Post-War-Now What?
CAP in the Post-War years:
Still Jobs to Do

After WWII, CAP was at a cross roads. The immediate national emergency was over. U.S. military forces were no longer unprepared, they were the strongest in the nation’s history.

In 1946, an unprecedented dinner attended by President Truman, 300 members of Congress and 50 Army Air Force generals thanked CAP for its wartime service to the nation. But would CAP have a place in post-war America?

On July 1, 1946, Public Law 476 established CAP as a patriotic and educational organization and an “instrumentality of the United States,” a unique status similar to that accorded the American Red Cross.

Originally under the Office of Civil Defense, CAP became the auxiliary of the Army Air Forces in 1943.

After the creation of the new, independent U.S. Air Force in 1947, CAP was designated the official USAF auxiliary in 1948.

After WWII, air search and ground rescue became CAP’s primary operational mission, along with the education and training of “air-minded” youth through the CAP cadet program.

Cadet orientation flights offered
many their first airplane ride,
including this nervous "backseater"
in an L-4 (still in military livery
with LC- "buzz number").
Click on photo to enlarge.

Disaster relief was also a CAP specialty, as were special missions – all determined by the events and trends of the Cold War decades.

I.    The Gathering Threat II.   The CAP Subchasers of WWII III.   Many Other WWII Missions IV.  Post-War: Now What? V.  The Cold War Years VI.  Search & Rescue VII. CAP Today		NEXT >>
	Exhibit V: Cold War Years…