YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. - After a career in the armed forces that includes eight overseas deployments, including two to Iraq, some veterans might feel they have served their country enough.
For U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground electronics engineer Scott Myers, however, retirement from active duty merely marked a different phase of service.
The former Marine Corps and Navy pilot, who has worked at YPG for nearly five years, wasn't satisfied with merely his demanding job and earning two graduate degrees to add to the two he already had. Looking for a chance to volunteer his talents, he heard about the Civil Air Patrol, or CAP.
"When I retired from active duty, a buddy of mine told me about a squadron he joined in Phoenix," said Myers. "I said, 'yeah, that's right up my alley,' so I checked it out here and really liked it."
The official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force, CAP serves as a supplement to search and rescue and drug interdiction missions, and provides aerospace education and cadet programs for youth ages 12 through 20. Each individual squadron relies on experienced volunteers to teach cadets about aviation and ferry them along on flights for real-world air experience. Though a civilian auxiliary, CAP and its cadet programs are organized along military lines.
"Anybody who is willing to come and help is awesome," said Lt. Col. Merilee Taylor, unit commander. "We need experienced pilots like Scott to get the cadets up there and show them the ropes."
In addition to regular flights with cadets on weekends, Myers has served as safety officer of Yuma's CAP squadron for nearly two years.
"He does a great job with our safety program and tunes into things for the cadets as well as the senior members," said Taylor.
On a typical weekly evening meeting recently, Myers stood in front of 13 cadets and several fellow adult volunteers in the CAP's modest conference room and cued up a video clip.
"This is an example of what not to do in an aircraft," he told the group, before dashboard footage of an air strip surrounded by mountains and hemmed in by tall alpine trees appeared on the whiteboard behind him. There was audio of pilot and co-pilot chatter, followed by a take-off attempt by a small plane. For a terrifying several seconds it seemed the plane wouldn't clear the tree line, and the pilots' dialogue assumed a frantic edge before the nose rose-- barely-- above the treetops.
"That is an example of bad planning," Myers said, then led the group through the reasons why the near-mishap occurred: the group's consensus was that it was an overloaded aircraft on a runway that was too short.
Myers then segued into a discussion about things a pilot always should do to prepare for a safe trip: file a flight plan, carry an emergency kit, and consider the terrain and weather conditions you will fly over in addition to the airspace you will fly through.
"There is no such thing as a routine flight," he reminded the group.
Myers says he has great admiration for cadets he has mentored.
"This is probably the top one percent of the kids," he said. "They're full time students in high school or college, so it takes a lot of dedication to have a limited amount of time and apply it to something like this."
He is particularly proud of those who choose to proceed into military careers.
"One of the cadets is in aviation rescue swimmer school right now for the Navy," said Myers. "Another is applying for the Air Force academy, too."
Myers has plenty of other activities in his non-work hours. In addition to spending time with his wife and young son, he is looking forward to running in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March at New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range, and may also soon pursue a fifth Master's degree. Regardless, he plans to continue his volunteer work with CAP.
"It's fun to keep flying and help out," he said.
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