Lt. Col. Pete Goertzen will continue his Civil Air Patrol service as Nevada Wing commander, having accepted the appointment made by Col. Brett Dolnick, Pacific Region commander.
Goertzen will succeed Col. Brian Howard, who has headed the wing since March 2023, in a change of command ceremony Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.
“I congratulate Col. Brian Howard on a highly successful term leading the Nevada Wing and warmly welcome Lt. Col. Pete Goertzen, in whom I have full confidence to lead the wing and its dedicated members to new heights of excellence,” Dolnick said.
Goertzen’s CAP career spans 33 years, beginning in 1992 as a cadet in the Oregon Wing. After earning the organization’s top cadet honor, the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, in 1991, Goertzen pursued a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Willamette University before returning to Civil Air Patrol and assuming command of the Aurora Composite Squadron, where he had once been a cadet.
In Oregon, he served in search and rescue and disaster relief operations as a mission pilot and check pilot.
His professional aviation career led him to Southwest Airlines, where he flies as a captain with over 17,000 flight hours. After transferring to the Nevada Wing, he commanded the Henderson Composite Squadron from 2017- 2021 and later served in key wing roles, including encampment commander, COVID-19 remobilization officer, director of finance, and deputy wing commander.
Goertzen holds master ratings in cadet programs and finance and a senior rating in command and is qualified as a cadet orientation pilot in both powered aircraft and gliders. His service has been recognized with the Exceptional Service Award, Meritorious Service Award, and multiple Commander’s Commendations.
“I have come to think of the cadets and adults in the Nevada Wing like members of my extended family,” Goertzen said. “I am honored to lead them toward the accomplishment of our many goals in all three missions and look forward to working together to strengthen the Nevada Wing and Civil Air Patrol well into the future,”.
He and his wife of 21 years, Carey, live in Las Vegas.
