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Capt. Morgan Bennett, Alabama Wing cadet activities officer and Auburn Composite Squadron emergency services officer, discusses how her experiences as a cadet and particularly as a participant in CAP's Engineering Technology Academy at Auburn University in 2005 helped lay the foundation for her career in polymer engineering. Behind Bennett, cadets from the Auburn squadron work at wing design in the university's polymer and fiber engineering lab.
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Col. Brad Lynn, Alabama Wing commander, discusses the importance of CAP's aerospace education mission with Bobby Jon Drinkard, "On the Job" host and co-producer, during production.
Photo by Susan Schneider, National Headquarters
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Civil Air Patrol and the Alabama Wing, and particularly the array of opportunities they offer cadets, were the focus Sunday, Oct. 28, of Alabama Public Television’s and Alabama Industrial Development Training’s weekly “On the Job” program.
The half-hour episode, which aired at 12:30 p.m. Central time on the public TV station and again at 9:30 p.m. on Montgomery NBC affiliate WSFA-TV’s 12.2 digital subchannel, can be watched and downloaded on the program's website.
Bobby Jon Drinkard, the show’s co-producer and host, spoke with cadets and officers in the Auburn Composite Squadron, joined the cadets in a wing-design project in Auburn University's polymer and fiber engineering lab, and also conducted interviews about CAP's multifaceted missions and offerings with:
- Col. Brad Lynn, Alabama Wing commander.
- Maj. Christopher Tate, the squadron's commander.
- Capt. Morgan Bennett, the wing's cadet activities officer and the unit's emergency services officer.
- Senior Member James Hall.
- Cadet Col. Ryan Erskine.
- Susan Mallett, youth development program coordinator at National Headquarters.
Drinkard described the cadets' enthusiasm for the organization and the activities it offers as “off the charts – it’s awesome.”
The episode was videotaped in Auburn, some 50 miles east of CAP National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base. Inclement weather on the day of taping in June at Auburn University Regional Airport, meeting place for the Auburn squadron, prevented any flights, so instead the cadets were shown participating in the wing-design project.
Drinkard called the episode “a very, very positive look at CAP and the great potential for young people to learn about many aerospace careers."
The show’s website describes it as “showcasing unique and often overlooked companies and educational opportunities in Alabama.” It’s produced by AIDT in cooperation with the public TV network.
