wyoming wings magazine, june 2010

8/9/2019 Wyoming Wings Magazine, June 2010

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Wyoming

Wings

Wyoming

Wings

June 2010


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W WThe Wyoming Wings is an autho-

rized magazine published three

times a year in the interest of the

members of Wyoming Wing,

Civil Air Patrol. The printers

are a private rm in no way con-

nected with the Department of

the Air Force or Civil Air Patrol.

Opinions expressed by the pub-

lishers and writers are their own

and not to be considered ofcial

expression by Civil Air Patrol or

the Air Force. The appearance of

advertisements in this publica-

tion, including supplements and

inserts, does not constitute an

endorsement by Civil Air Patrol

or the Department of the Air

Force of products and services

advertised.

H HEADQUARTERS H

Wyom W

Cv Ar PatroBd. 233

Warre AFB

(307) 773-4519

Fax (307) 773-4783

H MAiling ADDRESS H

Wyom W

Cv Ar Patro

P. O. Box 9507

Cheyee, WY 82003-9507

W CommaderCll sta skrabut

Edtor

1t Lt. Ja st-Hutr

For formato o

adverts rates ad space,

pease ca

1-800-635-6036

Letter frm

the EitrCapta Ja st-Hutr

I want to thank everyone who makes this magazine asuccess. Without the input of our members there would beno Wyoming Wings magazine.

You may notice that some units have a lot of articles. Ichallenge the other units, especially the cadets, to send metheir info too! I would love to have so many articles fromeach unit that the magazine would have to be expanded, orso that an entire section could be dedicated to each squad-ron or ight!

If you read an article elsewhere you think would be ofinterest to your fellow members, just let me know. In most

cases, we can reprint it. If you plan to participate in anysquadron or wing activities, take your camera and send methe pictures with either an article about the event or justa few words describing the photos. If youre leading anactivity, send me the info ahead of the event and Ill get itin the magazine.

Not a good writer? No problem. Send me anything hand written, typed, misspelled words, poor grammar,

whatever. Ill edit your submission before publication.

Great articles could be written about your experiencesoutside CAP where your CAP training has provided youan advantage, events you attend with other Wings or at thenational level and in some cases activities not related toCAP which other Wing members will nd interesting.

Thanks Again!


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2010 Civil Air PatrolAnnual Conference

San Diego Marriott Marina

September 1-4, 2010

Dear CAP Member,

You are cordially invited to attend the 2010 CAP Annual Conference & National Board

in San Diego, California, Sept. 1-4. Take this opportunity to meet with members and lead-

ers from across the country or take advantage of the many seminars that will be offered. To

register you can visit www.capmembers.com/events and select the Annual Conference &National Board Option.

The hotel cutoff for the discounted rate of $149 ends on July 31. If you register online

by this date, you will be entered automatically into the drawing for a free laptop computer

to be given away at the conference.

s u sa D!


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I have a confession. Every

time I get in the air, I feellike I am getting away withsomething. Feelings of guilty

pleasure turn the corners of mymouth into a permanent smile

when airborne. When the goodthing comes to an end, I am notdisappointed; I am filled withthe joy of having own.

Of course, one thing youmust know is that I live in one

of the most remarkable placeson the planet. How can you yover Eagle Peak, the highestpeak in Yellowstone NationalPark, and not marvel at the snowcovered 11,358 foot summit.Ive seen it countless times fromthe ground. Cold winter days,looking over the frozen expanseof Yellowstone Lake, tellingmy then snowmobile clients

about that peak which sits deepwithin the volcanic AbsorokaMountains. Ive seen it once

Aventure f a R ki e ,Part II

B Kath Cla

light snow fall year left us emptyhanded for avalanche images sowe headed east over our littletown of Jackson and north over

the elk refuge. Acres and acresof yellow grasslands below anda herd of elk making a watercrossing captured our view. OverPacific Creek, Pilgram Creek,by Huckleberry Mountain andan eastern turn before MountSheridan. Tim watched the ver-tical plume of a geyser eruptingbelow. It was a winter wonder-land below. Cracks cut across

a frozen Yellowstone Lake andsoon we passed over SylvanPass. The snow-covered land-scapes changed to hues of goldsand browns. We landed in Codyto enjoy a hot cup of coffee asour plane was fueled.

The day remained blue skyand turbulent-free. We took toTeto Rae December 2009

from the air.

Pilot Tim Cully and I had a

mission. We departed JacksonHole Airport two days after

Christmas and flew the TetonRange to the south in quest ofphotographing avalanches. A

The Red Hs of the gros Vetre Draae


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7 7

the sky again and headed south-east toward Owl Pass. Havingspent a summer horse pack tripin the Shoshone Wilderness, Iam captivated by the practicallyinaccessible Washakie Needles

which lie at the southern end ofthe Absoraka Range. My excite-ment level increased when Irealized we were heading justto the south of those twin peaks.Tim flew me on a remarkablevisual journey of the Washakie

Needles and I struggled withthe constant conflict of inter-est in looking through the lens,anxious to capture the beautybelow, and the anguish at notlooking at it without the camerain the way. This most remoteand enchanting country reeks ofmystery and intrigue.

A pass over Lava Mountainrevealed its name sake. I hadbeen all around this mountain

in the winter on a snowmobilebut now, from the air, seeing itsfolded snow-covered lava ow,I gained a new appreciation forits title. Images were captured of

a repeater tower perched on thetop of Lava Mountain and webegan our journey back home,flying down the Gros Ventre

drainage.Looking down to the stick

gure trees, which remain fromthe Purdy Fire of 2006, wesoared over a drainage filled

with hills of color. I lookedup Crystal Creek drainage andissued out a silent hello to my

friends who manage the lovelyRed Rock Dude Ranch. Thered hills color the landscape out

my window and I capture theirwinter sugar-coated beauty. Fullcircle back over the refuge witha north heading then turning

south for a fine landing, I step

out of the Cessna knowing againwhat delight it is to be lled withthe joy of having own!

Washake needes, Shoshoe Wderess

Fows of lava Mouta, Brder-Teto natoa Forest

HBElOW: Eae Peak,Yeowstoe natoa Park


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Continued on page 35 . . .

(DATELINE, CHEYENNE,Wyo.) Heather Gould of She r i dan , pa r t i c i pa t ed i nthe Civil Air Patrols CivicLeadership Academy from Feb.20 to Feb. 27 in Washington,D.C., one of 24 top cadetsselected for this activity.

The CLA, an academicallyintense, interactive study of U.S.government in action, providesparticipants the opportunity togrow as citizens and young lead-ers through lessons in persua-

sive leadership, federal govern-

ment, public service careers andAmerican heritage.

Gould, a member of the

Wyoming Wing, Cloud Peak

Composite Squadron has dis-tinguished herself in numerous

ways. Her accomplishmentsinclude: Major General JohnF. Curry Award, Billy MitchellAward, Flight Commander,Amelia Earhart Award, WrightBrothers Award, Solo PilotRating, Ground Team MemberLevels 3 and 2 and Public AffairsOfcer. Gould, has been a CAPcadet since 2005.

Civic Leadership Academyprovides cadets an unrivaledopportunity to gain a well-rounded understanding of lead-

ership, public service and theprinciples that guide our nation,said Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter,CAPs national commander and

Heather Gul Gain UnparalleleAcce t Natin Capital

Thrugh Civil Air Patrl AcaemCLAs founding director. Thisactivity empowers our cadets toapply those principles in their ownlives and to be thoughtful par-

ticipants in our nations future.There is a real career threadrunning throughout the pro-

gram, according to Lt. Col. Bill

Brockman, CLA activity directorand founding faculty member.In addition to a blend of field

trips, lectures, seminars andassigned readings from historicand current sources, Gould andthe other CLA cadets will visitthe U.S. Capitol; the SupremeCourt; the State Department;Arlington National Cemetery,

laying a wreath at the Tomb

of the Unknown Soldier; theCentral Intelligence Agency;the Pentagon; legislative ofces;and the Smithsonian Air andSpace Museum, as well asWorld War II, Korea, Vietnam,Women in Military Service andLincoln memorials. They willalso encounter VIP speakers atthese locations who will provideinsights designed to deepen their

understanding of government

in action. Their CLA tasks willculminate with a final project a presentation on their CLAexperience they will give to theirpeers in their home squadronsand wings.

The success of CLA hasbeen to keep the cadets engaged

in activities they could not doon their own, said Brockman.The cadets are not just learningabout government, but also, howto interact with government, howthey can be involved to makea difference, and how to lookfor internship opportunities.

In recognition of the programsoutstanding academic value,The National Association ofSecondary School Principals hasagain placed CLA on the NationalAdvisory List of Contests andActivities for 2009-10.

In addition to their activities,Gould and the other CLA cadetswill participate in CAPs 2009Legislative Day on Feb. 25 by

working alongside their wingcommanders to brief legislatorson how CAPs primary missions search and rescue, emergencyservices, aerospace educationand cadet programs have ben-eted their communities.

Legislat ive Day wil l beheld in conjunction with CAPsWinter National Board meet-ing, which is slated for Feb. 26-27 at the Crystal City Marriottin Arlington, Va. The CAPNational Board consists of 69members representing each state,Puerto Rico and the District ofColumbia, within the organiza-tions eight regions. The boardis CAPs policy-making arm


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CAPs SLS Course

You can do it the Hard Way

OrThe Easy Way

You Choose

CAP has a few courses out there that help us,as Senior Members, develop in our CAP career.The rst one out of the blocks is the SquadronLeadership School (SLS). There is a new revised(SLS) version, and is being offered as an On-line course or one it can be put on the OldFashioned way.

Ive just nished the on-line IG course. It wassort-a-Ok, but Im a teacher and like the Old

Fashion ways of instruction. I like to see facesand the interaction that takes place. The course wastouted to take only 6 hrs. Guess Im not that smartand took twice that, stretched over 5 days. But .On-line courses can be done at your leisure.

I was asked to ll-in as instructor to an SLS

B Lt. Cl. mk Carl

course and I enlisted the help of Capt. RobertGiese. The SLS Course was being run the sametime (27-28 March) as a Commanders Call anda Mountain Fury Course at the Parkway Plaza inCasper. Instead of having classrooms close to thecheck-in area we were put out back in a buildingthat is part of a Putt-putt arcade. The MountainFury folks got the downstairs area while we andthe Commanders Call folks got the upstairs. Heattends to rise and thats what happened here. Theupstairs was pumping out the heat while down-stairs was cold. A bit of ventilation and the situ-ation became tolerable to continue. Three seniormembers signed-up for the course: 2nd Lt. JohnThorne (Wing), 1st Lt. Allen Martin (Casper), and2nd Lt. Theodore Twiford (Casper).


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Well into our

course curriculum

Col. Skrabut calledeveryone down-stairs. By the look ofthings the Colonel

was going to makesome presentations.

Low-and-behold theColonel called onme, and I thought;

Now what didI do wrong?

looks like I was therecipient of the 2008WY Wing SeniorM e m b e r o f t h eYear, and awardeda plaque.

Back to the SLS Course ..it covers the following areas:

Ofcership & Public Trust Intro to Professional Development

Squadrons: The Heart of CAP Squadron Staff Ofcers Individualized Training in Staff Specialties Intro to Leadership The Staff Ofcer as Communicator Creative Thinking & Problem Solving

We managed to take the 16 hour course andwhittle it down to 13 hrs. Most of the reductioncame due to not being able to connect to theinternet. Surprising how much we depend on that.

Lots of GOOD discussions occurred which, in mybook, is the heart of improvement.

So, The Hard Way or The Easy Way???Which style do you like?? Do you like the eye-to-eye contact, or, are you self motivated to workon-line through course work? You Choose. H


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A History of F.E. Warren AFBT h e W y o m i n g W i n g

Headquarters is located on

F.E. Warren Air Force Base inCheyenne. The base provides

the Wing with one of the historicbuildings on the main thorough

fare, Randall Avenue. Severalprominent persons in Civil Air

Patrol history played roles in the

bases development.It was on the branch of the

South Platte River, three mileswest of what is today Cheyenne

that Fort D. A. Russell was estab-lished in 1867. Originally namedin honor of Civil War BrigadierGeneral David A. Russell, F. E.Warren Air Force Base is the old-est continuously active militaryinstallation within the Air Force.Its home to the 90th MissileWing and Headquarters, 20thAir Force, of Air Force GlobalStrike Command.

When President Lincolnand Congress set plans for the

transcontinental railroad, theyrecognized the need for a mili-tary installation to protect UnionPacific workers from hostileIndians. On July 4, 1867, therailroad established its mountain

region headquarters at CrowCreek Crossing, later knownas Cheyenne. A few weekslater, the U.S. Cavalry movedfrom temporary headquarters inCheyenne to a point three miles

west and established Fort D.A. Russell. Thus, 1867 was thebeginning of a city and a fort,and both have grown togetherover the years.

Detachments of the 30th

Cavalry formed the first garri-

son, under the command of Col.

John D. Stevenson. For a brieftime the troops lived in tents,

but during the winter of 1867-68they moved into wood-framequarters. The dwellings wereset in the shape of a diamond,

instead of a rectangle, to protectagainst harsh winter winds thathowled across the then treelesshigh plains. The diamond opened

to the east and measured 800 by

1,040 feet. The entrance to theoriginal fort was at a point next tothe present day Chapel .

The rst troops stationed herelived the rough frontier life, whichmeant coping with the rigors ofthe weather in winter and withIndians in spring and summer.

In 1876, troops from FortRussell participated in the GreatSioux Indian Wars, the same in

which Lt. Col. Custers forceswere defeated.

Fort Russell was made a per-manent post in 1884 because ofits strategic location. In 1885,the War Department orderedthe post be rebuilt to serve

eight infantry companies. TheArmy built 27 red brick build-ings for $100,000 to replace theolder wood frame structures,and planted thousands of trees.

The last expansion of the base

took place in the early 20thcentury when large barracksalong Randall Avenue wereconstructed. Many of the earlybrick buildings were stables thathoused nearly 20,000 horses andmules. From 1885 to 1930, more

than 220 brick buildings wereerected; all remain in use today.

The base maintains thehistoric exterior of each build-ing with appropriate interiormodi f i ca t ions for todaysliving and working environ-ment. Because of the lastingintegrity of the bases historicarchitecture and setting, thecentral core of the base waslisted on the National Register

of Historic Places in 1975

and the base was designated aNational Historic Landmark.

In 1866, Congress formedfour black regiments: the 9th and10th Cavalry and 24th and 25thInfantry. The 25th Infantry wasthe only unit that didnt serve atFort D. A. Russell. Black soldierswere called Buffalo Soldiers,a title originating from Native

Americans who likened the sol-

diers to the spiritual buffalo.I n 1 8 9 8 , t h e S p a n i s h -

American War brought renewedimportance to the post. Soonafter President McKinley senta message to Congress, the 8thInfantry left Fort D. A. Russellfor Cuba. Later, the WyomingNational Guard mustered into

service at the post and departedfor duty in the Philippines. In the

battle for Manila, the WyomingGuard was the rst battalion toreach the walls of the city and toraise the ag.

In 1901, troops from FortRussel l again went to thePhilippines to help put down aninsurrection and bring peace tothe Pacic. They returned with


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a Queen Mary Tudor cannonforged in 1557 and the Bells ofBalangiga. The seven-foot can-non, the only one of its kind inAmerica, and the bells, whichhad been used by insurrectionists

as a signal to launch an ambushon American troops, are on dis-play near the base agpole.

In 1906, Secretary of WarWilliam H. Taft recommendedFort Russell expand to a bri-

gade-size post. By 1910, the con-struction of red brick quarters,two-story barracks, offices andstables had tripled the area of the

post. During this era, artillery

units were assigned there, andthe facility increased in size toaccommodate troop training withthe latest 20th century weapons.

From 1913 to 1916, duringthe Mexican Revolution, postartillery units were stationed alongthe border to prevent the struggle

from coming onto American soil.During World War I, the postserved as a mobilization point and

training facility for eld artilleryand cavalry groups. As WorldWar I began, Fort Russell had

become one of the largest militaryposts in the United States.

What stands as quarters #2today was, in 1885, the postcommanders home. By tradi-tion, the post commander alwaysoccupied the largest house onpost. Hence, the commandermoved into quarters #8 whenit was built in 1903. Quarters#2 was then assigned to thefamily of Capt. John BlackJack Pershing, who later ledAmerican forces in Europe dur-ing World War I. Capt. Pershing

married U.S. Senator FrancisE. Warrens daughter, but she

preferred staying with her fatherwhen her husband was on cam-paign. Due to the influence ofSenator Warren, Capt. Pershingwas promoted to general withinsix months of his marriage.

Pershing was promoted toGeneral of the Armies, a posi-

tion shared by only one other

man, Gen. George Washington.

In 1927, the last cavalryunits left the installation, ending

60 years of cavalry history atFort Warren. In 1930, PresidentHoover issued a proclamationchanging the name of the post toFort Francis E. Warren, honor-

ing Wyomings territorial gov-ernor and first state governor.

Warren was a U.S. Senator for37 years. He received the Medalof Honor when he was 19 forheroism during the Civil War.

Other well-known figuresstationed here include Gen.Billy Mitchell (the Father ofthe Air Force), Gen. MarkClark (World War II general

in Europe), Gen. Benjamin O.Davis, Sr. (rst black general),Dr. Walter Reed and singerSammy Davis, Jr., EntertainersNeil Diamond and Chris LeDouxgrew up at this installation.

Dur i ng W or l d W ar I I ,Fort Warren was the trainingcenter for up to 20,000 of theQuartermaster Corps. More than280 wooden buildings were con-structed without insulation andinterior walls to temporarilyhouse the increased number oftroops. In the harsh Wyoming

winter, waking up in these bar-racks often meant shaking snowfrom ones blanket before head-ing for the just-as-cold com-munal showers. A prisoner of

war camp was also constructedat that time.

Even though this installa-

tion became an Air Force base in1947, the only aireld ever at F.E. Warren was a single dirt strip.

This field, never used by mod-ern day pilots, was made famousby World War I ace Cap. EddieRickenbacker who crashed hisplane on the eld - and survived!The aireld was used in 1919 bythe Western Flying Circus, thenled by Maj. Carl Tooey Spaatz(later promoted to general and the

rst Air Force Chief of Staff).Warren was initially used as

a training facility. In 1958, the4320th Strategic Missile Wingwas established with responsi-bility for 24 Atlas missile sitesunder Strategic Air Command.Although not the rst designatedmissile wing, Warren becamethe first fully operational mis-

si le wing in the command.On Sept. 2, 1960, the 564thStrategic Missile Squadron was

declared the first fully opera-tional Intercontinental BallisticMissile squadron.

Only two years later, thenew Minuteman replaced theAtlas, and on July 1, 1963, the90th Strategic Missile Wingwas act ivated. Dur ing theearly 1970s, the SAC ICBMForce Modernization Programbegan replacing Minuteman Iwith Minuteman III missiles.In November 1973, the 400thStrategic Missile Squadronmarked the transition by becom-ing the first all Minuteman IIIsquadron at Warren. The 90thStrategic Missile Wing wasselected to base the Peacekeeper

Continued . . .


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missile in 1975. Warren washome to the Peacekeeper missilefrom 1986 to 2005, when deac-tivation was completed. Warrenmissile elds currently maintain150 Minuteman III missiles.

During a period of Air Forcereorganization in the early 1990s,Warren transitioned from SACto Air Combat Command, to

Air Force Space Command andnally, in December of 2009 fellunder Air Force Global StrikeCommand. The current realign-ment was designed to encom-pass similar ICBM and bomberoperations under a single com-mand. The 90th Strategic MissileWing was also renamed the 90thMissile Wing. The wing becamethe 90th Space Wing on October1, 1997. The wing returned tothe 90th Missile Wing designa-tion July 1, 2008.

For more than 136 years, themen and women of Warren haveexcelled as Guardians of theHigh Frontier. Whether protect-ing a railroad or the Americanway of life through its strategicdeterrent, Warren has been at

the forefront of our nations

defense, and will continue to doso long into the future.

Source

F.E. Warren AFB Ofce Web Site H

Hitr F.E.Warren AFBContinued . . .

My name is Phil Stahla, a Senior Member of the WY069Civil Air Patrol Squadron located in Gillette, Wyoming. I alsoqualify as a SENIOR member, my silver hair proves my eligi-bility for that elite group of CAP members. I joined the CAP forthe second time about a year ago, with the goal of becoming apilot for the CAP.

I have nally qualied as a transport pilot, completing allthe CAP and FEMA tests and requirements. The FEMA testswerent hard, just time consuming. The Form 91 check ride is

a good refresher course for all pilots, it will keep all of us safer,and it was fun ying with Orville Moore. He has a lot of experi-ence that he is willing to share with CAP pilots at no charge.Now thats a good deal!

Now that Ive put most of you to sleep, Ill get to the reasonsyou should join the CAP.

First of all, Im a pilot, and I get to talk ying with otherpilots, and even the non-pilots like to hear about ying, and allthe things that happen to pilots, including the near miss storiesthat keep getting longer and the clouds get lower, the ice gets

thicker on the wings, the remaining fuel gets less, and of course,how we greased the landing with a 30 knot crosswind gustingto 50knots.

Its just like shing, we just get to go faster and higher.I really enjoy the meetings, because theres always some-

thing to learn, and its fun and relaxing to talk and learnabout stuff that most pilots and wannabees like to talk about.Basically, theyre a bunch of nice people that want to help otherpeople when the time comes, and were gonna try and havesome fun along the way.

If you would like to help other people and have some funalong the way, plus get to y a darn nice aircraft, if you qualify,then you need to join the Civil Air Patrol. Its a challenge toget to the top, but its worth the effort, and you might be ableto help someone down the road, and its nice to know thattheres a bunch of nice people waiting to help you if you needit someday!

Its cool to be part of the US Air Force. When do we get aride in the F-22?

WHy sHoULd yoUjoIN THE CAP?

Phl stahla sm, Wy069 squadr, glltt, W


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W W

Lauch nw Wbt

http://stes.ooe.com/a/capwyhq.or/wywcap/home

The Wyoming Wing was forced to close its Ning website recently when the

sites operators instituted a fee. Col Skrabut has created an entirely new website

to allow Wing members and anyone interested in the Wing to follow ouractivities and learn about us.

The new site is located at http://sites.google.com/a/capwyhq.org/wywgcap/home.

Wheatlan PrmtinMarch 2010

On 30 March 2010 Wheatland Composite Squadron held a promotion ceremony for cadets. Cadet

Tyler Stovall was promoted to C/SMSgt. Cadet Radford received his C/A1C stripes he had not receivedat the last promotion ceremony. Cadet Airman Basics Bailey Roth, Wesley Sturdivant and Kelley Sterlingwere sworn in as CAP members and Cadets Roth and Sturdivant received their rst stripe.

Congratulations to those promoted and we hope next time to have a few more receive their stripes aswell. The next promotion is planned for the Unit Anniversary celebration in mid May.


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Chairman of the Joint Chiefsof Staff Adm. Mike Mullenhas released his social-mediastrategy, which details goalsof increasing interaction withTwitter and Facebook follow-ers and identifying new social-media platforms to use.

Mullen started using Twitterin April 2009 and has sinceopened accounts at Facebook,

YouTube, iTunes and Flickr,and launched the ChairmansCorner Blog. Recognizing thereis room for improvement in his

social-media efforts, Mullen andhis Ofce of Public Affairs havecreated a 2010 plan to make themost out of the new media.

The Chairmans 2010 SocialMedia Strategy outlines fourgoals to achieve in the next six to

12 months, which include engag-ing with followers, assimilatingsocial-media content creation intoexisting Joint Staff processes andproducts, leading the discussionand focusing questions throughsocial media, and expanding theonline audience.

To better engage with fol-lowers on Facebook and theChairmans Corner blog, the

director of social media and theoutreach staff will create profes-sional Facebook profiles (Rick

scial Meia strateg

at the Joint Staff) that identiesthem as Mullens representa-tives. A FAQs page will be builton JCS.mil to cut down on thenumber of queries that comein. To further interact with thepublic, the plan suggests usingFacebook Chats where a publicaffairs ofcer or subject matterexpert will answer questions foran hour on the site.

The plan further states thatMullens goal should be to sendtwo Tweets a month about bookshe is reading, leisure activityon the weekend or some othertopic not related to work. Bydeveloping a video capability,it will be possible to show shortbehind-the-scenes clips thatallow allowing the public tovirtually embed with the chair-

man. These clips could also beused to conduct outreach eventswith schools and organizationsthat send questions over socialmedia at the conclusion of theevent or trip.

The strategy also sets goals

for expanding and improving

site traffic for the Joint StaffWebsite, increasing MullensTwitter followers and Facebook

fans, and upping iTunes down-loads, Flickr picture viewsand Chairmans Corner views.

According to the plan, achievingthese goals will require contin-ued promotion of the sites and

posting of viral or newswor-thy content. It will also requireMullen to mention his onlinepresence during All Hands Callsand incorporate them into appro-priate speeches.

The social media directorwill also work to identify new

or emerging platforms to cre-ate a presence for the chairmanand the Joint Staff by providingsocial media business cards at allevents as a source of more infor-mation. Aides, speech writers,and personal assistants will sendemails explaining CJCS onlinepresence during coordination forevents and request distributionto the audience. The strategy

also mentions advertising JCS.mil on Info Link Kiosks and at-screen picture displays in thePentagon as means of reachingmore people.

All the goals will be includedon the monthly Social MediaStatistics in order to monitorprogress over the next half-year.

The Chairmans Public AffairsOffice will conduct a review

of the four goals and adjust thecorresponding objectives inSeptember 2010.


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The Wheatland Composite

Squadrons latest rocket launchwas held 20 March 2010. Itwas a little chilly and a tadbit windy which may haveaccounted for some lift offproblems we had. But, all in

Wheatlan Cmpitesquarn Rcket Launch

Lt. Cl. Auta mcDald

all, we had a great day.We arrived at Phifer Field

in Whea t land a t approx i -

mately 0900 hrs. Braving thechilly morning were: Lt. Col.McDonald, Major Cornell ,Major Hawley and Rocket

Dog (Louisa May Alcott),2nd Lt. Schilreff, C/2nd LtCourt, C/MSgt Stovall, C/TSgtGutierrez, C/SSgt Sterling, S.,C/SrA Jones, C/AB Roth, C/AB Sturdivant, C/AB Sterling,K., and 4-H youth Marissa


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Rukavina and Brenden Roth.The highest altitude achieved

by a cadet or 4- H youth was412 feet. The highest altitudereached by an adult was 461.7ft. This time we launched bothAlpha III and Viking rockets.

Major Cornell also had a largesilver rocket.

When we nished our lunchwe loaded into vehicles andtraveled down to Chugwater,actually 10 miles south of Chugwater, and toured the facili-ties of Frontier Astronautics.

Mr. Timothy Bendel took usthrough his facility and told usbits of history as we went. Mr.Bendel was a cadet as a youth. Itwas rewarding for the cadets tosee the career of a prior cadet. Ithink this was our very best eldtrip so far. H


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27 27

June 2010, Vol 1. No. 1

We Gt the Car Hme, but!Len learne frm twing a iable vehicle

B Da Rllr, 1t Lt., CAP (in-002, mr Cut Cpt squadr)

Prior to a planned visit to see my son and his family, their car had broken down in a small town inCentral Texas about four hours from their home in Wichita Falls. My son, Paul, is an Air Force technicaltraining instructor at Sheppard Air Force Base. I tell this story with his permission.

Fortunately, Pauls pickup truck was more than capable of towing the smaller car on a car dolly, whichwe located at a nearby U-haul outlet. After carefully loading the car onto the dolly and double-checkingeverything we headed home with the car nicely in tow.

Then it happened. About half-hour from home the trailer jerked the truck and swayed back and forthbehind the truck. Thankfully, Paul didnt panic. He let off the accelerator, slowed the truck down and

pulled off on the shoulder. The hitch pin was missing and the draw bar was out of the receiver lying onthe pavement. Fortunately, the safety chains had done their job and my sons proper action in getting thesituation under control resulted in only one minor scrape mark on the draw bar.

Lesson 1: Safety consciousness does not make you invulnerable.

In his job as a technical school instructor, Paul practices safety in the classroom every day. He teachessafety to young men and women learning to maintain Air Force equipment. Moreover, he was a formerunit safety NCO. We had looked over everything after loading the car. So, how did this happen to some-one who lives safety every day?

The rst lesson we learned that day was that safety consciousness does not make one invulnerable.

Lesson 2: If you havent done something in a while, rethink it

Fortunately, almost every other vehicle on the road in Texas is a pickup with a towing package andafter a passing motorist provided us with a replacement hitch and cotter pins, we re-hooked the trailer tothe truck. Then the problem became apparent: the cotter pin that holds the hitch pin in place had beeninstalled incorrectly for that type of hitch pin.


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In a former job, Paul routinely towed equipment around the ightline. The Air Force uses hitch pinsthat have a hole in them and common practice is to push the cotter pin clear through to the largest partof the pin. So, for the cotter pin to come out of a hitch pin with a hole, it has to pass through two placeswhere the pin comes together. The hitch pin that my son was using on this day was grooved and so push-ing it clear through to the larger rounder portion of the pin caused it to bounce off during towing and thedraw bar to come out of the receiver. As important as the proper installation of safety pins is, a broader

application to safety in general is made.

The second lesson we learned that day was that, if you have not done something in a while,

rethink it.

Lesson 3: Watch how a person is doing something, not just that

they are doing something.

I thought I was doing a good job in helping with the loading. I stood behind Paul and watched himinstall the cotter pin, but I never looked down and inspected how he installed it. There is no guarantee that

I would have caught this, but it would have been one more attempt to prevent this incident.

The third lesson we learned that day is that when you are helping with an operation, check how things

are done, not just that they are done.

Lesson 4: When youre tired, slow down.

After nishing the trip we had the car parked on the dolly in front of my sons house. We were safelyhome! Or, were we? We quickly undid the ratchet straps over the wheels and my son jumped in to backthe car off the dolly. Then I noticed that we had not put down the ramps. While backing the car off thedolly without using the ramps would not have resulted in injury, there is a good chance some front end

damage to the car could have occurred when it caught on the back end of the dolly before it dropped a footor so to the pavement. After putting the ramps down, we were ready to safely back the car off the dolly.Or, were we?

Next, the front wheels (front-wheel drive car) began spinning on the dolly. At rst, we thought thedolly was slick as we had been driving through some rain. Then, we realized that we had not removed theadditional set of safety chains wrapped around the frame, and added measure of safety if the ratchet strapsover the tires failed. After removing the safety chains and this time safely backing the car off the dolly, weboth realized we were going too fast for being as tired as we were.

The nal lesson we learned that day is that when you are tired, you should slow down, as you are

probably the most vulnerable to an incident or accident.

The story does have a happy ending. We did get the car safely home and a $100 or so in parts xedit good as new. And, we learned four important lessons to share from the experience: you are never toosafety conscious to be invulnerable from an accident or incident, rethink operations you have not per -formed in a while, watch how a person does something, not just how they are doing it, and when you aretired, slow down. Be safe.


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Wyoming Wing

Civil Air PatrolConferenceMark Your Calendar Now and Plan to Attend the Wyoming Wing Conference

September 18 19, 2010

Best Western Ramkota InnCasper, WY

Please contact Lt. Col. Susan McDonald with questions.

inSTRUCTORS ARE STill nEEDED FOR ClASSES.

July 10-11 SAREX (Casper)

July 17-25 Regional Staff College (Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs)

July 20-22 IACE (Cheyenne)

July 30-August 8 Encampment (Camp Guernsey)

August 16-22 Air Force Guided Training Exercise (Casper)

September 1-4 National Board and Conference (San Deigo)

September 15 Wyoming Wings Magazine Deadline

September 18-19 Wyoming Wing Conference (Casper)

September 25-26 SAV Staff Assisted Visit (Wing HQ)

October 9-11 Corporate Learning Course

January 15 Wyoming Wings Magazine Deadline

Wing CALenDAR


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Take a moment to think about opportunities that youve missed in your lifetime because you hesitated, did nothave the self-condence, lacked information to make a decision, or even worried about what other people wouldthink or say. If youre like the average human being, youve thought of several of these moments which havehad a signicant impact on your life.

Now take a look at the other side of the coin. Have you ever had someone give you that little nudge, that extraboost of condence, the right information, or even taken you aside to show you how to do something you neverthought youd be able to do? Each and every person has a memory of that special person thats made a differencein their life or career path.

Recruiting and mentoring go hand in hand. Dont miss the opportunity to recruit an individual that you believeis talented and would benet your organization. You may be that person who gives the encouragement needed tomake someone a great community asset!

Recruiting is dened as seeking out an engaging someone for work or service and mentoring is taking that one stepfurther. Mentoring is dened as the sharing of skills, knowledge, information and perspective to foster the personaland professional growth of someone else. It doesnt sound much different than parenting because its not!

Here are a few simple steps to seek out the opportunities to recruit and mentor someone else:

1. Seek out ood peope. You ask yourself how to do that? Throughout history our skills, information andculture have been passed down through generations by simple story telling. Dont be afraid to talk aboutwhat you do, and express the pride and satisfaction you have from doing what you enjoy. Be it ying, sports,carpentry, or just a hobby that you love dearly. Soon you will start to recognize those who have the samepassions that you have. Step one complete!

2. Take the opportuty to tra ad mpart that structoa kowede. Here is where the mentoringbegins. If you want someone to know how to do something and do it correctly, then take the time to trainthem and remediate if necessary. Remember we all learn differently but thats an entirely differentarticle! Make training a learning experience thats not dreaded or difcult. Its important when dealing withvolunteers to be positive and know your students limitations.

3. Postve reforcemet. Give credit where credit is due. Acknowledge a job well done and provide feedbackboth positive and constructive. This is the mentoring part. Dont be afraid to make corrections and step in whensomething is on the downward spiral. Recover and try to make every situation a learning opportunity. Talk aboutmistakes and how to avoid them in the future. My Pap said, Theres more than a 1000 ways to skin a cat! Youdont have to do it my way, and I just might learn something from you in the process. As long as its the samewhen its all said and done - its a good day for skinning cats. Honestly, weve never skinned cats!

4. Set reastc oas ad expectatos. This is one of the major keys to success in any organization. Haveachievable goals and reasonable, realistic expectations for everyone. If expectations are set too high then thecream of the crop will rise, and the others will settle and fall away. Remember not to make exceptions, buthold everyone to the same standard. No one likes the good ole boy system!

5. Bud, promote, & reward. Every organization has a tool for recognizing and rewarding good performance.

This must be something that is truly earned. If its given out at a whim, it becomes meaningless andineffective. Build relationships, promote wisely, and reward generously when deserved.

These 5 simple steps can help an organization move forward. Each person within a unit must ask themselvesa truly important question. Do I want someone to volunteer by default, or do I want someone to volunteer thatI have great condence in? It seems obvious, but we would pick someone whos willing to provide strongleadership and vision to help improve and expand what already exists!

Remember that an organization is only as good as the members that support it, but membership itself is not

enough. Strive to support your organization the best way you can by helping create partnerships - - be aRECRUiTER ad a MEnTOR!!

Missed Opportunities

Rprtd fr Alaka W CAP maaz, Alaka W Tp, Wtr 2010


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and local agencies. The membersplay a leading role in aerospaceeducation and serve as mentorsto the more than 24,000 youngpeople currently participatingin CAP cadet programs. CAPhas been performing missions

for America for 68 years. Visitwww.gocivilairpatrol.com formore information.

December 29, 2009 was a great day for themembers of Wheatland Composite Squadron.

We came together as a CAP family to celebrate theholiday and the accomplishments of our members.

We gathered first to partake of the deliciousfood brought by members and their families.

Then we played the National Anthem andhonored the military with the playing of all thebranch music. We then proceed to honor our cadetfor their accomplishments.

Cadets TeRay Haynes and Mason Jones werepromoted to Cadet Senior Airman. They received anautographed copy of the Mary Feik Certicate whichwas given to Colonel Mary Feik when chapter threewas named for her. Colonel Mary Feik was instru-mental in the training of many airmen during WWII.

Cadet Shelby Sterling received her WrightBrothers Award and was promoted to Cadet StaffSergeant. This is the rst of the Mile Stone Awardstracked by National Headquarters.

Cadet Samuel Gutierrez was promoted to

the grade of Technical Sergeant and received hisEddie Rickenbacker Certicate.

Cadet Tyler Stovall was promoted to Cadet

RePRinT Th Platt Cut Rcrd-T, Ja 6, 2010

Wheatlan Cmpite squarnCelebrate Accmplihment

sua mcDald, Lt. Cl., CAP

Master Sergeant and received his CharlesLindbergh Certicate.

Cadet Evan Schmitzer was promoted to CadetChief Master Sergeant and received his Dr. RobertGoddard Certicate.

The highlight of the evening was the promo-tion to Cadet 2nd Lieutenant for Cadet Matt Court.Our Wing Commander Colonel Stan Skrabut andthe unit commander Lt. Col. Susan McDonald didthe honors of placing the new rank insignia on his

shoulders. State Auditor Rita Meyers presentedhim with his General Billy Mitchell Certicate.

Colonel Skrabut also presented CommanderCommendations to Cadet 2nd Lt Matt Court, 2ndLt. George Schilreff and Major Dennis Cornell. Lt.Col. Susan McDonald also received a wing levelaward as Wing Logistician for 2008.

We are looking for a few new cadets at thistime. The CAP cadet program accepts both maleand female students ages 12-18. Please contact thecommander at 331-5565 or feel free to just drop by

a meeting on Tuesday nights at the Wheatland FireTraining Center on Cole St. Our meetings begin at6pm. Parents welcome.

Heather GulContinued from page 9 . . .

and in conjunction with the CAPBoard of Governors, proposesamendments to the governing

constitution and bylaws.Civil Air Patrol, the ofcial

auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force,is a nonprot organization with59,000 members nationwide.CAP, in its Air Force auxil-iary role, performs 90 percent H

of cont inental U.S. inlandsearch and rescue missions astasked by the Air Force RescueCoordination Center and wascredited by the AFRCC withsaving 72 lives in fiscal year2009. Its volunteers also per-form homeland security, disasterrelief and counter-drug missionsat the request of federal, state


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A review of the Civil AirPatrol Aerospace Dimensionsand Aerospace: The Journey ofFlight revealed that NASAsVirtual Skies would be anexcellent complement to yourAerospace textbooks.

NASA has just releasedthe new face of Virtual Skies,an online interactive programintroducing the key concepts inthe world of aviation. VirtualSkies is comprised of six mod-ules centered on key aviationconcepts such as the science ofaeronautics, navigation, and airtrafc management.

Vi r tua l Skies inc ludes

beautiful color graphics, prob-lem-solving applications, aTeachers Desk guide to theonline program, and an exten-

sive glossary that supports and

reinforces the concepts taught inCAPs Aerospace textbooks.

Each of the 6 Virtual Skiesmodules include:

Overview: A brief listing ofthe aviation topics covered inthe selected module, supportingactivities, and a description ofan application case study.

Tutorial: The curriculumsubdivided by major topics.

Take Control: Interactiveactivities that reinforce knowl-edge and skills presented inthe Tutorial.

B sta skrabut

NASAsVirtual Skies

You Decide: Case studysimulations that provide an

opportunity to use high-level

cognitive skills to solve real-world scenarios.

Certification: 20-question,multiple-choice assessments totest knowledge and a printableNASA certicate of completionwith individuals name.

Virtual Skies is FREE to

all users and can be accessed athttp://virtualskies.arc.nasa.gov

Virtual Skies is recom -mended for high school andcommunity college students,formal classrooms, and indepen-dent study with specic consid-eration for Civil Air Patrol. We

hope you will share the VirtualSkies website with other CAPmembers as appropriate.

Virtual Skies


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Rprtd fr th CAP Vouteer maaz, Aprl-Ju 2010


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41 41

2 April 2010 was a big day for the membersof Wheatland Composite Squadron. Cadets andseniors headed to Denver to tour the Wings Overthe Rockies Air and Space Museum at the oldLowry AFB site. Housed in a large hangar, one ofthe few buildings that survived the base closure,a visitor can view the history of Lowry AFB andaviation and space.

There are many aircraft and other displaysavailable. A rather new display is the Colorado

Astronauts display. Visitors can also envision whatit was like to y the Wright Flyer with a simula-tor. Laying down on your tummy you must usethe controls the way the Wright Brothers did. Ourmembers had fun with this one each trying to last

WheatlanCmpite

squarn New


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longer aoat than the Wright Brothers did.Each cadet was given a scavenger hunt sheet to

nd answers for. Trying to tie together the displayswith items we had talked about over the last sev-eral meetings.

C/SMSgt Tyler Stovall, who attended theJoint Dakota Encampment at Ellsworth AFB lastsummer, enjoyed the display of the B-1A Lancer.Having spent time at the home of the Lancer heenjoyed seeing the bombs that it had carried andthe large bomb bays.

Each member had their favorite display. Mostof the cadets enjoyed the Cockpit Alley the most;although the F-14 and the World War II displayalso were favorites.

Major Cornell found a photo display on General

John F. Curry. Lt. Col. McDonald found the dis-play of the Christmas mission Colorado Wing ewyears ago that was documented in a recent copy ofthe Volunteer Magazine. Lt. Col. Pierce was partof that mission.

After enjoying the many facets of the museum,we ate lunch and headed north east to Commerce

City and visited Rose Hill Cemetery. DuringWorld War II members of Colorado CAP ew as

members of the Coastal Patrol. Lt. Ben Berger wassent to serve at Patrol Base #1 in Atlantic City. OnEaster Sunday 1943, Lt. Bergers plane crashedon take off and he died. He is buried there at RoseHill. The cadets noticed the many military person-nel that were buried there.

From here we headed southwest across Denver

to the Fort Logan National Cemetery to visit thegrave of our first national commander, MajorGeneral John F. Curry. The cadets were awestruckat the rows and rows of white head stones. Whilethere we met some of the Colorado Patriot GuardRiders there for a funeral. We were told that thetail gunner, George R. Bob Caron, on the EnolaGay is also buried there. We didnt have any lucknding his grave but plan on going back and nd-ing him another time.

The trip, although long and tiring, was wellworth the time. We look forward to taking the nextgroup of Curry cadets to visit Fort Logan againsoon. If you have the chance to go to Denver, werecommend the cemeteries and the museum as aMUST SEE on your trip. We plan to make it anannual event for our cadets. H


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wyoming wings magazine, june 2010

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