Marengo, Ohio – On Oct. 29, 2022, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) facilitated a youth Civil Air Patrol (CAP) outing at the Cardinal Shooting Facility – located just north of Columbus in Marengo, Ohio. The instructors for the event were CMP’s Dan Arnold and Dean Bates.
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The training session at Cardinal Shooting Center began at 9 a.m., with a short briefing that included general firearms safety, range procedures and marksmanship fundamentals. A group of 48 cadets with varying firearm experience were in attendance as well as around 15 CAP senior members and a CAP Medical Officer.
During the day, cadets fired shots with .22 caliber rifles from the prone supported position at a distance of 50 yards on the range. After firing five shots, each cadet’s shot groups were evaluated. Instructors on the line helped the cadets make sight adjustments before an additional five sighting shots were taken.
Once the second groupings were evaluated and adjustments made, participants went on to fire 40 shots for record. Arnold and Bates carefully monitored the record firing, helping the cadets with additional sight adjustments, if needed. Most of the four targets used for record at each firing point showed improvement in shot groupings as the day went on.
The cadets firing in the event were vying for the accompanying NRA Pro-Marksman Badge by reaching a qualification score of 200 out of a possible 400 points (50 percent). Of those in attendance, 42 cadets achieved the minimum score and were awarded badges, with overall scores ranging from 180 to the mid-300’s.
“Overall, this year’s CAP/CMP training event went very well,” said Arnold. “What we have accomplished to date dovetails with the CMP’s Mission and Vision: Marksmanship, Firearms Training, Safety and Youth Programs. I’m looking forward to the possibility of expanding these training opportunities to other cadets around the nation.”
More About CAP:
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that was established in 1948, beginning just before World War II. The core missions of CAP are emergency response services, such as search and rescue/disaster relief, aerospace education and youth cadet programs. CAP also conducts 90 percent of inland search and rescue in the U.S. – equipped with the largest fleet of single-engine planes in the world at over 550. The program is congressionally chartered and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Currently, there are over 23,000 youth members in cadet programs nationwide.
Covering all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, CAP is composed of eight geographic regions consisting of 52 wings. Its cadet program attracts youth ages 12 through 20. Members of CAP also have the opportunity to earn college scholarships in several different disciplines and may even enter the Air Force at a higher pay grade. Learn even more by visiting CAP’s official website at https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/.
— By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
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