Since that time, we have seen these changes roll out, one by one: the Wing Banker program, consolidated aircraft maintenance, the replacement of many wing supplements, a change in direction for SAREX's, a new wing evaluator program, turnover on wing and region staff, the elimination of ELT Mission Managers, the new reporting requirements for safety using WMU, and many other adjustments to the routine we had been so accustomed to.

I offer you the same advice I gave you last March. Think about why you're here. Think about why CAP's missions are important to you. Take a moment to renew your commitment to the amazing work that this organization empowers us to do. If you stay focused on our missions, in time the changes will become familiar, and fade into the background, as they simply become part of the way we do business. In fact, the changes are destined to become our new routine.

I was able to visit TX-215 and FALCON VIRGO this past week in El Paso. We had a lot of outstanding Texas volunteers who contributed to that mission, both in the air and on the ground. I want to echo Col Jensen's comments about how successful the exercise was, but I especially want to emphasize how important the contributions of TX-215, in particular the leadership of Major Debbie Torres, were to that success. I was exceptionally pleased to meet some of the folks who came in at midnight and 4 AM to ensure things were staying on track. My hat's off to them. 

This was a really big deal and all of CAP's senior leadership truly appreciates the hard work and contributions of those who participated.

Our beloved Chaplain (Maj) Ron Whitt has accepted the position of Texas Wing Chaplain, which had been briefly vacant as a result of Chaplain (Lt Col) Nancy Smalley's acceptance of her new post at Southwest Region. Rather than abandoning Group III, Ch. Whitt has now embraced all of Texas Wing. A larger flock is his.

So for this month, since a replacement for Ch. Whitt has not been found, I've selected a message written by U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Dwayne A. Jones, 88th Air Base Wing chaplain, on the subject of "Spiritual wellness is the glue that holds us together"

     WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today praised the passage by unanimous consent of his bill (S.1877) clarifying U.S. law to allow veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag. Current law (US Code Title 4, Chapter 1) states that veterans and servicemen not in uniform should place their hand over their heart without clarifying whether they can or should salute the flag.

 "The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one's military service," Senator Inhofe said. "Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform. "Unfortunately, current U.S. law leaves confusion as to whether veterans and service members out of uniform can or should salute the flag. My legislation will clarify this regulation, allowing veterans and servicemen alike to salute the flag, whether they are in uniform or not.

"I look forward to seeing those who have served saluting proudly at baseball games, parades, and formal events. I believe this is an appropriate way to honor and recognize the 25 million veterans in the United States who have served in the military and remain as role models to others citizens. Those who are currently serving or have served in the military have earned this right, and their recognition will be an inspiration to others."

This bill was passed July 25,  2007. (Item submitted by 2d Lt Ralph Williams, Pipe Creek Christian School Cadet Squadron, who added: "Please let your veteran friends know about the passage of this bill.")

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an article written by two new contributors, who in turn had been sponsored by a veteran of articles past. C/AB Matthew O'Brien (13) is in the 8th grade at Danny Jones Middle School in Mansfield (the same school attended by C/A1C Robert Severance IV), and has been a CAP member since 23 May 2007. C/Amn Kendall Pruitt (14) is in the 9th grade at Lamar High School in Arlington.  He has been a CAP member since 24 Apr 2007, and attended the 2007 Texas Wing Summer Encampment together with C/A1C Robert Severance IV.

Both aspiring news writers have been working with C/A1C Robert Severance IV, who has been tutoring them in the fine art of photography and turning them into capable observers of human nature. Cdt Severance's attitude is firmly planted in, "Learn it, do it, teach it." It seems to be working just fine.

I extend a warm welcome to Cadets Pruitt and O'Brien, and a "welcome back" to C/A1C Robert Severance IV.

That is, until 1 September 2001, when the Texas Congress finally changed the Government Code to codify the dimensions of the flag. The wording of the change is reproduced below.

§ 3100.001. STATE FLAG. The state flag is the 1839 national flag of the Republic of Texas.

Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1420, § 7.001, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

§ 3100.002. DESCRIPTION: IN GENERAL.

(a) The state flag is a rectangle that:

(1) has a width to length ratio of two to three; and

(2) contains:

(A) one blue vertical stripe that has a width equal to one-third the length of the flag;

(B) two equal horizontal stripes, the upper stripe white, the lower stripe red, each having a length equal to two-thirds the length of the flag; and

(C) one white, regular five-pointed star:

(i) located in the center of the blue stripe;

(ii) oriented so that one point faces upward; and

(iii) sized so that the diameter of a circle passing through the five points of the star is equal to three-fourths the width of the blue stripe.

(b) The red and blue of the state flag are:

(1) the same colors used in the United States flag; and

(2) defined as numbers 193 (red) and 281 (dark blue) of the Pantone Matching System.

(c) The red, white, and blue of the state flag represent, respectively, bravery, purity, and loyalty.

Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1420, § 7.001, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX – My friend Lt Col Tom Traver, Oregon Wing PAO, sent me a message today, saying:

     A little over two years after its creation, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive order on 29 April 1943, establishing the Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Interestingly enough, at that time, total CAP membership was 75,000 volunteers, a figure that has remained fairly constant through the years.

The U.S. Air Force counts the U.S. Civil Air Patrol as one of its assets, and every now and then speaks about us. The article reproduced at left appeared in the September 10, 2007 issue of Air Force Times, which is widely circulated among active duty Air Force personnel. In spite of all our many accomplishments, the fact that CAP planes actually sank two German U-boats during WW II has remained a benchmark that is often quoted. 

AUSTIN MISSION BASE, TX – How do you prepare for the unexpected? How do you make ready for a disaster that could range from a temporary loss of roadway use to wholesale loss of life and total civil disruption? Helping to assess such a situation, rendering assistance, and paving the way for the quickest and most effective recovery possible would be the job of the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. This is why every CAP volunteer must answer the crucial question, “Could I keep focused on the job, should I find myself surrounded by misery, injury and death?”

This is why the U.S. Civil Air Patrol trains constantly, at all levels. This is why CAP is an active part of emergency preparedness in every state. This is why CAP members share one common trait – they are civic-minded individuals, willing to give of their time, talent and effort towards the common good.

Saturday, September 15, 2007 was a nearly perfect day for flying, with just a touch of haze as the sun rose in a blazing display of reds. As it reached a few degrees above the horizon, it changed its crimson hue to a pale Texas gold, and the brilliant blue of an early fall sky canopied itself over the landscape. The weather would remain nearly as favorable throughout the day.

On the tarmac, in back of the Texas Department of Transportation Flight Services building at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, six Cessna airplanes in U.S. Civil Air Patrol markings sat in a neat line, awaiting pilots and aircrew members qualified to take them back up into the gentle breeze. Staff, aircrew and ground personnel had arrived from as far north as Tyler, and as far southwest as San Antonio. This was one of three key places in Texas where the normal weekend routine would be altered.

Friday afternoon, in preparation for the Wide Area Exercise that was to take place, the Austin Mission Base communications officer, C/CMSgt Michael Moody, assisted by Capt John Benavides, had set up a 90’ folded dipole radio antenna on top of the TXDoT building. This would be needed in order to operate the CAP radios that were to be used during the exercise.

Setting up the antenna over a ridged steel roof had not been easy, but the solution had become apparent. Portable cinder blocks with attached fittings at the top would hold the antenna off the roof and allow for ideal orientation for optimal reception. Getting these up on the roof had also required a simple solution – a pulley rigged at the top of the caged open ladder that went up the side of the building.

On this weekend, a Wide Area Command Post would function at Addison, TX, which would coordinate and direct the activities of three satellite units. Located in Austin, Houston, and north of Dallas, each one of these three semi-autonomous locations would operate as Incident Command Posts and concentrate assets from a much larger part of Texas. The purpose of the exercise would be straightforward: improve and refine training at all levels, carry out ad-hoc missions, and deal with the unforeseen as needed.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

[1]-[2] The Incident Commander, Lt Col Owen Younger, briefs the mission staff and participants. [3] The Flight Operations room is always busy during an exercise. [4] Maj Dan Williams, commander of the Kittinger Phantom Senior Squadron, at Austin-Bergstrom Airport, prepares to leave for Exercise FALCON VIRGO [5] 1st Lt Ferrill Ford, the SET/Trainer for the flight, 1st Lt John Meiners of Pegasus Composite Squadron, mission pilot trainee, and 1st Lt Robert Mauldin of Bexar County Senior Squadron, observer, as they prepare to depart on their sortie. [6] Capt Leonard Laws, of Apollo Composite Squadron, in Georgetown, mission pilot trainer, unties his aircraft in preparation for his sortie; behind him, Capt Gary Houck, of Kittinger Phantom Senior Squadron, mission pilot trainee. (Photos: Capt Arthur Woodgate)

The first aircraft to take off, with Maj. Dan Williams at the controls, was sent on a long-range mission to coincide with its actual destination of El Paso, TX. There, Maj. Williams, commander of the Kittinger Phantom Senior Squadron, would land and report for duty as he takes on a week-long commitment to participate in Exercise FALCON-VIRGO. This recurring training event, run at various geographical locations by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), is designed to train military pilots in interception tactics, with the CAP planes playing the role of intruders with unknown intentions.

Soon after, the remaining CAP planes got their aircrews, who fulfilled administrative and safety requirements and flew off on local missions of their own. One of them, which had arrived earlier that Saturday, had a CAP radio malfunction that prevented it from communicating with the CAP mission station set up at Austin Mission Base. Rather than not flying the mission, an alternative was easy to find. Since the aircraft’s FAA radios were functioning properly and it could operate in and out of the airport without trouble, a “high bird” would be launched to help it communicate with home base, using an available standard channel.

One of the Cessnas, with full high bird capability, took off first, and the problem flight followed. The high bird relayed all messages to and from the problem plane, so that communications with home base could take place as required. Thus, this real-world inconvenience became an opportunity for dealing with an emergency, which in turn provided for additional training.

Since there were no ground teams available for this exercise, all operational activities would be restricted to air sorties. In a natural or man-made emergency, the U.S. Civil Air Patrol is normally activated to fly damage assessment missions, as well as other relief sorties. Therefore, air operations are a very important part of training and preparation in expectation of “the real thing,” when emergency workers would need to know how to deal with the effects of a disaster.

By early afternoon, the previously clear skies had given way to broken clouds. This was a relief for those on the ground, but at times it limited air-to-ground visibility. In spite of this, air missions were completed and observation objectives were met.

Full and timely operations, on the other hand, are possible only when an adequate and competent staff and mission support personnel are available for taking care of command, control, and routine issues. These include many administrative and enabling tasks that must take place on the ground and are necessary to support flight and ground search missions in the field. Securing fuel resupply, updating online information, keeping track of total hours flown and their cost, number of personnel available for mission tasks, and the many “little things” that constitute the “glue” that keeps operations running smoothly – these take more than just the desire to do them. None of this is easily accomplished unless a team with the training and experienced to make it happen is on hand.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

[7] U.S. Civil Air Patrol aircraft on the flight line. [8] The 90' dipole antenna doesn't look all that impressive when it is being dismantled at the end of the exercise. [9] Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Michael Moody of Apollo Composite Squadron, the communications officer for the exercise, lowers the antenna components from the roof at the end of the exercise [10]-[11] Aerial photos of a nearby installation, taken as part of a practice photo reconnaissance run. (Photos: [7]-[9] Capt Arthur Woodgate; [10]-[11] 1st Lt Robert Mauldin, Bexar County Senior Squadron, San Antonio)

During the last few years – from the point of view of the subordinate Staging Areas – Texas Wing had been operating “the easy way” by establishing an elite mission base staffed by qualified personnel, who were charged with the main task of concentrating most administrative tasks at that headquarters. This arrangement left a number of remote Staging Areas free to “work the field,” but it also provided few opportunities for additional personnel to become qualified in these critical staff positions – which in turn resulted in a relative shortage of mission staff personnel.

The Wide Area concept of operations seeks to rectify this by multiplying available opportunities for training on mission staff positions, decentralized across the State. Currently, it should be mentioned, there is a drawback to this arrangement – the relative scarcity of fully qualified personnel made this weekend’s experience trying at best, when not actually frustrating. But there is high hope. In time, as the level of proficiency of trainee mission staff personnel increases, and they become fully mission-qualified, their job will get progressively easier and more efficient.

Why should it be necessary to get so many more CAP members qualified on mission staff work? The reason is quite simple. Texas is a very large state. In terms of territory, it is about 30 times the size of the State of New Jersey. Therefore, given its great physical dimensions, it is conceivable that a disaster or emergency might leave a large part of the State unable to function effectively, or cut off, and if this area were the only one where trained mission staff existed, the remainder of the State, though prepared to conduct field operations, might not be able to perform as efficiently.

MAXWELL AFB, AL – A recent reorganization at National Headquarters designed to realign the staff to better serve the needs of our members nationwide has brought about some positive changes within most areas, including Public Affairs.

Marc Huchette heads a new directorate – Public Awareness and Membership Development – consisting of public affairs, membership development, and creative services.

Jim Tynan, PA's former public affairs manager, has been appointed Deputy Director of Creative Services, which consists of the print plant, graphic arts, photography, multimedia and the Web.

The public affairs staff now consists of marketing, communications, media relations and public affairs. The directorate's staff is excited about the infinite possibilities of this blending of talent and expertise, which is certain to take these programs to new heights in the coming years.

     Recently the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the publication of the National Preparedness Guidelines (Guidelines, formerly the National Preparedness Goal), the Target Capabilities List (TCL), and the National Response Framework (NRF, formerly the National Response Plan). The Guidelines, TCL, and NRF can all be found on the new LLIS.gov resource page, National Preparedness Policy and Guidance (login required).

Developed through an extensive process that involved more than 1,500 Federal, state, and local officials, and more than 120 national associations, the Guidelines replace the Interim National Preparedness Goal issued on March 31, 2005. They also integrate lessons learned following Hurricane Katrina and a 2006 review of states’ and major cities’ emergency operations and evacuation plans. The updated TCL also reflects integral stakeholder feedback and is considered a living document, continually updated to accommodate feedback and new developments. The NRF is the result of a comprehensive interagency review of the 2004 National Response Plan, as well as the recommendations of the Homeland Security Council's report, The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned.

Also available exclusively on the LLIS.gov National Preparedness Policy and Guidance resource page are the National Planning Scenarios and the Universal Task List. Please log onto LLIS.gov to access these resources. As always, we welcome any comments or suggestions at feedback@llis.dhs.gov. (NOTE: Accessing any portion of the www.llis.gov site requires user registration, which is normally processed within the day.)

Spiritual wellness is the glue that holds us together

8/28/2007 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN)  -- Sept. 11, 2001, was a day everyone will remember. A day that brought tears to our eyes and pain in our hearts. The common denominator that synergized all faith groups and nationality during Sept. 11 was spirituality.

People came together from various churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, economic and social backgrounds to care for people who were in despair and paralyzed with hopelessness. 

People may ask, "What is spirituality?" That's a good question.

Spirituality is connecting with the nucleus of one's soul. Spirituality is connecting with something greater than you. On Sept. 11, many people responded to the crises to help people who were in need. Spirituality responds to all people regardless of color, creed, ethnicity, nationality or rank. 

Spiritual wellness is taking care of people the way you want to be treated. You don't have to be religious in order to be spiritual. Contrary to popular belief, I believe spiritual wellness supersedes any religious concept, except for God. 

Spiritual wellness is like the glue that holds all the pages together in a book. It is what illuminates your purpose in life. Spiritual wellness is what encourages you to take the next step. 

"Spiritual wellness is that something within us that keeps us going, that gives us focus in life," said Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Cecil R. Richardson, the Air Force deputy chief of chaplains at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C. "It gives us purpose and meaning."

Spiritual wellness has always been an integral part of the Air Force Chaplaincy Corps; we just did not have an official name for it. The Air Force is well-known for taking care of people. This concept gives the chaplaincy the opportunity to further embrace and illuminate main arteries that pump life into the military community.

The military places a large amount of importance on physical fitness ensuring all Airmen are mission ready, to include spiritually fit as well.

Spiritual wellness is intended to focus on the spiritual needs and well-being of our Airmen and their families. Air Force chapel teams are trying to mold each Airman into a "total warrior" by galvanizing faith with the mission, increasing productivity in our people and thus creating a total force.

The chaplains and chaplain assistants have made an intentional effort to be involved, visible and advocates of religious freedom for everyone.

For the last five years, military members have encountered tremendous stress levels due to the high operational tempo and sudden calls to deploy across the world. Any military or family member can reach a chaplain 24 hours a day for counseling whenever an unfortunate crisis arises. The chaplaincy is the only organization that provides total confidentiality -- privileged communication. 

"A person who comes to me has a hunger that craves healing, understanding or being listened to," said Chaplain (Col.) Joseph Kuan, the Air Force Materiel Command chaplain. "With the introduction of spiritual wellness as one of four dimensions of wellness, we go beyond our own personal beliefs so that we may help others."

Bottom line: Let's come together from various backgrounds and faith traditions, leaning forward and standing ready to be that glue that keeps fellow wingmn from falling.

Aircrew & Flightline Personnel Training Materials (CAP NHQ)

PAO Resources

Federal & State Resources (DHS, USAF, Terrorism)

Addison Cadets Receive AFA Award, 25 September

     ADDISON, TX – On September 25, 2007, the U.S. Air Force Association recognized two cadets during an awards presentation before the squadron.  Both cadets are members of the Addison Composite Squadron, part of Group III, Texas Wing.

     C/1st Lt Nathan Carey (left) received the Air Force Association Award as the outstanding CAP cadet officer within the squadron. Obviously pleased with his award, Cadet Carey said, "I’ve always looked upon the AFA Cadet of the Year Award as a great honor. The Air Force is definitely my intended career, so in the near future I want to continue gaining experience through serving my squadron and CAP. I’m very proud to be part of the Addison Eagles."

     C/2d Lt Derek Prucha (right) received the Air Force Sergeant’s Association Award, which recognizes the unit’s CAP cadet non-commissioned officer of the year. Cadet Prucha has since been promoted to C/2d Lt. When asked how he felt about his award, he said, "I had great instructors, and I try to be the same for younger cadets. I was excited to know that the AFSA decided to recognize my ability to pass the training I received from my own leaders to younger cadets, and realize my own leadership potential."

     What has Cdt Prucha been up to since then? He has just turned in his Eagle Scout Project notebook for BSA district review and approval.

     Both cadets received these awards for their exceptional leadership abilities. In both photos, the cadets are shown with Captain Bryan Uskovich, the Air Force Reservist who made the presentation, and 1st Lt Greg Thornbury, squadron commander.