Col. Phillip Neuweiler Memorial Ranger Training Facility Hawk Mountain Ranger School |
|
---|---|
Address | |
218 Pine Swamp Road Kempton, Pennsylvania United States |
|
Information | |
Type | Search and Rescue School |
Motto | So others may live |
Established | 1956 |
Founder | Colonel Phillip Neuweiler |
Campus | Colonel Phillip Neuweiler Memorial Training Facility |
Color(s) |
Orange and Black |
Nickname | 'Hawk' or 'The Mountain' |
Affiliations | Civil Air Patrol |
Website | [1] |
Coordinates: 40°37′34″N 75°56′22″W / 40.626082°N 75.939361°W
Hawk Mountain Ranger School (HMRS) is a Search and Rescue school operated by the Pennsylvania Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The school, located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, is a National Cadet Special Activity.
On September 11, 2004, the school was rededicated as the 'Colonel Phillip Neuweiler Ranger Training Facility' in honor of its founder, Colonel Phillip Neuweiler.
The School is located on 77 acres (310,000 m2) of CAP corporate property Kempton, Pennsylvania. The school is on the side of the Blue Mountains, approximately a mile south of the Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary. The school's base camp is located in a clearing off of Pine Swamp Road. However, the school's activities make use of several hundred acres of state game land in the surrounding hills, including several sections of the Appalachian Trail and accompanying side trails.
After World War II, Civil Air Patrol shifted its focus away from patrolling sea lanes and anti-submarine warfare to enlarging its Search and Rescue operations. During the early 1950s, Colonel Phillip Neuweiler saw an increasing need for trained rescue teams for use by Civil Air Patrol's Pennsylvania Wing, which he commanded. In 1953 USAF Pararescue and survival instructors trained Pennsylvalna Wing Search & Rescue teams at Westover AFB, Massachusetts. The Air Force instructors were so inspired by the dedication, motivation, and quality of the students that they called their students 'Rangers.'