CATONSVILLE, Md - On Tuesday, 29 June 2010, the Fort McHenry Composite Squadron held its monthly promotion and award ceremony and, through hard work and dedication, its members earned an unprecedented number of remarkable achievements.

The event, which was organized by Captain Sherry McManus and Captain Larry Moore, was attended by the following distinguished guests:

- Commander of the Maryland Wing, Colonel John Knowles, CAP

- Commander of Maryland Wing's Group II, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Parris, CAP

- Chief of Special Sources Intelligence Integration for Detachment 1 of the 7th Intelligence Squadron, Captain John Dyson, USAF

- Officer in Charge of Technical Operations and Flight Commander for Detachment 1 of the 7th Intelligence Squadron, Captain Kenneth Mercer Jr., USAF

During the ceremony, the following Fort McHenry members were promoted or presented a special award:

- Promoted to the rank of Captain:

Alvin Sacks, Fort McHenry Composite Squadron Safety Officer and Maryland Wing's 2009 Safety Officer of the Year

- Promoted to the rank of Cadet/Airman and awarded the John F. Curry Achievement Medal:

Timothy Jacobs

Kyle Rose

Brian Warsaw

- Promoted to the rank of Cadet/Airman First Class and awarded the General H. H. (Hap) Arnold Achievement Ribbon:

Emmanuel Grogan

- Promoted to the rank of Cadet/Master Sergeant and awarded the Charles A. Lindbergh Achievement Ribbon:

Brent Sacks

- Promoted to the rank of Cadet/Senior Master Sergeant and awarded the General Jimmy Doolittle Achievement Ribbon:

Gregory Gleichauf

- Awarded the Rocketry Program Redstone Phase Certificate of Completion:

Cadet/Airman Basic Jared Jackson

Cadet/Airman Timothy Jacobs

Cadet/Airman Malcolm Scott

- Awarded the Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Award for completion of Level Two of the Senior Member Professional Development Program:

First Lieutenant Charles Frater

In addition to the awards mentioned, Mr. Brian Jolles, president of We Promote Health, presented the Fort McHenry Composite Squadron with a check for $200 for augmenting the parking detail during Healthy Howard Day on 6 June 2010.

The highlight of the evening came when Captain Ells, Commander of the Fort McHenry Composite Squadron and an active duty Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force, received the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (MOVSM) from Captain Kenneth Mercer Jr. The MOVSM is a decoration which was created under Executive Order 12830 by George H. W. Bush on January 9, 1993 to recognize those members of the military who perform substantial volunteer service to the local community above and beyond the duties required as a member of the United States Armed Forces. The citation which accompanied the award was read before the members of the audience and noted SSgt Ells' performance while he served "as an aircrew member during three real-world search and rescue missions within the state of Maryland and was subsequently awarded one non-distress find." The citation also referenced his leadership of 57 unit members through the successful completion of "28 search and rescue missions, counter-drug missions, disaster relief sorties and counter-terrorism operations within the state of Maryland."

The ceremony was followed by cake, refreshments, and friendly conversation between the members of the Fort McHenry Composite Squadron and the distinguished visitors.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide. 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 was credited by the AFRCC with saving 72 lives in fiscal year 2009. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relieve and counter-drug 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 23,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 68 years.

More than 1,500 members of CAP serve in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information, visit www.mdcap.org.

The Fort McHenry Composite Squadron meets weekly on Tuesday evenings at Catonsville, Armory, 130 Mellor Avenue in Catonsville, Md. Prospective members are always welcome. For more information or directions, visit the squadron website at www.ftmchenrycap.org.