, six days before Pearl Harbor. Over the course of the war some 200,000 men, women and teenagers from all walks of life voluntarily participated in CAP, largely without recognition or reward.
During the war CAP members, flying their own or borrowed planes, flew over the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in order to ward off German U-boat attacks against U.S. shipping because the U.S. Navy lacked the resources to guard against the submarine attacks and provide escorts for commercial convoys.
In all, 65 CAP members lost their lives in the line of duty by the end of the war.
The Senate passed legislation authorizing the Congressional Gold Medal in May 2013, with the House following suit a year later. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law May 30.
“I salute CAP’s founding members for their legacy of service and sacrifice in protecting the homeland during World War II,” said Maj. Gen. Joe Vazquez, CAP’s national commander. “Now, some 73 years later, CAP’s rich history of service continues. Modern-day members, nearly 60,000 strong, still perform vital homeland security missions, search and rescue missions and provide emergency response for natural and manmade disasters.”
Locally, the Lt. Col. Frank Pocher Minute Man Squadron is based in Marlborough. For more information email 1st Lt. Joshua Bell at [email protected]
In-depth information about CAP and its World War II missions and members can be found at www.capgoldmedal.com.