CAP History & Values

Civil Air Patrol’s Core Values of Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence and Respect embody what it has stood for over 70 years.

CAP’s Core Values are derived both from the organization’s own examination of our mission and meaning as well as from the core values of its parent organization, the United Stated Air Force (USAF).

A brief history

In the mid 1990s, the USAF created and infused throughout its culture a set of enduring values, or core values, to which every member was expected to adhere. Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do became, “the glue that unifies the force and ties it to the great warriors and public servants of the past”. By 1999, CAP had also embraced the concept of a core values system to define its culture. We believe that our Core Values are an expression of how we implement our vision and complete our mission every day. Our Core Values establish a common set of behavioral expectations and serve as CAP’s ethical framework.

Civil Air Patrol Values

• Integrity: It is the quality of being sincere, honest, and just. It means to do the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do. It is the ultimate expression of self-discipline, and the quality that, more than anything else, builds trust. If we can’t trust each other, we can’t help each other and our neighbors… and we hurt our organization.

• Volunteer Service: We sacrifice our time and our treasure to help others: to save lives and shape the lives of our youth. Beyond the simple sacrifice of time and money, this involves faithfully following CAP’s rules and showing respect for others. To serve is to acknowledge and work towards a higher goal, higher than one’s own desires.

• Excellence: In saving lives and shaping lives, CAP members commit themselves to a level of performance and achievement reflecting our vital work, to never settle for “good enough.” The things we do and the technologies we use – during the meetings, during our missions, even while studying at home – require our continual effort to improve.

• Respect: CAP values every one of our members: for what they bring to us, for who they are, and for how their participation enriches the organization. Respect means viewing other members as having their own fundamental worth and as responsible for their own unique contribution. It means that members are never measured or judged by their race, sex, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or disability. It means that as members we treat each other with fairness, dignity and compassion. It means we value our organization’s heritage, its priorities, its rules and its purposes.