system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What is the Civil Air Patrol in the US? What do they do and do they get paid? And are they recognized as members of the military? Or are they similar to the merchant marines?
gpt
Former cadet here.

The Civil Air Patrol is a civilian, volunteer auxiliary of the USAF. Its members (both Senior Members, over 21, and cadets, under 21) wear the Air Force uniform, go by Air Force grades (officer grades only for adults, cadets use both enlisted and officer grades), but have no military authority and enlisted service members do not have to salute them.

They fly domestic search and rescue using civilian propeller-type planes (mostly single-engine Cessna 152, 172, and 182 models, with high wings for better observability) for downed civilian aircraft, a role the USAF is not well-equipped to do efficiently with their military aircraft.  They also run a cadet program for youth, and participate in counter-drug operations. They are not a combat unit, and have no armed aircraft assigned to them.