My friend and commander - Col. Gary Wickliff

Civil Air Patrol - Gary Wickliff

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I don't know how many of you noticed the following story the other day but I wanted to highlight it here. The local Civil Air Patrol is a wonderful if untapped resource for our area. The officers and cadets are of the highest quality and this small group of patriots accept their mission with enthusiasm and honor.

Yes, I'm a past member of the local CAP but had to be released due to my other responsibilities that could qualify as a conflict of interest.

The commander of the unit is Col. Gary Wickliff who is more than just the commander but also their key pilot. He is a personal friend of mine who, if he called, I would drop everything to be at his service. He also owns Wickliff Diesel off of Lovers Lane and a beautiful farm "Diamond W Farms."

Col. and Mrs. Wickliff also give back to the community. I know this because my youngest son was in the band at Greenwood when they went to Washington DC. It was an expensive trip and the Wickliff's gave a significant amount of money to help finance the trip. (I didn't even know about it until they were introduced at a football game.) What makes this gift significant to me is the fact they don't have any children at the high school. They simply felt this was something they could do to help the school, the band and the children.

I love the Wickliff's very much and don't want their 15 minutes of fame to fade too soon, so I offer this to this small group. If you would like to send Col. Wickliff an email, send me a private message and I'll give you his e-mail address.

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Daily News (Bowling Green, KY)
Wickliff honored by local Civil Air Patrol after decade
AMEERAH CETAWAYO, The Daily News
Published: August 8, 2006


Tonight, Bowling Green's Civil Air Patrol Squadron KY 057 honors retiring squadron commander Lt. Col. Gary Wickliff, after he served for more than a decade.

The Air Force Civil Patrol is a nonprofit corporation that acts as the civilian supplement of the U.S. Air Force and handles 95 percent of America's inland search and rescue, with 100 lives saved yearly, according to its national Web site.

The patrol also handles aerial reconnaissance for homeland security, disaster-relief and damage assessment efforts, transportation for time-sensitive medical materials, and counterdrug missions.

Kentucky's CAP provides air transportation to law enforcement officials searching for illegal drugs and performs other missions.

"We have been on several searches," CAP member Harry Clagett said.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport.

Wickliff earned his flight operations master's level certification in 1997 and is a rated and certified pilot for civil air patrol, Clagett said.

At the ceremony, Michael Bryant will be introduced as Clagett's replacement, Clagett said.

The head of the Kentucky wing will then make presentations.

There will be refreshments. The public is invited.

The CAP also works with young people through its cadet program to teach them about the military, camping, leadership skills, and awareness of airline safety and techniques.

Nationwide, the civil patrol has more than 58,000 members, including 27,000 cadets ages 12 to 21.

Its national headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., has 160 support staff who administer the organization's aerospace education workshops, cadet programs and operations.

- For more information visit members.aol.com/isbj/BOWLINGGREEN/index.htm or www.cap.gov.

Copyright 2006 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)