Group III was created on Jan 1, 2006. Prior to that,
Texas Wing had been structured with numerous small Groups, each
within easy driving distance of the squadrons it nominally
supported, but staffing the smaller groups was a problem. In the
end, they provided very little support and all the work fell on
Texas Wing. The wing commander, Col. Robert F. "Frank" Eldridge,
opted for abolishing them all and, in their place, he created five
larger groups as subordinate commands that were the mirror-image of
Texas Wing Headquarters. Their assigned mission was to support their
squadrons.
Group III's first commander was Maj. Pat Benoit.
In March, 2006, Maj. Benoit set out in earnest to
unify the former small groups that had been merged into a new unit,
as he wanted to solidify the new Group III into a cohesive unit. As
part of his effort, he invited 1st Lt. Arthur E. Woodgate, the Texas
Wing Deputy PAO, to be the Group III PAO, an additional duty
assignment that the latter accepted with great interest. Also at
that time, Maj. Benoit asked 1st. Lt. Jake Jacobsen to build a
website for Group III, and thus he became its first webmaster.
In May of 2006, 1st Lt. Woodgate asked to be
reassigned from Texas Wing to Group III as the PAO, where he assumed
those responsibilities.
Since Group III needed a
unit emblem, at Maj. Benoit's request, it was co-designed by 1st
Lt. Charles E. Corway and 1st Lt. Woodgate.
As a first priority, Maj. Benoit and 1st Lt. Woodgate
agreed on the creation of a monthly Group III Newsletter, deciding
on its format and content. The first issue was posted in
June, 2006 and has been posted
on the website every month since then. As Lt. Jacobsen lacked the
time to maintain the website and do the necessary postings, he
resigned as webmaster and by-then Capt. Woodgate became its new
webmaster. At Maj. Benoit's request, Capt. Woodgate accomplished a
complete website redesign, in collaboration with Maj.
Benoit.
In the latter part of 2006, Maj. Benoit, in
collaboration with 1st Lt. Woodgate, designed the Group III
challenge coin.
On Jan. 21, 2007, Lt. Col. Owen Younger, formerly the
Group III Vice Commander, assumed command of Group III at a formal
dining out, with presentation of awards.
In 2007, CAP National Headquarters held the first PAO Academy at the
Civil Air Patrol's Annual Conference and National Board at Kissimmee, Fla., where Capt.
Woodgate, a presentor at that event, earned prestigious Balsem
awards for the Website and Newsletter, as well as Writing for Media.
The new Group III website was very well received, and
became the model used by other wings or groups because of its
features that had been designed to support subordinate units
effectively.
The Group III Newsletter, also, was held in high
regard for the quality, variety and breadth of its content. Each new
publication generated very positive comments from across the United
States. Over the years, the Group III Newsletter has launched many
new cadet writers, helped develop writing and reportorial talent,
and fostered creativity for all Group III members. The Group III
Newsletter, also, served as a primary means for all squadrons to
publish news about their activities, contributing to the consolidation of a
collective sense of membership in Group III.
In the winter of 2007, prompted by an open request
from the Air Force Space Command Familiarization Course (Florida),
Group III volunteered to provide the first cadet PAO to report a
National Cadet Special Activity, in Florida. This distinction fell
upon Cadet 2nd Lt. Raphael Erie, who was one of many to have
started publication in the Group III Newsletter. He carried out his
mission in the summer of 2008, making it a success. In this
assignment, he was assisted by Cadet 2nd Lt. Brandii-Re'Ann Davies,
a member of Group IV.
In May 28, 2008, Capt. Woodgate was reassigned to
Southwest Region, where he assumed the duties and responsibilities
of Director of Public Affairs. By permission of the SWR Commander,
Col. Joseph Jensen, he remained as Group III webmaster and
newsletter editor on an additional-duty basis. In June, 2009, at the
request of the SWR Commander, now-Maj. Woodgate agreed to also assume the position
of SWR Director of Organizational Excellence.
In the summer of 2009, Cadet 2nd Lt. Christian Nelson
reported the SWR National Flight Academy in Shawnee, Oklahoma
(another NCSA), followed by the AFSPC-FC (FL) on the same summer.
His work merited very favorable comments from both NCSAs.
In the fall of 2009, Cadets 2nd Lt. Christian Nelson
and Jesse Carr, for the first time ever, reported the National Board and Annual Conference, to
the delight of National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter.
Their work was published not only on the Group III Newsletter but
also on the Southwest Region's own
The
Fly-By, a PDF publication that Maj. Woodgate re-started and edits quarterly.
On Mar. 5, 2010, Maj. Woodgate accepted the
newly-created position of Texas Wing Online News Editor an an
additional duty, as a means to benefit all Texas Wing members. At
that time, he resigned his Group III Staff positions of webmaster
and newsletter editor.
Maj. Arthur E. Woodgate,
Southwest Region Director of Public Affairs
(Date of publication: Mar 6, 2010. This page will be
updated periodically.)
