By Josh Chase, Staff Writer

For Colleen Van Brundt, military-style volunteerism is a family tradition. Her mother served in the Ground Observer Corps, and she has two brothers who were submariners.

So when she and her husband were looking for a way to give back to their community a year and a half ago, the Civil Air Patrol made the most sense.

Van Brundt, who has long been interested in aviation and whose husband is a pilot, joined the 130th Composite Squadron, a Civil Air Patrol unit based at Airlake Airport in Lakeville.

“This fit perfectly because we wanted to work with kids. We love aviation and the emergency services portion of it,” says 2nd Lt. Colleen Van Brundt, of Prior Lake. “Those three missions just worked well with what we wanted to do.”2nd Lieutenant Colleen
Van Brundt

Her husband, Capt. Paul Van Brundt, knew about the organization because of the time he spent at the airport. As a commercial pilot and flight instructor, he says an aviation-related community service group was natural.

Originally, Paul planned to serve only as a flight instructor. Plans changed, though, and he now serves as the squadron’s deputy commander. That’s in addition to the work he does as its professional development officer and its standards and evaluations officer.

“I wanted to be able to give back to the community,” the captain says. “I’d had so many things given to me, so I figured I could use my training as a pilot to give back to some kids who might not be able to afford it otherwise.”

Aerospace education and cadet programs are two of the organization’s core missions.

To advance in rank – each student member starts out as a cadet-airman basic and can advance to cadet-colonel – cadets must meet leadership, aerospace education, physical fitness and character development requirements.

“If you are a cadet, you get leadership training and the ability to apply it,” says Colleen. “The way you carry yourself changes. It commands respect from the people around you.”

Membership also has tangible benefits for youngsters; cadets who earn the General Billy Mitchell Award (and with it the rank of cadet second lieutenant) are automatically promoted to airman first class (E-3) upon enlistment in the U.S. Air Force.

But the 130th Composite Squadron currently counts no Prior Lake residents among its cadet rolls, says Paul.

“I think they’re missing out on an excellent opportunity for all this free training and camaraderie and fellowship with their peers,” he says. “It teaches so many leadership skills and teamwork skills that probably would never be picked up by students or cadets in any other way.”

Missions

The civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was created in 1941 as a way for civilian aviators to support the war effort. Shortly after the nation entered World War II, CAP pilots began conducting patrols along the East Coast, alerting Navy and Army Air Corps pilots to approaching German U-boats and – in some cases – attacking the vessels themselves.

Aiding with training efforts was another of the organization’s wartime missions. CAP pilots would tow drone aircraft to give military pilots moving targets to shoot down.

Also during that time, CAP began search-and-rescue operations, which remains one of its core missions.Cadet Scott Gabert refuels a Civil
Air Patrol aircraft after making a
solo flight. (Submitted photo)

All members – who serve in a volunteer capacity, receiving no compensation – can perform emergency service roles. While cadets make up much of the ground force, senior members can take part from the air.

Paul serves as a pilot on CAP missions, while his wife holds ratings as both an observer (the crew member responsible for navigation and radio communications) and a scanner (who watches the ground from above in search of the missing party).

“It’s a very good resource for any community to get help,” says the captain. “All the community has to do is request and the Civil Air Patrol will provide people or aircraft or whatever it takes to conduct a search.”

Life lessons

Lt. Col. Nick Modders has been an on-again, off-again member of CAP since 1957 and has seen the program through both an adult and teenager eyes.

“In upper Michigan in the 1950s, just seeing an airplane was a big deal,” says Modders, who found out about the program through a friend.

Modders used his experiences as a cadet throughout his 24-year Air Force career, followed by a 31-year career as a pilot for Northwest Airlines.

“[CAP] made me aware of things that were available through the military and gave me the initial flight instruction so that when I got to Air Force pilot training, I already had some experience,” says the colonel, who, like the Van Brundts, later joined as a senior member because of opportunities to volunteer. “I’m interested in giving back a little bit. I had a good life, and Civil Air Patrol certainly launched that.”

While the program is helpful for youngsters looking forward to the rest of their lives, it’s also beneficial to adults who have already been in the workforce.

An industrial engineer by trade, Colleen says CAP has given her skills in areas she otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to dabble in. She serves as the squadron’s public information officer and doubles as its aerospace education officer.

But the biggest reward for Colleen comes from watching cadets learn and grow.

“There was one cadet who came in and was shy – the new kid on the block,” she says. “Now, just to watch him turn into a leader is really neat.”

“There is a reward to it and it’s probably to know you’re helping others,” she continues. “I didn’t join it as a resume builder or anything. I joined it to be of service, and to know that you are of service is great.”

Josh Chase can be reached at (952) 345-6375 or jchase@swpub.com.