The passion of flight and a love of country fueled the birth of the Civil Air Patrol.

But it was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled the volunteer organization into more than 60 years of service.

CAP was formed Dec. 1, 1941 -- one week before the United States entered World War II -- by a group of 150,000 aviation enthusiasts who argued for an organization that would put their planes and flying skills to use in defense of their country. Thousands of CAP volunteers quickly answered the call to national service and sacrifice by performing critical wartime missions.

The group, assigned to the War Department under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps, logged more than 500,000 flying hours, sank two enemy submarines and saved hundreds of crash victims during World War II, noted Col. Robert Smith, commander of Pennsylvania Wing Group 1, which includes Lawrence County.