alabama wing - oct 2009

8/9/2019 Alabama Wing - Oct 2009

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October 2009 Citizen Serving Communities: Above and Beyond 1

ALABAMAWING

CIVILAIRPATROL

NEWSLETTER OCTOBER2009

Col.MikeOakman Lt.Col.DaveBoswell

Commander ViceCommander

From the Commander

Many of you have heard me say within afew months of joining the Civil Air Patrol, Idecided to and made it my goal to be aleader within the organization starting at thesquadron level and working my way up to

becoming the Wing Commander for theAlabama Wing. It took 23 years to do so butit all came together in 2006 when I acceptedthe Wings Flag from Brigadier GeneralPineda, relieving Col. Tilton of hiscommand, to become the Alabama WingCommander.

It has been a true pleasure to serve as yourcommander and a humbling experience ofgetting to know and work with such

dedicated volunteers all willing to work forthe common goals that benefit theirneighbors, community and the State ofAlabama.

My 4 year tour-of-duty as Wing Commanderis starting to come to a close and if you willindulge me a few minutes of your time, I

Contents

Operation InsightNorth Alabama Training 7Safety 8Boaz City Schools Squadron 9National Fire Protection 10Redstone Cadets celebrate AF

Birthday 12Ironman 2009 13New Cadet Program Director 14Chaplain Cleveland 14SUPTFC report 15Former Cadet wins Award 15Florida Wing Winter Encampment 16National Character and Leadership

Symposium 16Safety Poster Contest for Cadets 17Predator Training and CAP Pilots 17NESA Report 18AL/MS Encampment 20Bronze Star Ceremony in Boaz 21IACE 22Region Staff College Graduates 24Cadet Hislop at AFCEA 26Shelby County Family Day 27Awards 28Veteran's Day 28Public Affairs 28Alabama Wing Conference 29


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want to provide each of you with somefocused hindsight and insights that hopefullywill enlighten everyones future experiencewith their forth coming CAP experiences. Ihope to provide some focused insights

through our next two Wing Newsletters.These articles are Operation Insight.

CAPS CHALLENGE TO CHANGE

In todays CAP environment, CAPCommanders (all levels), may be faced withthe need for rapid change. The imperativefor change may be the result of a directivefrom National Headquarters. But it may alsobe a practical necessity resulting from

budget cuts or major leadership changes inthe organization. No matter the source, thispressure for change simply cannot beignored.

But change that is imposed suddenly on anorganization is rarely as effective as step-by-step change that is carefully planned andimplemented steadily over a longer period oftime.

Research on organization developmentsuggests that organizations generally changein two distinct ways: through dramatic anddrastic activity and through evolution andadaptation. The first instance almost alwaysinvolves mandated change from the top thatoften occurs rapidly and causes significantpain for those who are affected. In contrast,change by evolution is a milder, more subtleform of transformation that produces acultural shift with long-lasting and deep-seated results throughout an organization.It can be said that change is constant in theCAP organizational world. Even in goodeconomic times, CAP Commanders work inan environment where corporate changemay be unpredictable.

Organizations change organizationaldirection on their own or market conditionsforce them to make a course correction.Restructuring of organizations at the topoften leads to change in strategic and

operational approach as new leadershipgoals and objectives are crafted.Corporate entities that result in newchallenges for CAP Commanders associatedwith mandated customer requirements andexpectations.

Region, Wing, and Squadron Commanderswork in an environment where infrastructurechanges in a short periods of time. Theinternal workings of CAP organizations

typically oriented towards major change.The average CAP command staff stays withthe same organization for upwards of 4years, so CAP Commanders and membersmust expect to see great personnel shifts.Whether it is practices, procedures andtechniques, the mantra in CAP organizationsis often why change something if it isntbroken? The implication is that changewould only disrupt normal organizationactivities.

It is little wonder that leading change in aCAP organization is not viewed as anessential component of a commanders job.Yet, analyzing CAP Commanders who havecreated a productive and healthy CAP workatmosphere reveals a recurring trait: theirability to serve as an agent for evolutionarychange. Debra Meyerson, a Stanfordprofessor, calls this evolutionary style ofchange management tempered radicalism the ability to nurture an organizationalong the path to change through leadershipand incremental approaches.Is now the time for such an approach? SomeCAP Commanders may feel that they simplydont have the luxury of time required for anincremental approach. Nevertheless, it isimportant for all CAP Commanders to


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understand the elements of an effectivechange management process and to strive toincorporate them when launching a majorchange initiative.

The Path to Change

Few CAP Commanders would deny thatchange is hard. CAP staff and membership,like those in other organizations, resistschange for a variety of reasons. First of all,its time-consuming, compounding thealready difficult tasks of performing routinework. And it takes patience: Lasting changedoes not occur overnight so major changeresults may not be obvious for years.

Whats more, the status quo is comforting;change brings uncertainty and fostersinsecurity. Risk-taking takes membershipout of its comfort zone. And staff andmembership with longevity in one CAPorganization are not as open to new ideasbecause they have been insulated from thebenefits of change or have seen failedattempts at change by previous CAPcommanders who did not have the right stuffto lead a dynamic change effort.

To overcome resistance to change, thecommander must be an effective changeleader. John Kotter, the HarvardOrganization School professor and guru ofchange management, says that successfultransformation is 70 to 90 percent leadershipand only 10 to 30 percent management. Truechange or transformation requires sacrifice,dedication and creativity that have to stemfrom the senior CAP leaders. Leadershipfrom the top is the only change force thatcan blast through the inertia of most CAPorganizations. Kotter recommends an eight-step process that has worked for multitudesof major corporations. Maybe just maybe itworks as well for the CAP organizations.

1. Establish a Sense of Urgency

For some organizations, the current,dramatic economic downturn is enough toconvince CAP staff and membership that

change is needed. But it doesnt take a crisis whether a severe recession, reduction inemergency services, or assets and liabilityissues for a CAP commander to establisha sense of urgency for change.

A change movement might be stimulated bythings like these:

A CAP organization findingdramatic dissatisfaction with servicedelivery to a customers satisfaction

A large CAP organizationdiscovering baby-boomer attrition ofunparalleled proportions

A small CAP organizationidentifying a need to become moreproactive with respect toHeadquarters decision making onCAP issues

A CAP organization learning it wasway below benchmarks foroperational performance.

Whether it is responding to a crisis, lookingto avert potential problems or stepping up tounplanned opportunities, CAP Commandersshould generate enthusiasm for change toovercome complacency. CAP Commandersneed to take bold moves to demonstrate tostaff and membership that the status quo willnot allow the organization to embrace anopportunity or stave off a crisis.

To do this, CAP Commanders need topresent compelling arguments based ondocumentation that is coupled with passionabout the positive outcomes of change.


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to talk about the vision and the process forchanging the organization, maybe a series ofin-office sessions with each of the majorunit heads, and invited officers to a changeforum to discuss the CAP organizations

plans, and then have periodic all-handsWeb casts if possible. How about a CAPcommander having a Web site where weeklyprogress from the teams was posted, aquestion-and-answer forum where staff andmembership and others could pose questionsanonymously, and a monthly newsletter thattalked about best practices and how theywere going to be adopted.

5. Empower Others to Act

It takes legions of staff and membership tocreate effective change strategies andactions. Change teams need to have theability to act outside of the traditionalstructure to create new and innovativeactions that lead to the end result. Theseindividuals need to know that risk-taking ispart of the process, and they will not bepenalized or thwarted if they proposeinitiatives not within the mainstream of thecurrent CAP organization.

As part of their work, the transformationteams should identify obstacles and proposealternative solutions. Regular meetings withthe guidance coalition are important to shareprogress and obtain direction.

6. Build in Short-Term Wins

In civilian organizations the majority ofchange process often doesnt produce highlyvisible change until three or more years intothe effort, it is understandable that changeeffort momentum dissipates and staff andmembership becomes disillusioned.However, in CAP where the staff andmembership is subject to term limitations we

must proceed quicker with implementingchange.

Even though our implementation process isquicker we must keep the spirit of change

alive, it is essential to have short-term winsfor the transformation teams, as well as theCAP organization overall. It might be aseasy as creating a best practice forum andinviting other CAP units to participate orgenerating management profiles thatprovides CAP commanders with up-to-dateinformation about the change efforts. Smallchanges like these go a long way to promotethe vision and sustain morale.

We must build a win-win situation into ourtransformation plans. There must be specificperformance metrics tied to the changeactivities being performed. Put metrics inplace for evaluating performance against thetasking and those tasking that had not beenperforming well should be eliminated. Thisway the overall CAP organization (and thestaff and membership) just might achieve ahuge win-win that was directly attributableto the change effort.

Particularly in these difficult organizationtimes, the need for short-term wins withdefendable results plays an even bigger roleto convincing the USAF, CAP-USAF andNational HQ that change is really occurring.

7. Leverage Improvements to Create

Additional Change

Too many change efforts end with the CAPorganization declaring victory before thewar is won. Deep-seated cultural changedoesnt take hold until at least the end of the1st year and often a complete transformationof a CAP organization culture doesntappear until the beginning of the 4th year.But by the second year a CAP organizationmay start to see clear performance


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improvements and so sacrifice further effortto achieve the bigger vision and settle forinterim change. What invariably happens isthat the organization gradually slips backinto its old and comfortable ways of

operation unless National Headquarters andthe guidance coalition reinvigorate theeffort.

It may be time to celebrate success, but italso is time to renew the commitment to thelarger goal. At the two-year mark WingCommanders, take stock of successes anduse them as the lynch-pins for additionalchange. These successes may produceinnovative ways to address issues that the

organization has struggled with during theinitial years of the change process.

A scenario that is continually played out is:A CAP Wing declared victory at year two.They had achieved six of ten goals. Theproblem was that three of the remaininggoals were high priorities they postponedbecause they were too difficult. Instead offorging ahead to complete the other goals,they dropped the change effort. By yearfour, the organization was experiencingproblems again because they failed to buildon the two years of good work. Then a newWing Commander was appointed andchange began again.

8. Institutionalize Approved Approaches

When left to their own devices, CAP staffand membership may not always make theconnection between the transformationeffort and the end results. It is critical for theguidance coalition and change teams toconstantly make the link between theimprovements in performance and changestrategies and action steps.

Institutionalizing the new way of doingthings also is dependent on having a

succession plan to ensure that individualsexhibiting the approaches, behaviors andattitudes that have become the norm forCAP are nurtured and placed in key roles forthe future.

As part of its change effort, why not makeone individual on the transformation teamsole job is to update standard supplements ordirectives after every approved change, andmake certain the changes werecommunicated to all staff and membership.

9. Study Lessons Learned

It is important to add step nine: study

lessons learned. No matter how successfulthe transformation effort is, there are alwaysthings that could make the process workbetter in the future. Its up to leadership toensure that the lessons learned are discussedand documented. A permanent record of thechange process should include an in-depthanalysis of what worked and what didnt.Every quarter, the process action teamsinvolved in change should take two weeks toadd to their lessons learned compendium.Unless you write down what happenedimmediately after it occurred, you will nothave a process that can be replicated. Everyteam should have a recording memberwhose job is to capture process notes andthen prepare an outline that would help teammembers write their lessons learned.

The challenge of change management hasnever been more important for CAPCommanders. The current economic crisisand any loss in assets will cause manyorganizations to launch change efforts.Whether those initiatives produce lastingtransformation or have little positive long-term impact on the organization depends onleadership. CAP Commanders can be rolemodels within their organizations, not onlyfor their technical and fiscal performance,


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but also for their strength, courage andconviction to change.

Col Mike Oakman

Commander, Alabama Wing

North Alabama Squadrons Hold

Training Exercise

Capt. Mark Adams, commander of RedstoneSquadron, and Maj. Anthony Beresford,commander of Huntsville Squadron, andCapt Ande Boyer, Deputy Commander for

Seniors, planned and supervised a trainingexercise at Madison Executive Airport inMeridianville, Alabama Friday, Saturdayand Sunday, August 14-15, 2009.

Twenty three CAP volunteers fromGadsden, Huntsville, Redstone and theMuscle Shoals Composite Squadrons beganwith classroom training on Friday evening atthe airport.

Classroom instructions and debriefscontinued on Sunday. Saturday morning themission base was open by 7:30 AM withvolunteers signing in to obtain initialqualifications for Mission Air Crews. Somepilots, observers and scanners flew to keeptheir mission ratings current.

Scenarios were designed to provideexercises in various methods of flight searchpatterns and communication with simulated

survivors of a downed aircraft. TheRedstone ground team used signal mirrorsand communication panels. Flight crewsflew expanding squares, creeping linesearches and other methods to increase theprobability that they would find andcommunicate with the ground team,pretending to be survivors.

This practice exercise provided the fournorthern squadrons practical experience in

those skills which will be needed the nexttime that the Air Force Rescue CoordinationCenter (AFRCC) calls upon the AlabamaWing and these squadrons for a real mission.


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ALABAMA WING SAFETY BRIEFING

FLIGHT SAFETY-HOW TO MANAGE

YOUR UITS SAFETY PROGRAM

ELECTRONICALLY IN THE DIGITALAGE PLUS ORM TRAINING

This month we are going to deviatesomewhat from the norm, considering it is a

Commanders Call and many UnitCommanders and Safety Officers arepresent, and instead of giving you all ideason how to prevent accidents, we will addresshow to manage and document your UnitSafety program, plus well talk aboutOperational Risk Management. You willfind that this is a very simple summary, thattells you what to report, and when, and how!

It is becoming more and more apparent that

we are in the digital age in the CAP, which agreat thing indeed! For years we havestruggled with having reams of paper tokeep up with, to file and copy and mail toHQ. Well, I believe we are finally close tobeing a paperless cockpit as we strive tokeep pace with technology and strive tomake things easier for our members (hey-atleast that is the idea, even if not everythingworks great all the time. . .remember whenILS approaches were new., now

GPS/VNAV gives us the same 200 Ftminimums!).

The whole idea, from our standpoint at theWing HQ, is that you all at the Unit levelcan be doing a great job, but if you are notdocumenting itnobody knows it (and theAF IG team only believes what it can see),

and worse yet, the external visitors wouldhave a hard time believing the job is beingdone right! (As President Reagan said of theCommies once, Trust, but verify). So whatcan be done electronically to improve your

documentation of the great work you all aredoing? (And I know you all are doing greatwork, because we are continually flyingover 3000 hours a year of missions with noaccidents....thats MY BENCHMARK!).Well, just read on.

Before we get too far down the road, SafetyOfficers are reminded that theres a newSafety Senior Member Tracking Program,CAPP 217 (9608) that describes all of your

training and career track objectives, whichcan be downloaded from E-Services, underpublications and pamphlets. Also, thereis an online version of the Safety OfficerBasic Course (under F-services, onlineexams) which is mandatory for all new SEs,but highly encouraged for all SEs. I tookmine in about 30~minutes, far easier thanwhen I was doing the AF Extension Course.(Editor's note: All CAP members are nowrequired to take the Basic Safety Course byDecember 2009)

What are the reporting requirements for aUnit Safety Program? Not much, if you dowell and dont have any accidents to reportvia e-Form 78, or to investigate, via e-Form79. There are basically these reportingrequirements: A Monthly SafetyBriefing/Meeting report, a Quarterly SafetyReport, and a Annual Safety Survey (duebefore 31 Jan each year), all of which can bedone electronically!

For the Monthly Safety Briefing Report-Goto WMU (https://wmu.nat.cap.gov) andLOGIN. Then go to SAFETY block andenter, then select UNIT SAFETYMEETINGS


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and enter the meeting information, withdate, location, topics, members present, etc,andSAVE before exiting. Remember WMU israther slow and try not to get frustrated.

Lt.Col. Harold Coghlan

Director of Safety

BCSS AL-801 GAINS TWO NEW

SENIOR OFFICERS

I am pleased to introduce to you two newSenior Officers to our squadron, Mr. JamieBurton and Mr. Lamar Garrard. Mr. Burtonbrings his experience in education as thePrincipal of Corley Elementary in Boaz, AL.Mr. Lamar Garrard adds to our squadron hisknowledge and background in the field ofmechanical engineering.

BCSS CAP Squadron AL -801 welcomes itsnew Moral Leadership Officer, Mr. JamieBurton. After accepting a principal positionwith the Boaz City School System, he heardabout its active CAP Program and soonexpressed an interest in supporting theprogram.

Burton comes from the Birmingham areawhere he taught for both Mountain Brookand Hoover City Schools. After receiving anumber of honors, including recognition as aNational Board Certified Teacher, hebecame an administrator. As an assistantprincipal for both Shelby County andHomewood City, Burton has been

recognized for his outstanding leadershipskills.

Burton attributes much of success as a resultof the skills he gained through his service inthe U.S. Army. After graduating at the topof his class from the Academy of Health andSciences in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he

worked as both a counselor and medic atFort Drum, New York. Upon completion ofhis military service, Senior OfficerBurton moved to Alabama where heattended the University of Montevallo. It

was at the University of Montevallo that hemet his wife.

Senior member Burton and his wife, Shanna,have been married for fifteen years and havethree boys - Andrew, Ryan, and Dillon. Theentire family is looking forward to a longand happy stay in Boaz. Senior OfficerBurton states, "It's such a privilege to be partof the Civil Air Patrol Program. As a youngadult, I was fortunate to have outstanding

role models who encouraged me to becomethe leader I am today. That's why I eagerlyaccepted the position of Moral LeadershipOfficer. I want to provide squadronmembers with the same support andencouragement I received growing up."

From left to right: first row C/A1C Jacob Elrodand C/SrA Brittney CothranSecond row, SM Jamie Burton, C/SrA TimothyWhite, 2 Lt. Lamar Garrad

AL-801 is also pleased to welcome its newSafety Officer, Mr. Lamar Garrard.2 Lt.Garrard comes from the local area ofBoaz, Alabama. Garrard and his wife,Carolyn, have been married for thirty-sixyears and have one daughter, Lynn Toneyand one son, Jackie Garrard.


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Garrard attributes much of his success in lifeas a result of the skills he gained through histhirty-two years of working in themanufacturing, management and in the

application engineer area of the InductionHeat Treat business. This gave him theopportunity to travel throughout the majorportion of the United States, Mexico,England, and Germany. The company heworks for builds heat treating equipment fora wide range of industries (automotive, offroad, mining, pipe lines and militaryapplications). The military applicationincludes but not limited to - inductionhardening gun barrels for warships, tanks,

airplanes, military ammo casings, militarytank driveline parts, etc.

Safety is a major priority of success ineveryones day to day life and should not betake lightly so when my daughter andgrandson, C/SSgt. Jake Toney, both came tome asking me to join CAP; their power ofpersuasion was very strong. They were inneed of a Safety Officer. After a couple ofmeetings with the Squadron, I realized thiswould be an exciting experience to sharewith my family. I have made new friendswith both Senior Officers and Cadets.

Capt Lynn Toney

SEP Coordinator

Boaz City Schools

National Fire Protection WeekNational Fire Protection Week is October 4

through the 10th. It is held the same weekevery year, but do you know why?

It is from two events that occurred onOctober 8 10, 1871. The first event almosteveryone knows about, the Great ChicagoFire. The fire started at about 9 p.m. onSunday, October 8, in or around a small

shed that bordered the alley behind 137DeKoven Street. The traditional account ofthe origin of the fire is that it was started bya cow kicking over a lantern in the barnowned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary.

Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republicanreporter who created the cow story, admittedin 1893 that he had made it up because hethought it would make colorful copy.

The second larger and less known fire wasthe Peshtigo fire. "The woods and heavenswere all on fire," the smoke blocked the sun,and the rising moon turned red. Forwitnesses of the worst fire in Americanhistory, it was a sure sign of the apocalypse.

On October 8, 1871, a fire with hurricaneforce winds consumed more than 1,000,000acres of farms, forests, sawmills, and smalltowns of Wisconsin and upper Michigan. Inits path of destruction an estimated 1,500people lost their lives. The Peshtigo fire, asit was dubbed, represents the greatesttragedy of its kind in North America. Theconflagration occurred the same day as thegreat Chicago fire and has relegated to alesser place in annals of North Americadisasters. Yet, the natural forces unleashedthat day would for evermore be known as a"firestorm."

U.S. fire departments responded to anestimated average of 52,500 reported U.S.home structure fires involving electricalfailure or malfunction in 2006. These firesresulted in 340 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilianinjuries and $1,447 million in directproperty damage.

Electric currents carried by wiring, switches,plugs and appliances generate heat.Excessive or uncontrolled heat can startfires. Most electrical fires occur in wintermonths when people spend more timeindoors. The threat is particularly great inhomes built prior to the 1950s when the


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electrical wiring didn't always meet today'ssafety standards.

You need to understand and respect

the power of electricity and the role it canplay in home fires. The chief culprits inmost electrical fires are:

Incorrectly installed wiring. Overloaded circuits and extension

cords. Improper plugs, switches and outlets. Misuse and poor maintenance of

lighting.

The following warning signs may indicateelectrical problems that could cause a fire.If you experience any of these warning signsin your home, contact a licensedelectrician to repair the problem

Flickering or dimming lights. Switches or outlets that are hot to

the touch or emit an acrid odor.

Discolored cords, outlets andswitch plates.

Repeated blown fuses or trippedcircuit breakers.

Keep Home Wiring Systems Safe

Hire a licensed electrician to:

Inspect a home and make any neededrepairs before you purchase it.

Ensure that any electricalmodifications meet existing codes.

Inspect and repair outlets and

switches. Inspect aluminum wiring in homes

built from 1965 to 1973 becausethere have been problems with thiswiring used in wall sockets, switchesand cable connections.

Fuses and Circuit Breakers

Be sure to replace fuses or circuitbreakers with ones of the correct

size. Have a qualified, licensed electrician

repair any problems.

Cords, Outlets and Plugs

Have Fire Sense by taking these precautionswhen using plugs and electrical cords:

Don't run cords under carpeting,bedding or other combustiblematerials, or across doorways orfrequently traveled areas.

Discard frayed or broken cords andnever splice two cords together.

Don't overload outlets or useextension cords in place of outletsbecause these unsafe methods createtoo much heat and can easily cause


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fires. Call an electrician to installadditional outlets as necessary.

Be sure plugs fit snugly in outlets toprevent shock and excess heat.

Lighting

Combustible materials can ignite easilywhen they are exposed to hot bulbs. Keepthe following tips in mind when using lightfixtures:

Purchase lamps and fixtures listedwith Underwriters Laboratories(UL), an independent, not-for-profitsafety testing and certification

organization. Use the right bulb wattage for all

lamps and fixtures. Position lamps away from open

windows where strong breezes canblow draperies onto hot light bulbs.

Simple tips and fire prevention can save youand your family the hardship of losing yourhomes and possible your life. This issomething I see on almost a daily bases as a

professional fire investigator. By followingthese simple tips, you could be savingeverything.

John P. Neil, Major, CAPALWG, Director of Operations

Fire Certifications

Certified Fire Investigator, IAAICertified Fire and Explosion Investigator, NAFICertified Vehicle Fire Investigator, NAFICertified Fire Investigator I, NFPA

Certified Master Fire Investigator, IPTSPro-board Certified as Fire Investigator

Redstone Cadets Celebrate Air

Force Birthday

On 15 Sep 09, the Tennessee Valley Chapterof the Air Force Association hosted a party

honoring the 62nd birthday of the U.S. AirForce. This event was held at the AmericanLegion Post 237 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Color Guard members are (left toright): C/CMSgt Sara Folse, C/1st Lt Andrew Hall,

C/2nd Lt Michael Guthrie, and C/Amn JoshuaAdomatis.

The event opened with the presentation and

posting of colors by the CAP RedstoneComposite Squadron. Brig Gen GaryConnor (USAF, Ret) was the featuredspeaker for the event and addressed thehistory of the Air Force and its role insecuring our nation's freedom today.

Brig Gen Connor also participated in abirthday cake cutting ceremony with cadetrepresentatives of the Civil Air Patrol andarea Air Force JROTC units.

The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the AirForce Association recognized Cadet FirstLieutenant Jonathan Allen as the 2009Outstanding Cadet in the RedstoneComposite Squadron. The chapter presentedCadet Allen with a certificate and check for$100.


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CAP and AFJROTC cadets assist Brig Gen GaryConnor cut the cake at a birthday party for the U.S.

Air Force hosted by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of

the Air Force Association. In this photo, C/AmnLogan Griffin from the Redstone Composite

Squadron cuts the cake with a saber.

Brig Gen Gary Connor presents Cadet Allen with theaward certificate.

The party concluded with the recognition ofattendees that were members of the originalArmy Air Corps and with the singing of theAir Force Song.

1Lt Kim Miller

Redstone Squadron, PAO

Photos by Tennessee Valley Air Force

Association.

IRON MAN COMPETITION

NOVEMBER 20-21, 2009

The dates for this year's Iron ManCompetition, to be held at AuburnUniversity on November 20-21, to yoursquadrons. Unlike in years past, we will bestarting a portion of the competition (theSuper PFT) that Friday night. Thecompetition will resume with the remainingfour events Saturday November 21st at 7am.This will help us alleviate the timeconstraints we are expecting with theincrease in teams this year. We hope thiswill allow your members to return home onSaturday night at a decent hour.

This year's competition fee will remain at$30.00 per team ($5.00 per person),however, this year the t-shirts are includedin the registration price. Due to thepossibility of having more teams registerthan we can handle, each squadron in theWing is guaranteed at least one slot for ateam. After the October 31 deadline, if wehave slots still open, we will announce the

placement of other teams on a first come,

first serve basis. In other words, if yousend in two team registration packets, pleaseindicate which team will be your "A" team,and which will be a secondary team. Your"A" team will be guaranteed a slot, whileyour "B" team will be placed in holdinguntil we determine if there are availableslots.

Both teams still must send in the $30.00registration fee, however if a team is notable to participate due to the above issue,that check will be voided and the team pointof contact will be notified.

Also, thanks to Col Oakman and his staff,the Alabama Wing will reimburse squadrons


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for fuel purchased if they send a team (forAlabama Wing Vans only). I hope this willtake the burden off of those squadrons whohave a long drive to make it here and back,and encourage every squadron to send a

team.

Our website is still being updated at thistime. I will send a Wing-wide email oncethe website is updated with the correctregistration forms and general information.Until then, please have your squadron workon sending a team to the competition.

Thanks to everyone for helping us make thisa great competition and event that the Wing

and CAP can be proud of. If you have anyquestions, feel free to contact either myself([email protected])or Keith Conway ([email protected]).

Capt Chris Tate

Auburn Squadron Commander

Staff Position Changes Announced for

Maj. Justin Smith and Capt Jon Garlick

I want to announce that Justin Smith, Major,CAP; ALWG DCP has of 25 Sept. 2009completed his commitment to me and to theALWG as Wing DCP. He has performed hisduties with the highest of integrity andloyalty to the Cadets, this Wing and me asWing Commander.

Major Smith has made my job easier and asI had told all of the wing staffers theirprimary function is to protect the boss; me,

he has done just that. Major Smith is notleaving CAP he is just taking a welldeserved break and will continue on as henow establishes his personal career goals.

Please thank him the next time you see himfor a job well done and for his leadership ofour young adults over the last 5 years.

Thanks Justin for all you have done and willdo in the future.I am happy to announce that Captain JonGarlick has as accepted the position as theALWG CISM Officer (Critical Incident and

Stress Management). Capt. Garlick will begetting his contact information out toeveryone shortly. He will be attending hisfirst Wing Staff meeting in October and willaddress the Staff. Please welcome Capt.Garlick to the staff and congratulations onhis current duty-performance promotion tothe grade of Captain.

Col. Mike OakmanCommander Alabama Wing

Chaplain Edward Cleveland

It is with regret that I have to advise thepassing of Chaplain (Major) EdwardCleveland at the age of 88. ChaplainCleveland was a member of the Civil AirPatrol for 16 years, many of those assquadron chaplain of Huntsville CompositeSquadron. Chaplain Cleveland was greatly

liked and respected by all who knew him.

Chaplain Cleveland began his ministry inSouth Carolina at 21. At 33 he became anevangelist and administrator of theMinisterial Association of the GeneralConference of Seventh-day Adventists, apost he held until 1977. In that position he


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helped train pastors and hold evangelismmeetings around the world.

After 1977, Chaplain Cleveland taught inthe theology department at Oakwood

University, helping to found the annualPastoral and Evangelism Council seminarthat attract ministers from around the worldeach December. The Bradford-Cleveland-Brooks Leadership Center on the Oakwoodcampus was named in his honor along withother church leaders Charles Brooks andCharles Bradford.

Maj. Anthony Beresford

Commander, Huntsville Composite Squadron

Redstone CAP Cadet Attends SUPTFC

This summer, C/CMSgt Sarah Folse spentone week at Columbus AFB, MS attendingthe Specialized Undergraduate PilotTraining Familiarization Course (SUPTFC).SUPTFC is a week of simulated Air ForcePilot Training, where Cadets experiencemany of the same tasks that Air Force pilottrainees go through. The SUPTFC training

included team-building exercises, leadershipscenarios, simulator flights, academics andtesting which were monitored by USAFReserve officers. To motivate success, eachgraduating Cadet is awarded a set of AirForce pilot wings. One of the special dayswhile at SUPTFC was when the Cadets wereallowed to shadow an Air Force pilot traineewhich included going through a flightbriefing, and a tour of the flight line.

Of SUPTFC, Cadet Folse said, Itchallenged me academically, and taught mestudying and note taking skills. It pushed meharder than anything else before, andshowed me that I was capable of more than Ithought I was. The hard work paid off forCadet Folse, as she was a distinguishedgraduate. In addition to achievement of

being a distinguished graduate, Cadet Folsealso placed in the top eight in a class of 30which earned her a ride in a T-1 Jayhawk.The T-1 Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer used in the advanced phase

of specialized undergraduate pilot trainingfor students selected to fly airlift or tankeraircraft. Cadet Folse commented, Thisflight showed me that, although pilottraining is going to be tough, it is well worthit!

C/CMSgt Sarah Folse Pictured Second FromRight With Gombey Flight at SUPTFC

In reflection of her week at SUPTFC CadetFolse said, This one week has given me thestudy skills to succeed in school, the

leadership abilities to succeed in CAP,JROTC, and my community, and the driveand dedication to pursue being an Air Forcepilot as a career.

Former Bessemer Cadet receives

Combat Systems Officer Course Awards

2 Lt. Jacob Meins, USAF, graduated fromCombat Systems Officer Course in July

2009, receiving the "Jack Donovan Award"for being the top electronic warfare studentand the "Commander's Cup Award" forbeing the outstanding cadet for the course.[

Meins was a cadet in the BessemerSquadron, graduating in June, 2004 from


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Pelham High School and from SamfordUniversity in 2008.

Lt. Col Bob Dorning

Florida Wing Winter Encampment

Florida Wing (FLWG) will conduct aWinter Encampment at Camp BlandingArmy National Guard Training site inStarke, Florida from 27 December 2009 to 2January 2010.

The mission of Florida Wing Encampmentsis to provide cadets a positive training

environment that reinforces the core valuesof the Civil Air Patrol and the United StatesAir Force through consistency andadherence to the standards of the CadetProgram. Through interaction with peers anddirect mentorship from their leaders cadetswill gain experiences that will form thefoundation of their cadet career and servethem as young adults. Physical and mentalsafety will be the first consideration of allmembers. All activities will be conducted to

the highest ethical and professionalstandards.

The success of encampment is dependentupon the people who dedicate their timeprior to encampment coordinating thevarious aspects of this activity. I amreopening the application period forcommand staff (Commandant of Cadets,Deputy Commander, Executive Officer, andCadet Commander) applications and setting

the deadline for those applications to 7October 2009.

If interested in serving encampment in oneof these capacities, please submit anapplication including aCAP resume, references, and any specificgoals you may have for yourself or

encampment directly to me [email protected]. If you previouslysubmitted an application for one of thesepositions, you do not need to reapply;however, additional information may be

submitted and will be accepted.

Also at this time, applications are beingaccepted for cadets, cadet staff, and seniorstaff. For more information on theapplication process, please view theencampment website.

(http://www.flcadet.com/WinterEncampment.aspx)(from an email by)

JUSTIN R. MCELVANEY, Capt, CAP

Encampment Commander

National Character and Leadership

SymposiumCivil Air Patrol would like to send fourcadets to the 17th annual National Characterand Leadership Symposium from 17 through20 February; sponsored by the United StatesAir Force Academy. The Symposiumprovides cadets the opportunity to engage indialogue with visiting undergraduateuniversity student leaders from across thecountry in seminars and discussionsdesigned to enhance their ownunderstanding of the importance andchallenges of sound moral character andleadership.

You can get more information on thisactivity and other exciting opportunities bygoing to the cadet programs website:http://capmembers.com/cadet_programs/

Maj. Justin Smith


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CALLING ALL CADETS!

The Alabama Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is

sponsoring a SAFETY poster contest.Composite and school squadrons areencouraged to participate and must first holda squadron level contest. The squadroncommander should appoint a SeniorMember (SM) to supervise the squadroncontest and to provide information aboutdeadlines and content of the posters. TheSM will also be responsible for sending thewinning entries to the Wing.

There will be two age groups participatingin the contest. The groups will be ages 12-15and 16-19. The squadron contest may run aslong as you wish however, the winningentries MUST be received at Wing level bythe deadline for entry. The top two postersfrom each age group will be forwarded tothe Wing contest coordinator along withname, squadron number and contact info ofthe contestant. Prizes will be awarded.

Wing entries must be received by 6:00 P.M.October 20, 2009, and be sent to:

Eddie Shurbutt139 Grandview DriveEastaboga AL 36260

The subject of the poster is Safety; however,it may be about any area of the Civil AirPatrol and its missions. The poster maypoint out a danger or remind us to act safely.Some areas the poster may highlight areflight line or aircraft hazards, ground teamhazards, training hazards, cadet activities ortips to stay safe.

Whatever your poster is about, it must beYOUR ideas. It is not as important to have

the best artwork as it is to present aconvincing point or argument for Safety.

The poster may be drawn freehand or maybe computer generated. You may use clipart

however, do not violate any copyright laws.Remember, posters will be judged oncontent and not necessarily the art abilitiesof the entrant.

A sample form for use at the squadron levelfor entries was previously sent out by email.Entries will become the property of the CivilAir Patrol and may be used in publicationsor as promotional materials. The decisionsof the judges are final. CAP will not be

responsible for lost, damaged, stolen or lateentries.

Eddie Shurbutt

2Lt. CAP

SER-AL-118

Alabama Wing Safety Poster Contest

Coordinator

Modified Cessnas will be used to

help train deploying Army, Marineforces

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. With the conversion of a Civil Air Patrolplane into a Surrogate Predator, the U.S.Air Force is relying on its auxiliary in amost imaginative way.

Were using a manned aircraft to simulatean unmanned aircraft, said CAP-U.S. Air

Force Commander Col. Bill Ward,explaining that a sophisticated Predatorball placed under the left wing of a Cessna182 belonging to CAP will give the planethe capability of mimicking the Air ForcesMQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper,unmanned aircraft that provide real-timedata to U.S. warfighters.


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The Air Force will use the SurrogatePredator to fill a critical training gap insupport of Army and Marine forces as theyprepare for deployment. Due to the Air

Force maximum surge effort to providemore MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reapersupport to ground units in CENTCOM, thereare no Predator or Reaper forces available tosupport pre-deployment exercises such asGreen Flag, which focuses on air-to-groundoperations, said Maj. Matt Martin, chief ofthe Predator/Reaper Ops Branch of AirCombat Command at Langley Air ForceBase, Va. The Surrogate Predator is thesolution.

Air Combat Command (ACC), with thesupport of Joint Forces Command, secured$2.5 million for the Surrogate PredatorProgram, once it was determined that CAPcould provide the needed training with itsdedicated patriotic citizen volunteers at afraction of the cost of the private contractorcurrently providing the training.

Weve seen nothing but enthusiasm and awillingness to help from the Civil Air Patrol,which is why we chose them to do thismission, said Martin.

Photo by Lon Carlson, L-3 Communications

With the Predator ball in place, the CAPplane-turned-Surrogate Predator has the

capability of locking onto a target andtracking it, said Ward, adding that theultimate goal is to broadcast streamingvideo. This will give our soldiers andMarines a real-time view of what is going

on, he said.

The complete release from NationalHeadquarters PA is available. You will findthe news release and photo online at CAP'snew online news site:www.capvolunteernow.com.

National Emergency ServicesAcademy

Alabama Wing was well represented at theNational Emergency Services Academy inJuly 2009. The academy consists of threecourses National Ground Search andRescue School, Incident Command SystemSchool and Mission Aircrew School. Eachcourse is divided into one-week sessionsfocusing on specific skills.

A total of 14 courses, including two for

prospective incident staff members, areoffered. Two new courses added this yearwill focus on mission communications andscanner/mission photography.

National Ground Search and Rescue Schoolprovides members the skills they need toexpertly perform ground searches. IncidentCommand System School covers the skillsneeded to be top-notch leaders and staffofficers at the incident command post and

other critical operating locations. MissionAircrew School teaches critical skills neededfor pilots and crew members to stay at thetop of their game.


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Capt. Sam Ogilive

"I'd like to extend my thanks to you andAlabama Wing for providing both vehiclesand an aircraft to support this year's NationalEmergency Services Academy. AlabamaWing ranked second in the country inattendees this year (37 attendees, rightbehind Illinois which sent 38). Alabamawas represented in all three main schools,Ground SAR School, Aircrew School, andIncident Command Staff School. From allreports, it was a very successful year." Lt.Col. Michael Long

Alabama 001Maj. David Hester

Alabama 005

C/SMSgt Michael BentleyC/MSgt Stephen K SmithC/MSgt Willliam W. Sheppard

Alabama 032

SM Tyler GreshamC/MSgt Alexander HaighC/SSgt Kyler GreshamC/SSgt Kerrily GreshamC/TSgt Joseph R. Spitzer

Alabama 075Capt. William Ott

Alabama 0872nd Lt. Howard L Holliman

C/SSgt William T. Blake, Jr.Cadet Aaron B HollimanCadet Austin W. HollimanCadet Cody L. Franklin

Alabama 1131st Lt. Keith O. Conway2nd Lt. Brian P MeierSM Charles D Murphy III

Alabama 117Maj. Amanda AndersonCapt. Samuel A OgilivieCapt. Gary E. ErnestC/MSgt Jessica A. Ernest

Alabama 118Maj. John M. Randolph, Sr.C/Col. Morgan B. BennettC/Capt. Mary A. ShurbuttC/2nd Lt. Peter J. Randoph,C/SSgt. Jerrod S. FinlayC/TSgt. Dakota Meads

Alabama 119Capt. J. Andrew BoyerSM Sterling HicksonSM Christopher B HulseyC/CMSgt Sarah A Folse


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C/SrA Lauren JarreauC/Amn Matt T. HannaC/Amn Michael G. Lemley

Alabama 801

C/2nd Lt. Ryan D. Erskine

AL/MS 2009 JOINT WING SUMMER

ENCAMPMENT

This years Alabama Mississippi JointSummer Encampment offered cadets achance to taste military life in the form ofuniform classes, drill and ceremoniesexercises, and physical training during a

seven day activity located at Ft. McClellanANGTC. A web site has been set up athttp://www.almsencampment.com.

Alpha Flight at Leadership ReactionCourse(LRCs) Names: Josiah Kargbo, JacobWilliams, Anthony Gentile, and Dylan Bennett.

Cadet staffers taught basics classes inleadership and aerospace. Basics learnedhow to navigate with a compass and how tolocate an emergency locator transmitter(ELT) with an L-per during an emergencyservices class. During the Drug DemandReduction presentation, cadets wereinformed about the dangers of drugs andalcohol, and also what CAP provides stateand local governments in this area. Some

of the cadets were able to wear drunkgoggles that distorted their vision similarlyto the effects of alcohol.

The encampment location at Ft. McClellan

allows cadets incredible chances to use theposts training facilities: an Army SpecialForces group spent a day with the basicsteaching them how to rappel off a 30-foottower. Basics were also able to use the FireArms Training Simulators, shoot digitaltargets with simulator weapons.

At the Leadership Reaction Course, cadetslearned how to work through obstaclescenarios as a team. Some cadets took a

flight on a C-130 while others flew in asmaller CAP-owned craft. Tours ofHoneywell, an airplane parts refurbishingfactory, were given. One morning cadetshonored military veterans by placingminiature American flags on graves at theFt. McClellan Military Cemetery.

Cadet Basic Jacob Penn places a flag at aveteran's grave at memorial cemetery.

During the graduation ceremony, each basicreceived a certificate of participation andawards are given for outstanding achievers:


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Encampment Honor Cadet wasawarded to Cadet Wesley Crabtree.

The Rising Star Award went toCadet Nick Bak.

The Cadet NCO of Encampment was

awarded to C/CMSt Sarah Folse. C/Major Adam Casey was awarded

the Cadet Officer of Encampment.

Outstanding Senior Officer ofEncampment was 2d. Lt. SethBrooks.

2nd Lt Nicole Hester

Mississippi Wing Encampment PAO

Cadets Assist in Bronze StarCeremony

Boaz, Ala.--"It may never happen again inour lifetime," said Maj. Randall Haneytalking about a ceremony during which C/2Lt Ryan Erskine assisted with the awardingof a Bronze Star and other delayed medals toMr. Dee Johnson a World War II veteranduring a ceremony at Boaz Middle School.

The Boaz Middle School Cadet Color Guardprovided honors for the ceremony. CadetErskine led the Pledge of Allegiance andassisted Brigadier General GenaroDellarocco, U. S. Army, and the HonorableRobert B. Aderholt, U S House ofRepresentatives make the presentation to

Mr. Johnson. Over 600 students and adultsattended the ceremony.

The history behind this presentation beganlast year.

Mr. Johnson had been awarded severalmedals for his service during WWII.Instead of staying away from his family towait and receive the awards, he chose to gohome to Alabama in 1946. The hope wasthat the medals would follow him and bepresented later.

Mr. Dee Johnson and Dr. Haney,maintenance officer for the Alabama Wing,

Civil Air Patrol, and assistant superintendentof schools for Boaz School System hadtalked about the medals. Dr. Haney, aftertalking with Rep. Alderholt about theprocess required to have the medalsawarded, passed the project to Ms. HeidiBattles, an eighth grade social studiesteacher, who in turn encouraged her studentsto work on the project, which they acceptedwith enthusiasm.

C/Sgt Katy Young, C/SrAmn Brittany Cothran,C/Sgt Jake Toney, Brig. Gen. Dellarocco,C/TSgt Justus Holland, C/2 Lt Ryan Erskine.

Once the medals were ready to be presentedto Mr. Johnson, the Boaz City Schools


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Squadron was asked to step in and help withthe ceremony.

The Bronze Star is awarded to any personwho, while serving in any capacity in the

Armed Forces of the United States, afterDecember 6, 1941, distinguishes himself byheroic or meritorious achievement or servicein connection with military operationsagainst an armed enemy. Mr. Johnson wasalso awarded a Combat Infantryman Badge,which is presented to personnel who werepresent and under hostile fire while servingin an infantry or Special Forces unit.

In addition to the Bronze Star, Johnson wasawarded an Honorable Service LapelButton, a Marksmanship Badge, ThePhilippine Liberation Ribbon, the WorldWar II Victory Medal, the Asiatic-PacificCampaign medal, the American CampaignMedal and the Good Conduct Medal.

A Magical Journey with IACE

As I cross the tarmac at PudongInternational Airport in Shanghai, I catch aglimpse of an Airbus 340 taxing towards itsgate. I immediately recognize the TurkishAirlines red fin flash as it turns the corner,entering the ramp-- the bright Red Crescentmoon and star gleaming in the evening sun.

This familiar sight brings back pleasantmemories of my recent trip to the magicalland of the Republic of Turkey.

This past summer I was honored to be an

Escort for the Civil Air Patrols sponsoredInternational Air Cadet Exchange. IACE, asit is known by its participants, is CAPspremier National Cadet Special Activity.The purpose of IACE is to fosterinternational understanding, good will andfriendship among young people who have aninterest in aviation.

The Alabama Wing was fortunate to havethree Cadets and a Senior Escort selected

this year to attend this opportunity of alifetime. In addition to my trip to Turkey, wehad C/Col Morgan Bennett go to Australia;C/LtCol Stephanie Petelos go to Japan andC/LtCol Aaron Hanes go to TheNetherlands. Highly sought after and verycompetitive, having three cadets attend thisultimate Special Activity attest our Wingsoutstanding Cadet Program.

As two of our Cadets headed to SanFrancisco for their westerly journey, CadetHanes and I began our journey by flying toWashington, DC for a two day orientationand tour of our Nations Capital. InWashington, I have a chance to meet myfellow Cadets traveling to Turkey. From theUnited States, we have Peter Johnson fromthe Pennsylvania Wing and KristopherPoskey from the Colorado Wing. We willsoon be joined by 12 other Cadets from 5other countries. In our group we have 4Cadets from Great Britain and 2 each fromBelgium, Canada, Hong Kong, and theNetherlands. Additionally, we are joined byfellow Escort, Paul Davies from GreatBritain. Paul was super to work with and weall made a great team.


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Our flight from Washington took us toFrankfurt, Germany and then on to Istanbulwhere we began our fantastic tour of theRepublic of Turkey. Once in Istanbul, wewere met by our host and new friend Uzay

Hacaoglu and her assistants Ozan Atakanand Ayse Kaman. I need to take the timenow to thank our wonderful host from theTurkish Aeronautical Association (TAA).They were most gracious in looking afterour every need. The fast paced scheduleover the next two weeks would requirepatience, foresight and creativity in guiding20 people through the jammed packedschedule. Our host did all this and did it withexcellence.

Beginning our tour in the renowned city ofIstanbul gave us our great first impression ofthe friendly people of Turkey. Istanbul alsogave us a glimpse of Turkeys long and richhistory. We had four days touring famoussights like the Blue Mosque, TopkapiPalace, Dolmabahce Palace and the Harbiyeand Rahmi Koc Museums. We took awonderful boat tour up the Bosphoruschannel to the Black Sea. We also toured theTurkish Airlines Training Center and flewthe Airbus Simulators. Our last eveningmeal in Istanbul we were fortunate to eat atIstanbul train depot, the last stop on thefamous Orient Express. Thanks again to ourTAA host in Istanbul for a wonderful timethere.

Our next journey towards the Aegean coastbegan with a ferry ride towards the city ofSelcuk and the Ancient City of Ephesus. Ourhost in Selcuk was again dedicated membersof the Turkish Aeronautical Association.(TAA) We were treated to a personal tourof the ancient city of Ephesus and a verymoving experience visiting the House of theVirgin Mary.

We visited the Kusadasi National Park andwent swimming in the sparking blue watersof the Aegean Sea. Once again it was hard tosay goodbye to our gracious TAA host inSelcuk. Many thanks for fantastic tours and

wonderful meals and accommodations.

Once again on the tour bus we headedtowards the middle part of Turkey for a stopin one of the most beautiful places I haveseen.... the TAA Glider training facility inInonu, Turkey. With an early afternoonarrival, we were able to saddle up quicklyfor a most memorable glider ride. Soaringabove the beautiful Turkish countryside wasan unforgettable experience. The next day

prior to visiting the Turkish Aircraft EngineIndustry, we were able to fly in a Russianbuilt AN-12. After tours at two Turkish AirForce Bases and a tour of the Turkish SpaceCamp, we headed towards the capital city ofAnkara.

Staying at the Headquarters for the TurkishAeronautical Association, we toured thecapital city in style. The most impressivetour on this portion of our trip had to be theMausoleum of the founding father ofmodern Turkey--- Ataturk. His vision for aprogressive and prosperous country withstrong ties to both the East and West hascome true. Strongly believing in educationof the arts, history, science and technology--- Ataturk truly supported the aviationmovement in Turkey and the creation of theTurkish Aeronautical Association. The TAAis a special organization held in high esteemby the Turkish people. They are proud oftheir TAA and justly proud of their countryand its wonderful heritage. We cannot thankthem enough for hosting us on a magicaljourney of a lifetime.

For more information about the InternationalAir Cadet Exchange (IACE) contact theAlabama Wing, Director of Cadet Programs,


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LtCol John [email protected] Colonel [email protected]

Lt. Col. Brad Lynn

Alabama Wing

Six Alabama CAP members attend

Region Staff College in July 2009

Lt. Col. Otha Vaughan and Capt. ErnieBlair, Huntsville Composite Squadron: Maj.John Neil and Capt. John Hawkins, AlabamaWing Staff; Maj. Jay Jerman, CentralAlabama Squadron; and Capt. Andrew

Boyer, Redstone Composite Squadronattended Region Staff College atMcGhee/Tyson ANG Base, Tennessee, inJuly 2009.

CAP Region Staff College is a professionalone-week in-residence leadership schooldesigned to prepare CAP Officers forservice at the wing and region staff level. Itis a part of the Professional DevelopmentProgram and is required for completion of

Level IV and promotion to the grade ofLieutenant Colonel.

"The Region Staff College was an intenseseven day class. The instructor student ratiowas at least one to one. It was very welldone and was definitely worth my time. Theexperience will help me in my personal life,my corporate life and in Civil Air Patrol. Iencourage anyone who it serious about theCAP to plan to attend this class at the

appropriate time in their personaldevelopment," according to Maj. Jerman.

Presentations by the staff provided criticallessons for the students. One in particularresonated with Capt. John Hawkins:Recruiting and retention as a problem to besolved not only across squadrons and wings,

but nationally as well. He said, We need totrain, rely on and use the majority ofmembers who are non-pilots. Pilots seem tobecome more involved quickly because theyare pilots. Many non-pilot members need to

be mentored and encouraged because theymay be the volunteers who leave Civil AirPatrol in two years. Accomplishments bynon-pilots and pilots need to beacknowledged."

Capt. Ernie Blair said, "It was an excellentexperience. A real pressure cooker of aweek. More work that you could possiblyget done by yourself. It forced us to dependon teamwork to get it all done."

Working with members of units from aroundthe Southeast Region provided all memberswith a variety of ways to accomplish themissions of Civil Air Patrol, whileenhancing the experience provided tovolunteers.

C/2nd

Lt. Esala Wueschner received

the Most Improved Pilot Award

Montgomery, Ala.--C/2nd Lt. EsalaWueschner a cadet from the MaxwellSquadron, Alabama Wing, received theMost Improved Pilot Award at the NationalFlight Academy, Powered, at Ft. Pickett,Virginia in July 2009. At the academyattendees receive formal ground instructionand cockpit time with a certified flightinstructor.

The academy is designed for cadets so thatthey have individual attention by mentors.The cadets receive 10 hours of hands onflight time, 25 hours of ground instructionand fly as an observer when someone else isreceiving instruction, when the opportunityis given.


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C/2nd Lt Wueschner wrote, It ended upbeing the greatest time of my life. I had thebest instructor that any one can have, TomDoyle, and a great partner, David Cole. I

wasnt sure that I was going to solo after myeight hours of training. David helped mewith my radio communications, so I hadsome hope of soloing. He kept telling methat I can do it. My instructor, Tom Doylesaid I needed to have three good landings tobe allowed to solo. At the 8.5 hour mark Ihad 4 good landings, so I was able to solo. Iwas scared at first, but once I was on therunway the only thing in my mind was dontcrash. I learned from the best. Im happy

that I soloed and made great friends.

"Successful" Grade on SAREVAL

Meridianville, Ala.The Alabama WingCivil Air Patrol earned a grade ofSuccessful for the search andrescue/disaster relief (SAR/DR) evaluationat Madison County Executive Airport. In

spite of heat index numbers approaching100, thirty-seven volunteers from across thestate signed in and were assigned air andground sorties. Eight CAP-USAF personnelgraded the mission, a simulation of SAR/DRactivities.

Lt. Col Brad Lynn, Capt. Ande Boyer, Lt. Col.Jeanne Spruill, and Capt Gary Bishop

Civil Air Patrol volunteers spent 400 manhours working the different aspects of themission, including both air and groundsorties. Additional time was spent inpreparation for the mission.

Tasks during the evaluation included aerialphotography of places in North Alabamawhich could be affected by serious weatherevents. Satellite Digital Imaging System(SDIS) operators photographed areas using

the satellite system as requested by officials.

A medical transport task was included toinsure that CAP pilots could support theAmerican Red Cross or other medical unitswho might ask for support. Radiocommunications between ground teams,aircraft and mission base personnel wouldbe critical during a real event. Mission basepersonnel set up HF and VHF radios to

insure that the various CAP componentscould send and receive messages.


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Operations and planning sections workedwith the scenario of two overdue aircraft andsimulated storm damage to assign missions.By early afternoon all parts of the exercisehad been accomplished. One practice target

was located in Cullman County by an airsortie and retrieved by a ground team guidedin by the aircraft. The second target wasfound west of Huntsville. Thirty-two airsorties were briefed and dispatched.

Redstone Cadets Celebrate Air

Force Birthday

Huntsville, AL On 15 Sep 09, theTennessee Valley Chapter of the Air ForceAssociation hosted a party honoring the62nd birthday of the U.S. Air Force. Thisevent was held at the American Legion Post237 in Huntsville, Alabama.

The event opened with the presentation andposting of colors by the CAP RedstoneComposite Squadron. Brig Gen GaryConnor (USAF, Ret) was the featured

speaker for the event and addressed thehistory of the Air Force and its role insecuring our nation's freedom today. BrigGen Connor also participated in a birthdaycake cutting ceremony with Cadetrepresentatives of the Civil Air Patrol andarea Air Force JROTC units.

The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the AirForce Association recognized Cadet FirstLieutenant Jonathan Allen as the 2009Outstanding Cadet in the RedstoneComposite Squadron. The chapter presented

Cadet Allen with a certificate and check for$100.

Brig Gen Gary Connor presents Cadet Allen withthe award certificate.

The party concluded with the recognition ofattendees that were members of the originalArmy Air Corps and with the singing of theAir Force Song.

1Lt. Kim Miller

Redstone Squadron PAO

Cadet Hislop attends Air Force Civil

Engineering Academy (AFCEA)

Huntsville, Ala. The week of June 21-172009, C/A1C Tyler Hislop attended the AirForce Civil Engineering Academy (AFCEA)located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. TheAFCEA exposes aspiring engineers involvedin Civil Air Patrols (CAP) Cadet programto Air Force career opportunities inengineering related fields. The academicelements of the course introduce the math,science and technology involved inengineering, encouraging the students


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continued development of those skills infulfillment of their career goals.

C/A1C Hislop took part in hands-onactivities, simulations and career shadowing

alongside Air Force officers involved in theRapid Engineer Deployable HeavyOperational Repair Squadron Engineer(RED HORSE) Squadron. RED HORSE,the most heavily armed engineering force inthe U.S. Air Force, are combat civilengineers who can build an airbase fromnothing but a cratered runway. C/A1C alsoparticipated in learning about fuel systems,facility hardening, base fire and rescue andwas given the opportunity to stop by the

pilot training facilities and the confidencecourse. One of the weeks highlights was towatch the demolition (blowing up) of theend of the runway.

The academy is one of 30 National CadetSpecial Activities sponsored by Civil AirPatrol this summer. These activities allowcadets to hone their skills in a variety ofareas, including search and rescue, flight andemergency services, leadershipfundamentals, citizenship and militarycourtesies, and to explore aerospacetechnology and aviation careers.

1Lt. Kim Miller

Redstone Squadron PAO

Shelby County Squadron's Family

Day at Flying X Ranch Airport

On Saturday, June 20th, Shelby CountySquadron hosted a family outing day at theFlying X Ranch Airport in Shelby County.The Flying X is the home of theBirmingham Soaring Society. Members andtheir families were able to canoe on the lakeand get flights in a BSS glider. A cookout,

glider flights and canoeing provided a greattime for all those who attended.

Shelby County flies with the Air National

Guard

Ten members of the Shelby County

Squadron AL-127 had an opportunity to flywith the 117th Air Refueling Wing based atBirmingham Airport. After a briefing, thegroup boarded the KC-135 and flew toPanama City, FL area where the crewrefueled four f-15s. Each of the CAPmembers were allowed to observe therefueling beside the boom operator andwatch the refueling up close. Members werealso allowed on the flight deck. The ShelbyCounty Squadron invited Birmingham area

Squadrons to participate for this flight.

Lt. Col. Johnny Ward

Shelby County Squadron


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Awards Given At San Antonio.

The Alabama Wing was awarded theSoutheast Region Search and RescueAward. The plaque was presented to Col.

Oakman in San Antonio, Texas, during theAward Ceremony at the NationalConference.

Col. Oakman and Maj. John Neil with the

Search and Rescue Award Plaque.

For FY 2008 Alabama Wing logged 62Missions, 51 Finds, two Saves after sevenactual crashes, including one helicopter andsix aircraft.

Lt Col. Harold Coghlan was awarded theSER Safety Officer of the Year at theceremony. C/1Lt Aaron Hanes waspresented as the SER Cadet of the Year andcandidate for National Cadet of the Year.Congratulations to all of those who receivedawards at the Conference.

Public AffairsArticles for the next wing newsletter are duebefore January 5th. Remember in CAPR190, news articles are to be sent to the Wingand to higher headquarters. Just publishingthem in the squadron newsletter does notmeet the requirements of the regulation.

Christmas celebrations, CAP anniversaryevents, Wreaths across American are allevents which take place in the next couple ofmonths.

Send pictures as jpeg attachments to yourarticles.

Maj. Pat Mitcham, CAPAlabama Wing, Public Affairs

Cell: 256-337-7523Home: 256-880-0623Mail: 1919 McDowling Drive

Huntsville, AL 35803

Veterans DayAlmighty, God, the cause of liberty is yours.It is likewise the cause of those who havedefended it against tyranny and oppression.Remembering the veterans who have servedin America's Armed Forces, we give youthanks. We are grateful that you inspiredtheir sense of patriotism and strengthenedthem in unselfish service. Their courage and

vigilance insured the freedom and peace weenjoy today. Grant we pray, O Lord, to eachof them a generous portion of your graceand to America, our native land, yourblessing. Amen.

From Book of Prayers, Civil Air Patrol Chaplain'sService


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The Alabama Wing Conference will take place on February 5th,6th, & 7th, 2010 at the Wynfrey Hotel, Riverchase Galleria, inBirmingham, Al.

The Alabama Wing Conference will begin Friday night at 6:00PM until 8:30 PM with the Commanders Reception.

Saturday morning starts at 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM with theGeneral Assembly and Awards Ceremony. Lunch will be on yourown. There are many restaurants around the Galleria Mallincluding a large food court within the mall itself.

The Break out seminars will be from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM; 6:00 to

7:00 PM.

Reception and the Banquet from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Early Bird Registration must be received by January 15, 2010.Email from Lt. Col. Boswell emailed details and forms forregistration, hotel and transportation assistance requests.Additional information will be in the January 2010 Newsletter.

alabama wing - oct 2009

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