The Civil Air Patrol, USAF’s Auxiliary, has an at-large position coming open on its Board of Governors early next year. To fill that spot, CAP wants applications by Oct. 19, according to a Sept. 19 release. Among requirements for the post, an individual must have served in CAP for at least five years and have completed Level IV of the Senior Member Training Program. CAP’s recent activities included flying National Weather Service meteorologists along the East Texas coastline to aid a NWS report on the effect of Hurricane Ike. CAP volunteers from Arkansas and Oklahoma were expected to help with the aerial reconnaissance missions. Meanwhile, other CAP members aided Houston residents on the ground, providing water and meals and first aid. (Houston report)
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
