South Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol, has received a rare National Commander’s Unit Citation award. The award, recognizing four notable accomplishments during 2024, was presented at CAP’s joint South Dakota Wing and North Central Region conference, May 3 in Spearfish.
South Dakota Wing received a “highly effective” evaluation from an inspection team from the Air Force and CAP national headquarters. South Dakota Wing is the first to receive this highest possible rating in the current cycle of inspections.
Big Sioux Squadron Commander, Captain Jacob Roth, earns Private Pilot License on the 31st of March, after dreaming of earning it for years.
South Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol, is supporting an effort by Swiss drone manufacturer Wingtra to develop “human recognition” software to search for missing people on the ground. SD Wing is the first unit in CAP to have photos processed with the Beta version of this new software.
The USAF Academy (USAFA) has accepted CAP Cadet Master Sergeant Lexi T. Brandt to become a USAFA cadet starting June 2025. Cadet Brandt has wanted to attend the USAF Academy since she was in 7th Grade. She lived then in Windsor, Colorado, and saw the Graduation Ceremony on TV and the Thunderbirds Air Force demonstration team flying overhead where she was. That’s when she started to research what she needed to do to attend this highly-acclaimed, difficult, and free university. Since then, she’s been working diligently to ensure she was ready for this highly sought-after honor.
Several legislative activities were available for members of the South Dakota Wing this Winter, organized by the Government Relations Team. During the first activity, approximately 20 members visited the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre as part of the South Dakota State Legislative Day on February 5, 2025. During the second activity, several cadets and adult leaders had the opportunity to represent South Dakota Wing at the National Legislative Day in Washington, DC.
A dozen people attended South Dakota Wing’s airborne photography academy January 11 in Sioux Falls, including members and invited guests.
2025 will be the “Year of Growth” for South Dakota Wing, Col. Kevin Pegelow, wing commander, has announced. “As 2025 begins, we will look inside and outside the organization to improve our members and our organization,” said Pegelow. “We are excited to take steps to better our team in a number of ways.”
Col. Kevin Pegelow took command of South Dakota Wing of Civil Air Patrol, following a change of command ceremony December 7 in Pierre, South Dakota at the State Capitol Building. CAP North Central Region commander Col. Tom Theis officiated this ceremony, where Col. Pegelow succeeded Col. Michael Marek.
South Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol, has completed a major drone photography data collection project for researchers at the Center for Sustainable Solutions at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City funded by the US Bureau of Land Management. CAP’s effort collected and processed over 786,000 multispectral images mapped across 8,125 acres (13 square miles) along Middle Creek, a tributary of the Belle Fourche River. The Center’s scientists aim to understand the consequences of historical bentonite mining that has left much of the region with reduced vegetation and to explore the feasibility of restoration of the area.
