MSS 547 Civil Air Patrol - Louisiana Wing: Inventory

Civil Air Patrol - LOUISIANA WING

(Mss 547)

Inventory

Earl K. Long Library

University of New Orleans

Processed April 2023

Contents

Summary

Biographical Note

Series List

Container List

Index Terms

Procedures for Requesting Special Collections Materials

Summary

Size:   Approximately .5 linear feet (1 box)

Geographic locations:      New Orleans, Louisiana

Inclusive dates:      1941-2022

Summary:     Correspondence and papers relating to the Louisiana Wing Civil Air Patrol from Colin B. Hamer and Albert St. Pierre.

Related collections:     MSS 129 - Military Order of the World Wars, New Orleans Chapter Collection; MSS 218 - Eisenhower Center D-Day Collection

Source:         Gift.

Access:         No restrictions.

Copyright: Physical rights are retained by the Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans.

Citation: Civil Air Patrol - Louisiana Wing Collection, (MSS 547), University of New Orleans Archives, Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans

Historical Note

"The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) provides an organization to aid United States citizens through voluntary contribution of their efforts, services, and resources for the maintenance of aerospace education and to assist in meeting local, state, and national emergencies, particularly air search and rescue, and disaster relief. Since the Civil Air Patrol’s formation during the earliest days of World War II, this vigilant organization of citizen airmen has been committed to service to America. Founded on December 1, 1941, to mobilize the nation's civilian aviation resources for national defense service, CAP has evolved into a premier public service organization that still carries out emergency service missions when needed — in the air and on the ground.” (Maine State Government Annual Report 2016-2017)

“More than 2,000 volunteers made up the CAP during World War II, including pilots, mechanics, doctors, homemakers, and clerks who gave freely of their time and resources. They used their own planes, tools, and radios and donated spare parts to keep everything running. In total, CAP Coastal Patrol aircrews spotted U-boats 173 times and made 57 attacks on them. They reported 91 ships in distress and 363 survivors of U-boat attacks. Twenty-six CAP volunteers lost their lives and ninety Coastal Patrol aircraft were lost”. (Picayune-Advocate 2022)

In Louisiana, the CAP was first organized out of the New Orleans Airport on the lakefront but later moved to Grand Isle as the first operational base on the Gulf Coast. Members of this coastal base were called the "Fighting Nine," and they were experienced at spotting injured crews and passengers of torpedoed ships clinging for life in the unpredictable waters of the Gulf. (Crist, 2009)

Post-World War II, CAP was converted into a federally chartered corporation that focused its efforts on three core programs – Cadet Programs, Emergency Services, and Aerospace Education. (Civil Air Patrol, 2013)

Citations:

Crist , C. J. (2009, March 30). Grand Isle had an important role during World War II. Houma Today. Retrieved April 4, 2024, from https://www.houmatoday.com/story/entertainment/2009/03/30/grand-isle-had-an-important-role-during-world-war-ii/26785281007/.

Civil Air Patrol, US Airforce Auxillary. (2013). Legal Basis for the Civil Air Patrol. Montgomery, AL; Civil Air Patrol.

Maine State Archives. (n.d.). Maine State Government Annual Report 2016-2017. Civil Air Patrol, 1941 - 2018 | Maine State Archives - ArchivesSpace. https://archives.maine.gov/repositories/3/archival_objects/277165

Picayune-Advocate Staff. (2022, June 27). St. Tammany Civil Air Patrol members honor one of their own. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://www.nola.com/news/communities/st_tammany/st-tammany-civil-air-patrol-members-honor-one-of-their-own/article_a81f0212-ed11-11ec-8dcb-036f9fe45248.html.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, April 25). Civil Air Patrol. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Air_Patrol

 

 

Series List

Series I. Colin B. Hamer

          Subseries I.1. Administrative and biographical information

Subseries I.2. Awards and award correspondence

Subseries I.3. Newspaper clippings

Subseries I.3. PBS Frontline Interview on Lee Harvey Oswald who was in the CAP

Series II. Albert St. Pierre

Subseries II.1. Photocopies of memos, correspondence, and awards from the Louisiana Wing

Series II. Supplemental Material

          Subseries III.1. Supplemental Research Material, Newspaper Articles, etc.

Container List 

Folder 1

Series I. Administrative and biographical information

Folder 2

Subseries I.2. Awards and award correspondence

Folder 3

Subseries I.3. Newspaper clippings

Folder 4

Subseries I.3. PBS Frontline Interview on Lee Harvey Oswald

Folder 5

Subseries II.1. Photocopies of memos, correspondence, and awards from the Louisiana Wing

Folder 6

          Supplemental Research Material, Newspaper Articles, etc.