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History Northeast Region, Civil Air Patrol
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NORTHEAST REGION - A PROUD HISTORY
As the Civil Air Patrol was coming into existence in 1941, the consensus was that there should be an echelon between the 52 wings and National Headquarters. The founders of the CAP decided to mirror the nine existing Army Corps Areas. In each one, a Region Commander would coordinate wing activities. During this formative stage, this concept proved to be helpful in getting the new organization up and running.
The six New England wings formed the 1st Region, with headquarters in Boston. The New York, New Jersey and Delaware Wings formed the 2nd Region with headquarters in New York. The 3rd Region area had the Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, National Capital, and Puerto Rico Wings, with headquarters in Baltimore.
Until April 1942, Gill Robb Wilson himself commanded both the 1st and 2nd Regions. Only five of the nine regional commands were ever actually filled, three by Army officers. The Army often found it necessary to send these officers on military missions outside their regions. These shortfalls at the regional level necessitated more and more direct contact between the wings and National Headquarters. The Office of Civilian Defense (then the parent body of the CAP) abolished the regional commands on August 14, 1942.
In the postwar years, there were eight Areas of Responsibility (AORs). In the northeastern states, the AOR consisted of the six New England wings, and the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and National Capital Wings. On the National Executive Board, there were eight officers, each with responsibility for his AOR, with a ninth serving as chairman. In September 1951, Colonel James L. Biggs, the NEB member from the Northeast, was concurrently designated as Regional Director. Effective January 1, 1952, CAP formally reestablished the regional echelon, and reconstituted the old AORs into eight new regions. The new Northeast Region now consisted of the six New England wings, and the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Wings. At that time, Colonel Cord Meyer became Regional Director. On May 27, 1955, Regional Directors became Region Commanders.
![]() NER's official emblem was created in early 1970. This distinctive design was the work of Colonel Jack Herbert, USAF and Major (later Colonel and National Historian) Leonard Blascovich. Colonel Edwin Lyons approved the design in September, 1970.
Julius "Julie" Goldman (1913 - 2000) was a noted pilot, flight instructor, and aviation entrepreneur. Over his long lifetime, he logged over 23,000 hours in 124 models of land and sea aircraft, and was an FAA Examiner for 37 years. He managed a succession of thriving aviation businesses in northeastern Massachusetts from the 1930s until the 1980s. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force. Colonel Goldman was Massachusetts Wing Commander (1966 - 1970) and Northeast Region Commander (1970 - 1977). He went on to serve as National Operations Officer and National Safety Officer.
Edgar Bailey (1922 - 1989) was a sergeant in the Marine Corps during World War II. Joining the CAP in 1948, he commanded the Rhode Island Wing (1966 - 1979) and the Northeast Region (1979 -1986). He went on to become National Chief of Staff, and was subsequently elected as National Vice Commander. He was the first holder of this office to be accorded the rank of Brigadier General.
David Braun became a CAP cadet in 1954, and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1956. He reentered CAP as an officer in 1980. Colonel Braun commanded the Maine Wing (1982-1990) and the Northeast Region twice (1990-1992, and 1993-1995). He went on to senior assignments at the National level including the chairmanship of the National Commander's Counterdrug Committee. Colonel Braun is a qualified incident commander with expertise in large scale disaster relief.
Colonel Joseph "Skip" Guimond served as an infantry officer during the Vietnam War, and received the Bronze Star and numerous other decorations. He joined CAP in 1980 and served as a check pilot, squadron and group safety officer, group commander, wing vice commander, Pennsylvania Wing Commander (1994-1995), and Northeast Region Commander (1995-1999). He is a command pilot with over 3,000 flight hours, a certified flight instructor (both airplane and glider), and an FAA Aviation Safety Counselor.
Donald Prouty enlisted in the Air Force in 1957, and served as an Air Traffic Controller. As an officer, he was a navigator aboard transport aircraft. He went on to fly for Eastern Airlines, and continued to serve his country in the USAF Reserve and the New Hampshire Air Guard. He has logged over 13,000 hours in a wide variety of military and civil aircraft. Colonel Prouty served as Massachusetts Wing Commander (1986-90), Region Vice Commander (most of the 1990s) and Region Commander (1999-2001). In 2001, he was named as CAP's FEMA Coordinator. Colonel Prouty has concurrently been involved in several Advanced Technology initiatives for CAP.
Richard Greenhut was already a veteran pilot and FAA Safety Counselor when he joined CAP's New York City Group in 1990.
After serving as New York Wing commander, Colonel Greenhut took over the Northeast Region shortly
before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Colonel Greenhut had a leading role in the CAP's relief effort,
and also flew many sorties himself. After his term as Region Commander ended in 2005, he went on to direct National
Headquarters' homeland security program, and later, their marketing initiative.
The Northeast Region is unique. We boast nine wings, including two of the nation's largest (New York and Pennsylvania), and two of the smallest (Vermont and Rhode Island). The Northeast Region includes the Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas, yet it is also the most forested of all the regions. ![]() When terrorists attacked New York on September 11, 2001, the Northeast Region led the rest of CAP in providing much-needed disaster relief. Like our forebears who guarded America against enemy submarines and saboteurs, we remain Semper Vigilans. NORTHEAST REGION COMMANDERS
Unit Citations to Northeast Region Headquarters
Unit Citations to the Northeast Region Wings
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