Region Shield

Heraldry Of Region Shield

Evolution And Brief History Of Region Symbology

The onset of Civil Air Patrol regions began with a simple rocker to identify region headquartered staff.  The rocker was placed on the sleeve of the uniform in the same manner as a wing patch.   The first rocker was outlined in silver/gray with the silver/gray letters "SOUTHEAST REGION" on a dark blue field.  In following years, the rocker was changed to conform to the color scheme of uniform epaulets.

In 2006 during the annual region conference, the Southeast Region Commander, Col Antonio Pineda wanted to symbolize the Southeast Region with a seal that follow the lead of the national seal. With direct input on the symbology, the region's first seal was created.

The inner seal is gray representing the national Civil Air Patrol identity.  The hexagon (a symbol that remains with many Southeast Region emblems) represents each of the six wings within the Southeast Region and is colored dark blue. The red states and Puerto Rico represents the geographical areas of the Southeast Region.  The white contrail with arrowhead represents the aviation missions of the Civil Air Patrol.  The yellow lightning bolt represents the strength through unity and communication between the wings.

Mimicking the Civil Air Patrol seal, the outlined is colored the same fashion.  The words in dark blue, "United States Air Force Auxiliary" appear at the top and "Southeast Region" at the bottom.

1st Generation

In 2007, Col Matthew R. Sharkey was appointed as the region commander. With the this change of command came a change in vision and direction for the Southeast Region. This included updating the seal to a more appropriate shield.  

He requested the overall elements remain. The primary change was the geographically placement of Puerto Rico to better represent its relation to the other wings. Overall symbology remained the same.

On 1 December 2015, Col Barry Melton instituted a new design for the Southeast Region shield. This design was created by the outgoing region commander Col Alvin Bedgood during his tenure.  

It's a clear representation of the pride the members of the Southeast Region hold in their fulfillment of Civil Air Patrol's missions.