A total of 171 Civil Air Patrol cadets — including 153 basic students and 18 advanced students — graduated recently from the New Jersey Wing’s 2025 Basic Encampment, a six-day immersive leadership training experience held July 27 to August 2 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. They were supported by 53 cadet cadre and 36 senior members who facilitated the training and daily operations.
“Encampment is a life-changing experience for our cadets,” said Col. Amy Myzie, commander of the New Jersey Wing. “They leave here more confident, more capable and more inspired to lead. We are extremely proud of what they’ve achieved in just one week.”
On the fourth day of encampment, cadets were addressed by Brig. Gen. Stephen Snelson, commander of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, who shared his personal journey from Civil Air Patrol cadet to Air Force general. A recipient of the Gen. Ira C. Eaker Award, Snelson credited his CAP experiences as foundational to his career in military service.
Throughout the week, cadets participated in a wide range of activities designed to instill leadership, discipline, and teamwork. Highlights included:
• Static displays of KC-46 and C-17 aircraft, with advanced students also using flight simulators for both aircraft types
• A visit to the CRW (Contingency Response Wing) facility, where cadets met military working dogs, constructed a military operations tent, operated night vision equipment, and observed a demonstration from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team featuring a robotic dog
• An obstacle course challenge
• Guided tours of the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team, the Marine Corps Reserve aviation group, and the Aeromedical Evacuation complex
Cadets lived in military dormitories and ate in the Dining Facility, gaining firsthand exposure to military life and routines.
The graduation ceremony, held Saturday morning, marked the successful completion of one of Civil Air Patrol’s most essential cadet programs. For many, this encampment serves as a key milestone in their leadership development and opens the door to advanced training opportunities and national cadet special activities.
Civil Air Patrol is the longtime auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a valued member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine aircraft and 1,550 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). It performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 82 lives annually. CAP’s 66,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Operating as a nonprofit organization, CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.
