Customs And Courtesies 

         Civil Air Patrol being an auxiliary of the United States Air Force must uphold the same standards and their customs and courtesies. Upholding this crucial principle is a part of CAP’s pride as well as a demonstration to its Air Force Partners and the communities it serves. Customs and courtesies allow for a mutual respect and familial bond to form between CAP and its members. A military custom acts as a way to honor a person for their position or grade or it can be an action to show honor to an object such as a flag due to what it represents. A custom is a social protocol of sorts that stems from a tradition and is enforced as an unwritten law of sorts. 

         Customs and Courtesies are important and we follow them because they help reinforce CAP’s Core Values and connect us with the program on a much deeper level. When we are endorsing our Customs and Courtesies, we are expressing our respect to the program and to the Air Force. We are also showing how we are dedicated to the cause and are also demonstrating our excellence. Something like the hand salute which can be seen as something that is so simple to outsiders and normal civilians, holds so much dignity and respect in CAP and the military as a whole, and this is due to the customs and courtesies that have been preserved for so many years.