On December 1, 1941, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is formed by Administrative Order 9, signed by Director of the Office of Civilian Defense and Mayor of New York City F.H. La Guardia. The CAP is the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force and fulfills such rolls as provision of emergency services (such as search and rescue operations and disaster relief), aerospace education, and cadet programs for teens. CAP membership current consists of approximately 33.5 thousand senior members and 24.5 thousand cadets in 52 wings spread across all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

During World War II, the Civil Air Patrol conduct such operations as reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare and patrols, border patrols, and courier services. By the end of the war, CAP aviators flew over 24 million miles and in the process spotted 173 enemy submarines and successfully sank two. 64 CAP members lost their lives in the line of duty by the war's end. After the war, the Civil Air Patrol was incorporated as the civilian auxiliary of the USAF and was no longer permitted to be involved in direct combat activities.