Will Be Responsible For Six CAP Wings, Serve On Executive
Committee
Col. Alvin J. Bedgood (pictured, below) of Tampa, FL, has been
appointed by Civil Air Patrol National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S.
Courter as commander of CAP’s Southeast Region. Bedgood
assumed command today from outgoing region commander, Col. James
Rushing, who served in that capacity since 2007. As commander of
the region, Bedgood is the senior corporate officer within the
region, which includes six wings – Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Mississippi, Puerto Rico and Tennessee – and boasts a
membership of more than 10,000 volunteers. He will also serve on
CAP’s National Executive Committee.
Emergency services and disaster relief in the region has
involved several high-profile missions in recent years, include
Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, as well as
this year’s flooding and tornado relief efforts. The Gulf oil
mission, CAP’s largest mission since World War II,
involved nearly 300 volunteers, 1,011 air sorties and 267 ground
sorties over 118 consecutive days. Bedgood, who has been a CAP
member for 26 years, most recently served as the Southeast Region
vice commander. He has also served as region vice chief of staff
and region chief of staff and as an instructor, curriculum
coordinator and deputy director for the region staff college. On
the national level, he has served on CAP’s National
Professional Development and Information Technology committees and
as a member of the Organizational Excellence program tiger
team.
He is employed by L-3 STRATIS as director of training, unified
command solutions. He is a retired U.S. Army officer, Persian Gulf
War veteran and former E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar
System (STARS) mission crew commander. He also is an Army ROTC
Distinguished Military Graduate from Loyola University in New
Orleans, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. He
holds a master’s degree in international relations from Troy
University in Troy, Ala., and a post-graduate Educational
Specialist degree in leadership in curriculum and teaching from the
National College of Education at National-Louis University in
Chicago. His credentials further include graduation from Army
Command and Staff College, CAP National Staff College and
CAP’s Region/Wing Commanders Course.
Bedgood’s CAP awards and decorations include nine
Exceptional Service Awards, two Meritorious Service Awards, a
National Commander’s Commendation Award, a Region
Commander’s Commendation Award, seven Commander’s
Commendation Awards, eight Outstanding Unit Citation Awards, the
Gill Robb Wilson Award with Bronze Star device and numerous other
service
awards.
He has earned the CAP Mission Observer Wings, Senior Ground Team
Badge, Board of Directors Identification Badge and National
Executive Committee Identification Badge. He holds a master rating
in nine specialties: communications, cadet programs, aerospace
education, administration, personnel, professional development,
plans and programs, drug demand reduction and organizational
excellence.
His military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit,
three Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendation Medals, a
Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, an
Army Good Conduct Medal, a Joint Meritorious Unit Citation, two Air
Force Outstanding Unit Award Citations and an Army Superior Unit
Award Citation, as well as numerous campaign medals and service
ribbons.