MOUNT VERNON — Officials redesignated a Civil Air Patrol unit on Saturday and renamed it in honor of a Centerburg native.
The unit formerly known as the Knox County Airport Cadet Flight became the Capt. Peter Hayden Chapman II Composite Squadron during a ceremony at the Knox County Regional Airport’s aviation education center.
Chapman was a decorated Air Force helicopter pilot killed in action during the Vietnam War.
The flight, established in November 2025, is less than a year old.
“In less than a year, we have grown into a vibrant group of amazing young cadets and dedicated adult volunteers in numbers that allow us now to be considered a squadron, giving us the opportunity to perform all the missions, areas of civil air control for youth and adults,” 1st Lt. John Morgan told attendees.
However, Morgan said the designation change carries a far more significant name change.
Morgan cited John 15:13, which states, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
“No group of people exemplifies this verse more than the United States Air Force rescue community,” Morgan said.
“And no individual lived up to this heritage of sacrifice more than Capt. Peter Hayden Chapman the second, born and raised here in Knox County, Centerburg High School Class of 1958.
“We are so honored to have several members of the Hayden Chapman family with us, including his sisters, Beth Chapman Murphy and Carol Chapman Evans.”
Honoring a hometown hero
•Helicopter silhouette: the HH 53, the aircraft Chapman piloted. It represents the dedication and selflessness of search and rescue personnel and is colored black to remember those listed as POW MIA.
•The image is presented in a gray field representing the humility of volunteers.
•Twin gold lightning bolts signify the swiftness and excellence of the search and rescue community and represent the close relationship between CAP and the U.S. Air Force in conducting search and rescue missions.
•The green represents the mountainous jungle terrain of the Quang Tri province in Vietnam, where the crew of Jolly Green 67 were lost.
•Red scrolls symbolize the courage and sacrifice of Chapman and crew.
•The CAP triangle signifies the storied history and traditions of civil air patrol.
•The overall color scheme is reminiscent of the Vietnam War Service Medal and the red and gray represents Centerburg High School.
Chapman was stationed with the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, based in Da Nang, South Vietnam.
On April 6, 1972, he was piloting an HH-53 “Super Jolly Green Giant” helicopter when he was shot down during the search for downed Air Force Col. Iceal “Gene” Hamilton.
Hamilton’s call sign was Bat 21. The 1988 film “Bat 21” starring Gene Hackman later dramatized the operation.
Chapman and his five crewmates aboard Jolly Green 67 were listed as missing in action for nearly two decades before being recovered, identified and returned home in the 1990s.
The squadron’s patch tells their story.
“The squadron’s patch represents its identity. Every shape, color and element tells a story,” Morgan said.
A friend’s tribute
Chris Cordle, fundraising chair for the aviation education center, spoke about growing up alongside Chapman in Centerburg.
“Hayden Chapman was the best person you could imagine,” Cordle said.
He described him as a standout athlete, musician and student who remained, in Cordle’s words, “a quiet leader” respected and admired by everyone who knew him.
Cordle said that when word came in April 1972 of Chapman’s loss in Vietnam, “all of Centerburg was crushed.”
“Today Hayden’s loss is still painful, but the fact that the CAP has chosen to recognize Hayden by naming the Mount Vernon CAP Composite Squadron in his honor is a great comfort and source of pride for all of us who knew Hayden,” Cordle said.
“The honor is well deserved.”
Cordle read a statement from Chapman’s nephew, Maj. Philip Bradley Huffman, USAF (Ret.), a 1974 graduate of the Air Force Academy, who wrote on behalf of the family:
“Our family is deeply humbled and honored that this recognition has been bestowed on my uncle. Capt. Peter Hayden Chapman II was a true hero who dedicated his life to serving our country. It’s gratifying to see his legacy remembered in such a meaningful way.
“The young men and women who pass through this center are fortunate to have a place where they can learn, grow and continue traditions of aviation, leadership and service that were so important to him.
“We hope that Hayden’s example will inspire future generations to pursue excellence, integrity and commitment to serving others.
“Thank you to everyone involved in making this dedication possible. Our family is sincerely grateful for this tremendous honor and for the efforts made to preserve and celebrate Capt. Chapman’s legacy.”
Charter presentation and change of command
Ohio Wing Commander Col. David Dlugiewicz presented the new squadron charter to the unit commander, Chief Master Sgt. Craig Cox.
Dlugiewicz said he realized the request to rename the squadron signifies its importance to the community. It also explains why the flight so quickly reached enough members to become a squadron.
“The community supported it, the airport supported it, and when I found out they had training classrooms here for training and stuff, it was the perfect place,” he said.
“The naming is so important to our squadron because that name is all the way through Civil Air Patrol already. It’s going to show up on everything.”
The ceremony concluded with a formal change of command, a tradition dating back to the Roman legions. Chief Master Sgt. Cox transferred leadership of the newly named squadron to incoming commander Deputy Commander Capt. Ronald Winget.
Civil Air Patrol, a federally chartered, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1941, serves as the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.
Its three congressionally chartered missions are emergency services such as search and rescue and disaster response, aerospace and STEM education and cadet leadership development — the same goals reflected in the airport’s aviation education center.
(Below are Cheryl Splain’s photos of the ceremonies.)
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