The adult and cadet members of Lancaster's Civil Air Patrol (CAP) squadron hosted the Pennsylvania Wing commander, Col. William Schlosser, during their annual banquet on Jan. 26 at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center in Lancaster. The master of ceremonies was 2nd Lt. Will Stover. During the banquet, Squadron 304 members received Achievement and Service Awards.

Schlosser has a strong background in emergency management and homeland security. He is currently a professor at the Pennsylvania College of Technology and dedicates his time to educating future leaders in the Civil Air Patrol and serving the community. At the banquet, he spoke about his career, his missions during major natural disasters, and his experiences with the CAP.

Squadron commander Lt. Col. Glenn Baugher was assisted by Ed Foster, the executive director of the Lancaster Airport, in presenting the Pennsylvania Wing Commander's Commendation to Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Bruce Gentry, Cadet Tech. Sgt. Cooper Hayes, Cadet Lt. Col. Slater Shannon, and 2nd Lt. Craig Shannon for their efforts and service at the 2024 Lancaster Air Show. Capt. Barbara McCutcheon was recognized for her volunteer work for the Pennsylvania Wing Finance Department with a Pennsylvania Wing Commander's Commendation.

Baugher was assisted by Schlosser in presenting Squadron 304's major milestone promotions and awards to the cadets. Service Awards were presented to Cadet Airman Anna McCamant, who was named Cadet of the Month for December, and Cadet 1st Lt. Aaron Keohane, who was named Staff Member of the Quarter. Cadet Senior Airman Michael Pietrangeli was promoted to Cadet Staff Sgt. and received his Wright Brothers Award. Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Lucyann Draeger earned Achievement 8 and received her Neil Armstrong Ribbon.

Cadet 1st Lt. Jereco Acosta, Cadet 2nd Lt. Colby Smith, and Cadet 2nd Lt. Trevor Jones were presented with Billy Mitchell Certificates. Slater Shannon received his Eaker Award. Gentry was named the Air Force Sergeants Association 2024 Cadet NCO of the Year for 2024. Slater Shannon was named the Jesse Jones Squadron 2024 Cadet of the Year. Both Gentry and Slater Shannon were also named Cadet of the Year at the group echelon. Tech. Sgt. Gary Heim was named Senior Member of the Year in the squadron for his hard work and contributions to the squadron throughout the year.

Jesse Jones Squadron 304 meets each Monday except holidays at 7 p.m. in the Venture Jets hangar, which is located at the Lancaster Airport near the intersection of Lititz Pike and Millport Road. Visitors are welcome. More information about the squadron is available by visiting http://jessejones.cap.gov or searching for "Jesse Jones Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, Pennsylvania Wing" on Facebook.

The Civil Air Patrol is the all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary. To learn more, visit http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com or http://www.cap.news.