William G. Pagán has been given the Meritorious Service Award for his pro bono work in service of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), United States Air Force Auxiliary. Mr. Pagán serves dual roles on the North Carolina Wing Commander’s staff as North Carolina’s most senior CAP Legal Officer and its most senior CAP Diversity Officer.
According to CAP regulations, “superior performance of normal duties does not, in itself, constitute automatic justification for the Meritorious Service Award.” Rather, such awards are intended to be “restricted to the recognition of achievements and services which are clearly outstanding and unmistakably exceptional when compared to similar achievements and accomplishments of personnel of like rank and responsibilities.”
CAP is the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force and is congressionally-chartered to perform three primary missions: emergency services (e.g., air/ground search and rescue, disaster relief); aerospace education; and youth programs. Their search and rescue efforts have been credited with saving over a hundred lives each year from FY2017 to FY2019 by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC).