If You Lose Your Stars, Form Your Own Organization and Make Yourself a 'general'

Following up on our story yesterday, ousted Civil Air Patrol national commander and former CAP Maj. Gen. Tony Pineda will apparently do anything to be called "general."

Apparently, Pineda has registered a non-profit corporation with the state of Florida called the "U.S. Ranger Corps." We have the documentation from the state.

According to the official corporation filing, the "U.S. Ranger Corps, Inc.," was registered with the state of Florida on Jan. 7, 2008. It lists the organization's address as 1101 N.W. 114th Ave., Plantation, Fla. - apparently Pineda's home address. It lists the same address as the organization's mailing address, and lists Pineda as the president and the registered agent for service of civil process. It's registered as a non-profit organization.

Sources say that Pineda has also appointed himself as a three-star lieutenant general in the "U.S. Ranger Corps."

This organization has a Web site at www.usrangercorps.us , but so far it's only a one-page site with the organization's name and an official-looking seal (pictured).

Sources told NOTF yesterday that the former CAP Arizona Wing commander, former CAP Col. Bill Lynch, is also heavily involved in this organization. Long a Pineda confidant, Lynch resigned from his position as the Arizona Wing commander for the CAP, and from the CAP, after NOTF reported that he had been convicted of a felony in Florida.

Meanwhile, sources have told NOTF that the Ranger Corps' uniforms are U.S. Army-style, with "lots of gold braid."
In a separate event, sources have told NOTF that the Civil Air Patrol has revoked the Silver Medals of Valor that were awarded to Pineda and to CAP Cols. Eileen Parker and Dan Levitch. That should set up Parker and Levitch for a membership termination from the CAP, based upon their acceptance of one of the CAP's highest awards for an event that, as NOTF previously reported, never happened.

Pineda himself was ousted last year as the CAP's national commander, was stripped of his rank and "drummed out of the corps" following NOTF's report - which made national headlines - that he had cheated on his U.S. Air Force Command and Staff College tests.

The Civil Air Patrol is the volunteer, civilian Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

Related site: News of the Force, http://newsoftheforce.org; www.myspace.com/newsoftheforce.

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com

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