Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, Editor

Looking Ahead

Last month I asked any one who felt like responding to give me a 2007 report card on both Group III and me personally. It was an honest request, and I got mostly honest feedback. A number of you e-mailed or called, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me. I am happy to say that no one felt compelled to submit anything to me anonymously. Many of you may be wondering what kind of grade Group III got. Well, that's sort of a tough one. 99% of the responses I got were informal phone calls or e-mails, thanking me and the staff for the work that we do, and it didn't feel right to ask any of those people for a letter grade. Only one person actually gave me a letter grade, and that person gave Group III a "D," and me personally an "F." No, I won't tell you who that person was, except to say that it was someone in Group III. But I will say that most of you think we're doing just fine.

I have some new ideas for 2008, and I thought I would list them for you. They focus mostly on improving internal communications:

1. We haven't had a commander's call in a little over six months, and that's way too long. I have asked Maj Mike Cobb, the Group Vice-Commander, to help me gather the agenda items and assist in scheduling the conference calls and face-to-face meetings. Those are starting on March.

2. I've already sent out, in February, a briefing sheet to all unit commanders and Group Staff, focusing on action/emphasis items for the coming month. I plan on sending this briefing sheet out during the final week of each month, so that unit commanders can review it and be prepared as the next month begins. The first briefing sheet went out last week.

3. In 2007 I visited 11 out of 17 units. There is a common misconception that my travel costs in visiting squadrons in the group are funded. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Whenever I fly out to a Mitchell Award ceremony, or come out to visit a squadron, it's always on my own dime. That's OK, I love to fly and I don't mind having a good excuse (it beats $100 hamburgers!). I've resolved that in 2008 I'll visit every squadron in the Group. I've already visited three, but I have a lot more to go if I'm going to stay on track.

Now I offer all squadrons an observation – Group Staff, and for that matter the Group Commander, are here to support you. But like you, we're also here to see to it that CAP's missions are performed as well as they can be. For the most part, our missions are executed in the squadrons, and it is appropriate that this is where much of our focus is. But this is a two-way street.

Crucial decisions and programs are also guided at group, wing, region, and national level. While all CAP echelons are working to make sure that all of you in the squadrons can perform our missions, sometimes you will be called upon to help see to it that programs that transcend your unit are likewise supported. When you need help in getting the mission done, don't hesitate to ask us. Neither I nor my staff can provide you with any assistance if you don't tell us you need it. On the other hand, when you are asked to support group or wing, please don't forget that support is always a two-way street.

Finally, my mother's birthday is March 3rd. Please forgive me for taking a moment to wish her a Happy Birthday in this forum. Mom, Happy Birthday!

As fire watch continues, please be safe.

Lt Col Owen Younger, Commander
Tertia semper primoris

Message to the Texas Wing, 12 February

Col Joe R. Smith, Texas Wing Commander

New Pegasus Composite Squadron Commander

I take great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Capt John Benavides as the new commander, Pegasus Composite Squadron. Capt Benavides, a former USAF officer, brings considerable experience to the job, having helped build the Apollo Composite Squadron over the last four years.

A communications officer, he has been active in this CAP specialty and filled in as an instructor, practitioner, and participant in many exercises. He worked closely with area squadrons and has been a valued asset to Group III. His experience as an Air Force officer is also a plus, bringing to Pegasus Composite Squadron a deep respect for the Civil Air Patrol, its aims, and its members.

Please join me in welcoming Capt Benavides to this challenging job, and offer him your support and cooperation. Group III and Texas Wing look forward to Pegasus Composite Squadron's continued improvement.

Lt Col Owen Younger, Commander

Tertia semper primoris

Message to Group III (especially Unit Commanders and Staff)

As many of you may be aware, there is an ongoing project to help prepare Texas Wing for the next round of hurricanes. From past experience, we have seen that in the mad rush to get spun up for a mission amidst a large-scale evacuation of coastal areas, it is sometimes easy to lose track of asset location and access instructions. Is the aircraft assigned to squadron XYZ where it normally is, or has it been moved somewhere else due to maintenance or some kind of activity? Where are the keys? How do we get to the van in order to evacuate it? Where are the portable repeaters? And the list goes on...

To really improve our ability to manage this the next time, Jack Lewis has made some significant enhancements to CAPERS to let us record real-time data on information of this nature.

The good news is that current information like this is not only applicable for impending hurricanes, but also for firewatch sortie planning, 0200 ELT missions, and lots of other things. Please start recording this information in CAPERS anytime something changes.

• Location

• Access instructions

• Maintenance cycle information (for both vehicles and airplanes)

• Continued Hobbs/Tach time reporting after every flight

If we get into the habit of doing this now, when we're not faced with a huge disaster the size of Katrina/Rita, I think we'll find a significant improvement in our mission planning processes when the next real disaster hits us. Bottom line – if you will need it, log it.

Thanks for your help.

Lt Col Owen Younger, Commander

Tertia semper primoris

2007 Group III Awards

Tertia semper primoris

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate

Maj Phyllis Sutton

A Change of Duty

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, Editor

Open Group III Staff Positions

Capt Eric Martin, CS

Lt Col Brooks Cima, DOS

A Painless Fundraising Opportunity

Your dues might not go away, but that radio that you've been waiting for months to get just might make its way to you two or three weeks sooner than otherwise. It's worth a try, don't you think?

Group III Patch Available

Are you on Group III Staff? Wear the Group III Staff patch proudly. At $5.00 each, they are a bargain and show your commitment to Group III and the CAP program. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

Group III Coins Available      Our mint has delivered a batch of new Group III Commemorative Coins, and you may own as many as you wish, for $10.00 each. They make wonderful gifts for your loved ones ... or even yourself. (Click on the images for larger views of the obverse and reverse.) To purchase either Group III Patches or Group III Coins, please contact Maj Laurie Lancaster - laurielancaster@yahoo.com

Maj Laurie Lancaster, FO

1st Lt Don Gulliksen, HGO

Must Online Safety be Expensive?

You may have noticed that this Newsletter's TidBits section now calls attention to some links by marking them with the symbol that opens this paragraph. I created it in a few minutes using Photoshop (yes, at times a cannon does work best to kill a mosquito), and then sent it to one my trusty cadet PAOs for an expert opinion. Granted, I was taking a big chance, but I really wanted to know. And if you want a brutally frank assessment of your work, just ask a cadet that trusts you. Fortunately, the answer didn't take long in coming back and to my relief the cadet agreed that it meant "No Cost," "Free," "El Ultra Cheapo." (No, that last one isn't Spanish.)

You will also notice that these links take you to a reputable website for download. Please, do yourself a favor and never download something from a website you've never heard of. "Aha!" you say, "Then I can download anything I want from a website I know." Looky here, my friend, before you do, read that URL verrrry carefully. Does the generous site really belong to Microsoft, or does it read something like micro.soft? Microsoft will only take your money, micro.soft will positively steal all it can from you, especially your identity, then run up a bill at your expense and literally disappear into thin air. Always remember that the Internet runs on Ethernet, a made-up word that today can easily translate as: "Vapornet" of even "Nothingnet." In fact, online crime is one of the fastest growing "businesses" around.

If you cannot afford antivirus software, there are free programs that do quite a creditable job. Most of them, though, are programmed to do a full scan at a set time (that you cannot change), which will usually interfere with your normal work. And when they run, they tend to suck all your juice so you're hard-pressed to get any work done. This gives you a choice. Put up with it, or pay the $39.98 (or whatever) and get the more flexible "mainstream" product. But please, don't access the Internet without antivirus, antispyware and even antispam software. It's like playing Russian roulette, and not worth it. (Sorry. I forgot. There's a third choice, and that is to wait until it starts, then stop it. It will. Then, before you quit for the day, start it manually and let the digital surgery happen under total anesthesia.)

I hope you've enjoyed some of the links offered in the TidBits section. I also hope you've liked reading the wonderful articles flowing from the squadrons telling us all the interesting things they do. For me, it's great to hear from each unit, and have the pleasure of using their "bragging rights" for publication. So, if you enjoy what you read, and you're happy, drop me a line sometime. You hear from me regularly, month after month. I'd like to hear from you... maybe once?

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, ITO

1st Lt Vanessa Smith, PDO
 tx438pdo@yahoo.com

From Tyler Composite Squadron, a new Cadet PAO

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, Group III PAO

Texas Wing Wide Area Exercise, 15-17 February

HOUSTON MISSION BASE, TX – The Texas Wing Wide Area Exercise (WAX) had been planned for 15-17 February. However, the long expected rain – which was badly needed to mitigate the growing danger of wild fires – came on Friday, February 15, promising more of the same for Saturday, the first full day of operations. The weather forecast for the State was uncertain, so the possibility existed that some areas might be able to conduct flight operations. Ground operations, on the other hand, would proceed as the weather permitted, consistent with safety.

The exercise came to life on 16 February, hampered by extremely poor flying condition. The Area Command Post (ACP), exercising overall command, was located at Houston's Hooks Airport, in the suburb of Spring, TX. As originally planned, there were to have been several subordinate Incident Command Posts (ICPs), to be located in Tyler, Kerrville, Houston (collocated with the ACP) and Fort Worth, TX. The ACP could also control individual Staging Areas, based on location. The preferred operation, though, requires concentration of equipment and personnel at the ICPs, thus shortening the chain of command and control, which normally results in better command-to-execution response. This is a critical factor in achieving effective response to disaster.

By late Friday, 15 February, mimicking real-life, it became apparent that the Tyler ICP could not be staffed due to the sudden illness of a number of key personnel, and no replacements could be readily found. The root cause was an aggressive strain of flu virus that had already infected many people in Northern Texas, mirroring the possibility of contagion in an area that could have been hit by a natural disaster such as a hurricane or several tornadoes. As a result, that command post stood down and wouldn't be in play. The remaining three areas, from Forth Worth to Houston,  were expected to function as weather permitted. The squadrons subordinate to the planned Tyler ICP were released to seek re-alignment with one of the three remaining Command Posts.

To further complicate the exercise, after losing the Tyler Incident Command Post (ICP) on Friday, the Kerrville ICP stood down on Saturday due to extremely adverse weather. This left only the Ft Worth and Houston ICPs, under the overall command of the Houston Area Command Post (ACP).

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, IO

In Memoriam Helen Lois Crofford, 18 February

Arizona Journal Staff

Tradition, Morality and Service

DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX – Tradition, morality, service ... weighty words that, for centuries, have been shaped by the memory of living examples and the emotions they have elicited. All three words have come down to us from the Latin. Tradition from traditio, meaning "delivery, surrender, a handing down." Morality from moralis, meaning "proper behavior of a person in society." Service from servitium, meaning slavery or servitude.

If service once meant enslavement, with the abolishment of slavery the word came to mean "performance of work against payment" and, in the military, "performance of one's duty." Today, in the Western world, one is never under another's absolute rule but under one's own rule. The "life or death" mandate of ancient Rome has gone through the Middle Age's transforming influence of "honor and obligation" acquired in the Age of Chivalry, finally arriving at our current meaning of "for the good of one's country." In the Air Force and the Civil  Air Patrol, it is best reflected upon in the light of the core value of Service before self.

Tradition has retained its absolute meaning through the centuries, mostly because the principle of individual ownership has not changed, and we are still free to give away what is ours. But the concept of ownership has broadened from that of simple objects, wealth and property to include also intellectual property, principles, and norms of conduct. So tradition is no longer something concrete but also includes ideas and actions. Tradition is the moving force behind the preservation of rituals and acts, and in the Civil Air Patrol it is best articulated as "Customs of the Service." Funny how things wind up tying themselves to each other, reinforcing each other, and giving principal meaning to one another. And though tradition, in broad terms, once meant "giving away" it is now much closer to "preserving."

Morality is a tough one, because it hinges on what a society considers proper at the time. In the year 200, for instance, ancient Rome considered it proper to engage in public behavior that today – without a doubt – would land you in jail. But we need to temper "morality" through the filter of "moral" which has remained unchanged in the sense of "pertaining to character or temperament," and in the light of the study of morals through ethics, a recognized branch of philosophy. In both the Air Force and the Civil Air Patrol, it is the living foundation behind the core value of Respect.

Taking apart these seminal words and stringing them together helps us realize that there is a far larger meaning that emerges from them when presented in conjunction. Together, as a literary rendition comparable to a jeweler's fine art, an artifice of higher thinking, they awaken in the listener a feeling of "the preservation and continuation of doing the right thing for others, without seeking personal gain." And these, in turn, are indispensable for leadership.

The Core Values

In an effort to bring down to earth lofty principles such as these, and make them understandable to all, the U.S. Air Force and the Civil Air Patrol summarized them in the Core Values. These rest on simple statements that, in turn, help explain and reflect upon increasingly complex principles. There is nothing new about striving to reach an understandable way of expressing multifaceted ideas. What is new is the interlocking relationship that exists between different groups of individuals, and how these change over time.

Rome managed to conquer the world as it knew it through the use of superior tactics in combat, practicing the highest level of training and leadership known in the day, and through the use of a strict hierarchical structure. Orders were to be obeyed, to the death. The superior's power was absolute. This worked well in the 1st century, but lost its luster when those holding absolute power began using it for personal gain. And the Roman Empire – just as it had risen – also fell. Others had fallen before it, the Egyptians, Macedonians, Greeks, Persians, Assyrians... Others would fall after them too.

Having studied the flaws of the past, and knowing what works best in practice, the modern armed services developed their own principles and creeds. Today we know one for commissioned officers – who by virtue of their commission can be held accountable for their own actions as well as the actions of those they lead – and another one for non-commissioned officers – who are also accountable for their actions. Although in the intervening centuries the officer corps had been far above the enlisted ranks, the far greater speed and interlocking of combat brought them into action together. This is how the line between "officer" and "enlisted" has become increasingly blurred. Below are the Officer's Creed and the Chief Master Sergeant's Creed. I am indebted to C/CMSgt Josiah Niedrauer for having brought the latter to my attention.

Officer's Creed

I will give to the selfless performance of my duty and my mission the best that effort, thought, and dedication can provide.

In all my actions I will put loyalty to the highest moral principles and the United States of America above loyalty to organizations, persons, and my personal interest.

Chief's Creed

Who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular, who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the world is saying "yes"

Volunteer Service

Now let's think about volunteers, and how they have impacted American life. America's Revolutionary War was won by volunteers. Volunteers conquered the West. Volunteers stepped forward with every American call to arms. Today, America has all-volunteer armed forces. Volunteers have served the community in many ways, both in uniform and as civilians. Volunteers, in fact, are the moving force behind America's greatness.

The Civil Air Patrol was founded by volunteers who came to the aid of their country before ever having been called. For no personal gain, no glory, no position of distinction, no trade-in-kind. Yet, to my knowledge, the Civil Air Patrol does not have a creed. We have core values, yes, but no creed.

Some of us served in the military before becoming CAP members. Some of us were commissioned, or held positions of similar responsibility in civilian government service. Some of us retired after many years of commissioned or non-commissioned service. And now, all of us get "paid" the same, and work towards the same goals, and have the opportunity to influence those around us. So what are we to do? Do we set a good example, or the opposite?

I suggest that the following might be a good creed for the Civil Air Patrol. Or, at least, it might be a starting point.

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, Editor

These don't come along too often...

As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open. The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and kept watching the old gentleman from about twenty-five feet. I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too, and took a few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something. The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand-new Cadillac Escalade and then turn back to the old man. I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, "You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age." And then, with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber right out of the parking lot.

I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He returned to his wife and spoke with her, and appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough, so I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight. As I got near him I said, "Looks like you're having a problem." He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. 

I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around I saw a gas station up the road and told the old gentleman that I would be right back. I drove to the station, went inside, and saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them and told him the problem the old man had with his car, offering to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.

The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree, and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine) I spoke with the old gentleman. When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, "What outfit did you serve with?" He had mentioned that he served with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal.

He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps long after the war was over.

As we talked we heard the car engine come on, and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but I stopped him and told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card. He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it and I stuck it in my pocket. We shook hands all around again, and I said goodbye to his wife. I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station.

Once at the station I said that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. "I want to pay for the help," I said, but they refused to charge me. One of them pulled out a card from his pocket, and it looked exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both men told me then that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and, as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off. For some reason I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over, took the card out of my pocket, and looked at it for a long, long, time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name ..."Congressional Medal of Honor Society."

I sat there motionless, looking at the card and reading it over and over.

I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together, because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage, and I felt the honor of having been in his presence.

America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall.

Anonymous, submitted by Chaplain (Lt Col) George Kelly

The Newest Unit in Texas Wing – Legislative Squadron, SWR-TX-999

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, PAO, Legislative Squadron, Texas Wing

The 2007 Texas Wing Winter Encampment Still in the News, 26-31 December

CAMP SWIFT, TX – The Cadet PAO Team wrote six articles describing what it was like to be at the encampment "on the receiving end." Unless they deal with a major disaster, CAP news are not all that popular with news editors, but this time the papers were charmed by the guileless prose that the cadet PAOs produced. And they published the story.

Dana and Dale Rideout, of the Texoma Enterprise, are great friends of the Civil Air Patrol. We are grateful to them for having helped spread the CAP story, and we hope their readers have enjoyed the fruit of our young writers' labors.

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate

One of the objectives of the new CAP National Marketing Plan is to increase new membership by 5% above the 2006 level during year one, 10% during year two, and 25% during year three. Recruiting so many new members may sound like an enormous task but, simply put, if every member were to recruit one person we would exceed our goal by 400%. "Impossible," you say? Not really. Surely you know at least one person at work, in your neighborhood, at school or house of worship, or even in your family, who would be interested in CAP—if they only heard about the important missions we perform behind the scenes. They don’t have to be pilots or even fly in a plane, there is plenty for them to do on the ground too. In fact, only about 10% of all CAP members are mission pilots...

1st Lt Robert Severance III, PAO, Crusader Composite Squadron

What is Safety?

What is safety?  This is a question that Jay Hopkins, a CFI, posed to various aviation related groups in an article in the Feb 2008 issue of Flying magazine. The most frequent answer, after a long pause, is, "No accidents or injuries." His response is, "No, the absence of accidents or injuries is the result of safety." For him, the definition of safety is very simple,

1. Reduce risk in general, and

2. Eliminate unnecessary risk.

You would be hard-pressed to find a pilot who doesn't want to fly safely. However, an honest self-appraisal would likely turn up areas where we are not doing everything we can to reduce risk in general, and situations in  the past where we have taken unnecessary risks. Let’s all resolve to try to make a conscious effort to do better, fly safely, and live longer!

Maj Wm. "Bert" Wilson, SO

Monthly Safety Briefing

Each Squadron is required to provide both a flight safety briefing and a ground safety briefing each month. The Sentinel, the national CAP Safety newsletter, should be briefed as a minimum. Be sure to log it in WMU, too.

Maj Jeff Yevcak, formerly the Randolph AFB safety officer who was also the Randolph AFB liaison officer to CAP, kindly offered the following for the month of March, should you want to use them at your own squadron.

March Flight Safety Briefing (MS Word document)

March Ground Safety Briefing (MS Word document)

Recurring Reports

Editor

(Unit Emblem Under Development)

(Unit Website Under Development)

Capt. Arthur E. Woodgate, PAO, TX999

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Jimmy Browning, 31st Fighter Wing Chapel Office

Why return to the Air Force Academy after Winter Break?

(First year cadets at the Air Force Academy are allowed to leave the Academy without penalty through the end of first-year Christmas break. Those who came back were assigned to write a paper on why they chose to return. This cadet is 20 years old.)

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – So after our sunburns have faded and the memories of our winter break have been reduced to pictures we've pinned on our desk boards, and once again we've exchanged T-shirts and swim suits for flight suits and camouflage, there still remains the question that every cadet at U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has asked themselves at some point: Why did we come back? Why, after spending two weeks with our family would we return to one of the most demanding lifestyles in the country? After listening to our "friends" who are home from State or Ivy League schools chock full of wisdom about how our war in Iraq is unjust and unworldly, why would we return? And after watching the news and reading the papers which only seem to condemn the military's every mistake and shadow every victory, why would we continue to think it is worth the sacrifice of a normal college life?

Is it because the institution to which we belong is tuition-free?

Anyone who claims this has forgotten that we will, by the time we graduate, repay the US taxpayer many times over in blood, sweat, and tears. Is it because the schooling we are receiving is one of the best undergraduate educations in the country? While the quality of the education is second to none, anyone who provides this as a main reason has lost sight of the awesome responsibility that awaits those who are tough enough to graduate and become commissioned officers in the U.S. Air Force.

I come back to the Academy because I want to have the training necessary so that one day I'll have the incredible responsibility of leading the sons and daughters of America in combat. These men and women will never ask about my Academy grade point average, their only concern will be that I have the ability to lead them expertly; I will be humbled to earn their respect. I come back to the Academy because I want to be the commander who saves lives by negotiating with Arab leaders... in their own language.

I come back to the Academy because, if called upon, I want to be the pilot who flies half way around the world with three mid-air refuelings to send a bomb from 30,000 feet into a basement housing the enemy... through a ventilation shaft two feet wide. Becoming an officer in today's modern Air Force is so much more than just command; it is being a diplomat, a strategist, a communicator, a moral compass, but always a warrior first.

I come back to the Air Force Academy because, right now, the United States is fighting a global war that is an "away game" in Iraq - taking the fight to the terrorists.

Whether or not we think the terrorists were in Iraq before our invasion, they are unquestionably there now. And if there is any doubt as to whether this is a global war, just ask the people in Amman, in London, in Madrid, in Casablanca, in Riyadh, and in Bali.

This war must remain an away game because we have seen what happens when it becomes a home game... I come back to the Academy because I want to be a part of that fight.

I come back to the Academy because I don't want my vacationing family to board a bus in Paris that gets blown away by someone who thinks that it would be a good idea to convert the Western world to Islam.

I come back to the Academy because I don't want the woman I love to be the one who dials her last frantic cell phone call while huddled in the back of an airliner with a hundred other people seconds away from slamming into the Capitol building.

I come back to the Academy because during my freshman year of high school I sat in a geometry class and watched nineteen terrorists change the course of history live on television. For the first time, every class currently at a U.S. Service Academy made the decision to join after the 2001 terror attacks.

Some have said that the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan only created more terrorists... I say that the attacks of September 11th, 2001 created an untold greater number of American soldiers; I go to school with 4,000 of them. And that's worth more than missing a few frat parties.

Joseph R. Tomczak, Cadet Fourth Class
United States Air Force Academy

U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) had Cadet Tomczak's essay read into the Congressional Record, and at a meeting of the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors he presented Cadet Tomczak with a framed copy of the essay.

This essay was sent to me by Capt Harold Parks, Commander of the Gladewater Corsairs Composite Squadron, who in turn got it from his son-in-law, Col. Rudy Byrne, USAF – Editor

Aviation & more

Safety

US Decorations Rack Builder – All military, auxiliary, and civilian decorations

Silk Purse to Sow’s Ear to Silk Purse Again, 2 February

GLADEWATER, TX – On the morning of 2 February 2008, cadets from the Gladewater Corsairs Composite Squadron gathered at the Gladewater Airport.  All were very excited about the opportunity to experience Cadet Orientation Flights in the Tyler CAP aircraft. Lt Col Terry Howlett had promised to fly over to Gladewater Airport in order to provide the flights for our cadets. The excitement was heightened because very few of our cadets have had the opportunity to fly in a fully mission-capable CAP aircraft. Flying itself wouldn't be a new experience to them, as we regularly fly our cadets in member-owned aircraft and the EAA group at our airport has been quite generous with Eagle Flights as well. However, Mother Nature had other plans and a cold, damp fog gradually suppressed the excitement. After consulting with Lt Col Howlett, we reluctantly agreed that flying would not be possible that day. 

Now, what to do, with the cadets already at the airport?

The answer came easily – the cadet commander, C/CMSgt Jarrod Alexander, quickly suggested that the whole squadron could use L-Per training on the airport. Although our cadets are very familiar with using the L-Per to find ELTs, it had been quite a long time since we had done so at an airport. Since our real ELT missions so frequently involve ELT signals at airports, his was a great idea. We got right to it, and soon each cadet, in turn, located the practice ELT that had been hidden in various locations around the hangars – which happens to be the hardest place in which to find an ELT on an airport. Once all cadets had demonstrated that they could indeed locate an ELT amidst the hangars, another opportunity presented itself.

Our squadron traditionally works ELT searches on the “bee line” theory. That is, we generally take bearings on the signal and move directly towards it.  This method came about due to the difficulty of working with triangulation in our normal training area, where it is extremely difficult to locate an ELT because it is a near “electrical signal nightmare.”  There are so many high-tension wires, steel buildings, wire fences and piles of steel scrap in our training area, that it is very challenging to pick a target signal out of the electrical noise. For that location, given the environment, we determined that getting a single bearing was difficult enough, so it it would be best to avoid complicating it further with another bearing. All have learned how to find an ELT there.

In any case, since we were now at a location that more closely resembled a typical mission – an airport – it made sense to try triangulation. It had been a very long time since we had practiced this universally accepted method of locating ELTs. C/CMSgt Alexander had attended the Texas Wing Ground Search and Rescue Specialty School in Brownsville last December, so he had recent experience in triangulation. In an open area, he demonstrated the technique to everyone, so all could understand the principles involved. It took no time at all for everyone to get re-acquainted with the procedure. So the day ended profitably after all, in spite of the letdown of missing an opportunity to fly.

We went from the silk purse of an exciting chance to fly in a fully mission-capable CAP aircraft to the sow's ear of disappointment at not going. Happily, this was followed with the silk purse of excellent training that reinforced and expanded some skills previously learned. Members attending included Capt Harold Parks, C/CMSgt Jarrod Alexander, C/CMSgt Andrew Alexander, C/SrA Nathan Cardino, C/Amn Rebekah Alexander and C/AB Bradley Jamison.

Gladewater Cadet Promoted, 5 February

GLADEWATER, TX – A Promotion Board and subsequent promotion ceremony was held at the Squadron meeting of 5 February 2008. One Cadet was promoted after meeting the Promotion Board consisting of 1st Lt Harold Parks, Squadron Commander, and Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Jarrod Alexander, Cadet Commander. Whenever cadets have met all the prerequisites and are ready for promotion, they are required to meet with the Promotion Board. After reporting to the Promotion Board as prescribed by regulations, and reciting the Cadet Oath, each cadet is questioned about his/her position and/or role in the Squadron. The Cadet’s record is then reviewed to make certain that all requirements for their pending grade are met and then they are dismissed from the Board.

     Having been approved by the Board, Cadet Airman Basic Victoria Jones was promoted to Cadet Airman. She received a Certificate of Promotion from 1st Lt Parks during that evening's final formation.

Two other cadets who were also promotable, but were unable to attend because of illness. Cadet Senior Airman Nathan Cardino is eligible for promotion to Cadet Staff Sergeant, and Cadet Basic Rebekah Alexander is eligible for promotion to Cadet Airman. Both will be cycled through the next Promotion Board.

Squadron Commander Promoted, 11 February

GLADEWATER, TX – The squadron commander, Harold Parks, was promoted to the grade of Captain.

(Capt Harold Parks, Commander)

Red Cap Mission Number 0219, 12 February

     LONGVIEW, TX – On 12 February, at approximately 1750 (5:50 p.m.), an Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT) signal was picked up and relayed to the Civil Air Patrol. The Incident Commander, Lt Col Dennis Bennett (a member of Tyler Composite Squadron), alerted the Gregg County Composite Squadron at approximately 2020 (8:20 p.m.). (Photo: [front] C/SMSgt Andrew Shea, Major Gerry Davis, C/SSgt Ryan Cobb, C/MSgt Kayla Cassel, and Captain Steve Schluter; [back] C/CMSgt Jarred Heath, C/2d Lt Zachary Whiteley, and Senior Member John McDonald. Photographer: C/A1C Desiree Taylor)

The official report read, "Using advanced training, government and private vehicles, the cooperation of the Sheriff’s Department, and that of the owners of several hangars, the squadron's ground team thoroughly searched the Kilgore and Gregg County Airports. The ELT was located and disengaged at approximately 0320 on 13 February. After a closing briefing, the Ground Team was dismissed at 0350."

Ground team members were:

• Major Gerry Davis (Ground Team Leader)

• C/2d Lt Zachary Whiteley (Ground Team Leader Assistant)

• Captain Steve Schluter   

• Senior Member John McDonald   

• Senior Member Jerry Cobb 

• C/CMSgt Jarred Heath  

• C/CMSgt Caroline Morton   

• C/SMSgt Andrew Shea   

• C/MSgt Kayla Cassel    

• C/SSgt Ryan Cobb 

But there is much more to what happened that night. "The coordinates we got covered a pretty wide area, so Maj Davis, our Ground Team Leader, decided to start in Kilgore, where we detected a faint signal near the airport, but we couldn't pin it down. It was intermittent, then we lost it altogether and couldn't get it back," said Capt Schluter, the squadron commander. "As we drove around to different locations, we picked up a new signal near the Gregg County Airport, and it led us to two twin-engined Beechcraft Duchess planes that were parked on the tarmac between two rows of hangars."

The search was a real challenge, because the signal was unsteady. Eventually, "It was C/SSgt Cobb who nailed it," said Capt Schluter. The ELT was in one of the Duchess planes. To make sure, the team used body blocking and signal-strength metering to pinpoint the exact location, which was definitely the plane. The owner was located and assisted with removal of the ELT for identification. "We got the box number, all right. Then we saw that the battery expiration date was 28 February," said Capt Schluter. "The flight instructor on site said that it must have failed because it was pretty cold that night."

On the following day, the unit commander found out that the cadets had gone home and, instead of going to bed, most had stayed up several hours talking about the mission. They were all very excited about having been in a real mission. And, of course, they had earned their CAP Find ribbon...

(C/CMSgt Caroline Morton)

Celebrating Aerospace on Groundhog Day, 2 February

IRVING, TX – Several members of the Irving Composite Squadron joined the North Texas Chapter of the National Space Society to see a special program at the UTA planetarium on Groundhog Day. The first program was Wonders of the Universe; a 3D tour of the Universe created by altering images from the Hubble Space Telescope.

The second part was a special showing of the film Astronaut, which focuses on how the human body reacts to the travail of space travel. It was done by a British company and was all computer graphics (no real photographs).

Both shows concluded with a tour of the Texas night skies. The new digital planetarium is one of the best in Texas. Our photo appeared in the NT-NSS newsletter (this is a PDF document).

Achievements, 2 February

1. 2. 3.

[1] Lt Col Cynthia Whisennand presents Capt Joe Davila with his Grover Loening Award for having completed all the requirements for Level 3. [2] A big hurrah! to Capt Ben Glaze for earning his Grover Loening Award. Lt Col Cynthia Whisennand makes the presentation. [3] Congratulations to Joe Davila, for his promotion to Major. Lt Col Cynthia Whisennand and Lt Col Dietrich Whisennand bestow the new epaulets. (Lt Col Whisennand is wearing his Army digital BDUs because he had gone to the meeting directly from his Army Reserve unit).

(Lt Col Cynthia Whisennand)

(2d Lt Richard Hacker)

Pegasus Color Guard's Victory, 15-17 February

CAMP MABRY, AUSTIN, TX – Racing hearts, restless bodies, butterflies in the stomach. These are just a few phrases that would describe everyone’s emotions during the weekend of the 2008 Texas Wing Cadet Competition. The pressure of every event hangs over the head of every Color Guard member, while supporters watch anxiously, hoping for the best. But that hope rests on top of the sure knowledge that precision and synchronization don't come without practice.

Knowing what it is like to be in the Pegasus Composite Squadron Color Guard, I understand how much time and effort is needed to do well in the Texas Wing Cadet Competition. The saying, “Practice makes perfect” can definitely be applied to what every Color Guard must go through in order to come up on top in this event. Spending the weekend with my squadron’s color guard, I got the privilege of experiencing the rush of this competition once again – no longer a participant myself, but now a spectator. 

Together, the following team members put their hearts and souls into this event:

• Commander and American flag bearer, C/Amn Austin Lowery,

• American flag guard, C/MSgt Robbie Petrosky,

• Organizational flag bearer, C/CMSgt Rand Fowler,

• Organizational flag guard, C/CMSgt David Hamman and

• Alternate, C/SSgt Aaron Harold.

Under the guidance of Maj J. D. Draper, the Pegasus Color Guard “took it to the streets” and placed first in the following categories:

• Outdoor Practical,

• Mile Run, and

• Written exam.

Pegasus placed second in

• In-Ranks Inspection,

• Panel Quiz,

• Standard Drill, and

• Indoor Practical.

In the end, the Pegasus Color Guard earned first place overall and will be representing Texas Wing at the upcoming Southwest Region Cadet Competition. Their long hard work had paid off, and they had risen to the top. When I asked C/CMSgt David Hamman how he felt about the Color Guard's win, he replied, “We came, we saw, we terminated.”

1. 2. 3. 4.

[1] C/MSgt Robbie Petrosky, C/Amn Austin Lowery, C/CMSgt Rand Fowler, and C/CMSgt David Hamman (front row) and C/SSgt Aaron Harold (rear) during in-ranks inspection. [2] C/MSgt Robbie Petrosky, C/Amn Austin Lowery, C/CMSgt Rand Fowler, and C/CMSgt David Hamman during Indoor Practical drill. [3] Maj Jimmy Draper, left, with the winning team. [4] The winners proudly display all their trophies. (Photos #1-2, C/2d Lt Raphael Erie; Others, C/Capt Richard Pope, Jr.)

Along with their outstanding team results, C/Amn Austin Lowery, the fastest male on the mile run, earned the Male Fleet Foot award.

Although the Pegasus Color Guard achieved an impressive accomplishment, it also faced a formidable opponent in Houston's Sheldon Cadet Squadron, so it was a very narrow win. I thought Sheldon looked very sharp, and no one was sure of the outcome until it was announced – it was that close.

Something else emerged from the Color Guard competition. There was amazing improvement on the part of Red Oak Cadet Squadron, a relatively new unit in competition, who have come a long way since their first attempt last year. Placing third in this event, for a team so new and young, was a fantastic achievement.

All in all, the Pegasus Color Guard's hard work has paid off so far, but the real test will come on 27 March at the Southwest Region Cadet Competition in Louisiana. I look forward to seeing the team give the competition their very best, in a spirit of friendly rivalry. I hope they have a great time in Louisiana and gain valuable experience, taking advantage of an opportunity that doesn’t present itself all too often.

(C/2d Lt Raphael Erie)

Taking Care of Business, 26 February

LUBBOCK, TX – February has been an exhausting month on many levels. For one, I did nothing but homework for three weeks straight. Add the many activities of AFROTC and it seems like time no longer stretches far enough. Fortunately, homework is becoming less of a burden, and spring break is just a couple of weeks away. I'll be enjoying every minute of it. 

The weather here has been inconsistent. Sometimes it is seventy degrees and sunny, and sometimes it is snowing as I walk to my morning classes. The powerful gusts of wind have the strength to knock you over. Unfortunately, there are many farms around Lubbock, and the wind carries the dirt and other debris through the air. It is quite a sight to see a light grey-brownish sky. It makes you feel as if you were in The twilight zone. 

AFROTC is still the best thing about attending Texas Tech University. A couple of L-Labs ago, we played paintball in BDUs, which was a lot of fun. And academic studies have become a normal part of my routine. It is amazing to see how far I have progressed and how much I have learned. I look forward to the day when I earn a major leadership role in Detachment 820.

Recently, the Pegasus Composite Squadron Color Guard Team competed at the annual competition at Camp Mabry in Austin. At the 2007 competition, I was a member on the team and we earned third place. This year, I was glad to learn, the team earned first place!  I know that the cadets on the team worked extremely hard to accomplish this goal. I watched them practice when I was home from college. On many of the Saturdays they practiced, the winds rivaled those in Lubbock. When you're carrying the flags, a high wind makes this task a whole lot harder.

I want to wish the Color Guard Team the best of luck as they represent Texas Wing at the Southwest Region Cadet Competition in Louisiana.

(C/SSgt Evan Petrosky)

Color Guard Training, 9 February

RED OAK, TX – On February 9, 2008, the Red Oak Cadet Squadron’s Color Guard conducted a four-hour training session at the Red Oak Junior High School, as they prepared themselves for competition on the weekend of 16-17 February at Camp Mabry, in Austin. This will be the second year in which the Red Oak Squadron’s Color Guard has participated in the event.

First on the agenda was practice presenting the Colors indoors. Once the cadets could efficiently post and retrieve the Colors without making any errors (in competition, the fewer the errors the higher the score), they moved on to presenting the Colors outdoors. 

1. 2. 3. 4.

[1] C/CMSgt Lambert, Maj Smalley, and C/SMSgt Evans watch the Color Guard present the Colors indoors. [2] Cadets retrieve the Colors. [3] Cadets post the Colors. [4] Maj Jane Smalley and C/1st Lt Tiffany Hamm judge the cadets.

For the remainder of the day, the Color Guard stayed outdoors. While there, the cadets practiced raising and lowering the flag on a flag pole. The flag bearers also practiced the use of a harness to carry the flag. Before long, the day had come to an end. The cadets stored the flags indoors, on permanent display, and then everyone returned home.

5. 6. 7. 8.

[5] Maj Jane Smalley supervises the cadets as they practice their movements. [6] Cadets lower the flag. [7] The Color Guard presents the Colors outdoors. [8] Sometimes the wind gets in the way.

C/1st Lt Tiffany Hamm commented, “We spent most of our time outside, since presenting the Colors outdoors is much harder than doing so indoors. The wind is a crucial factor in this, because the flag bearers must have enough strength to carry the flags upright against the wind. Overall, the cadets did a wonderful job presenting the Colors, both indoors and outdoors.”

Maj Jane Smalley said, “I believe this year my Color Guard will perform better than last time, because we now know what to expect at the competition; and we have practiced a lot more than last year.”

(C/1st Lt Tiffany Hamm)

Working the DSAREX, 18 January

TYLER, TX – Saturday, the second weekend of the month. Today was the day for the Texas Wing-wide Distributed Search and Rescue Exercise (DSAREX), as well as the monthly pancake breakfast fly-in traditionally hosted by the Tyler Composite Squadron. The cadets in-processed at 0730 to get ready for the first mission of the DSAREX, and to help out in the kitchen.

The time was 1100 hours, and the fly-in was winding down. Cadets packed up and headed out for their first sortie, a geocache mission on the outskirts of the city of Tyler. Some quick preparatory work and dialing in of the search objective's Latitude and Longitude into the team's Global Positioning System (GPS) units followed, and the hunt was on. The cadets quickly tracked the coordinates to the geocache and, within 45 minutes, the sortie was back at the squadron headquarters. The after-action review was uneventful.

A short break, and the ground team went in for the next mission briefing. This would be another geocache – with an interesting twist. The second sortie of the day departed the airport at 1230, and started tracking the GPS coordinates to the search objective. Some good navigation took them to the Tyler Rose Garden, where the search got slightly confusing, since the geocache latitude and longitude put the location right in the middle of the road. The team initiated a hasty search and found that the geocache, indeed, was in the middle of the road. Or, rather, under it. At that point, the road crossed a bridge, and when the geocache was not in sight, nor could it be above the open bridge, the only place left was under the bridge – and that's where it turned out to be.

Cadets returned to the squadron at 1330 hours for mission review, and before out-processing, they stayed to discuss the day's events. It was a good day for a DSAREX, and a great start to a new year of training.

Squadron Promotions, 5 February

TYLER, TX – The squadron meeting for Tyler Composite Squadron was the occasion for a simple promotion ceremony that included one officer and six cadets.

• Richard Gilmore was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, a grade he had previously achieved many years before. 1st Lt Gilmore was among the original founders of the Tyler Composite Squadron.

• The squadron's Cadet First Sergeant, John Shanahan, was promoted to C/CMSgt,

• Josiah Niedrauer was promoted to C/CMSgt,

• Caleb Winn was promoted to C/MSgt,

• Erika Skeele was promoted to C/SSgt,

• Jesse Carr was promoted to C/SSgt, and

• James Gandy was promoted to C/A1C.

These members had gone above and beyond what had been required of them, and their achievements had been well earned.

The meeting concluded with a safety briefing and preparation for an upcoming Advanced Airman Leadership School.

A Home-grown Hero Returns, 22 February

TYLER, TX – I recently had the privilege and pleasure of interviewing one of the greatest Civil Air Patrol officers ever to wear the uniform. Not many people can say they'd been there when CAP was a new idea, and even fewer that they'd been part of it. But 1st Lt Richard Gilmore can lay a fair claim to both.

His CAP adventure starts in the year 1949. Four years had passed since the Second World War had come to a close, and Civil Air Patrol was ready to show the world what it could do during peace-time.

Luther C. "Jack" Bogard – a local pilot – invited Richard Gilmore, then a young high school student, to take an airplane ride with him. It was Gilmore’s first flight, and the effects of that first experience were not unusual. He’s been hooked on aviation ever since. Or, as he puts it, “If you could look inside my head right now, you’d see little airplanes flying around in there.”

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

[1] A very young Richard Gilmore stands in front of an Aeronca Champion in 1949, about the time when he got his pilot's license. This sepia photo, lovingly preserved in a family photo album, is irreplaceable. [2] The L-16 was the military version of the Aeronca Champion. CAP inherited the lot from the Air Force. [3] The Beech T-34 was a highly successful USAF trainer that the Air Force passed on to CAP when the plane no longer suited its needs. It remained in CAP service for many years, until its maintenance cost became excessive. It had a retractable landing gear and was very easy to fly. [4]-[5] The Cessna L-19, patterned after the highly successful Cessna 170, was later renamed the O-1 "Bird Dog." It was the Army's primary observation plane from 1950 to the early 1960's, when it began to be replaced by the O-2 (a modified Cessna Skymaster), a "push-pull" twin engine plane with retractable landing gear. As they were replaced, the Old O-1s were given away to the Civil Air Patrol.

After getting his pilot’s license at age 17, Richard Gilmore attended his first CAP meeting while visiting a cousin in the Arkansas Wing. Back in Texas, he spoke with his friend Jack Bogard about starting a CAP squadron in Texas. Jack liked the idea, and they formed a unit based out of Tyler Pounds Airport. The new squadron had seven members –  Jack was the commander and six high school students, including Gilmore, were cadet members. “Jack used to march the six of us around out there, on the taxi-ways,” Gilmore recalls with amusement. [Col Bogard served as the Texas Wing Commander from 1968 to 1970 - Editor]

But time doesn't stand still. Soon, Richard Gilmore had graduated from high school and, with the Korean Conflict going on and most young men waiting for the Draft to call them, he decided to serve in the newly-formed United States Air Force instead.

A few years later, the war over, Richard Gilmore left the Air Force and joined CAP for the second time. “We (the Tyler Squadron) were the headquarters for Texas operations, and all the aircraft were based here,” he explains. “We had two T-34s and two L-19s. I was the one in charge of assigning them to the different squadrons in the Wing.”

It was during this time, while taxiing across the airfield one day, that he and his copilot heard alarms going off outside. As they looked out the window, they were just in time to see a small airplane taking off into a strong crosswind. It pulled straight up into the air and did a hammerhead stall back towards the runway. Just missing the fuel trucks and the control tower, the aircraft smashed into the ground and tipped over sideways. 

Lieutenant Gilmore and his copilot ran towards the crash site. Arriving at the scene, they found that the engine of the ill-fated plane had slammed up through the panel, trapping the occupants in their seats. As the fire engines soaked the burning aircraft with muddy water from a nearby pond, the CAP members managed to pull the two wounded men from the cockpit. Miraculously, both of them survived with only moderate injuries. “The water from the fire engines ruined my first flight suit, though,” muses Gilmore with a chuckle.

At the 1971 Wing conference, 1st Lieutenant Richard Gilmore was awarded the Bronze Medal of Valor for his heroic actions on that distant day at the Tyler airport. Shortly afterwards, he left CAP for the second time, although he still showed up at squadron events from time to time.

Another 36 years went by and, in 2007, Richard Gilmore noticed an ad in the paper for the Tyler Composite Squadron’s monthly fly-in pancake breakfast, so he decided to come and visit. While there, he talked to some of the officers, and they encouraged him to visit during a squadron meeting. "Come and see what's going on for yourself, then tell us what you think," they said. A few weeks later, he came to one. “I’ve only missed two squadron meetings since,” he commented during this interview.

Lt Gilmore's hobby, a passion, is radio-controlled model airplanes. He speaks lovingly of his P-51, his favorite. As it was when he was in the Air Force, and liked to watch them fly on sunny weekends. "They were the real thing," he says. "They would take off and then roll into a climb so fast that you nearly lost sight of them in a heart-beat."

At today's Tyler Composite Squadron, he quickly proved himself invaluable, and was selected the squadron's Officer of the Year for 2007.

When asked what changes he has noticed since he was first a member, he wasn’t quite sure where to start. "There's so much of it," he said to himself. “The cadet program has advanced so far,” he commented. “We didn’t have a uniform back then. And the events, the encampments, those are all new. It’s much more like the Air Force now…" He smiles gently as he sits up on his chair. "This was a pleasant surprise that I had come back to, for sure, and it’s getting better all the time.”

(C/CMSgt Josiah Niedrauer)