OXFORD – On Jan. 18, a group of young Civil Air Patrol Cadets (CAP) from the Schenectady Composite Squadron, a local civil air patrol unit based at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, NY, traveled nearly an hour and a half to the New York State Veterans’ Home in Oxford to visit with and honor the nation’s servicemen and women.

“The trip was all about honoring the service and sacrifice of our beloved American Veterans and having our cadets learn valuable leadership lessons from these patriotic, brave men and women,” said Major Brian Benedict, CAP.

During the visit, cadets had the opportunity to talk individually with veterans, most of whom served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

“I met with a gentleman who served in World War II as a cryptographer. He spoke about his job taking messages, such as mission assignments, and encrypting them to avoid interception by the Japanese,” said Cadet Capt. Andrea Parker, CAP. “He explained how there weren’t computers to do this work and how the process was all done manually; it was well worth the time. I heard stories from some real heroes.”

Major Benedict, the trip’s organizer, served as an escort on an honor flight to Washington, D.C. last fall for one of the home’s veterans and realized an opportunity to involve the cadets in the lives of these heroes.