Maryland Cadets Competed in Cyber Patriot Semi-Finals
Granite, MD. -- On January 21st, two composite teams of cadets from three Maryland Civil Air Patrol squadrons competed in the Platinum Level of Cyber Patriot Semi-Finals.
For their performance during the state round on December 10th, the "Cyber Warthogs" team received an award for First place in Maryland for the All-Service Division. The "Cyber Thunderbolts received an award for Second Place in Maryland for the All-Service Division.
Additionally, for the state round— the Warthogs placed First and the Thunderbolts placed 18th in the nation among the Civil Air Patrol teams participating in the platinum level (top level) of the All-Service Division. The Warthogs placed Fifth and the Thunderbolts placed 38th nationally overall in the platinum level, All-Service Division!
These two teams are composed of cadets from Hagerstown Composite Squadron, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Squadron, and Howard Composite Squadron. The teams are coached by Maj Gary Koch of Hagerstown Composite Squadron and mentored by Mr. John Turner.
Cyber Patriot is a defensive cybersecurity competition for middle and high school students. Public and private school students compete in the Open Division while the All Service Division includes teams from Army JROTC, Marine Corps JROTC, US Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Navy JROTC, Air Force JROTC, and Civil Air Patrol. The top two teams in the nation from each division will advance from Semi-finals to Finals, which will be held in Bethesda, Maryland in March.
The participating cadets began preparation for the competition back in July of 2022 by attending Standard Cyber Patriot Camp and then Advanced Cyber Patriot Camp in August 2022. During the fall, these cadets worked hard every week preparing through weekly mentoring sessions and weekly Cisco Packet Tracer classes, taught by Maj. Koch and their mentor, Mr. Turner.
Good luck in the future to these cadets!
Hagerstown Composite Squadron Cadets (from L to R)
Back Row: C/CMSgt Nate Kuhn, C/SSgt Marcus Dominguez Front Row: C/TSgt Gerard Dominguez, C/CMSgt Alexis Pearson, C/Capt Theresa Poffenberger
Howard Composite Squadron Cadets (from L to R)
C/TSgt Samantha Sniffen, C/MSgt Colin Myers, C/MSgt Shaedon Calloway
Not Pictured from Bethesda Chevy-Chase Squadron: C/Capt Pari Lakhiani and C/A1C Brandon Lin
Nearly 1,500 members serve in Civil Air Patrol’s Maryland Wing. Last year, wing members flew 13 actual search and rescue missions. Overall, the Maryland Wing flew 32 missions for the State of Maryland, flying 2,245 hours in all mission categories, and was credited with four finds. Volunteers contributed services estimated at $4.6 million. For information, contact the Maryland Wing at https://mdwg.cap.gov.production.premier.siteviz.com or follow the wing on Facebook (@MarylandWingCivilAirPatrol).
Established in 1941, Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine Cessna aircraft and more than 2,000 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Often using innovative cellphone forensics and radar analysis software, CAP was credited by the AFRCC with saving 130 lives in fiscal 2020. CAP’s 54,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. As a nonprofit organization, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace education using national academic standards-based STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. Members also serve as mentors to over 20,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. One of the premier public service organizations in America, CAP benefits the nation with an estimated economic impact of $209 million annually. Visit www.CAP.News or www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.
For More Information:
2nd Lt Suzanne Sniffen, Public Affairs Officer, Howard Composite Squadron
Photo Credit: 2nd Lt Suzanne Sniffen, Public Affairs Officer, Howard Composite Squadron
