John F . Curry Major General John Francis Curry ( April 22 , 1886 - March 4 , 1973 ) was the first national commander of the Civil Air Patrol , the United States Air Force Auxiliary . He was also a major general in the United States Army Air Corps . Biography . Curry had learned to fly in time to accompany General John J . Pershing ' s expedition to Mexico . Later , during World War I , he served as Chief of Staff of the Air Service of the Second Army in France , under Col . Frank P . Lahm . He destroyed a German observation balloon , but was shot down himself by anti - aircraft fire . He escaped capture . In late 1941 , there was significant interest by civilian pilots to assist the U . S . military . However , in Washington , D . C . , those in authority scoffed at the idea that a group of non - military aviators could provide any such assistance . Despite these misgivings , the Civil Air Patrol was formed as a part of the United States ' home defense needs . Curry , an Army Air Corps officer , was selected as its first national commander . As such , he was the nation ' s only acting general in command of a civilian army . He served in this capacity from December 1941 to March 1942 . Founded as a volunteer organization , the Civil Air Patrol conducted patrols over coastal waters in search of enemy submarines and naval activity . As it was not a government - sponsored plan to provide free flight training , each individual had to pay for their own flying time . Part of the reason for the founding of the Civil Air Patrol was to keep aviation from being put aside entirely during the war . As Gen . Curry stated , " Without such a plan [ as Civil Air Patrol ] , there might be no private aviation for the duration of the war ; with such a plan , there is a chance that private flying may continue and develop . " Under Curry ' s guidance , wings were formed in every state . He helped mobilize 100 , 000 private pilots for non - combatant service ; thus freeing military pilots for wartime duty . There was no discrimination because of one ' s gender . Individual ability , experience and past records were the main criteria for selection . In Curry ' s words , " There must be no doubt in the minds of out gallant women fliers that they are needed and , in my opinion , indispensable to the full success of the Civil Air Patrol organization . A great part of the progress made in organizing civilian aviation under Civil Air Patrol has been due to the volunteer help given by women flyers . " Although he only served a few months as national commander , Gen . Curry ' s organizational skills were influential in determining the future growth of the Civil Air Patrol . Originally , the Civil Air Patrol was given the opportunity to prove itself for a 90 - day test period . However , due to many successes , such as sinking a German U - boat , it served throughout the war . After the end of World War II , the Civil Air Patrol continued to serve the nation in performance of dangerous missions . The Colorado Wing , Civil Air Patrol , and Colorado State Director of Aeronautics , headed now by retired Maj . Gen . John F . Curry , conducted light plane surveys through the rugged Colorado Rocky Mountains . Where more than 50 peaks have an elevation of greater than , scores of flying individuals lost their lives due to unpredictable winds . As a result of Curry ' s direction , maps of safe flying routes were developed by Colorado Civil Air Patrol personnel . The first Civil Air Patrol cadet achievement , the General J . F . Curry Achievement , is named in his honor .