ALABAMA – Although Civil Air Patrol is receiving high marks for its aircrews’ daily flights are performing in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, flying is not all the organization’s members are doing to support the mission.

Since mid-May, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Marcus L. Taylor, chaplain for the Florida Wing, has acted as CAP’s representative on the Joint Forces Ministry Team at the Deepwater Horizon incident command post in Mobile. He puts in 14 hours a day six days a week visiting the command post’s 1,200 workers, encouraging and uplifting them as well as providing counseling.

“Though the days are long, the pace and stress levels in the ICP are consistently high, and the challenges come on a daily basis, it is truly a high honor to be able to serve and represent CAP in this capacity,” Taylor said.

He also conducts three worship services – two on Sundays and one midweek service Wednesday evenings – and serves as adviser to the command staff on moral, spiritual, morale and welfare issues concerning all oil spill response participants.

In addition, he attends and participates in change of command and other various ceremonies and makes visits in the communities affected by the oil spill, attending town hall meetings designed to spread goodwill and to keep Gulf Coast residents abreast of the cleanup efforts.

Taylor is one of more than 600 CAP members involved in the response. To date, CAP aircrews have flown more than 2,100 hours in connection with the effort. Volunteers from 10 states, including the Gulf states of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, have worked for 109 days as part of the response, combining for more than 18,000 man-hours.

Last week, the Florida Wing – at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard – suspended its flights in support of the Deepwater Horizon Response. The wing’s aircrews will remain on standby in case they are needed. The federally supported mission, however, continues for CAP aircrews in Alabama and Mississippi, who are still flying out of Mobile and Gulfport, Miss.

Taylor initially flew two weeks with a CAP aircrew out of Elgin Air Force Base, Fla., in early May before taking on his new role with the Joint Force Ministry Team in Mobile. He was assigned to the ICP by Col. James Rushing, Southeast Region commander, and Chaplain (Col.) Whit Woodard, national chief of the CAP Chaplain Corps, after it became obvious that response participants’ stress levels needed to be addressed.

Taylor quickly gained the confidence and support of U.S. Coast Guard Chaplain (Lt.) Joseph Johnson, at the time the sole chaplain at the ICP. “I know my own prayers were answered when the Lord sent Civil Air Patrol Chaplain Taylor to help,” Johnson said.

Soon after, the Alabama Army and Air National Guard assigned chaplain teams and the Joint Force Ministry Team was formed.

“Being here is no doubt a high honor and moment of achievement for CAP, and one that is truly making history for our organization,” Taylor said. “The number of man-hours given, the quality of the product being produced and delivered and the level of professionalism displayed as we perform our assigned missions and duties speak volumes for CAP as a major player in this crisis.”


 

Civil Air Patrol Save Statistics, 1967-2009
(National tracking of save statistics began in 1976. Until then, only
targets located were track, with no mention of the number of lives saved.)

Fiscal Year    Saves 

1967                         13   
1968                         78   
1969                         38   
1970                         24   
1971                         24   
1972                         20   
1973                         47   
1974                         36   
1975                         57   
1976                         34   
1977                         53   
1978                         91   
1979                         55   
1980                       115   
1981                         77   
1982                         87   
1983                       154   
1984                       128   
1985                       116   
1986                       136   
1987                       108   
1988                       125   
1989                         65   
1990                         46   
1991                         82   
1992                       110   
1993                       120   
1994                       154   
1995                       108   
1996                         94   
1997                         75   
1998                       116   
1999                         84   
2000                         77   
2001                         61   
2002                         88   
2003                       128   
2004                         64   
2005                         73   
2006                         58   
2007                       105   
2008                         91   
2009                         72   

Total Saves    3,487   
Total Average              81   
 5-Year Average          80     
10-Year Average         82     
15-Year Average         86     
20-Year Average         90     
25-Year Average         94     
30-Year Average         97     
35-Year Average         92     
40-Year Average         84     




 

Spencer Morfit
Contributing writer

INDIANA – Civil Air Patrol’s World War II history occupies a place of prominence in some of its earliest members’ memories, in the organization’s own annals and in the pages of books like From Maine to Mexico, Flying Minutemen and Civil Air Patrol: Missions for America … and now in a major exhibit at the National Military History Center in Auburn.

Unlike other mounted CAP exhibits, which are local in focus, this display covers CAP’s national service during the war. The exhibit covers about 1,000 square feet and features about 500 vintage photographs and numerous display cases. 

Its existence is a significant accomplishment for the CAP Historical Foundation and for CAP itself. 

Spencer Morfit and Maj. Jim Shaw, CAP’s national curator and executive director of the Civil Air Patrol Historical Foundation, worked with the military center’s curator, Josh Conrad, on the display, for which Morfit wrote the text. 

“Josh Conrad was absolutely insatiable,” Morfit said. “He started out saying they were going to use 8-foot panels for the display, then 10-foot, then 12-foot, and then acres of wall space behind. 

“Jim had to feel like he was drinking from a fire hose, because the photos aren’t organized, he had to scan them all to archival standards, and still Josh would want more. We did what we could to meet Josh’s enthusiasm but we were panting to keep up — especially Jim.” 

Morfit’s role in the exhibit’s creation stemmed from her friendship with Lt. Col. Ray Lyon of the New Hampshire Wing’s Greater Nashua Composite Squadron, under whose supervision one of the display’s centerpieces – a Stinson 10A once owned by the late Col. Albert Sambold, former New Hampshire Wing commander – had been restored in New Hampshire and then transported to the military center. During World War II the Stinson was flown by Coastal Patrol Squadron 18 in Falmouth, Mass.

In the aftermath of that project, Morfit -- armed with an address book Louis Keefer used while writing From Maine to Mexico -- made contact with some of the children of veterans from the Falmouth base. “Many of the Falmouth vets remained in touch through their lives and their children knew each other,” she said. “We fell into a real treasure trove.”  

The display’s group picture of the Falmouth crew contains the names and signatures of all members, courtesy of Sue King, daughter of the late Ev King, who turned it over with a copy of her parents’ wedding photo, showing her father in his CAP uniform.

“You just feel very honored and very responsible at moments like that,” Lyon said.  “It’s not something you take lightly or ever forget.”  

Sue King put Lyon and Morfit in touch with retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Charlie Ferrari, son of Squadron 18 member Louis Ferrari, now living in Colorado. The younger Ferrari, who learned to fly from Ev King, donated his father’s Air Medal, other photos and a rare early patch from the Falmouth base.

To their mutual surprise, Morfit learned a church friend was the niece of Gordon Gibbs, Squadron 18 commander, and had a picture to loan.

Lt. Col. Todd Engelman of Georgia Wing Headquarters was tapped to begin a second career as an events planner for the dedication for the exhibit. When Engelman traveled from his home in Ohio to the center to check out the facilities, he carried items from his personal collection. There he encountered Conrad.
 
When he left, Engelman had agreed to loan more than 200 items from his personal collection to the center for two years.

For his part, Shaw contributed vintage posters and ads from his personal collection and created reproductions of others. He also designed classy invitations for the event and certificates suitable for framing for the Sambold family.

Speaking at the dedication, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP national commander, called the exhibit a major step forward for CAP’s history outreach effort.

“When you have ‘commander’ in your title, a lot of people think your main job is to run around and tell people what to do,” Courter told her audience of more than 200. “It is also a major part of my job to thank the CAP volunteers who spend their efforts working to bring off big projects like this one.”

During the dedication the restored Stinson, which hangs as if in flight over the museum exhibit, was accompanied by a 48-star flag that once flew over Squadron 18’s base, given to Shaw by a veteran who became a personal friend.  Afterward, Lyon wrote a last project e-mail to his colleague:

Jim, you’d better get your flag back fast.  I think Todd and Josh are falling in love with it.




The Civil Air Patrol Historical Foundation seeks volunteers to help build an infrastructure for the foundation and to support volunteers working on projects. Major projects are under way now, and foundation members are seeking people with the equipment and knowledge to scan vintage photographs; a webmaster; a database manager; researchers; and a dedicated public affairs officer with professional experience, among others. Maj. Jim Shaw, the foundation’s executive director, can be contacted at caphistorian@mchsi.com.




 

• First Place –  Tucson Composite Squadron 105.
   
• Second Place – Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302.
   
• Most Innovative Design – Paradise Valley Cadet Squadron  310.
   
• Golden Turkey Award – Paradise Valley (Cadet Squadron  310.

Most of the squadrons chose to camp near the soccer field locker rooms. Before pitching tends, the members conducted a “snake walk” to clear the area of unwelcome guests. No snakes were encountered. Others chose to sleep inside on the floor of the nearby gym.

On the second day, the groups exchanged tours and locations, but only after Prescott Composite Squadron 206 started the day with physical training at 5:30 a.m. The rest of the cadets rolled out of bed around 6 a.m., then broke camp, stowed gear and headed off to breakfast.

Embry-Riddle later hosted a pizza lunch, and the cadets saw a presentation about the Army and Air Force ROTC programs and got to ask questions about careers and college scholarships.

Credit goes to the following senior members for the visit’s success:

• Arizona Wing -- Lt. Cols. Charles Bendixen, wing health services officer and medical officer for the visit, and Pete Feltz,  director of aerospace education.
   
• Group 1 -- Lt. Col. Bob Anderson, aerospace education officer.
   
• Group 2 -- Maj. Bill Lynam, commander.
   
• Prescott Composite Squadron 206 -- Lt. Col. David Cartier, operations officer; 1st Lt. Priscilla Cartier, aerospace education officer; and 2nd Lt. Jim Heintzman, safety officer for the visit as well as for the squadron.
   
• Santa Cruz Composite Squadron -- Lt. Col. Fred Seifritz, disaster relief officer.

(Right) Lt. Col. Thomas Gordon, assistant director of aerospace education for the Racine Composite Squadron and acting incident commander, logs in some of the dozens of tasks performed during the week.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(6)
Cadet Airman 1st Class Alex Roberts and Cadet Tech. Sgt. David Ama, both members of the Fox Cities Composite Squadron, talk about CAP with visitors to the recruiting booth.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(7)
(Left) Two of the dozens of cadets who logged hundreds of tail numbers from the airplanes landing at alternate airports. If the FAA called with a flight that wasn’t closed out, the members were responsible for verifying  whether the plane had landed or if it was indeed late.
Photo by 1st Lt. Terese Barta

(Right) Cadet Tech. Sgt. David Ama and his fellow Fox Cities Composite Squadron member, Cadet Senior Airman Marshall San Filippo-Conger, help a prospective member as he tries to navigate while wearing Fatal Vision goggles, which simulate the effects of alcohol consumption.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(8)
Cadet 2nd Lt. Michael Thoennes and 1st Lt. Kathy Dugas, both members of the Racine Composite Squadron, work on the schedule for rotating ground crews at the Mobile Command Center.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(9)
(Left) Cadet Airman 1st Class Bryce Sullivan of the Fox Cities CompositeSquadron shares some of what he has learned in CAP with a prospectivecadet.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(Right) Capt. Robert Koehler, Fox Cities Composite Squadron commander,demonstrates an L-Tronics L-Per direction finder to prospective membersat the recruiting booth.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(10)
Senior Member Greg Thomas, assistant aerospace education officer for theWalco Composite Squadron, logs tail numbers into the computer atSeaplane Base.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(11)
Capt. John Thompson, alerting officer for the Stevens Point Composite Squadron,  helps a young KidVenture visitor try out the flight simulator.
Photo by 1st Lt. Terese Barta

(12)
Seaplane Base’s picturesque setting made it a favored place to work, away from the thousands of planes and people.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

(13)
Col. Don Edwards, former commander of the North Carolina wing and now its Group 4 commander, and fellow wing members stop by the recruitment booth for a group picture. They have been attending AirVenture and stopping by the booth for 15 years.
Photo by 1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa

1st Lt. Terese Barta
Public Affairs Officer
Stevens Point Composite Squadron
Senior Member Connie Lichtnwald
Public Affairs Officer
Fox Cities Composite Squadron
1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa,
Assistant Public Affairs Officer
Wisconsin Wing

WISCONSIN – With the world’s largest fly-in in their backyard, Wisconsin Wing members flocked to the Oshkosh area to provide support by participating in searches, assisting with Civil Air Patrol recruiting and helping out with children's aerospace education activities.

Even before the EAA's massive annual AirVenture started and after it ended, under the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center's direction wing members conducted a highly successful precautionary earch and rescue mission from July 22-Aug. 2.

By the time the fly-in wrapped up Aug. 1, some 10,000 airplanes and 535,000 visitors had converged on the EAA grounds at Wittman Field as well as surrounding communities, officials said.

More than 50 members representing half the squadrons and groups in Wisconsin were assigned tasks daily, along with 60 personnel from National Blue Beret, in which CAP members from across the country provide assistance for the air show. Those assignments included 40 searches for overdue aircraft among the thousands flown into the Oshkosh area at four local airports, as well as deactivating 11 emergency locator transmitters.

Several CAP aircraft flew 32 precautionary air patrols, logging an excess of 70 hours aloft as they monitored for ELT signals. Seven such signals were detected during the air patrols.

Lt. Col. Dean Klassy, commander of the Southeast Wisconsin Group and project officer for the mission, coordinated the 12 days of activity, which involved four mission bases. Ground teams and supporting aircrews were placed strategically around the surrounding communities so that a quick response could be mounted in case of an emergency.

The incident base was fully functional with 15 staff and support personnel, along with three aircraft and five ground teams. With their base at Wittman Regional, the Blue Berets were most visible at EAA and helped daily in crowd control and searched for the occasional ELT.

Half the ground teams, though, were based outside Wittman Regional.  Even though the general public didn’t see those members or what they were doing, they also played an important role in supporting the air show.

The Mobile Command Center monitored all communications within the mission and also watched the weather for any approaching storms. Ground teams silenced ELTs that had been triggered and recorded tail numbers in case that information should be needed, while Seaplane Base was kept busy helping the Coast Guard by logging in the planes that landed on Lake Winnebago.

If a pilot is late or forgets to close out his flight plan, the Federal Aviation Administration notifies CAP to try to locate the plane. Most often this occurs with pilots from outside of the U.S., as rules often differ in other countries. When the plane is located, the FAA will close out the flight plan. Should a plane not be found, a subsequent mission will begin looking for the plane outside of its known final destination.

Wisconsin Wing members also staffed the recruiting booth that National Headquarters sponsors every year. The project officer Capt. Robert Koehler of the Fox Cities Composite Squadron, kept things running smoothly and staffed the booth with 37 cadets and senior members, all of whom rotated throughout the week.

They enthusiastically shared the story of CAP with prospective members, who also had the opportunity to take part in some demonstrations. Fatal Vision goggles showed the negative effects of alcohol; a direction-finding L-Tronics L-Per helped interested members of the public locate a mock ELT; and others got a look at some of the latest in aviation technology by sitting in the 10th Senior Support Squadron’s Cessna 182 with Garmin 1000 glass cockpit.

 Cadets working the booth shared their experiences of performing search and rescue, disaster relief and field training exercises. Numerous young people eager to explore CAP world and its aerospace education activities inquired about membership.

 As adults walked by the booth two typical questions were heard: “Can I join CAP if I am a private pilot?” “Is there something for me if I’m not a pilot?”  The resounding response each time was “Yes, CAP offers something for everyone.”  Each was given contact information for a unit close to their home.

Fellow CAP members from across the U.S. also stopped to say “hi” and share information about fundraising, member recruitment, flight-related topics and much more.

EAA officials reported that more than 2,000 international visitors from 66 nations registered during the week. Visitors from Germany, Australia, Canada, South Africa and China were among those visiting the CAP booth to discuss the similarities, differences and challenges of similar programs in their own lands.

In addition, Cessna displayed a CAP Cessna 182 with a sign containing information the organization. CAP members also staffed that display and answered questions. A Gippsland 8 was also on display at the Gippsland Aeronautics booth.

Outside CAP’s auspices, members also played an expanded role in KidVenture aerospace education programs at EAA AirVenture’s Pioneer Airport, where the Young Eagles Flight Education stations offered more than 600 aspiring young pilots guided hands-on educational activities in such fields as aircraft design, weather, navigation and airport regulations. Volunteer instructors signed off each lesson, and after all lessons were completed, participants conducted a preflight inspection and received a free lesson on a flight simulator from a certified flight instructor. 

Members from the Brown County, Rock County Stevens Point and Walco composite squadrons and the 248th TAC Air Senior Squadron participated in that activity. Though they were not officially representing CAP, they were able to share some of what they had learned in CAP with others. Occasionally, too, they had the opportunity to share the CAP story with those visiting the booth, and they were allowed to hand out information regarding the organization.

 

Second place
Color Guard: Rocky Mountain Region

Drill Team: Middle East Region

Third place
Color Guard: North Central Region

Drill Team: Southwest Region


Other team awards

In-Ranks Inspection

Color Guard

• Middle East Region, first place
   
• Southwest Region, second place

Drill Team

• Southeast Region, first place
   
• Southwest Region, second place

Standard Drill

Color Guard

• Rocky Mountain Region, first place
   
• Pacific Coast Region, second place

Drill Team

• Southeast Region, first place
   
• Rocky Mountain Region, second place

Written Exam

Color Guard

• Great Lakes Region, first place
   
• Southeast Region, second place

Drill Team

• Middle East Region and Southwest Region, first place tie
   
• Rocky Mountain Region, Second place

Panel Quiz

Color Guard

• North Central Region, first place
   
• Pacific Coast Region, second place

Drill Team

• Rocky Mountain Region, first place
   
• Middle East Region, second place

Mile Run

Color Guard

• Southeast Region, first place
   
• Rocky Mountain Region, second place

Drill Team
 

• Middle East Region, first place
   
• Great Lakes Region, second place

Innovative Drill

Drill Team

• Southeast Region, first place
   
• Rocky Mountain Region, second place

Volleyball

Drill Team

• Southeast Region, first place
   
• Southwest Region, second place

Indoor Practical Drill

Color Guard:

• Southeast Region and Pacific Coast Region, first place tie
   
• Rocky Mountain Region, second place

Outdoor Practical Drill

Color Guard

• North Central Region, first place
   
• Rocky Mountain Region, second place

Team Spirit

• Color Guard: Pacific Coast Region
   
• Drill Team: Southeast Region

               
Individual Awards

High Score Written Exam

Color Guard (tie)

• Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Natalie Pieta, Great Lakes Region; Cadet Tech. Sgt. Garrett Wachtell, Rocky Mountain Region

Drill Team (tie):

• Cadet Capt. Joshua Ein, Middle East Region; Cadet 2nd Lt. Zachary Hopkins, Rocky Mountain Region

Fleet Foot

Color Guard:

• Female: Cadet Master Sgt. Jasmine Sands, North Central Region
   
• Male: Cadet Master Sgt. Anthony Willis, Southeast Region

Drill Team

• Female: Cadet Second Lt Caroline Dengler, Middle East Region
   
• Male: Cadet Staff Sgt. Wyatt Hartman, Great Lakes Region

Individual Spirit

• Color Guard: Cadet Master Sgt. Jasmine Sands, North Central Region
   
• Drill Team: Cadet Capt. Joseph Spletzer, Great Lakes Region

Outstanding Cadet Volunteer

• Cadet Rachel Khattar, Brackett Composite Squadron 64, California Wing

• DJ Hadden, a fifth-grader at Vidalia Heritage Academy.
   
• Abby Burditt, a sixth-grader at San Jose Catholic School in Jacksonville, Fla.

In nominating DJ, his fifth-grade teacher, Christy Scoggins, wrote that every staff member at the school agreed that he was “an exemplary candidate for this award.”  DJ shows a huge love for his country and its military, she said, and he has accumulated wealth of knowledge about the military, World War II and aircraft. 

“In the fifth grade, we studied the forces of flight and concepts behind many different aircraft,” Scoggins wrote. “Without fail, I would receive questions about specific airplane models and the details concerning each.

“DJ could always be counted on to provide the information.”  

DJ had a wonderful year participating in the program.  He told McCormick, the headmaster, as the school’s ACE program kicked off, “This is what I’ve been looking for my whole life!”

At San Jose Catholic, Abby’s favorite subjects are math, science and physical education.  Her sixth-grade teacher, Carla Chin, wrote in nominating her, “I think Abby is a true reflection of the ACE Program.  She exceeds the goals set for the ACE Program and demonstrates that strong character and leadership skills, combined with physical fitness and aerospace education knowledge, produce great citizens.” 

Abby’s grandmother expressed sincere awe at the child’s aerospace interest, Chin said. “Abby has had an interest in marine biology since she was a little girl.  The ACE Program has been positive for her, and she now desires to look beyond the ocean and into space! 

“Abby received a telescope this past Christmas, and she now has the opportunity to view the moon and constellations.  She is a well-organized child who is planning to attend college and major in a science-related field.”  

ACE Teacher of the Year

Chin herself continues to shine as an aerospace educator.  She has been an outstanding teacher in the ACE Program since it began in 2007-2008, and she was named 2008-2009 ACE Coordinator of the Year.

She now follows up that honor by being named 2009-2010 National CAP ACE Teacher of the Year. 

Carla has gone above and beyond to ensure her students received all 21 ACE lessons for her grade level.  She took her sixth-graders on a field trip to Kennedy Space Center this year to further enrich their aerospace educational experiences. 

In her “spare” time, Chin put together her own aerospace literature unit using Jules Verne’s novel From the Earth to the Moon and is developing an aerospace literature unit to go with former NASA engineer Homer Hickam’s best-selling autobiographical novel, Rocket Boys: A Memoir, basis for the popular movie October Sky.

Chin teaches sixth and seventh grades, and when her sixth-grade ACE students from the previous year advanced to seventh grade, they expected her to continue incorporating aerospace into their lessons.

 “Carla is definitely a leader, and her energy and commitment to education is contagious and inspiring,” Assistant Principal Jennifer Frank said.

Chin invites volunteers to present ACE lessons to add variety and much-needed role models for her students. Volunteer instructors have included school faculty members, parents, Air Force Association members, CAP members, and even a local meteorologist, who spoke to the entire student body at the school’s annual “ACE Liftoff Celebration.”

Not only was the school’s aerospace program touted on the TV weather broadcast, it’s promoted regularly throughout the community and with other educators through Chin’s never-ending energy and enthusiasm  for exciting everyone about the wonders of aerospace for today and the future.  

Chin also works with aerospace organizations and attends workshops to further her personal knowledge and expertise and broaden her classroom instruction. 

Frank Kozdras, past president of Air Force Association Falcon Chapter No. 399, described her as “a highly skilled teacher, a superb leader and a creative educator unafraid of new programs that promote science, technology, engineering and math in our schools.” 

Brig. Gen. Joseph Blaskus, assistant adjutant general for air and Florida Air National Guard commander, cited Chin’s involvement not only with the ACE Program but also with the NASA interactive educational program, STARBASE Academy and the AFA’s Visions of Exploration.  “She demonstrates a level of excitement in the classroom that inspires her students to have fun while learning and has infected other teachers in her school to follow her lead,” Blaskus wrote in his nomination letter.

ACE Coordinator of the Year

Florida is also home to the ACE Coordinator of the Year – Megan Tucker, a fourth-grade teacher at Kenwood Elementary School in Fort Walton Beach.

Tucker has been a CAP aerospace education member for about four years, but this was her first year participating in the ACE Program.

After learning about the program on the CAP website and getting even more details during a 2009 summer CAP-sponsored aerospace workshop, she immediately discussed the idea of Kenwood becoming an ACE school with her principal, Alan Lambert. He eagerly supported the idea, and Tucker took on the role of ACE coordinator for Kenwood Elementary.

To set a positive tone and encourage confidence, she arranged for a schoolwide aerospace workshop to help educate and motivate the faculty about the ACE Program.  Throughout the year, she maintained and organized detailed records of the teachers’ ACE participation. 

Aerospace can be an intimidating subject, but Tucker’s enthusiasm, confidence, knowledge and planning helped make the ACE Program very rewarding for her school. 

 “Tucker’s resourcefulness, tactfulness and flexibility in dealing with teachers, administrators and parents, in addition to her natural proclivity for teaching, has made her an invaluable asset to the school district in general and my school in particular,” Lambert wrote.

Ricardo Soria, an assistant high school principal with numerous aerospace affiliations and awards, called her “an incredibly innovative and enthusiastic teacher.  She continues to be the driving force behind the Kenwood Elementary School STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and aviation efforts.  She is a self-motivated dynamo.” 

Okaloosa County’s superintendent of schools, Alexis Tibbetts, wrote, “The accomplishments of Megan Tucker are far too vast to list here.  She has truly had a profound impact on the students in her class and across our district.” 

No newcomer to the field, Tucker wrote that “aerospace is a normal part of my everyday teaching.  I have been integrating aviation into my classroom for the past four years, building the program from my one fourth-grade class, to teaching four fourth-grade aerospace classes, to including the entire school! 

“My ongoing goal has been to make Kenwood Elementary students truly experience an ‘Aviation Fascination!’ ”
  
ACE School of the Year

Appropriately enough, then, Kenwood Elementary is the 2009-2010 CAP National ACE School of the Year. 

Throughout its first year to participate, the school soared above and beyond expectations in executing the program. About 67 percent of the classroom teachers exceeded the 12-lesson minimum requirement, and everyone at the school wore their bright yellow ACE T-shirts the first Thursday of every month – the designated CAP ACE day. 

With almost 30 classroom teachers, the principal, additional faculty members and slightly more than 550 students participating, Kenwood Elementary certainly took the program and its participants to new heights.

From school “liftoffs” to “landings,” the school climbed above the clouds.

As a special guest speaker, Kenwood’s ACE Liftoff Celebration featured Ken Blackburn, aerospace engineer and Guinness World Record holder for the longest time aloft for a paper airplane. In addition, a GULFlight medical helicopter landed at the school in front of an enthusiastic student body. 

In another aerospace event near the end of the school year, four members of the Army Special Operations parachute team jumped out of a plane and onto a field behind the school.  After the group landed, fourth-grader Cole Browning exclaimed, “That was one of the craziest experiences I’ve ever had!”

Parents and other local residents were invited to attend the aerospace events, and the local newspaper covered the stories, which were posted on the school district’s website, as well as the CAP Aerospace Education website. 

Kenwood’s enthusiasm for aerospace and participation in the ACE Program was further promoted by Tucker, Lambert and a fifth-grade student on a local cable television show. 

In addition, the aerospace theme was interwoven throughout the school, from each classroom to the physical fitness field and the school’s yearbook. 

The immersion in aerospace education led to some discoveries for participants.  A first-grade teacher reported that she was aware that her class enjoyed studying aviation, but she hadn’t realize the just how interested the children were until a series of events led to their helping develop a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting today’s planes with that of the Wright brothers.

 “What an exciting learning experience!” she said.

The ACE Program continues to make strides as a unique program for both CAP and youth organizations across America, meeting the societal and educational challenges to provide rigorous academic relevance, improve character development and increase physical fitness for young people. The program’s availability at no cost to schools that wish to fully implement the program is a treasured benefit for financially strapped educational institutions. 

By the conclusion of the first formal year beyond the two-year prototype phase for the  program, about 250 teachers and some 6,200 students at 63 educational sites in 23 states had reaped the benefits of the program during academic year 2009-2010. Additional academic lessons for each grade-level curriculum guide, as well as a new online registration and completion process, enhanced the program’s effectiveness. 

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best possible score, program assessment data continues to be high, with an average score of 4.3.  Positive results from schools with strong administrative support for an entire school’s ACE participation are particularly relevant in predicting continuity and success for future years.
    
More ACE Program information, including sample lesson plans, is available online. Those interested in becoming an ACE classroom or ACE school can send an inquiry to ace@capnhq.gov.
 

• National Ground Search and Rescue School provides the skills members need to expertly perform ground searches for missing people and aircraft.
   
• Incident Command System School covers the skills members need to be top-notch leaders and staff officers at incident command posts and manage operations involving varying degrees of difficulty.
  
   
• Mission Aircrew School teaches critical skills pilots and other crew members need to stay at the top of their game and support some of CAP’s primary missions, like conducting airborne reconnaissance and delivering imagery for impact assessment after disasters like the continuing oil spill response on the Gulf Coast.
   

A total of 20 courses, including a new basic training session for prospective public information officers, were offered this year. The public information officers course, like most courses at NESA, was modeled after training provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other emergency response organizations.

“NESA has truly become a role model program for Civil Air Patrol,” Desmarais said “It showcases the capabilities of our dedicated volunteers to support their communities.”

Photos by Capt. James Kalemis, Great Lakes Region


Kristi Carr
CAP Volunteer staff writer

OREGON – Cadets in champion color guard and drill teams aren’t the only winners at the National Cadet Competition, which began Wednesday and continues through Sunday in McMinnville.

Putting on the event, which draws close to 150 cadets to compete in either category, takes a staff of some 50 volunteer workers, both cadets and senior members, along with several employees from Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters and several sponsoring organizations.

Lt. Col. Roger Middleton, activity director for NCC, considers them all winners, too.

“I believe these contributors also form a team and go home with many of the benefits experienced by the competitors and their escorts,” Middleton said.

At the competition, cadets test their precision, their intellect and their physical fitness in a series of contests. Included are a mile run, volleyball games, a panel quiz and written exam on aerospace history and knowledge, in addition to numerous drills and military presentations.

The competing cadets are representatives of CAP’s eight geographic regions and vie for CAP honors as “the best of the best.”

Sponsors provide backbone support
One of the sponsors is Linfield College, which provides the cadets with food, accommodation and meeting facilities.

“Maybe it’s something in the water,” Middleton said, “because like everyone else in Oregon, the people at Linfield College can’t do enough to support our cadets — whether it’s at NCC or other activities they host for CAP.”

Evergreen International Aviation Inc. is also a steadfast supporter of CAP, hosting some of the NCC events at its Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville — home of Howard Hughes’ celebrated “Spruce Goose” — as well as another special summer cadet activity, the Capt. Michael K. Smith Evergreen Aviation/CAP Business Academy.

Another NCC sponsor is Sprint Nextel Corp., which provides air-cards to give internet access to CAP laptops and a single “push-to-talk” network that keeps the NCC staff connected during the competition.

In addition, the Cessna Aircraft Co. provides both the top color guard and drill team with a “keeper” trophy — a bronze statuette, artist-signed and -numbered, that’s a miniature of the  U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Sweepstakes trophy outside the company headquarters in Wichita, Kan.

Volunteers are NCC’s lifeblood
Indicative of the NCC volunteers’ interest in and commitment to this special cadet activity, Middleton said, is the fact that “the first planning meeting for 2010 took place at Linfield College in McMinnville just two days after the 2009 cadets headed home.”

Middleton himself has been an NCC volunteer for eight years, the last three as activity director.

Lt. Col. Axel Ostling, who is working at the 2010 NCC as director of the drill team competition, may claim to one of the longest tenures at NCC — in the 1950s, he attended as a cadet participant.

Not all the younger CAP members present are competitors. Cadets from six different wings — California, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin — came to the NCC not as participants in the various contests but as volunteer workers who make sure everything is in the right place at the right time so the event runs smoothly.

Everyone wins
In his opinion, Middleton said the best part of the NCC is its “camaraderie, esprit-de-corps, teamwork — call it what you will.” And that applies to both its cadet participants and those behind the scenes that allow the competition to play out.

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – More than 130 cadets from across Civil Air Patrol will compete this week in the 2010 National Cadet Competition, set for Thursday through Sunday at Linfield College and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Ore.

Special guests at the event will include Oregon’s own U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. David E. Price, the top manager of Air Force budgeting operations and personnel at the Pentagon.

“Civil Air Patrol is proud to once again showcase the best CAP color guards and drill teams in the National Cadet Competition,” said Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, the organization’s national commander. “For more than 60 years, this contest has inspired generation after generation of cadets to strive for excellence.”

Cadets participating in the national competition earn the right to attend by winning local, wing and region competitions. All eight regions will be represented by a four-cadet color guard, and seven regions are fielding a 12-cadet drill team. Each color guard team includes one alternate, and each drill teams includes at least one alternate.

The color guard competitors hail from:

• Great Lakes Region – Ohio Wing.
   
• Middle East Region – North Carolina Wing.
   
• North Central Region – Minnesota Wing.
   
• North East Region – Massachusetts Wing.
   
• Pacific Coast Region – Alaska Region.
   
• Rocky Mountain Region – Colorado Wing.
   
• Southeast Region – Florida Wing.
   
• Southwest Region – Texas Wing.

The drill competition entrants:

• Great Lakes Region – Ohio Wing.
   
• Middle East Region – Delaware Wing.
   
• North Central Region – Minnesota Wing.
   
• Pacific Coast Region – California Wing.
   
• Rocky Mountain Region – Utah Wing.
   
• Southeast Region – Puerto Rico Wing.
   
• Southwest Region – Arizona Wing.

Cadets will demonstrate their skills in events that involve precision and teamwork, including innovative and standard drill movements, indoor and outdoor posting of the American flag and creativity and knowledge of aerospace-related topics, including a written exam and panel quiz, as well as physical fitness challenges involving volleyball and a mile run.

Inspections and drill competition will be judged by a team including senior CAP officers and members of the Air Force Honor Guard. The volleyball competition will be judged according to USA Volleyball Domestic Indoor Competition rules by volleyball professionals.

The overall winners of the color guard and drill team competitions will earn the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Sweepstakes Trophy. Last year’s champions were the Northeast Region’s color guard ,from the New York Wing, and Rocky Mountain Region’s drill team, from the Utah Wing.

Top cadets in several categories are also honored, including top written exam score and fastest mile-run time.

Price, a graduate of Willamette University in Salem, Ore., commissioned through the Air Force ROTC in 1978 after graduate study at the University of Oregon, is now director, budget operations and personnel, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller. He is responsible for planning and directing execution of the Air Force’s operations and maintenance as well as military personnel budgets totaling more than $56 billion annually.

This is the second year the competition is being held at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum as part of CAP’s partnership with Evergreen International Aviation Inc. The museum will also host another CAP educational activity this year: the Capt. Michael K. Smith Evergreen Aviation/CAP Business Academy, scheduled for July 11-17.

“CAP is privileged to have Mr. Del Smith, entrepreneur and founder of the Evergreen International Aviation group of companies, as the sponsor of this year’s competition,” said Lt. Col. Roger Middleton, National Cadet Competition director. “The support that we have received from Mr. Smith, the museum and other members of the Evergreen family has been absolutely first-class.”

The competition is one of 30 National Cadet Special Activities being sponsored by CAP across the nation this summer. These activities allow cadets to hone their skills in a variety of areas —  including search and rescue, flight and emergency services, science, leadership fundamentals, citizenship and military courtesies — and to explore aerospace technology and aviation careers. In 2009, more than 1,100 youth participated in CAP-sponsored summer activities.






 
 

Photos by Capt. Phil Norris

Capt. Phil Norris
Assistant Director of Public Affairs
Southeast Region

ALABAMA – Members from the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida wings are launching daily aerial damage assessment flights from their station in the Mobile Convention Center, one of several incident command posts set up for the Gulf Coast oil spill response.

In addition to the CAP volunteers, hundreds of other disaster assistance personnel are participating in Deepwater Horizon Response, an operation coordinated by the unified command made up of representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard; BP; the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the Department of the Interior. The unified command is working with agencies such as NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and CAP to provide data to the different groups working to clean up the spill.

CAP’s critical missions in support of Deepwater Horizon Response have included flying VIPs over coastal waters to get a look at the integrity of oil containment barriers, transporting vital mission equipment, collecting data and flying coastline photo reconnaissance missions.

The most important task the CAP aircrews perform is making daily flights over 700 miles of coastline from Louisiana to Florida and taking digital images of the oil containment barriers and adjacent land area near the shoreline.

In 13 days of flying missions, 26 volunteers have expended 2,128 man-hours making 73 flights in 12 CAP aircraft, for a total of 197 hours in the air over the waters along the Gulf Coast.

On an average day, the aircrews take from 2,400 to 3,600 digital images. The images represent critical information that planners are using to help determine their response to the spill, which began April 20 following an explosion at the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

 “Whether it is performing duties as an aircrew member, mission base or support staff, the opportunity to serve with Civil Air Patrol in response to this incident is an honor,” said Maj. Keith Riddle, inspector general for the Mississippi Wing.

Maj. John Neil, the initial CAP incident commander at the Mobile command post, spent nine days away from his civilian job to serve. “If I did not have to make a living, I would continue to serve as the IC until the mission is completed,” he said.

Neil, the Alabama Wing director of operations, will probably get an opportunity to return, as CAP’s missions are expected to continue into June.
 


 

• A Piper Cherokee 140, the same make and model in which her grandmother had first soloed in 1973.
   
• A Piper Tri-Pacer, the nearest available aircraft to the Piper Colt in which her mother had first soloed.
   
• A Cessna 172, Luke Boedeker’s first airplane, which he had used for most of his own flight training, received from the Latimer family.
   
• A Piper Cherokee 180, owned by Troy Young, another close family friend.

Amanda’s grandmother, Latimer, was the next to solo her in the Cherokee 180, adding a third generation of women’s signatures on her student pilot certificate.
 
Keeping things in the family, Amanda soloed a third time in the Piper Tri-Pacer with a sign-off from her grandfather, Lawrence Latimer.

The fourth solot, in the Piper Cherokee 140, was endorsed by Kristine Lewis, a family friend.

Her last solo came in the Cessna 172, with Boedeker as the instructor.

The weather was less than perfect, with low ceilings and high winds, but Amanda’s cadre of instructors decided she could handle it, and so she did. She made a couple of solo flights at Wilbarger County Airport in Vernon – the same airport where her mother and grandparents had learned to fly and completed their first solos.

Soon, though, the high winds prompted relocation of planes, pilots and family about 30 miles northeast to Frederick, Okla., where Amanda could safely complete all five solos.

She had begun flying lessons at age 12, and no one doubted she was now ready to solo. For each plane, she took one or two trips around the pattern with the instructor, after which she was on her own.

Despite the crosswinds and gusts, her landings would have made any pilot proud.

For a 16-year-old, flying planes is an impressive achievement, but Amanda has gone beyond that — she’s also learning to fly helicopters, with Boedeker as her instructor, and is gaining experience toward earning her aircraft mechanic’s license. She plans to take her private and instrument check rides on her 17th birthday and hopes to take the written tests this summer, as she wants to meet most – if not all – of the flight requirements before the fall.

Next summer she intends to get her commercial, flight instructor and aircraft mechanic ratings, which she will probably earn on, or soon after, her 18th birthday.

Since both her mother and grandmother are flight instructors and aircraft mechanics, that accomplishment would make Amanda the third generation of her family’s females to earn those aviation ratings – a rare feat indeed, since less than 1 percent of licensed aircraft mechanics are women.

To date, four years after her first flying lesson, Amanda has logged around 50 hours. Her mother started to fly at 7, soloed at 16 and has logged 35,000 hours. Her grandfather, Lance Latimer, began his flying career at 15, soloed at 16 and logged some 30,000 hours as a crop duster and a flight instructor.

A sophomore and honor student at Northwest Independent School District High School in Justin, Amanda pursues other interests besides aviation — she is an excellent rifle marksman and an enthusiastic skier, performs with a belly dancing group and is an avid reader. Her summer is filled with plans for skeet-shooting, scuba-diving and golf lessons.

Amanda likes to tell her friends that she gets high in an airplane with her grandmother every chance she gets, then goes with her to happy hour at Sonic Drive-In.

Mary Latimer, her grandmother, earned her private pilot license in 1973 and  now holds Airline Transport Pilot, Flight Instructor with Instrument and Multi-engine endorsements and Ground Instructor ratings and is an Aircraft Mechanic with Inspection Authorization as well as a Designated Pilot Examiner. She retired from the Federal Aviation as an air traffic controller with 23 years of service in Lawton, Okla., and three years at Fort Worth Meacham Airport.

She took her first airplane ride in 1970, when her future husband, Lawrence Latimer, took her flying on their first date. They will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this September.

Lawrence Latimer  is a commercial pilot, a flight instructor for both airplanes and helicopters and also an aircraft mechanic. Having always wanted to be a pilot, he earned his first rating in 1966. He flew for many years as a crop duster and now does corporate flying. He has been his granddaughter’s primary flight instructor.

Amanda’s mother, Tamara Griffith, was pretty much raised at Wilbarger County Airport and has been involved in aviation her entire life. She holds Airline Transport Pilot, Flight Instructor with Instrument and Multi-engine endorsements, and Sea Plane ratings. She holds an Aircraft Mechanic certificate with Inspection Authorization.

Ben Griffith, Amanda’s father, is also an aircraft mechanic and supports her endeavors from the ground. He is looking forward to being one of her first passengers in 2011.

 

Jennifer S. Kornegay
Contributing Writer

HAITI — On Jan. 12, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the nation of Haiti, and the world watched the news in horror as reports of the devastation kept pouring in, worsening by the hour. The calls for assistance were almost instant, as was the overwhelming response.

People from all over the world donated money and supplies, and thousands more vacated their own lives and routines to travel to Haiti and offer hands-on help in the rescue and recovery process.

It’s no surprise that Dr. Mike Lynch, a first lieutenant in the California Wing’s Bakersfield Composite Squadron 121, was among those who went to Haiti. After all, CAP is made up of volunteers who generously give of their time and talents on an ongoing basis.

Lynch pitches in for CAP whenever needed, and he also volunteers with the California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. Through this group, he led a medical team to Haiti from March 2-10.

“What you saw on television did not do the devastation justice at all,” Lynch said. “It was unbelievable to see; just the property damage was so extensive. It looked like 80 to 90 percent of all the homes in the neighborhood where we were had completely collapsed.”

Lynch has been involved with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief group for 17 years. His background as a clinical psychologist has served him well, as has his status as a pastor.

“Whenever we deploy a team for a disaster, we send a chaplain with them,” he said. “I am a Southern Baptist pastor and a psychologist, so I was assigned as chaplain to this team.

“There were eight of us, and we were with two other medical groups from Louisiana and South Carolina as well as a damage assessment team, so there was a total of 60 of us working at various locations in the Port-au-Prince area.”

Lynch’s California team included five doctors, one physician’s assistant and two registered nurses.

Lynch and his fellow relief workers began their endeavors at the University of Miami field hospital set up at the airport.

“Our first assignment was to establish a pharmacy for the hospital,” he said. “But when we got there, the medical director asked what specialists we had on our team. I had two surgeons and an infectious disease doctor, so they ended up putting us to work in the hospital for two days.”

Lynch served as the psychologist for the pediatric ward, counseling hospitalized children and their families. He also spent a lot of time counseling other doctors and nurses who had already been in Haiti for a while.

“The work they were doing and the things they were seeing were taking a real emotional and physical toll on them,” he said. “I also spent time counseling family members that lost someone at the hospital.”

Lynch and his team set up community clinics as well and treated more than 600 patients in three days.

“I handled all the referrals for psychological issues, and I probably dealt with about 35 or 40,” he said. “We all stayed very busy.”

Lynch is always looking for ways to use his specific skills to fill a need. That search led him to join CAP in January 2007.

“The squadron needed some emergency services guys, and I have that experience, but I also brought some moral leadership,” he said.

His Critical Incident Stress Management work with Southern Baptist Relief and his work with CAP go hand-in-hand, and he’s used the training and different experiences from each to help him in the other.

“I am the Pacific Region Critical Incident Stress Management officer and the deputy Critical Incident Stress Management officer for the California Wing, so I’ve been doing CISM work with CAP for about three years, and the CISM training I’ve gotten through CAP helped in Haiti, especially dealing with the death,” he said.

Lynch is also part of CAP’s chaplain corps, as well as a character development instructor. In fact, for 2009, he was named CAP’s national Character Development Instructor of the Year.

As a CISM officer, Lynch conducts debriefings after crashes that result in the death of a CAP member.

“The first major one, we had lost a former wing commander from California and the current wing commander from Nevada,” he said, referring to the crash Nov. 8, 2007, south of Las Vegas in which Cols. Ed Lewis and Dion E. DeCamp were killed. “Both died in a crash on their way to the California Wing Conference.”

Lynch and the CICM team carried out 66 individual and group interventions and counseling sessions onsite at the conference, helping CAP members deal with the tragedy.

“The personal and group care that has to be given to CAP members and /or their families is extremely important to help them through their struggle with stress and grief and to help them move beyond that incident,” Lynch said.

In any situation involving a sudden death, like those resulting from a plane crash or a natural disaster, one of the first things he must address is post traumatic stress. Sometimes, circumstances make this difficult.

“You have to help them work through it, and get them back into their normal routine,” he said. “But in Haiti, there was no normal routine to get them back to; so much was gone. I had to find something to take their minds off their own situation.”

Lynch worked with what he had in Haiti.

“I was counseling one man who had been studying to be a teacher, so I found a church that was holding school, but was in need of teachers and got him involved with that,” he said. “Once he could teach, he was able to move his focus from the disaster to the recovery and be a part of that recovery for others. It still takes time, but pushing forward helps.”

Lynch said he feels like he and those with him made a real difference during their time in Haiti, and he’d do it all over again if asked.

“As we were leaving, I felt like we had done a good job,” he said. “I know we made a change for the better in some lives. We got 600 people to see a doctor who would not have otherwise.

“I’d go back again. Doing disaster work with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and CAP is an important part of my life.”

But Lynch knows it’s not really about him.

“The work I did honors God, honors the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, honors CAP and honors anyone involved in disaster relief services,” he said. “And it helps other people who need help.

“That’s the reason I do it.”
 

Col. Becky Tilton
Public Affairs Officer
Mississippi Wing

MISSISSIPPI – The Mississippi Wing has launched pre-damage assessment flights for the state’s Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Quality as a gigantic oil spill in the Gulf Mexico creeps closer to the Mississippi Coast.

The flights along the Magnolia State’s shoreline began Monday from Civil Air Patrol’s Mississippi Wing mission base in Gulfport. Aerial video and photos taken by a state employee who is also a mission scanner in the Col. Berta A. Edge Composite Squadron will be used by state officials to assess potential damage from the spill, triggered by a deadly oil rig explosion about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

To date, the wing has made six flights totaling more than 17 hours.

“We have a long-established working relationship with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources,” said Capt. David A. “Hank” Rogers, the wing’s emergency services officer. “They knew immediately that CAP was the single best asset available for this mission. We have been able to provide flights as needed and with minimal response time. The training really pays off at times like these.”

Employees from the two state agencies are getting a firsthand look at the oil spill area and checking on placement of oil containment booms designed to protect the Mississippi coastline and barrier islands. The flights are also allowing officials to assess potential impact zones and to plan for future containment measures. 

Daily flights will continue throughout the month as requested by the agencies.

Rogers is mission coordinator for the CAP flights. Serving on aircrews are:

• Mississippi Wing Headquarters — Maj. Keith Riddle, inspector general.
   
• Col. Berta A. Edge Composite Squadron — 1st Lt. Darrin Stewart, officer for safety and for transportation.
   
• Diamondhead Composite Squadron — Maj. Gary Hornosky, commander.
   
• Singing River Composite Squadron— Maj. Danny Watson, commander, and 1st Lt. John Brown, maintenance officer.
  
  

• Air Force Torch Award for mentoring CAP Cadet of the Year
   
• National Frank G. Brewer Award, Senior Member Category
   
• Senior Member of the Year, Maryland Wing
   
• Gill Robb Wilson Award
   
• Distinguished Service Award
   
• Exceptional Service Award
   
• Meritorious Service Award
   
• National Commander’s Commendation
   
• Region Commander’s Commendation Award
   
• Commander’s Commendation with silver clasp
   
• Unit Citation Award with two clasps
   
• Brigadier General Chuck Yeager Award
   
• Rescue “Find” Ribbon
   
• Search and Rescue Ribbon with four silver clasps
   
• Red Service Ribbon with “35” longevity device
   
• Command Service Ribbon with silver star
   
• Disaster Relief Ribbon with “V” device
   
• Encampment Ribbon with four silver clasps
   
• Recruiter Ribbon
   
• Frank E. Borman Falcon Award
   
• Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award No. 452
   
• Cadet of the Year, Pennsylvania Wing

• In CAP, a leader's first priority is taking care of his cadets. In the Marines, this sort of approach means doing simple things like making sure everyone is properly fed, housed and getting enough rest. Also important: Treating everyone fairly.
   
• Set clear goals and objectives. Marines always have a plan of action so personnel and equipment are not sitting idly by.
   
• Make sure your people receive praise and formal recognition regularly.
   
• Know your job. Nothing is worse than an incompetent leader who hasn't taken the time to learn his profession.
   
• Be confident. Don't be the timid leader who gives orders phrased as questions. 
   
• Give respect to get respect. That’s an old cliché, but it’s true. "As a leader, take your subordinates’ suggestions into account, and if they are better than yours show your maturity and change your course of action," Dvorak said.
   
• An ineffective, poor leader screams and yells. Instead, set high standards and expectations and enforce them.

"Leadership challenges that come up in CAP are the same as the ones faced by today's military," Dvorak said. The biggest differences between CAP and the Marines are pay and the laws that apply on the military side, increasing the consequences of both positive and negative actions, he said.

"The experience in Iraq has been eye-opening, both as a follower and as a potential leader,” Dvorak said. "There is so much one can learn just by paying attention and then applying what you have learned.

“I look forward to getting back to the squadron in St. Cloud and doing just that."
 

(2)
A  young crash victim's parents mourn in a scene from the DVD.

(3)
The DVD jacket.

(4)
Capt. Donna Daniels

Janet Adams
Contributing Writer

According to the National Highway Safety Association, more than 3,500 teens died last year as a result of traffic accidents — many involving alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers. Capt. Donna Daniels, Wisconsin Wing Drug Demand Reduction coordinator, was instrumental in the recent development of a dramatic video written, acted, produced and edited by young people, some of them from her wing.

You’ve seen the headlines, screaming in silent anguish — LOCAL TEENS DIE IN CAR WRECK ... DRUNK DRIVER CAUSES FATAL CRASH … FAMILIES OF TEENAGE CRASH VICTIMS WANT ANSWERS … DUI SENTENCING DEVASTATES FAMILY — and underscored by grim photographs documenting mangled cars, the grief of parents and friends, a community memorial service and the cold finality of marble headstones in a cemetery.

How can words and images begin to measure the depth of loss resonating throughout a family, a school and a community stunned by the loss of young lives whose promising futures were destroyed by impaired driving? Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not restricted to one age group, but inexperienced teenage drivers, unfamiliar with the effects of intoxication, are accidents-in-waiting. Educating young drivers and their parents is central to any prevention program involving the deadly mix of drugs and driving.

Daniels got involved in drug prevention shortly after attending the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) graduation of her oldest son, Caleb. The DARE officer told parents that teachers and police can teach their children about the risks and consequences of drug use, but that education means nothing if parents don’t support their children at home.

In response, Daniel formed Wisconsin Families in Action in 2001, and in 2004 she became a state partner for the Parent Corps. The organization’s goal was to recruit, educate and mobilize parents to be active participants in drug prevention programs, she said.

When grant money for that project ran out, Daniels joined Civil Air Patrol and became the Wisconsin Wing’s Drug Demand Reduction administrator. In 2008 she took on additional duties as the Great Lakes Region’s DDR coordinator.  

Last June, an impaired driving tragedy struck the small Wisconsin community of Ashwaubenon, bringing the tragedy of impaired driving directly into Daniels’ own life.

The Brown County Sheriff's Department said a man was driving in the wrong direction in the southbound lanes on U.S. 41 when his Jeep Liberty crashed into a Chrysler Concord, killing the three occupants. The driver of the Jeep, 53-year-old Stephen Siebert, who also died at the scene, appeared to have been drinking.

Two young women died instantly — Arielle Lewandowski, 17, of Menasha, and driver Paige Riley, 20, of Appleton. Another passenger, Sam Goudy, 19, of Neenah, died later that day in a local hospital.

The young women were friends of Daniels’ daughter, Cadet 2nd Lt. Rebekkah Daniels, and were to have attended a post-graduation party at the Daniels home the next evening.

Two years before this heart-wrenching loss, Capt. Daniels had proposed development of a drunk-driving prevention video focusing on teenage drivers. The accident renewed her interest in the project. Daniels’ cadet DDR assistant, Cadet 1st Lt. Brittany Lane, rewrote the script of a video often shown during prom season to include a car crash and a court scene in which the teenage drunk driver is being sentenced.  

The driver was played by Cadet Senior Airman Edward Safe, Cadet Senior Airman Tyler Laver and Cadet Airman 1st Class Sean Patchin Jr. were injured passengers, and Cadet Staff Sgt. Benjamin Konrad was a fatality victim. Educational segments designed to generate classroom discussions for driver education and drug prevention classes were also included. 

Titled “Zero Tolerance,” the video on impaired and distracted driving by teenagers is complemented by an information package created to further raise public awareness and, in the process, hopefully reduce teen fatalities.

“I cannot stress enough the support we received from CAP leadership ,” said Daniels, particularly from the Wisconsin Wing's commander, Col. Donald Haffner, and chief of staff, Lt .Col. Jeff Thomas, and its former director of cadet programs, Maj. Terrance Schmitt. “They helped keep the project going. Whenever I ran into a snag, they took the steps I could not to get it resolved.”

When the final, closed-caption version is finished, Daniels plans to distribute copies to high schools in Wisconsin and to have it available for viewing on various Web sites. Thanks to Daniels’ initiative and to the Wisconsin Wing’s support of the project, “Zero Tolerance” will positively affect thousands of teenaged drivers and their parents for years to come.

The video project was funded by in-kind donations from the Appleton Police Department, Appleton Fire Department, Outagamie County Sheriff's Department, Outagamie County Judge Mark McGinnis, Carrie Keeper of the Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office, Gibson Iron and Metal Works and Gold Cross Ambulance.

Maureen Milaca at Xavier High School was instrumental in finding a talented videographer, and editors Julie Van Din Haven and David Everson at Ocean Studios were responsible for titling and crafting closed-caption elements. Greg Bergen at Dig print provided in-kind printing of the packaging and accompanying letters. Financial support was provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the State Patrol Division through a Bureau of Transportation Safety Grant, with the help of Blind Beacon and Andrea Loeffelholz.

CAP National Headquarters provided printed recruiting material, which completed the video package and helped further spread the word about the organization. 


The video is the brainchild of Capt. Donna Daniels.

 “Zero Tolerance” depicts the consequences of underage drinking, substance use and texting while driving. 

Mitzi Palmer
Contributing Writer

At the March 1953 U.S. Air Force graduation ceremony, Josh Batchelder received his silver wings and gold bars for his commission as second lieutenant, along with an assignment that would change his life.

His orders were to travel to Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga., for advanced all-weather jet interceptor training in the Lockheed Jet F-94C Starfire – the first transonic jet of its time.

With a maximum speed of 585 mph, the jet trained Batchelder and the rest of the flyboys of the Air Force 59th Interceptor Squadron, known as Black Watch, to defend the U.S. and Canada from Soviet nuclear bombers.

In 1949, Soviet bombers had posed the first direct threat to U.S. and Canada territories after successful atomic tests were performed. In addition, the Korean War’s beginning just a year later added further complications to national defense.

“Military and U.S. civilian fears at this time could be compared to our post-9/11 mindset,” noted Batchelder, now retired as an Air Force lieutenant colonel and still active as a Civil Air Patrol lieutenant colonel with the Georgia Wing’s Peachtree-Dekalb Senior Squadron.

To counter Russian bomber incursions, the Pentagon and U.S. military forces began orchestrating a network of land-based, long-range radar stations across Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Batchelder’s 59th all-weather fighter-interceptor unit was part of the massive plan to position protective squadrons in key locations along these stations.

“It was a risky adventure,” Batchelder said, recalling the harsh sub-Arctic weather of Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, where he was stationed. “We oftentimes had to fly in heavy snow, ice, fierce winds and subzero temperatures.”

Batchelder, as a radar observer, and his pilot had the responsibility of intercepting unknown aircraft. When on red alert, the crew had to be in the air within three minutes after the scramble alarm sounded – prompting their motto: “When the ducks walk at Goose, we fly!”

Perhaps one of his most memorable experiences during the mission was intercepting a B-36 bomber near the Canadian border.

“Ground control intercept controllers directed us to the altitude and range where our radar screen would pick him up,” Batchelder recalled. “We were in and out of thick clouds, and at one point with our navigation aircraft lights off, we came in behind of the B-36 close enough to identify the big birds type and tail number. We had successfully intercepted.”

During Batchelder’s one-year tour, he was witness to several tragedies in the air as well as numerous humorous occurrences on land at Goose Air Base – many of which are captured in Black Watch Diary.

In addition to his Air Force service as an airborne radar observer, Batchelder served 14 years with the Georgia Air National Guard. He also flew in Vietnam, earned command navigator wings and served as wing navigator.

Combined, Batchelder has logged more than 5,000 total flying hours. He also earned his third set of silver wings as an instrument-rated private pilot, mission pilot and aerospace education officer in the Georgia Wing and the Silver Wings Fraternity.

“CAP gave me the great opportunity to learn all about the aviation pioneers and institutions leading up to the Air Force becoming a separate service just before my entry in 1950,” Batchelder said.

Since 2001, he has focused on writing and volunteering his time coordinating programs relating to aerospace science and history.

       
Batchelder is currently speaking about the Black Watch story throughout the Atlanta area, where he and his wife reside. A graduate of Harvard University, he is a certified graphologist and a financial adviser.

Black Watch Diary can be purchased online. Batchelder's other books include "Handwriting Reveals You" (2003) and "Personality Profiling in 90 Seconds: A 15-Point Guide for Quick Handwriting Analysis" (2006). 
 

Jennifer S. Kornegay
Contributing writer

ALASKA — Birthday cards intent on softening the blow of aging often proclaim that “age is just a number.”

 But 100? That’s a really big number.

Even so, the sentiment conveyed by those greeting card writers sometimes rings true, as is the case with 1st Lt. Charles Ricci, a member of the Alaska Wing’s Polaris Composite Squadron. Ricci — “Charlie” to his family and friends — celebrated a century of life March 17.

And he’s not a former Civil Air Patrol member, or an inactive one. Ricci has been, until very recently, a vital part of the Polaris Composite Squadron. Health issues in the last few months have limited his service, but as his CAP friends will readily tell you, nothing else ever has.

“Charlie is always available for anything,” said his friend, Lt. Col. Marc Stella, the Polaris squadron’s safety officer. “He will take on any duties, from janitorial duties on down the line. He’s always a great volunteer. He’s a great asset to our squadron.”

When asked why he’d stayed committed to CAP for so long, Ricci said, “It’s just a good feeling helping those who need help.

“I’ve been lost before myself, and I know what it means to have people looking for you.”

Stella, 84, has been a CAP member for 57 years — actually longer than Ricci.

“He joined in 1978, when he was already in his 60s. But from his first meeting, he’s been looking after everyone else, so now we’re looking after him,” Stella said.

Still mentally sharp as a tack, Ricci is living in an extended care center in Anchorage, recovering from an infection in his hip. The day before his birthday, his squadron turned its regular monthly meeting into a birthday bash honoring Ricci and held it at the center.

“He was thrilled, and had such a good time,” said 1st Lt. Carl Siebe, commander of the Polaris squadron. “He got to see lots of his friends, and several members that couldn’t make it sent their congrats through me.”

In his long life, Ricci has made many friends and found much adventure. The Army veteran spent 40 years as a hunting guide in Alaska’s wild Wrangell Mountains.

“He’s not big in size, but he’s very strong, very tough,” Stella said. “He and I were on one SAR where we had to camp out overnight together. He’s such a great guy to have in stressful situation.”

His “mountain man” reputation has been proven more than once on a CAP mission.

“On this one particular search, we found the plane we were looking for, but on the return we got caught in bad weather near Chakachamna Lake, so we landed our search plane, which was on floats, on the water,” Stella said. “We realized the pass into and out of the lake was snowed in.

“I was securing the airplane, and Charlie took off with my little hand ax. By the time I got done, he was back with a cord of firewood he had chopped, and in just a little over an hour he had set up a shelter for us all.

“In just a couple more hours, before it got dark, he had a fire going and dinner started. The snow and wind didn’t faze him a bit.

“That’s the kind of member you always want on a search.”

Lt. Col. Mike Pannone,  former Alaska Wing and Pacific Region commander, tells a similar story of Ricci’s unflappable grit.

“Once on a search for a hiker in mountains north of Anchorage, I was flying quite low, and through my error we made a turn into a dead-end canyon,” Pannone said. “The only way out was to fly a chandelle, which I did.

“I was scared stiff, and after we got out of there, I looked over at Charlie, and in the calmest, coolest voice he said, ‘I was kind of wondering how you were going to get us out of there.’

“He wasn’t shook up at all. He’s just tough. Up until only about 12 years ago, he was still going into the mountains and hunting in some very rough country.”

Ricci is also willing to perform somewhat less exciting tasks for CAP.

 “Shortly after joining, Charlie decided to assume the role of squadron historian,” Stella said. “That had been neglected for so long. He has compiled several photo albums of squadron and wing activities that we use for newcomers now.”

Siebe added. “He’s always willing to share with cadets, especially his outdoor knowledge.”

The avid outdoorsman is quite domesticated, too. He even bakes.

“Charlie was a dedicated hunter and fisherman and belongs to many sportsmen societies, but he’s also really known for his cakes,” Stella said. “Once a month, he bakes a cake for our squadron meeting, and everybody comes looking forward to a taste of that cake.”

His will-do attitude has earned him respect from everyone he has encountered in CAP. “If there was work to be done, Charlie was always ready to step forward and serve, no matter what the task involved,” Siebe said. “He’s willing to do anything around the squadron; he kind of adopted our building and served as our chief maintenance person for years.”

Pannone echoed those sentiments. “His attitude has always been, like so many CAP people, to give to his country through his service,” he said. “He’s probably as dedicated a member as I’ve had in any of my commands.”

Despite not being a pilot himself, Ricci has played an integral role in many search and rescue missions, logging more than 1,500 hours of flight time. His credits include four saves and three finds. 

Stella describes Ricci as one of CAP’s best.

“He has always been an excellent observer,” his friend said. “He’s certainly one of the few people I’ve never seen doze off or zone out in a search, and that happens to observers on our long searches.”

Said Siebe, “It was fun to have him as an observer when we were over mountains. He would point and say, ‘I’ve climbed that mountain; I’ve walked over that one.’”

Ricci has another important milestone to commemorate coming up. On April 14, he and his wife, Inger, will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

And the Polaris squadron and all of CAP are looking forward to the party honoring his 101st birthday.
 

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Former CAP National Cadet of the Year Darcy Burner (left) chats with Utah Wing Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall and Maryland Wing Cadet Maj. Eashan Samak after the cadets’ Pentagon tour. Burner, an Oregon congressional candidate in 2006 and 2008 who is now executive director of the political action committee ProgressiveCongress.org, visited with the cadets at Mott House, across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building. She talked about the roles that political action committees play in the legislative process and elections.

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(From left) New York Wing Cadet Maj. Mark Teubl, Cadet Majs. Joshua Carr of the Missouri Wing and Alice Chan of the Maryland Wing, Arizona Wing Cadet Col. Matthew Bricker and Utah Wing Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall check out the ceiling of the Rotunda while touring the U.S. Capitol.

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U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (center), R-Alaska, a member of CAP’s Congressional Squadron, listens to South Carolina Wing Cadet Capt. Sarah Sill as Alaska Wing Cadet 1st Lt. Jennifer Coisman stands by during CAP’s Legislative Day on Capitol Hill. CLA cadets joined their wing commanders and others for the annual visit to the offices of their home state senators and representatives.

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(From left) Louisiana Wing Cadet 2nd Lt. Brett Denehan joins Cadet Master Sgt. Christin McCall, Maj. Christopher Roche, Cadet Capt. Kathleen Crockett and Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Anne Sisk, all of the Maryland Wing, for a pizza party in the office of U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md. Bartlett – a member of Civil Air Patrol’s Congressional Squadron – has treated CAP volunteers to a Legislative Day lunch the past four years.

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Cadet Capt. Jordan Watson of the Washington Wing receives her Cadet Leadership Academy graduation certificate from Brig. Gen. Reggie Chitwood, CAP national vice commander. Watson was one of 24 cadets graduating from the weeklong academy, held each year in the nation’s capital.

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CLA graduates pose for a group photo with National Park Service rangers at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The cadets went to the park for an after-graduation party to mark completion of a full week of activities in the nation’s capital.

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Cadet Capt. Nicholas Cocco of the Pennsylvania Wing takes a break outside the Lincoln Memorial during the after-graduation party.

Photos by Capt. Brenda Reed, Maryland Wing, except where indicated


WASHINGTON, D.C. --Twenty-four of Civil Air Patrol’s top cadets from across the nation gained a head start in their public service careers Feb. 20-27 by participating in one of America’s leading civic education activities, the Civic Leadership Academy.

The CLA, an academically intense, interactive study of U.S. government in action, provides participants the opportunity to grow as citizens and young leaders through lessons in persuasive leadership, federal government, public service careers and American heritage.

“Civic Leadership Academy provides cadets an unrivaled opportunity to gain a well-rounded understanding of leadership, public service and the principles that guide our nation,” said Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP’s national commander and the academy’s founding director. “This activity empowers our cadets to apply those principles in their own lives and to be thoughtful participants in our nation’s future.”

A real career thread runs throughout the program, said Lt. Col. Bill Brockman of the Florida Wing's SRQ Composite Squadron, CLA activity director and founding faculty member.

In addition to a blend of field trips, lectures, seminars and assigned readings from historic and current sources, the cadets visited the U.S. Capitol; the Supreme Court; the State Department; Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the CIA; the Pentagon; legislative offices; and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, as well as the World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Women in Military Service and Lincoln memorials.

At these locations they encountered VIP speakers who provided them with insights designed to deepen their understanding of government in action.

“We hoped to provide the cadets attending CLA with a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of their government and how easy it is for an individual to interact with their government representatives,” Brockman said. “CLA is a challenging, intellectual study.”

“It is a weeklong total immersion into the world of government,” added Cadet Capt. Dannie Fountain of the Michigan Wing’s Selfridge Cadet Squadron.

The 2010 academy began Sunday with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington. Cadets had the opportunity to visit with the guards in the guardroom after the ceremony. They were briefed on the training process for new guards and given a history of the cemetery.

“The cadets were amazed to learn the amount of time each individual tomb guard spends on preparing his uniform for duty at the Tomb,” Brockman said.

On Monday, after a tour of the U.S. Capitol, the cadets met with retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Suter, the clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, and U.S. Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.

 “The general spoke with the cadets about his position at the court and leadership,” Brockman said. “The general took some of the cadets to his office to see his picture of himself with Elvis Presley as a young soldier in Germany.”

Scalia spent an hour talking with the cadets about the landmark Marbury vs. Madison case, the significance of judicial review and interpreting the Constitution.

 “The success of CLA has been to keep the cadets engaged in activities they could not do on their own,” Brockman said. “The cadets are not just learning about government, but also how to interact with government, how they can be involved to make a difference and how to look for internship opportunities.”

On Thursday, the CLA cadets returned to Capitol Hill to participate in CAP’s 2010 Legislative Day by working alongside their wing commanders to brief U.S. legislators on how CAP’s primary missions – search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs – have benefited their communities.

Legislative Day was held in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting Friday and Saturday at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Va.

Saturday evening, many of the cadets attended The Spaatz Association’s 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Event. Featured speaker for the dinner was U.S. astronaut Eric Boe, the Air Force colonel and CAP senior member who piloted Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station in November 2008.

The week’s activities seemed to be a hit with the CLA cadets.

“It is the top NCSA (National Cadet Special Activity) I have attended,” said Cadet 1st Lt. Joelah Bruccoleri of the California Wing’s Skyhawk Composite Squadron 47. “Visiting the memorials, with Lt. Col. Brockman’s personal connection to them, helped me feel an even greater appreciation for the sacrifices that have been made for us.”

Cadet 1st Lt. William Woodham of the Florida Wing’s Pasco County Composite Squadron found CLA “a rigorous but rewarding experience. It helped me learn to be a critical thinker. It gave me a new understanding of how the government and the democratic system work.”

For Cadet Lt. Col. Benton Beasley of the Tennessee Wing’s Murfreesboro Composite Squadron, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was delighted to discover that learning about our government and the American political system was enjoyable and invigorating.”

Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall of the Utah Wing’s Thunderbird Composite Squadron provided a much simpler evaluation of the weeklong experience: “CLA rocks!”

 
2010 Civic Leadership Academy graduates

• Alabama Wing — Cadet Maj. Jonathan Ernest, Chilton County Composite Squadron.
   
• Alaska Wing — Cadet 1st Lt. Jennifer Coisman, Mat-Su Valley Cadet Squadron. 
   
• Arizona Wing — Cadet Col. Matthew Bricker, Cottonwood Cadet Squadron 212. 
   
• California Wing — Cadet 1st Lt. Joelah Bruccoleri, Skyhawk Composite Squadron 47. 
   
• Florida Wing — Cadet 1st Lt. William Woodham, Pasco County Composite Squadron. 
   
• Kentucky Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Colin Burke, Campbell County Composite Squadron. 
   
• Louisiana Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Brett Denehan, Barksdale Composite Squadron.
   
• Maryland Wing — Cadet Majs. Alice Chan, Howard Composite Squadron, and Eashan Samak, St. Mary’s Composite Squadron.
   
• Michigan Wing — Cadet Capt. Dannie Fountain, Selfridge Cadet Squadron. 
   
• Missouri Wing — Cadet Maj. Joshua Carr, Springfield Regional Composite Squadron .
   
• Nevada Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Jeni Crandy, 70th Cadet Squadron. 
   
• New Hampshire Wing — Cadet Col. Vincent Van Dintel, Highlanders Cadet Squadron. 
   
• New York Wing — Cadet Maj. Mark Teubl, Ulster County Composite Squadron. 
   
• Ohio Wing — Cadet Capt. Bonnie Wilshire, Harrison Composite Squadron. 
   
• Pennsylvania Wing — Cadet Capt. Nicholas Cocco, Delco Composite Squadron 1007. 
   
• South Carolina Wing — Cadet Capt. Sarah Sill, Spartanburg Composite Squadron. 
   
• South Dakota Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. David Small, Lookout Mountain Composite Squadron. 
   
• Tennessee Wing — Cadet Lt. Col. Benton Beasley, Murfreesboro Composite Squadron. 
   
• Texas Wing — Cadet Lt. Col. Jose Machuca, Plano Mustangs Composite Squadron.  
   
• Utah Wing — Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall, Thunderbird Composite Squadron.
   
• Virginia Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Mary Herman, Newport-News Composite Squadron. 
   
• Washington Wing — Cadet Capt. Jordan Watson, Green River Composite Squadron. 
   
• Wyoming Wing — Cadet Maj. Heather Gould, Cloud Peak Composite Squadron. 

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – The 13th Air Force in support of the state of Hawaii Civil Defense launched planes from Civil Air Patrol’s Hawaii Wing this morning for statewide tsunami warnings following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile.

• Col. Gary Tobey, former Rocky Mountain Region and Colorado Wing commander.
   
• Col. Jack Buschmann, former Colorado Wing commander.
   
• Col. Robert Cook, former Wyoming Wing commander.
   
• Various senior and cadet members of the Colorado Wing.

Taps was played by Cadet 1st Lt. Skylar Caldwell of the Colorado Wing’s Thompson Valley Composite Squadron. O’Brien was project officer and host, Lt. Col. Sid Altum provided the invocation, and Capt. George Dengler served as assistant to O’Brien. First Lt. Beth Biscardi of the Valkyrie Cadet Squadron and photographer Kim Long documented the event.
 
“It was the warmest of ceremonies on the coldest of December days,” O’Brien said.
 
 

More than 100,000 wreaths have been placed on Arlington gravestones since the project began 17 years ago. This year, the Worcesters, the USO, Wal-Mart and other corporate sponsors donated 16,000 wreaths for the Arlington ceremonies. Started as the Arlington National Cemetery Wreath Project in 1992 before becoming Wreaths Across America four years ago, the initiative is now a tradition for Worcester and her husband, Morrill, owners of Worcester Wreath Co. and co-founders of Wreaths Across America.

Elsewhere Saturday, another 145,000 wreaths were placed after simultaneous Wreaths Across America ceremonies at 405 state and national cemeteries and memorials nationwide and 24 other cemeteries and memorials on foreign soil.

“Wreaths Across America has truly become a national phenomenon,” said the initiative’s national spokesman, Tobin Slaven.

Partners like Civil Air Patrol, the Patriot Guard Riders, the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., and other veterans’ groups that participate are “a driving force behind the growth,” Slaven said, “not to mention the tens of thousands of private citizens who sponsor wreaths for ceremonies at Arlington and the hundreds of other ceremonies across America each year.”

Participating in Wreaths Across America has also become a holiday tradition for CAP's 58,000 members. “Laying the wreaths is an honor to our veterans, a service to our communities and a learning experience for our members,” said CAP's national commander, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter.

Civil Air Patrol squadrons led almost half of the more than 425 Wreaths Across America observances this year and participated with other color and honor guards at many additional locations. CAP cadets and officers placed many of the wreaths at Arlington as well.

The Wreaths Across America ceremonies on the hallowed grounds of Arlington began early, as usual, as a CAP honor guard assembled at the cemetery’s entrance at 5:30 a.m. At 7:15 a.m., the honor guard cadets welcomed a convoy of tractor-trailers from Worcester Wreath escorted by motorcyclists from the Patriot Guard Riders.

After the convoy arrived, the ceremonies at Arlington commenced, starting with a wreath-laying at 8 a.m. at the Civil Air Patrol Memorial. Courter, accompanied by the honor guard, placed a wreath at the memorial, which honors the memory of the hundreds of thousands of CAP volunteers who have served as members of the U.S. Air Force auxiliary.

At 8:30 a.m., Courter joined the Worcesters and other dignitaries from CAP, the Patriot Guard Riders, the Maine State Society, the Gold Star Mothers, the American Legion and other groups for a national Wreaths Across America ceremony and moment of remembrance at the McClellan Arch near the entrance of Arlington.

By 9 a.m., Wreaths Across America volunteers began placing wreaths in Sections 2, 9, 31, 32 and 37 of the cemetery while USO volunteers placed another 1,000 wreaths in Section 60. At the same time, participants around the nation held similar events, marking veterans’ gravesites and monuments with the remembrance wreaths.

Before the day was over, other wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington were held at the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial in Section 46 and at the Tomb of the Unknowns near the center of the cemetery.

The Arlington observances concluded at 1 p.m. with the CAP honor guard and Courter laying a wreath at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Afterward, Courter hosted a distinguished visitors’ reception in the memorial's Hall of Honor.

A video of the day's events at Arlington, posted by the National Capital Wing's director of public affairs, Maj. Paul Cianciolo, can be viewed online (scroll down to "Video from Arlington").

 

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Edwards, third from left, second row, was among the former CAP leaders, current leaders and cadets who shared in the Rehoboth Beach Historical Marker ceremony held in 2006 in Delaware. The marker, which commemorates CAP volunteers and their efforts in World War II, was erected in memory of four subchasers who died during the war.
Photo by Lt. Col. Robert W. Turner, Delaware Wing

Steve Cox
Public Affairs Manager
CAP National Headquarters

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS -- One of Civil Air Patrol’s most famous World War II “subchasers,” honored for heroism by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, died on Saturday, Dec. 5, after a long illness. He was 96 years old.

Col. Edmond I. “Eddie” Edwards was widely known as the first Coastal Patrol (later Civil Air Patrol) pilot to spot a Nazi U-boat and radio its position to U.S. naval forces. The vessel crash-dived and headed farther out to sea, where it was less of a menace to U.S. shipping. This occurred on March 10, 1942, near the start of the war.

“He was probably one of the first subchasers to see the enemy,” said Roger Thiel, a senior member and independent historian with CAP.

Based at Coastal Patrol Base 2 in Rehoboth Beach, Del., Edwards flew sub-hunting patrols offshore Delaware and Maryland, safeguarding oil tankers headed for Delaware Bay. The patrols were important because German U-boats were common along the Atlantic shoreline, sinking ships, barges and oil tankers, almost at will, in the early days of the war. The Navy and Army did not have the manpower to prevent the attacks. In one month alone, 52 ships were sunk.

Edwards and the others who flew with him became known as subchasers. They painted their light aircraft – mostly Stinsons and Fairchilds -- red and yellow. They flew daily from dawn to dusk, logging more than 24 million miles from 21 Coastal Patrol bases along America’s East and Gulf coasts. They hunted U-boats “from Maine to Mexico.” And they were quite successful, finding 173 subs, attacking 57, hitting 10 and sinking two. (CAP planes eventually carried bombs and depth charges while on patrol.)

Their effectiveness at deterring coastal U-boat operations in 1942 and early 1943 was instrumental in making CAP an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, which it is today. A German naval commander later confirmed that the U-boats had been withdrawn from the Atlantic Ocean because of those “damned red and yellow (CAP) planes.

In a Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame symposium, Edwards – a 2002 inductee – was asked how many missions he flew with Civil Air Patrol. “Missions! Heck, we flew every day!” quipped Edwards. That added up to some 300 patrols. In fact, records revealed that early Coastal Patrol pilots flew even on days when weather grounded military aviation.

Despite his notoriety as one of the very first subchasers, Thiel said Edwards held “celebrity status” within CAP as one of the first Coastal Patrol pilots awarded the Air Medal for heroism during World War II. He and his commanding officer, the late Maj. Hugh R. Sharp Jr., received the medal after Roosevelt heard of their daring rescue of a fellow airman downed in bitterly cold high seas off Maryland.

Edwards, in an interview for the Civil Air Patrol Volunteer in 2006, clearly remembered the rescue of 1st Lt. Henry Cross that earned him the medal and subchaser fame. “I got the call that one of our planes was down, and Maj. Sharp asked me to go with him,” said Edwards. “We had no trouble finding the crash site. We spotted a body, so we made an emergency landing and fished him out. He was alive, but we never found the other guy.”

The rescue on July 21, 1942, required that Edwards and Sharp land their aircraft, a Sikorsky S-63 single-engine amphibian piloted by Sharp, in swells reaching 8- to 10-feet high and, in the process, they crushed the left pontoon. So, to get back to Base 2, Edwards accomplished a daring feat by climbing out onto the right wing and using his weight to level the plane. A half-frozen Edwards clung there through the night until the early morning hours of the next day before a Coast Guard boat water taxied the unflyable aircraft to shore.

Roosevelt conferred the Air Medal to Edwards and Sharp in a White House ceremony in February of 1943. By that time, Edwards had joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as a flight instructor and later piloted Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers on patrols out of Hawaii.

“I was ushered into the Oval Office and decorated by FDR,” said Edwards, in the 2006 interview, which commemorated CAP’s 65th anniversary. “Of course, I was honored to receive the medal, but I was also so impressed with FDR.”

Though Edwards and Sharp were the first civilians to receive the Air Medal, they were soon joined by others from their own ranks. By the end of World War II, 800 Air Medals had been presented to CAP members.

Edwards served in the Navy for three years, attaining the rank of senior-grade lieutenant. He served 27 years in the Navy Reserve, during which he pursued an active role in Delaware civil aviation. For a number of years, he ran the FBO and instructed at Weimer Airport at Newark, Del.

Thiel, a longtime acquaintance of Edwards who frequently visited with him during annual Coastal Patrol Base 2 reunions in Rehoboth Beach, said he often downplayed his notoriety.

“Eddie never considered himself special for the high profile personal recognition by President Roosevelt, often saying of the rescue for which his Air Medal was awarded, ‘Anyone could have done it,’ ” said Thiel. “His accomplishments and humility indicate the heroic capabilities of regular U.S. citizens, especially in Civil Air Patrol.”

A lifelong pilot, Edwards flew his own plane until the age of 85, flying out of Summit Aviation in Middletown, Del. He was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and donated time to the Perry Point VA Medical Center. He also was a member of Civil Air Patrol, the Rotary Clubs of Middletown and Newark, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Stephenson Lodge #135), OX5 Aviation Pioneers, Quite Birdmen and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and was an early supporter of the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village in Dover, Del.

In 2006, Edwards was present for a ceremony unveiling the Rehoboth Beach Historical Marker, which was erected in memory of four Base 2 subchasers who died during World War II. In 2007, Civil Air Patrol promoted Edwards to the rank of colonel.

Edwards is survived by his wife, Blanche, and a son and two daughters: Edmond Jr., who lives in Missouri; Linda Jones of Shillington, Pa.; and Patricia Dawson of Bear, Del. His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at R.T. Foard & Jones Funeral Home, located at 122 W. Main St. in Newark. Friends and family may visit one hour prior to the service. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Heartland Hospice, 256 Chapman Road, Newark, DE 19711, or the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village, 866 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901.

 

  
Steve Cox
Public Affairs Manager
Kristi Carr
Staff Writer
National Headquarters

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS -- While Wreaths Across America observations were being held at state capitols across the nation Tuesday,  special attention was given — and received — at the west steps of the U.S. Capitol, overlooking the Washington Mall.

There a wreath was placed and guarded for four hours by the Civil Air Patrol’s Middle East Region Honor Guard, under the command of Lt. Col. Patricia Gaylin, the region’s cadet activities officer.

U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. Mark Weston traveled specifically from the Pentagon to the Capitol to help place the wreath there.

The pomp and circumstance drew a crowd as many Capitol employees came to pay their respects to the message the wreath signified: Remember the sacrifice of veterans. Lt. Col. Jett Mayhew of CAP National Headquarters, who helped plan the event, said many could be overheard sharing their stories, which usually started, “My grandfather (or my father) served….”

Many tourists — including several from countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Japan — also appeared, hoping to capture this slice of American life with their cameras.

The ceremony at the Capitol was one of several national Wreaths Across America observances held over the past few days, beginning with a new event — the HART (Honoring Allies and Remembering Together) ceremony at the U.S.-Canadian border Sunday.

The HART observance honored the service and sacrifice of military veterans from the U.S. and Canada. A centerpiece of the ceremony was a wreath exchange on Ferry Point Bridge, which spans the St. Croix River and connects Calais, Maine, with St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

“Our mission is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach our children the value of freedom,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. Worcester and her husband, Morrill, are the owners of Worcester Wreath Co. in Harrington, Maine, and the founders of Wreaths Across America.

The HART ceremony was organized to recognize all veterans, including young men and women from Canada who are serving or served in the U.S. military. Participants included America’s Gold Star Mothers, Civil Air Patrol, Cadets Canada of the Department of National Defense and dignitaries representing both nations.

After a parade, CAP cadets escorted the Gold Star Mothers to the center of the bridge, where they were met by the Air Cadets of Canada Band, which performed both countries’ national anthems. Following a round of speeches, the Gold Star Mothers presented a wreath to the Canadian cadets to be placed nearby at the war memorial in St. Stephen.

After Gold Star Mother Kathryn T. Cross read a poem, a moment of silence was held to remember and honor those who served.

“It was a great way to recognize and remember all young men and women from Canada who are serving or served in the U.S. military and to teach our younger generation about the sacrifices these individuals make for our freedom,” said Col. Dan Leclair, commander of the Maine Wing , which is actively involved with Wreaths Across America. “It was an afternoon all of us will remember.”
 
The silence was soon broken by taps, played by a member of the Air Cadets of Canada band.

The ceremony, the first of what is hoped to be an annual observance, opened a full week of activity for Wreaths Across America, which provides remembrance wreaths for wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 400 veterans cemeteries and memorials nationwide and 24 other national cemeteries abroad. In all, more than 150,000 wreaths will be placed this year.

Wreaths Across America began in 2006 as an offshoot of the Arlington National Cemetery wreath project, which began in 1992 with the annual placement of wreaths donated by Worcester Wreath Co.

Karen Worcester recalled the project’s genesis when, as a boy, her husband first saw the rows upon rows of white markers at Arlington. “How very important this is to bring together a new generation of young people so they will visit and honor the veterans’ final resting place,” she said.

This year’s national Wreaths Across America observance at Arlington is set for Dec. 12 and will feature 16,000 wreaths donated by Worcester Wreath., Wal-Mart, the USO and other corporate sponsors. The wreaths are being transported in seven tractor-trailers on a 750-mile journey from Harrington, Maine, after a sendoff ceremony Monday and will arrive at Arlington about 7:15 a.m. Dec. 12, in time for the national Wreaths Across America ceremony and moment of remembrance.

The route to Arlington is one the longest annual veterans’ celebrations as patriotic Americans, veterans groups and other local organizations show their support for the project with parades and ceremonies at more than 20 stops along the way. Motorcyclists from the Patriot Guard Riders, an organization of more than 65,000 whose primary mission is to attend the funerals of fallen heroes nationwide, is accompanying the trucks to Arlington.
 
The national Wreaths Across America ceremony and moment of remembrance are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. EST at the McClellan Arch, near the cemetery entrance. At the same time, other Wreaths Across America observances will be held simultaneously at veterans’ cemeteries and memorials throughout the U.S. 

Follow the progress of the wreaths from Maine to Arlington with live feeds from Twitter. Visit the Wreaths Across America Web site for more information about Wreaths Across America and participating locations. 

Col. Dan Leclair, Maine Wing commander; Capt. Grace Stapf, professional development officer of the Maryland Wing’s Mount Airy Composite Squadron; and 1st Lt. Mary Story, Maine Wing public affairs officer, all contributed to this story.
 

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Alice and Daryl Monroe.

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With her son and his friends posing for the photo, Alice created this poster and billboard to help raise awareness of breast cancer as a health risk for men.

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Members of the Grand Junction, Colo., SWAT team participate in a breast cancer walk in honor of Daryl Monroe.

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The 1939 Fairchild aircraft that CAP that Daryl Monroe restored with his wife's help.

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The Fairchild's instrument  panel.


Jennifer S. Kornegay
Contributing Writer

This year alone, millions of Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer -- but if you asked the average person how many of those people will be male, you’d probably get a confused look.

Even a quick Internet search of breast cancer statistics would have you believe that the disease exclusively affects women.

These are facts all too familiar to Alice Monroe of Grand Junction, Colo. Her husband, Daryl, was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, at age 67. He died New Year’s Day.

“Nine out of 10 men have no idea that they could get breast cancer,” Alice Monroe said. “I’m trying to change that.”

After watching Daryl, a pilot and member of CAP’s Thunder Mountain Composite Squadron, fight breast cancer, Alice knew she was destined to help other men avoid the same fate.

“Daryl was paramedic and a medical captain for the fire department,” she said. “His whole life was committed to caring for other people. Now I want to use his legacy to continue to help others.

“I know that’s what he would want.”

By the time Daryl’s breast cancer was detected, he was Stage 4. “His mom had breast cancer, and I’m a registered nurse and know that men can get breast cancer, but even I wasn’t looking for it,” Alice said.

“Because many men aren’t even aware that they can have breast cancer, they are rarely diagnosed early, when treatment can be most effective.”

Adding to the problem, almost all breast cancer awareness programs focus on women — and use gratuitous amounts of pink to get the message across.

“When Daryl was going through treatment, there was pink everywhere, and there was no information relating to men and breast cancer,” Alice said.

She brought a blue flower to place in the middle of a pink bouquet at Daryl’s oncologist office, and then she decided to address the other issue — the lack of education and awareness targeting men.

“It’s so important that men understand that they can get breast cancer, too,” Alice said. “If men were checked for breast cancer routinely, particularly if they have other risk factors, they could be diagnosed early just like women. Many women are being cured today, while men with breast cancer are dying.”

To spread her message, Alice started with one of her sons, enlisting him and a few of his friends for a photo op. “I got them to ride to the top of one of the mountains here on their motorcycles and pose for a photo with their shirts off. I used the photo to make posters and a billboard that said, ‘Real Men Get Breast Cancer Too,’ and listed risk factors and early warning signs of breast cancer in men.”

Alice was paying the local billboard company in installments as she could -- until one day when they told her to stop. “They took on the rest of the cost themselves,” she said. “Then others started to pitch in. Our local Junior Service League chose to assist my efforts by giving us a grant and developing a Web site for the project.”

The local sheriff’s department SWAT team participated in a breast cancer relay in honor of Daryl while wearing T-shirts that read, “SWAT, Afraid of Nothing but Breast Cancer.”

Since beginning her awareness campaign, Alice said, she has heard from some men who have been diagnosed with breast cancer who instead claim they have prostate cancer. “Some men see it as questioning their manhood.”

(3)
Senior Member Cindy Osuna waits at Portsmouth International Airport in Pease, N.H., where she and other Pease Greeters gathered to welcome American troops back to the States and thank them for their service overseas.


Jennifer S. Kornegay
Contributing Writer

VERMONT -- “The hugs are the best,” Senior Member Cindy Osuna said as she tried to put into words the impetus that moved her to drive over 150 miles each way to wait, sometimes for hours, in an airport lobby just to say “welcome home” or “thank you” to service members on their way to or from deployment.

“Until you’ve been there, you can’t explain it,” said Osuna, a member of the Springfield Composite Squadron. “It’s a long trip, and it is tiring, but I try to fit it in because it is worth it.

“Once you go and see what an important role you play, you want to go every time you can make it.”

As part of a group known as the Pease Greeters, Osuna and her fellow greeters offer support to complete strangers at a critical time. “Especially for those that are leaving home, heading overseas, they get boosted morale,” she said. “They’re just stopping to refuel, and then they are greeted by all these cheering people. It touches them.”

Sometimes even the greeters don’t really know each other, but that all changes after a few moments together. “When I walk in I get an immediate response from other greeters, whether I know them or not,” Osuna said. “It’s like a family.”

Pease Greeters was started in 2005. The group consists of volunteer veterans and civilians who travel to Portsmouth International Airport in Pease, N.H., every time a plane carrying troops either leaves for deployment or returns home.

The greeters give the troops drinks, snacks and a heartfelt show of support. The group just recently celebrated greeting its 300th flight.

Osuna joined the Springfield squadron in 2009. Her reasons for joining Civil Air Patrol further illustrate her giving nature.

“I really have a lot on my plate,” she said. “I am the program associate for health services and counseling at Landmark College, and I’m also the commander of the Springfield Veterans of Foreign Wars as well as state director of VFW Youth Activities. I went to a CAP meeting to form a relationship between CAP and VFW.”

She got a little more than she bargained for — she got recruited.

“At that meeting they told me that they really needed a female senior officer so female cadets could attend encampments,” Osuna said. “I hated to think about a female cadet missing out because there weren’t enough senior female officers, so that’s the main reason I joined.

“When I was in the Air Force, there were fewer opportunities for women, so I know what it’s like. I wanted to do whatever I could to help other females get as much as they can out of organizations like CAP.”

Ozona’s squadron commander, Lt. Col. David Mikelson, is thrilled to have her. “We approached Cindy and said we needed a female senior officer; she said, ‘Sure,’” Mikelson said.

“It means so much to those girls who’ve been able to attend an encampment because of her. She’s also going to be our public affairs officer once she finishes the training. We see her as a real catch, a great addition.”

Osuna met her first flight with the Pease Greeters in January, joining 200 others to offer a pat on the back and words of encouragement to troops.

“There are no dues, no meetings, but once you’ve greeted one flight, you’re a part of the group,” she said. “I do it because I want our military men and women to know that there are people back home supporting them.”

The entire experience is rewarding for greeted and greeters alike, as Osuna explained. “It motivates them to know that we’re supportive, that we understand. They send us e-mails and tell us how we impact them,” she said. “And for the greeters, we get the camaraderie, the friendships.”

And the memories.

“Every time is different, and I remember each one,” Osuna said. “I remember this National Guardsman who gave me the patch off his shoulder to give to my granddad, who was 1st Calvary in World War II and the Korean War. Now my granddad has a 1st Calvary patch from Iraq.”

She’d like to get CAP cadets involved with the Pease Greeters, if she can work out the timing.

“The troops love seeing kids there, and I know the cadets would really get something out of it, too.”









 

Good reading for good leaders

• “If not now, when? Duty and Sacrifice in America,” by retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs, recounts how he came to be chosen to receive the Medal of Honor. The book is laced with Jacobs’ observations about how today’s citizens handle, or fail to handle, the demands their country makes on them. 
   
• “Rules & Tools for Leaders,” by retired U.S. Air Force  Maj. Gen. Perry M. Smith, gives advice on how to run an organization.
   
• “Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty,” by Peter Collier, portrays the stories of living Medal of Honor recipients, who today number 93.

Photo by Senior Member Brittney Ferreira

(7)
(From left) Maj. Steve Brewer, Lt. Col. Gary Hunt and Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Rytting file preflight plans Oct. 15 with Base Operations.

Photo by Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron

(8-10)

Air Force Maj. “Bat” Simmons, Alaska Red Air mission commander, takes questions at the conclusion of his pre-mission brief during Red Flag – Alaska exercises Oct. 15/

Photos by Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron


Lt. Col. Mark C. Biron
Public Affairs Officer
71st Composite Squadron
Alaska Wing

ALASKA -- The Alaska Wing provided the U.S. Air Force with valuable assistance in training domestic and allied pilots during the 2009 Red Flag – Alaska season, contributing aircraft, pilots and crews to the effort.

Red Flag-Alaska is a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S. joint and coalition forces. The exercise provides joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support and large force employment training in a simulated combat environment.

U.S. and allied pilots, aircrews and operational support personnel train and improve their air combat skills in preparation for a myriad of worldwide contingencies.

The exercises are held on the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex -- the largest training range in America, totaling more than 65,000 square miles. Air operations are flown out of Eielson and Elmendorf air force bases.

The 2009 exercises
CAP participation in the 2009 exercises -- which spanned three two-week blocks, taking place April 16- May 1, July 23- Aug. 7 and Oct. 1-16 -- provided an added dimension to the exercises.

“In daily training at home station, fighter aircraft generally practice against their own kind, F-15 versus F-15,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Rytting, chief of advanced programs for the 353rd Combat Training Squadron as well as commander of the Alaska Wing’s Eielson 71st Composite Squadron. “The opportunity to fight dissimilar F-15 versus F-16 is highly valued but infrequent for most pilots. Even when they fight dissimilar, however, they're both doing 350-plus knots and operating in the same environment.

“Fighter pilots virtually never get to train in a combat-like setting against aircraft simulating low and slow targets ... until now,” Rytting said.

During Red Flag-Alaska large force employment exercises, CAP aircraft assisted Red Force Aggressors by providing just such targets.

“These low and slow aircraft provide unique three-dimensional problems for high-tech fighters that spend most of their time between 20,000 and 40,000 feet,” Rytting said.

“Our potential adversaries have certain aircraft -- Antonov AN-2 Colts, for example -- that fly just above the trees at about 100 knots,” he said. “These propeller-driven aircraft are used for various missions, including behind-the-lines parachute insertion of special operations forces.”

CAP aircraft from all over Alaska participated in the exercises.

“For this latest exercise, we used four corporate aircraft -- a DHC-2, C-185, C-182 and a C-172 -- to simulate the high-wing AN-2 Colt, and one low-winged multi-engine privately owned CAP member aircraft to ensure a significant difference of aircraft design,” said Maj. Steve Brewer, operations officer for the Eielson 71st.

The twin-engine aircraft was added to the scenario for two of the four training days as a neutral-country, nonhostile aircraft that couldn’t be shot down, furthering the requirement for crews to visually identify each aircraft before firing.

The 71st Composite became uniquely positioned to provide low and slow support to the Air Force when it gained a new commander and operations officer in Rytting and Brewer, whose day jobs in the 353rd Combat Training Squadron directly support planning and execution of Red Flag -- Alaska and other exercises.

"With ELT and other CAP searches declining rapidly in Alaska, mission development became very important,” Rytting said. “I wanted members to feel a strong sense of purpose and saw an obvious opportunity to use CAP assets and crews to support the Air Force.

“Having several active-duty Air Force pilots and Department of Defense civilians in our squadron working at Red Flag gave us needed experience, knowledge and contacts to make these missions happen,” he said.

As a training resource, CAP’s “value to the Air Force is absolutely phenomenal,” Rytting added. “Last Thursday, the entire exercise except CAP and eight F-16s was cancelled for a massive cloud deck. They sent dozens of planes home from the airspace. 

“The F-16s intercepted us at low altitude and received the only training of the day. Had we not been there, it would have been a wash.”

For CAP pilot and crew participating in Red Flag – Alaska, no day is average.

“The day prior to the mission,” Brewer said, “the designated lead pilot for the CAP aircraft will spend four to six hours planning and coordinating the CAP aircraft route of flight with Air Force exercise planners.”

Then, “the day of the exercise mission the crews attend a mass briefing with all the exercise participants four hours prior to takeoff,” he continued. “Then they attend a smaller briefing with the Red Air mission commander, and finally a brief with just the CAP crews to ensure all safety measures are in place, and all crewmembers’ questions are answered.”

The CAP crews benefit from their participation just as the Air Force pilots do.

“Red Flag provides a special opportunity for squadron pilots, scanners and observers to watch the military at work in a simulated combat environment, sometimes up-close and personal,” Rytting said. “Crews attend mission briefs and debriefs and see how their involvement adds to the scenario.

“Sister services and coalition forces are often also involved. While CAP flies at a relatively low 1,000 feet above ground level, some fighter aircraft such as the French Mirages that recently participated flew much lower,” he said.

For many CAP crews the demands and limitations of military flying provide a new experience.

“Flying Red Flag missions has expanded the knowledge base of CAP pilots into the realm of military exercises and military fighter training requirements,” Brewer said.  “Our CAP crews have improved their visual scanning skills, and pilots are more effective and accurate at executing low-level flights and meeting timing requirements of plus- or minus-30-second windows for arriving at required waypoints.”

The hard work and attention to detail has paid off for the CAP crews.

“On Tuesday, two of our three aircraft made it to the target,” Rytting said. “We're 4-for-6, by the way. This proves the difficulty of targeting these unique threats in a large force employment exercise.”

The Air Force pays for CAP to furnish training aids. “The cost is just over $1,000 per day to have four aircraft participate in the visual identification exercise,” Brewer said.

In addition, the CAP pilots and crews walk away from the exercise with a strong sense of accomplishment.

"I’ve really enjoyed being a CAP Aggressor pilot," said Capt. Brad Sipperley, deputy commander of the Ninth Composite Operations Squadron.

A certified flight instructor, Sipperley is a retired Air Force chief of weather station operations now employed with the National Weather Service.

"I’m sitting in the briefings as a pilot and watching the weather briefers do what I did for so long and training with and against such a diverse number of pilots and crew from different nations and services," he said.






 

(2) The cadet’s solo challenge coin.

(3) Cadet Master Sgt. Lydia Fairchild.

(4) Coming in for landing on her solo flight.

(5) Finished painting the hold short line.

(6) Atop an Alaskan glacier.


 

1st Lt. Richard Fairchild
Assistant Public Affairs Officer
New York Wing

NEW YORK – Learning to fly is quite a feat in itself.

For Cadet Master Sgt. Lydia Fairchild, though, flying is only the beginning, thanks to her ultimate goal – becoming a missionary pilot.

For the second summer in a row, Fairchild spent 10 weeks at a missionary air base, Kingdom Air Corps, in Sutton, Alaska, northeast of Anchorage. In addition to learning how to become a pilot, she grappled with the sort of work it takes to become a missionary -- from chopping down trees to create a runway to mowing grass landing strips, cooking meals for 40 people, preparing teaching materials and so much more. 

The 16-year-old Owego Composite Squadron member also learned to maintain aircraft in the field in areas handy repair facilities may not exist. She also learned to take apart and put a plane back together, then have it fly.

All those lessons were put into practice by flying more than 500 miles due north and spending two weeks above the Arctic Circle working with Eskimo children.

Fairchild was well prepared for the aerial aspect of the adventure before she arrived. Even before becoming legal to drive on the roads, she was already pursuing another type of license —  one for the sky.

On June 26 she took to the sky in a Cessna 152 all alone. It was her first solo flight.

On Oct. 22, when she turns 17, Fairchild will be qualified to test for her pilot’s license. If she passes she’ll become part of a rare breed — the estimated 2 percent of certified pilots in the U.S. who are teenagers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Fairchild is already used to being in a distinct minority – she was the only teenage pilot at Kingdom Air Corps.

Not that she minded. She was looking for something different to do during the summer -- something that will become an important part of her life. 

“It is what I want to do with my life; besides, it’s fun to do,” Fairchild said.

FAA regulations allow pilots to fly a plane at any age. At 16 they are allowed to fly by themselves, without a flight instructor or passengers, though they must be at least 17 and have accumulated a minimum of 40 hours of flight instruction to obtain a recreational pilot’s certificate or a private pilot’s certificate.

This school year, Fairchild worked very hard to complete ground school with the help of her flight instructor, Neil Lawton. She also managed some local flying out of Tri-Cities Airport in Broome County.

Not only did she complete the ground training before leaving for Alaska, but she passed her FAA written exam with an 88 percent score, underwent her FAA medical exam and received her student pilot’s license.

So far she has completed more than 30 hours of in-flight instruction, including her solo flying in Alaska.

In addition to flying, she has learned how to complete a preflight inspection – including checking the oil level, checking the fuel to make sure there’s no condensation seeping into the tank and inspecting the wheels for wear and tear.

But before Fairchild even begins the preflight, she checks the weather on a government Web site to determine if conditions are favorable for flying -- because in the air, knowledge of the weather is critical.
 
It’s all quite a lot for a 16-year-old to take on, but she is well on her way to realizing her dream, and the population of certified teenage – and missionary – pilots appears destined to increase by one.
 

Photo courtesy of NASA

Kylie Clem
Johnson Space Center, Houston

  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Air Force Col. Eric A. Boe, the Civil Air Patrol member who took his Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award coin into space during his first flight as a space shuttle pilot last year, has been assigned to reprise that role on the last scheduled space shuttle mission, targeted to launch in September 2010.

The eight-day mission, designated STS-133, will carry a pressurized logistics module to the International Space Station.

Boe was the pilot of STS-126 from Nov. 14-30, 2008. He first soloed in an airplane as a Georgia Wing cadet in a CAP encampment and earned the Spaatz award, the highest achievement for a CAP cadet, in July 1983.

Now a senior member with the Florida Wing’s Eglin Composite Squadron, Boe has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Veteran shuttle commander and retired Air Force Col. Steven W. Lindsey will command STS-133. Mission specialists are shuttle mission veteran Air Force Col. Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr. and long-duration spaceflight veterans Michael R. Barratt, Army Col. Timothy L. Kopra and Nicole P. Stott.

Lindsey is chief of the Astronaut Office. Long-duration spaceflight veteran and former space station commander Peggy A. Whitson – a flight engineer aboard the station during Expedition 5 in 2002 and the commander of Expedition 16 in 2007-2008 -- has been named his successor when he transitions in October to training for his spaceflight.

Lindsey will be making his fifth shuttle flight. He served as the pilot of STS-87 in 1997 and STS-95 in 1998, then commanded STS-104 in 2001 and STS-121 in 2006.

 Drew flew as a mission specialist on STS-118 in 2007 and is director of operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. He has two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree from the Air Force Academy and a master's degree from Embry Riddle University.

Barratt, a medical doctor is on his first mission, aboard the space station as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19 and 20. He launched to the station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft March 26 and is due to return to Earth on the same Soyuz on Oct. 11. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington, a master's degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a doctorate of medicine from Northwestern University.

Kopra just completed his first spaceflight as a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 20. He launched July 15 on shuttle mission STS-127 and landed aboard shuttle mission STS-128 on Sept. 11. He has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military Academy and master's degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Army War College.

Stott is in the midst of her first mission as a flight engineer aboard the station with Barratt for Expeditions 20 and 21. She launched aboard STS-128 on Aug. 28 and is due to return at the end of STS-129, targeted for launch Nov. 12. She has a bachelor's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a master's degree from the University of Central Florida.

For complete astronaut biographical information, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios.

Video of the STS-133 crew members will air on NASA Television's Video File. For downlink and scheduling information and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.
 

Steve Cox
Public Affairs Manager
National Headquarters

ALABAMA – With the conversion of a Civil Air Patrol plane into a “Surrogate Predator,” the U.S. Air Force is relying on its auxiliary in a most imaginative way.

“We’re using a manned aircraft to simulate an unmanned aircraft,” said Col. Bill Ward, CAP-U.S. Air Force commander, explaining that a sophisticated “Predator ball” placed under the left wing of a Cessna 182 belonging to CAP will enable the plane to mimic the Air Force’s MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper -- unmanned aircraft that provide real-time data to U.S. service members.

The Air Force will use the Surrogate Predator to fill a critical training gap in support of Army and Marine forces as they prepare for deployment.

 “Due to the Air Force maximum surge effort to provide more MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper support to ground units in CENTCOM,” U.S. Central Command, “there are no Predator or Reaper forces available to support pre-deployment exercises such as Green Flag, which focuses on air-to-ground operations,” said Maj. Matt Martin, chief of the Predator/Reaper Operations Branch of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va. “The Surrogate Predator is the solution.”

Air Combat Command, with the support of Joint Forces Command, secured $2.5 million for the Surrogate Predator Program once it was determined that CAP could provide the needed training with its dedicated members at a fraction of the cost of the private contractor currently providing the training.

“We’ve seen nothing but enthusiasm and a willingness to help from the Civil Air Patrol, which is why we chose them to do this mission,” Martin said.

With the Predator ball in place, the CAP plane-turned-Surrogate Predator has the capability of locking onto a target and tracking it, Ward said, adding that the ultimate goal is to broadcast streaming video.

“This will give our soldiers and Marines a real-time view of what is going on,” he said.

Beginning this month, Martin said, ACC will provide mission training at Fort Polk, La., to selected CAP crews “on how to do the mission using the same tactics, techniques and procedures that Predator crews use on combat missions.”

Capt. David Lewis, operations officer for the Central Louisiana Wing officer, is the Louisiana Wing project officer and one of six CAP pilots initially chosen for the program. “Basically, we will imitate being a Predator,” Lewis said, describing the joint exercises like Green Flag as “the next big thing for CAP in homeland security and the defense of our country.”

Lewis and the other CAP pilots have prevous military experience, a requirement for the program. The pilots and their aircrews – a cadre of 18 CAP volunteers in all – will be needed in the program’s initial stages.

Many more CAP volunteers will be involved as the program expands in the coming months. The ACC mission training will qualify them to provide air interdiction, close air support and intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance support to ground forces.

After a formal certification, these crews will be able to fly realistic Surrogate Predator missions. ACC will closely monitor the program and will use Air Force operators with real-world Predator or Reaper experience to assist.

“This initial cadre will then train the dozens of crews that will be needed to sustain our regular Green Flag support,” Martin said.

A second airplane is already being modified to expand the Surrogate Predator Program. Once that job is complete, CAP will be able to provide coverage for both Green Flag East exercises from Fort Polk and Green Flag West exercises from the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., close to where the second Surrogate Predator will be stationed in Las Vegas.

Green Flag exercises typically involve 11 days of flying eight hours per day at least 10 times per year, as well as “hunter-killer scenarios,” in which the Surrogate Predator starts by surveying targets and providing full-motion video to the brigade combat team.

 “Once a target is identified by the ground commander as hostile,” Martin said, “the Surrogate Predator will dynamically re-task into the strike role and coordinate with a forward air control to simulate the delivery of precision ordnance onto a target.”

Lewis foresees the potential of the Surrogate Predator for other CAP missions, like search and rescue and emergency services in the aftermath of hurricanes.

“In the event of a natural disaster, the aircraft will certainly be made available to NORTHCOM” – U.S. Northern Command – “for civil response purposes,” Martin said. “However, due to the expense of the aircraft and the need to keep them available to support joint exercises, we don’t anticipate using them to train for standard CAP missions.”

Col. John Varljen, vice commander of CAP’s Southwest Region, which includes the Louisiana Wing, said CAP takes possession of the first Surrogate Predator this weekend.

 “Everyone involved is excited,” Varljen said. “This is an important mission, a real-world mission.

“It is our contribution to the war effort.”

Homeland security missions are nothing new to CAP, which has played a role in protecting America since its beginning days patrolling the Atlantic Coast for enemy aircraft and chasing German submarines during World War II. With its fleet of 550 aircraft, as well as numerous ground assets, and a force 58,000-strong, CAP is considered a force multiplier at a very attractive cost.

“The Civil Air Patrol is grateful for this new opportunity to aid in the defense of America,” said Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP national commander. “Our members are true patriots, who volunteer to serve and professionally execute their duties with excellence every day. They truly go above and beyond the call of duty in service to this great nation.”

Ward predicts the Surrogate Predator Program will be “a real success story” for the organization.

“I think it’s going to highlight CAP more than it already is to the Department of Defense,” he said.


 

(Left photo) A photo from around 1950 shows long-serving Civil Air Patrol member Benjamin H. Stone Jr. (right) with his friend, Maj. Ralph deAvila, a World War I fighter pilot and CAP coastal pilot.

(Right photo) Col. Benjamin H. Stone Jr. with Maj. James L. Shaw Jr., CAP national curator, during the National Board and Annual Conference in Atlanta in August 2007.

Steve Cox
Public Affairs Manager
National Headquarters

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – One of Civil Air Patrol’s last surviving founding members –Col. Benjamin H. Stone Jr. of the Georgia Wing – died Sunday of natural causes in an assisted living center in Marietta, Ga. He was 95 years old.

Born in Worchester, Mass., in 1914, a little more than 10 years after the Wright brothers made their famous first flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., Stone had a passion for flying for much of his life. His career with CAP spanned seven decades.

“At the time of his death, Col. Stone had the longest continuous service with the Civil Air Patrol – nearly 68 years,” said CAP’s national curator, Maj. James L. Shaw Jr.

Stone joined CAP in January 1942 and was instrumental in providing flight training to many of the organization’s early pilots -- “subchasers” who flew coastal patrol missions to protect America against German U-boats during World War II.

CAP asked Stone to teach flying on the weekends, shortly after his graduation from Parks Air College at St. Louis University, where he earned a degree in aviation management with honors. He was in Massachusetts teaching Navy aviators to fly at Holy Cross College in Worcester and Worcester Polytechnic Institute when he received the call.

“I happily joined and started my 65-year sojourn with CAP,” said Stone, in an interview in the Civil Air Patrol Volunteer’s 65th anniversary issue in 2006.

During those years, Stone held almost every CAP office or committee chairmanship. A self-described “100 percent patriot who loves my God, my country and my family,” he devoted much of his work to countless cadets, who he said kept him motivated.

“The young men and women in the cadet corps of CAP are our future leaders and need help in understanding their future role in leading our country,” he said in the 2006 magazine interview.

Stone worked with many cadets in his native state of Massachusetts and his adopted state of Georgia. He was commander or on staff for summer encampments for 15 years in Massachusetts and two years in Georgia in the 1950s and ‘60s.

As a tribute to his work with cadets, the Georgia Wing named its most outstanding cadet award after him.

During the early 1970s, he and other CAP members used their own funds and donations from local businesses to build a Search and Rescue Center at Grenier Air Force Base, N.H., with no help from the government. It was the only such center at the time, and CAP members manned it 24/7.

“A search for a downed plane was started immediately,” he said. “We searched the entire Northeast Region for any downed planes, covering nine states.”

After moving to Georgia, Stone remained active with CAP despite poor eyesight, working with cadets and serving as asset manager for the Georgia Wing.

“He was actually the reason I got involved as a CAP historian,” said Shaw, who met Stone in 2003 at the Georgia Wing Conference. “His love of aviation got me even more fascinated in CAP’s history,” said the national curator, who at the time was a squadron commander and public affairs officer in Albany, Ga.

Shaw said CAP recognized Stone on many occasions, most recently in 2007 during the organization’s National Executive Committee meeting in Atlanta. Stone was awarded the CAP Distinguished Service Medal and promoted to the rank of colonel.

On another occasion, a surprise encounter during CAP’s 50th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., provided Stone with one of his favorite memories. He met America’s first astronaut, retired Navy Rear Adm. Alan Shepard, who recognized him as the pilot he met at Derry Airport in New Hampshire.

“He said he was one of those kids who hung around the airport hoping to get a free ride from the flyers and aviators coming in and out of the field,” Stone said. “He told me I had given him one of his very first flying lessons when I took him up for a ride and let him fly my plane.

“Now that is a memorable memory!”

Stone is survived by his wife, Jackie; sons Kenny and Scott and their families; and some nieces who live in Ohio, as well as his CAP family. His funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Medford-Peden Funeral Home, 1408 Canton Drive Northeast in Marietta. Visitation begins at 1 p.m.

 

Indeed, it confirms his choice of career.

Karim, in his junior year at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., was recently awarded the highly competitive scholarship under a program honoring the late U.S. senator from Arizona. It was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. Established by an act of Congress in 1986, the Goldwater acholarship is the premier undergraduate award for college students studying the sciences.

Immersed in a double major program – chemistry and sociology – at VCU, Karim was one of 190 science and related majors recipients selected from a field of 1,097 students nominated by faculties at colleges and universities across the nation. Only 278 scholarships were awarded in all disciplines.

The scholarships cover tuition, books, room and board and other fees up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

How did a 20-year-old member of the Maryland Wing’s Bethesda-Chevy Chase Composite Squadron attain this distinction? By being a high-achieving student already recognized for cardiac medical research publications in his current field of study – the effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging in measuring the size of myocardial infarction – in journals such as Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association.
.
Such accomplishments are nothing new for Karim. In the summer of 2007, he visited Australia as an International Air Cadet Exchange participant. Earlier that year, he earned the highest CAP distinction for cadets -- the coveted Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, achieved by less than 1 percent of all cadets. The past two years, he has served as program manager for The Spaatz Association’s annual midwinter dinners and remains active in that group’s activities.

In 2006 at Cadet Officer School, Karim caught the eye of CAP National Headquarters staffers. “Cadet Col. Karim is a terrific cadet,” said Bobbie Tourville, now chief of professional development at National Headquarters. “It takes a rare combination of maturity, intelligence and intensity to become a Spaatz cadet and be at the top of his high school/college class at the same time.”

Tourville was immediately struck by Karim’s leadership ability, which continued in 2007 when he was accepted to IACE, where he made an outstanding impression on his fellow cadets – here and abroad, she said.

“I applaud Mohammed’s family, CAP leaders and peers, as well as his teachers, in giving him support and opportunities to grow,” Tourville said. “I look forward to watching him progress through medical school and to see him blossom into the physician and leader I know he can be.”

Karim credits his parents at home in Gaithersburg, Md., with much of his early success.

“My parents were and are my role models,” he said. “My mother is a physician with the U.S. Army, and my father is a strategic force development adviser for the Air Force.

“Their dedication to public service and commitment to excellence have been my inspiration to achieve. They have always encouraged me to do my best in whatever I attempted.”

After joining the Bethesda-Chevy Chase squadron in September 2003 at age 14, Karim had his sights set on attending the U.S. Air Force Academy and was leaning toward a career as a pilot. But his love for the sciences and a deep commitment to public service, to making a difference in the lives of others, led him to the eight-year medical program at VCU.

Karim credits the versatility of the CAP cadet program, with its focus on developing self- confidence and discipline, with helping him learn to think strategically, to set goals and to take advantage of opportunities for public speaking, which he feels develops dynamic personalities.

“I was not a traditional CAP cadet in that I did not work toward a career in aviation,” he said, “but I used the valuable lessons I learned in the cadet program to pursue a life in science and medicine as a physician in the U.S. Air Force.”

If his achievements to date are any indication of future success, Karim is well on his way to realizing his incredible potential.

Mitzi Palmer
Contributing Writer

ALABAMA -- Building a home from start to finish is challenging enough, but when you’re on a seven-day deadline to get the home ready for a well-deserving family to move in, extra hands are needed.

About 1,000 pairs of hands, to be exact.

So when ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” came to Montgomery in February to do just that for the Jordan family, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters employee Louis Piccotti volunteered to help get the job done.

Known to his friends and co-workers as Joe, Piccotti is a professional development program manager for CAP, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. In this role, he provides leadership, management and ethics guidance to senior members.

When his wife told him ABC was coming to town on this incredible mission, Piccotti knew immediately that he wanted to participate. 

About a week before the build, Piccotti and the rest of volunteer team. led by Aronov Homes, met at a local church for a pep rally and to hear the Jordan family’s story.

Brady and Monica Jordan lost one of their daughters in 1995 to domestic violence and then a son eight years later to a drunk driver. They are now raising their three grandchildren, in addition to their daughter, and spend their time advocating for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the state of Alabama’s Crime Victims Commission. The Jordans also uses their home to provide a safe haven for kids in their neighborhood. 

“The family was so inspiring to all of us,” Piccotti said, “but sadly their home was in need of some major repairs.”

According to ABC, the Jordans’ bathroom leaked into their kitchen, some of the siding on their home had been blown off and the kitchen had rotting counters and a stove that barely worked.

Inspired, Piccotti volunteered about 24 hours of his time during the week of the build, Feb. 16-22, in five areas. He assisted the production crew, put up tents around the site, helped move items out of the house, relocated plants and directed traffic.

“The experience was very rewarding,” he said. “It was awesome to be a part of so many people working together for such a great cause.”

A Burnt Hills, N.Y., native, Piccotti is a U.S. Air Force retiree. He also volunteers with the Boys Scouts of America as a merit badge counselor and committee member for Montgomery’s Troop 4, assisting in scout advancement.

He hopes his work with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will inspire fellow CAP employees and patron members to participate in volunteer activities in the community.

“Community service is such a wonderful thing,” Piccotti said. “It has a great way of bringing fellow citizens together and giving people a greater sense of belonging and pride in their community.

“I see the same volunteer spirit in CAP, and it makes me proud to be part of the organization.”
   
Segments from the episode featuring Piccotti and the Jordans , which aired April 26, can be watched at ABC’s Web site. The network also offers information about community volunteer opportunities.
 

(Photo by Maj. Paul Cianciolo)

Kristi Carr
National Headquarters

Now it’s there. Now it isn’t.

Time goes by and the signal goes off again. Civil Air Patrol’s National Capital Wing ground team refocuses to trace the source of the Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon, or EPIRB

After three days of this on-again/off-again game, the team finally pinpoints the signal. It’s coming from a Georgetown townhouse. Even then, the location doesn’t make sense -- EPIRBs are the type of beacons used by marine craft, and there is no water in sight.

In front of the townhouse all is quiet; no signal now. Then the garage door goes up and there it is again — the signal! It turns out the townhouse owner is storing his boat, equipped with an overactive, very directional EPIRB, in his basement garage.

The EPIRB signal can only be picked up when the garage door is raised and the receiving satellite is properly aligned. The CAP team turns off the signal and the mystery is solved.

Capital challenges

While the National Capital Wing does not get many calls resulting in rescues, the calls the wing does receive — requesting searches for transmitting beacons — are sure to be interesting, with their own special challenges.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, airspace over the nation’s capital has been restricted. That means tracking distress signals is done now mostly by ground crews traveling in a van stocked with a computer, GPS and mapping software — National Geographic’s topographical maps are favorites.

With the right code words to the right offices, “CAP continues to have authorization to put a plane up, but we try not to do it unless absolutely necessary. We don’t want to wear out our welcome in these sensitive times,” said Lt. Col. Mark Bailey, director of operations for the National Capital Wing.

Washington’s urban environment also presents a whole host of issues when it comes to tracking beacon signals.

“Radio signals from the beacons bounce through subway tunnels and off the many buildings,” said Maj. Paul Cianciolo, wing director of public affairs. “Even getting the van through some of the narrow, centuries-old streets can be a problem.”

Also, in a fairly compact space, the D.C. area contains marinas, airports, cityscapes and undeveloped land, many times in close proximity to one another. That means a distress signal could very likely emanate from any of the three types of beacons — EPIRBs on marine craft, ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters) on aircraft or PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) on individuals.

Finally, in a government center like the capital, a CAP team may have to seek permission to enter a government building, including discerning which agency is in charge at any particular location. Teams have been allowed on the roofs of many office buildings to get above the signals to get a better reading.

Cianciolo recalls, “One building we came across was owned by the Secret Service, which had to contact its supervisors to let us in,” Cianciolo recalled.

“Yes,” he said, “finding a transmitting beacon in D.C. can be a real scavenger hunt.”

Who Is in charge?

In 1996, after going to higher ground — in this case, the steps of the Capitol -- CAP traced a distress signal to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.

Arriving at the museum in the middle of the night, the CAP team explained the situation to a posted Army guard. The guard contacted his command, but word also went out to D.C.’s 27-odd police agencies.

About half sent patrol units, lights whirling and blazing. “We had to explain ourselves to so many different agencies that I literally ran out of business cards!” Bailey said.

Again, there was no emergency, but rather an ELT that had been erroneously activated inside a Navy helicopter on display at the museum during Public Service Recognition Week.

During a different mission, the U.S. Park Police pulled over a CAP team and wound up offering its own helicopter to aid in a search once the team explained its mission.

Oops!

When a beacon is activated in the Washington area, its signal is picked up by a satellite. In turn, the satellite alerts various agencies on the ground, including the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, which notifies CAP to initiate a search.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, also receives all distress signals from satellites, so imagine CAP’s surprise when, in the late 1990s, one of its searches led its team right back to the NOAA ground station. After peeling back the layers, CAP discovered NOAA had been given a window of time for testing a new ELT device; NOAA personnel, however, went home that evening, forgetting to deactivate the ELT.

“It was like being a fireman and having your fire station burn down — a little embarrassing,” Bailey said.

Then again, he said, a beacon’s signal is inaudible, so the fact a beacon has been activated can easily go unnoticed.

That might explain why the National Capital Wing once found the object of their hunt — a transmitting beacon — on the desk of the commandant of the Coast Guard!

Transmitting ‘The Today Show’?

Sometimes a signal is not even a signal. A couple years ago, CAP narrowed its search to the area of the Bolling Air Force Base and discovered the Joint Defense Air Operations Center had a radio transmitting on the beacon frequency.

Another time, the beacon frequency was broadcasting the lineup from a local NBC affiliate. Once the problem was made known to the TV station, their engineers resolved it.

Rescuing people or hunting objects, CAP is ready

“A lot of beacons are set off accidentally,” Cianciolo conceded, “but we treat every one as an emergency.”

“One of our most recent distress missions was a year ago when we assisted with a downed plane on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border,” said Capt. Joe Gleason, emergency services officer for the Andrews Composite Squadron and often its ground team leader or “ground-pounder.”

“We practice traditional search and rescue all the time, so we’re ready to help if needed in a post-disaster environment or missing aircraft search.” Gleason added.

Cianciolo said, “Our ground teams are getting very good at tracking down distress signals bouncing around D.C.’s urban environments. On average, we find beacons fairly fast, sometimes within an hour of the mission’s start.”

Even so, the hope is the National Capital Wing continues to have more scavenger hunts and fewer rescue missions.
 

Other parts of the country have their own wacky beacon stories. As reported in CAP News Online in April, the Texas Wing’s Delta Composite Squadron was dispatched to find the source of a distress signal. Coming up empty-handed on boats or downed aircraft, Maj. Bob Beeley and Capt. John Clarke asked a man in the indicated neighborhood if he knew of anyone nearby with a large craft. He couldn’t help them there, but did tell them how his wife had recently brought home some nautical decorations from Galveston. A trip to the backyard yielded two EPIRBs floating in the family pool. The man’s wife had turned on one of them to see the light on top blink. The light didn’t work, but the transmitter did!




 

2nd Lt. Hannah J. Bennett
Public Affairs Officer
Danville Composite Squadron
Virginia Wing

VIRGINIA – When Herman Joubert’s daughter, Noelle, expressed an interest in a career with the Air Force early in high school, he knew volunteering in the military branch’s civilian auxiliary would be a good way for his daughter to experience military life.

He joined Civil Air Patrol along with her. After more than two years in the organization, including command positions for both, neither Joubert has regretted their experience.

“I joined Civil Air Patrol to get a handle on the military,” remembered Noelle Joubert, now a cadet second lieutenant in the Danville Composite Squadron. “I wanted to go to the U.S. Air Force Academy and knew I needed to get some leadership experience and learn how to wear a uniform properly.

 “I was already sold on CAP before I went to the first meeting. It was everything I expected it to be,” she said.

The father-daughter duo first heard of CAP from a friend at church who was involved with the Danville squadron.

“We also ran into someone from the Air Force Academy, a recruiter who was in town to award an appointment to a former CAP cadet. I thought, ‘Look at the potential results of this program: the Air Force Academy!’” said Herman Joubert, who now holds the rank of captain in the Danville squadron, where he serves as finance and recruiting and retention officer.

“We received a very warm welcome and were sold on CAP during our first visit,” he recalled.

 “My interest in joining was primarily the cadet program.” Herman Joubert said. “It seemed like a very well-rounded program. What a wonderful opportunity for young people to develop leadership skills and character!”

Capt. Joubert served as the Danville unit’s commander from 2008 to 2009. During his tenure, squadron members photographed hurricane damage, assisted with radio communications at a major wildfire and participated in training exercises with military pilots.

“I’ve been blessed with a staff of very capable, talented people. My biggest challenge was to give them room to be individuals; it’s worked out beautifully,” he said.

His daughter just completed a yearlong stint as cadet commander of the squadron. She was responsible for planning activities and overseeing the training of about 15 fellow cadets.

Both Jouberts also served on staff at two summer cadet encampments.

“Senior members are there to facilitate cadet activities and serve as mentors – to steer them in the right direction,” Capt. Joubert said. “There was never any real conflict between Noelle and I. CAP didn’t change our relationship – it actually made it better!

“I learned when to step back and let her do things; she asked for help if she needed it. There was a very honest and trusting exchange between us.”

Home-schooled since kindergarten, Cadet 2nd Lt. Joubert graduated from high school in June. She has also completed dual-enrollment classes at Piedmont Community College in North Carolina while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average.

“We’re really proud of her,” her father said. “I don’t worry about her. She has her head screwed on straight. The determination to achieve her goals and the motivation to do what it takes to succeed is built into her.”
 

 

1st Lt. Bob Stronach
Public Affairs Officer
New York Wing

NEW YORK -- When the Oswego community decided to host a "Thank a Service Member” gathering, F.R. Sussey Composite Squadron members participated in the planning and then played key roles in making the event a success.

When some 350 service members and veterans representing four generatons were honored July 26 at Fort Ontario State Historic Site, 10 Sussey squadron participated by providing the color guard, escorting honorees and guests to seats, assisting in set-up, directing pedestrian traffic, fielding questions and greeting military personnel.

Cadet Sr. Master Sgt. Christian Williams led the color guard, which also consisted of Cadet Sr. Master Sgt. Austin Zappala, Cadet Airman 1st Class Sarah Lamb and Cadet Alex Shannon. Cadet Tech. Sgt. Josh Davidson and Cadet Elliot Mills directed honorees and guests to their seats.
 
Senior members participating included Capts. Earl Holdren and Mike Kieloch and 1st Lt. Kerland Ritchie.

The squadron’s commander, 1st Lt. Jennifer Holdren, had served on the six-member planning committee for the event. She also assisted Col. Kurt Carver, vice dean for education at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in presenting special TASM Campaign Coins to honorees, handing him the coins to present as he expressed deep appreciation for each recipient’s service.

"It was a profound and moving experience," Lt. Holdren said. "I felt so privileged to shake hands with the men and women that are currently serving and have served and fought for our freedoms.

“It especially was emotional to meet and hear the stories from those who were there for their deceased loved ones. It is something that I will never forget," she said.

Peter Allen, chairman of the event, pronounced it a great success. Allen and others also voiced tremendous appreciation for the color guard and the other Sussey members’ participation.

"Mr. Allen looks forward to a continued relationship and involvement with the F.R. Sussey squadron for upcoming TASM events," Lt. Holdren said.

"It was a wonderful experience, privilege, honor and duty for our cadets and senior members alike,” she concluded. “It gave us an opportunity to see and meet the heroes of our great nation, and serve amongst our community.

“I was especially pleased to see one of our own, Lt. Kerland Ritchie, receive an honor coin from Col, Carver. He served as a Marine until he retired. I am proud to have him as a member of F.R. Sussey."

 

• Wisconsin Basic Academy -- for new cadets who need to learn the basics of Civil Air Patrol. Customs and courtesies, uniform care, drill, teamwork and the history of CAP are all covered in this academy, as is the importance of being fit.
   
• Wisconsin Cadet Academy -- for cadets who has already been through the basic academy and are now ready to learn leadership skills that will carry them throughout life. Participants build on teamwork skills they started learning in the basic academy and put those skills to practical use. Areas of emphasis included problem-solving and managerial skills.
   
• Wisconsin Staff School – for cadet who have attended the first two courses and are now ready to put classroom instruction to the test and use actual problem-solving skills. Participants are ready to lead and take on the responsibility of having other cadets under their charge. Some serve on the Inspection Team, others teach classes and some are in charge of flights and squadrons for the week.
   
• Color Guard Academy – held for the first time this year and established with the goal of training cadets to go back to their units to train unit color guards. Presenting the colors is not as easy as it looks, and quick thinking often comes into play as one prepares to do the job. Since color guard appearances are the most visible representation of CAP to the public, all duties must be performed with care, precision and expertise.

All the cadets in attendance had the opportunity to try their skills on Camp Ripley’s confidence and navigation courses, use the M1 Abram and the M2 Bradley tank simulators, take orientation flights when weather permitted and face off in volleyball.

In addition, those participating in the cadet academy participated in a leadership reaction course on the confidence course. They were presented with a scenario and had to use teamwork and problem-solving to navigate the task at hand.


 

Capt. James Kalemis
Commander
Group 22 Cadet Initiative
Illinois Wing

ILLINOIS – Fifty cadets from six Illinois Wing squadrons gathered over the weekend to compete in the 10 mental and physical challenges making up the 8th annual Group 22 Cadet Initiative, informally known as “King of the Rock.”

Sixteen senior members oversaw the contests, which featured a string obstacle course, a LEGO rocket ship, a Solar System puzzle, a medallion search while remaining mute, a pipe balancing challenge, a plank elevation trial, a balancing rod and a PVC pipe blowgun. 

The competition is held yearly at Rock Cut State Park near Rockford on a campground adjacent to a pond. That arrangement makes water-related challenges possible – this year, a water tower with elevating ping pong and a watergun competition.

The contestants divided into nine teams of four to six cadets from the Boone, Chicago Midway, Lake in the Hills McHenry, Lewis, and Woodfield composite squadrons, representing not only Group 22 but also groups 2 and 14.

Each team also got a “seventh member” -- a prop that had to be carried at all times and “participated” in each event. If the seventh member is lost or destroyed, a penalty is possible.  This year the seventh member was a foil balloon; eggs, tomatoes and watermelons filled the role in the past years.

The Honor Cadet Award was selected by the senior member staff, ended in a tie between the Lewis squadron’s Cadet Master Sgt. Sarah Goldman, who showed incredible concern and motivation; and the Lake in the Hills unit’s Cadet 1st Lt. Danny White, who exhibited excellent leadership.

The first-place team, with 886 points, was Lewis’ Black Sheep, who keep the King of the Rock Cadet Maj. Jacob Reuth Memorial Trophy for another year. Led by cadet Jack Wood, the team also consisted of Hannah Geiger, Kevin Pendl, Jonathan Rhodes and Brandon Villarreal, as well as Robert Wlosek of the Midway Composite Squadron.

Placing second, with 883 points, was Lake in the Hills’ Watson Warriors, who had won four of the past seven years and really wanted to take the trophy back. Cadet Danny White led the team, which also included cadets Alex Amann, Sabryna Peters, Nathan Philips, Andrew Sim and Keenan Wresch..

Boone County’s Neitzel Red Ninjas finished third with 838 points. Leading the team was cadet Max Bahling. Rounding out the roster were cadets Trevor Botkin, Paul Hornick, Michael Kun