Wheaton-Silver Spring Cadet Squadron was chartered in 1957, and Stephen Craig Gillis joined Civil Air Patrol in January 1960. In the photo on the right, Cadet Gillis is holding original artwork of the squadron's mascot during a staff meeting at the Pentagon circa December 1963. "Cadet Brigadier General Bugs Bunny" was a character created by his father M. Drue Gillis, who had been drawing Bugs Bunny since being a prisoner of war in Stalag XVII-B, Austria during World War II. An example from his POW logbook can be seen HERE. Upon graduation from high school in 1964, Cadet Gillis traveled to Austria as part of the International Air Cadet Exchange program through Civil Air Patrol. WSSCS members made up the story that their mascot was the son of WWII Bugs Bunny and had joined CAP too. The artwork being held in this photo would hang on the wall at the squadron headquarters next to the commander's office for many years to come.
Following three years of service in the U.S. Army including a tour in Vietnam as a Flight Operations Specialist and UH-1 Crew Chief assigned to S-3 Section, Headquarters, 160th Combat Aviation Group, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), Craig Gillis returned to Civil Air Patrol in 1970 as the Commander of Wheaton-Silver Spring Cadet Squadron. In 1971, he once again participated in IACE as an escort officer to Canada.
Shown at left are two front pieces of the squadron's "Airgram" publication, the Spring 1986 edition drawn by M. Drue Gillis, and the Fall 1986 edition drawn by his son. During the summer of 1986, Craig Gillis designed a patch featuring the squadron's Bugs mascot and with the assistance of a friend who traveled to Korea, had the patches individually made over there. For roughly the next seven years each squadron member received a patch, and a few were sent to former members and to the National Capital Wing historian.
After 23 years of his leadership, Craig turned the squadron over to a new commander in 1993 and transferred to Headquarters, National Capital Wing to be a member of the communications staff. Knowing how "some things worked in CAP," he kept in his possession what WSSCS patches still remained. Not long after the squadron began to decline as a unit and eventually lost its charter. The original artwork of the squadron's Cadet Bugs by M. Drue Gillis which had remained at the squadron headquarters has unfortunately never been seen again.
Information provided by:
Lt Col Stephen Craig Gillis, Commander 1970-1993
July 10, 2025
