Westhampton Beach, NY - August 31, 2016 - Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Captain Leia Eisenhower-Felix, a resident of Bay Shore, was recently appointed chaplain for New York Wing's 9th Suffolk Cadet Squadron. CAP's Chief of Chaplain Corps, Colonel James W. Hughes, approved the appointment with endorsement from its national commander, CAP Brigadier General Joseph R. Vazquez. The CAP chaplain is tasked with enabling the free exercise of religion by CAP members, promoting the role of the organization's core values in all its activities, and responding to emergencies with skill and professionalism.
Capt. Eisenhower-Felix's inspiration to embark on her journey with Civil Air Patrol happened upon being discharged from hospital as a cancer survivor in 2013. "It was one beautiful afternoon when I decided to look for a better way to give back ... I was discharged from the hospital, and in my heart all I wanted was the opportunity to serve my country and respectively my community," she said. Eisenhower selected Civil Air Patrol as her ideal venue since being made aware of the organization during her mission work with the United Nations.
Capt. Eishenhower-Felix holds a doctorate from New Jersey State University in pastoral counseling and is an ordained minister affiliated with Assemblies of God. She has recently written and had published a Spanish-language book, "To What Extent Is Counseling Effective?," and has released many videos on YouTube offering counseling and advice. Her other passions include spending time with her daughter and working as an obstetrics coordinator at Southampton Hospital.
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees.
CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program.
Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.
The 9th Suffolk Cadet Squadron CAP meets Wednesday evenings at the Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach. For more information, please visit their website.