December 18, 2011 — American Chiropractic Associaiton member Major Jonathan McCullough, DC, was recently appointed as the Wing Medical Officer for New Jersey Wing of the U.S. Civil Air Patrol (CAP).
The Civil Air Patrol is the U.S. Air Force’s Auxiliary and was founded in 1941 prior to the creation of The U.S. Air Force.
After his appointment, Maj. McCollough expressed the importance of this achievement for the chiropractic profession. “I am extremely excited to be the first chiropractic physician able to serve as a wing medical officer,” said McCollough. “I encourage my chiropractic colleagues with an interest in aviation or the military to consider this avenue of service. The more visible the profession becomes, the more likely it is that we may one day be commissioned in the standing military services,” McCullough finished.
The three primary missions of CAP include search and rescue, aerospace education, and youth leadership. Today, 95 percent of all ground search and rescue missions are assigned to CAP through the USAF Search and Rescue Coordination Center.
The requirements of a CAP medical officer include assuring health and safety of youth and senior members, teaching first aid and field hygiene, and proper protocol of blood borne pathogens.
Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org