Minnesota Wing - Mar 2010

8/2/2019 Minnesota Wing - Mar 2010

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The Official Magazine of the Minnesota Wing, Civil Air Patrol

WINTER - SPRING 2010

Northern Flights

Tomorrows Leaders Today!Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jeff Dvorak and Air Force Academy

Cadet 3rd Class Andy Haus. Both are former Minnesota Wing Cadets

and they are excelling in the US military. See how in this issue.


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NorthernFlights

Minnesota Wing

Civil Air Patrol

6275 Crossman Lane

Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076

651-291-0462

[email protected]

Colonel Thomas Theis

Commander, Minnesota Wing

Northern Flights Winter-Spring 2010Editorial Supplied by Major Al Pabon

National Public Affairs Team Leader

CAP National Headquarters

Northern Flights is the authorized publication

of the Minnesota Wing of Civil Air Patrol and

is edited by the Minnesota Wing Headquarters

Office. It is published by a private firm which

is in no way connected to the United States Air

Force or the Civil Air Patrol. Opinions expressed

in the articles and advertisements in this magazine

are the sole responsibility of the contributors

and are in no way endorsed by the United States

Government, the United States Air Force, or the

Civil Air Patrol Corporation. This publication is

published three times a year.

Civil Air Patrol is a non-profit volunteer

organization. Federally chartered by Congress

under 36 U.S.C. 20-208, which is dedicated

to emergency services, aerospace education and

motivation of Americas youth to the highest

ideals of leadership and public service throughcadet programs. Funds received by the advertising

sales are used to support this publication and to

support various CAP activities throughout the

State of Minnesota.

For information on advertising rates

and space, please call:

1-800-635-6036

Year in review

Minnesota Wing completed a successful and

intensive year of operations and activities in 2009.

The year started on a

sad note with the pass-

ing of Lieutenant Colonel

Kenneth Krause, a 62-year

Minnesota CAP memberand World War II hero

from the Mankato area,

who died in late February.

Krause was one of

the C-47 pilots that flew

critically needed supplies

over The Hump, a dan-

gerous 530-mile long passage over the Himalayan

Mountains where nearly ,000 men and 600 planes

were lost.

Krause flew 72 missions over The Hump.Among his many military awards were two

Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Purple Heart.

Finding fun ways to beat the Minnesota winter

blues wasnt hard for the 200 Wing members and

their families that turned out in early March for the

Major Richard Sprouse

Public Affairs Ofcer, Group 2

Minnesota WingCelebrates a

Successful 2009


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3 33

annual Lock-In and Volleyball Tournament held in

St. Cloud.

Starting with a bevy of teams competing in

a volleyball tournament, the weekend led to lots

of food, rock climbing, ight simulators, movies,

games, swimming, dodge ball, and shooting hoops

at St. Cloud State Universitys state of the artstudent recreation center.

Cadets from Viking Squadron took top vol-

leyball honors, with a cadet team from St. Croix

Squadron nishing second.

At the conclusion of the event, it was a tired but

happy group exclaiming: Awesome. Excellent. It

rocked, as well as, Well be back again next year!

The Wings operations tempo picked up dra-

matically in late March when approximately

200 members were called to ght ooding in the

Fargo/Moorhead area.

The assistance of Civil Air Patrol was much

appreciated and lifted our spirits, said Fargo

resident, Kent Wanner.

Phil McShane, also of Fargo, had plenty

of p ra i se fo r CAP as we l l , pa r t i cu la r ly

the cadets working in his neighborhood.

What marvelous young people. They were polite,

hardworking, and their sense of community was

just amazing. What an example and inspiration to

all of us.

May included two major events: the annual

Wing Conference in Alexandria, as well as

Memorial Day.

A highlight from the Wing Conference was

Captain Bill Menkevich receiving the Federal

Aviation Administrations (FAA) Wright BrothersMaster Pilot Award for 50 years of safe ying.

We are very happy and proud that the FAA

honored a member of the Anoka Squadron for 50

years of safe ying an impressive achievement,

says Major Don Sorenson, Group 2 commander of

the Minnesota Wing.

Bill sets an example for all of us to follow that

ying can be 100 percent safe given good planning,

sound judgment and attention to detail. We salute

Bill on this well-deserved award.

May also means Memorial Day, a busy timefor many Wing Color Guards.

C/Amn Peter Spicer of St. Cloud Squadron

had the honor of carrying the POW/MIA flag

while joining the crack Minnesota Military

Funeral Honor Guard during festivities at the State


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Veterans Cemetery near Camp Ripley. That was

awesome, Spicer said as he helped post and retire

the colors.

Despite being the shortest member of the mili-

tary honor guard, Cadet Spicer stood tall among

the nearly 2-hundred people attending the event.

The little guy did real well on a sacred dayfor all war veterans, said Todd Goodrich, a Navy

Gulf War veteran and member of the Minnesota

Patriot Guard. He stood tall and did his duty, just

like a true veteran.

June and July are big months for cadets with

the annual encampment at Camp Ripley and the

annual Flight Academy in Mankato.The June 20-27 encampment consisted of 86

Basic Cadets, 7 Staff Development Squadron

cadets, and 28 Cadet Staff members. Nearly 30

Senior Officers and volunteers were also there.

Cadets and staff from Missouri, North Dakota, as

well as dozen from Iowa, participated in the event.

Minnesota has a well-earned reputation as one

of the best run encampments in the nation, said 2nd

Lt. Carol Hinkle of the Burlington (Iowa) Composite

Squadron. I learned so much being there.

The July 17-25 ight academy drew 25 cadet

pilots in training from Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska,

Kansas and Georgia and put them behind the con-

trols of either a Super Blanik L-23 glider or Cessna

172 aircraft. Nearly 30 Senior Ofcers supervised

the activity.

If you were among the 90 cadets and senior of-

cers who attended Minnesota Wings annual Ground

Team Academy you possess the skills to perform

search and rescue operations, anytime, anyplace.

After some classroom instruction on land navi-

gation, tracking ELTs, conducting a line search,

working with search dogs and first aid training,

the cadets and senior ofcers spent several days in

the recesses of Camp Ripleys 53,000 acres hon-

ing their newly acquired skills under a variety of

search and rescue scenarios.

Ground Team Academy is an intensive eventdesigned to help prepare our members mentally,

physically and technically to deal with life threat-

ening emergencies, said Lt. Col. Chet Wilberg,

Ground Team Academy commander.

Last year, Minnesota Wing logged 75 actual or

training missions totaling nearly 5,000 personnel

hours, 469 air sorties, 789 air hours and one save.

Minnesota Wings BlackCAP

Emergency Services College cel-

ebrated 25 years in September

with a turnout of 30 members on

a brilliant fall day.

Created by the Red Wing

Squadron in 984, BlackCAP is devoted to teach-

ing the search and rescue procedures that enable

Civil Air Patrol wings everywhere to save nearly

00 lives every year. Cadre at the event wears a

special black cap.


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5

Among the course offerings were flight line

marshalling, eld rst aid, use of radios and direc-

tion nding equipment, line searches, transitioning

from a search to a rescue operation, and handling

the news media.

Public affairs seems to be a Minnesota spe-cialty. Minnesota Wing submitted the most news

releases to CAP National Headquarters in 2009

with nearly 60 submissions. st Lt. George Supan

of Anoka, st Lt. Erik Lindquist of Viking, and

st Lt. Scott Richardson of St. Croix, as well

as C/CMSgt Lydia Wiff of Viking is among a

talented pool of Wing public information ofcers.

Minnesota was also home to the North Central

Regions public information officer of the year,

Major Richard Sprouse of Group II Headquarters.

Minnesota Wings Leadership Academy

(MLA) had a full house during its annual session

at Camp Ripley in October, graduating 6 cadets

from the Basic Commissioned Officers Course

(BCOC) and 34 cadets from the Noncommissioned

Ofcer School (NCOS).

The MLA prepares cadets to become leaders

through academic study and practical excises

focusing on improving communications and inter-

personal skills, afrmation of the leadership skills

the cadets already have, as well as provide them

ready resources that will help them deal with the

challenges confronted by most young leaders.

The distinguished graduate of the BCOC semi-

nar was Cadet Second Lieutenant David Nelson of

Red Wing Squadron. For the NCOS seminar, the

distinguished graduate was Cadet Staff Sergeant

Caitlin Albrecht of North Hennepin Squadron.

November was Veterans Day, and squad-

rons across the state participated in a number of

events. Community involvement is an integral part

of many Wing activities.

Minnesota Wing members were at the forefront

of another major operational mission in November

when a pilot and plane were reported missing in

northern Minnesota.

The pilot, Andrew Lindberg, died in the crash

discovered southwest of Bemidji.

Over the course of four days, nearly 400 Civil

Air Patrol members from Minnesota, North Dakota

and South Dakota wings, including ground team

members and pilots, were involved in the search.They used 8 CAP aircraft.

Cadets from North Hennepin Squadron took

numerous honors during Minnesota Wings annual

Color Guard Competition held December 4-5 at

Camp Ripley.

The North Hennepin Color Guard placed rst

in Indoor Practical Drill, Outdoor Practical Drill,

Standard Drill, Mile Run, Male Fleet Foot compe-

tition, Inspection, Panel Quiz, and Written Test.

The North Hennepin Color Guard consisting

of C/AC Garan Williams, C/SrA Sam Kessler,

C/SSgt Jasmine Sands, C/MSgt Kris Grimaldi, and

C/AC Mitch Hanson (alternate) will represent

Minnesota Wing during the North Central Region

Continued on page 9 . . .


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7 7

Cadets from North Hennepin Squadron took

numerous honors during Minnesota Wings annual

Color Guard Competition held December 4-5 at

Camp Ripley.

The North Hennepin Color Guard placed rstin Indoor Practical Drill, Outdoor Practical Drill,

Standard Drill, Mile Run, Male Fleet Foot compe-

tition, Inspection, Panel Quiz, and Written Test.

The North Hennepin Color Guard consisting of

C/AC Garan Williams, C/SrA Sam Kessler, C/SSgt

Jasmine Sands, C/MSgt Kris Grimaldi, and C/AC

Mitch Hanson (alternate) will represent Minnesota

Wing during the North Central Region Color Guard

Competition in early 200. A team from the squad-

ron won Minnesota and North Central Region Color

Guard Competitions in 2008.

Color Guard details typically include posting

the colors at sporting events, military celebrations,

veterans funerals and a variety of other appropri-

ate occasions.

North Hennepin was consistently challenged

for the top spot by Color Guards from Anoka and

Viking Squadrons. C/Amn Zophia Raleigh of

Anoka Squadron took top honors in the Female

North Hennepin Squadron CadetsDominate Color Guard Competition



Fleet Foot category, while C/TSgt Gideon Wiff of

Viking Squadron had the best individual score in

the Written Test competition. Anoka also took the

Team Spirit Award.

The purpose of the competition is:

. Provide incentive and motivation for cadets

to train and attain goals in leadership, aerospace,

physical tness and teamwork.

2. Provide an opportunity for cadets to increase

esprit de corps through Excellence in training andperformance.

3. To provide public validation of the objectives

of the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program (CAP).

The cadets that choose to be part this competi-

tion show great dedication by making sure they

understand the basics of Drill and Ceremony,

such as flag etiquette, which is so critical when

our cadets are out in public performing as Color

Guard, said Major Janelle Gates, Chief of Staff-

Training, Minnesota Wing.

When cadets take that extra step to show thatthey care about what theyre doing, are willing

to put themselves up for critical critique, and

Cadets practice ag etiquette in the snow during the 2009

Minnesota Wing Color Guard Competition. (Photo courtesy

of Major Richard Sprouse, Minnesota Group 2 PIO)

First rie, C/SrA

Sam Kessler of

North Hennepin

Squadron, leads

the way for other

members of the

Color Guard.

(Photo courtesy

of Major Richard

Sprouse,

Minnesota

Group 2 PIO)


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9 9

NHS Color GuardCont.-

are ready to carry on the military traditions ofhonor and respect, that says a lot about our youth.

THANK YOU!

C/Capt Peter Mayhew of Anoka Squadron was one of the

cadet staffers during the 2009 Minnesota Wing Color Guard

Competition. (Photo courtesy of Major Richard Sprouse,

Minnesota Group 2 PIO)

(L-R) Members of the Anoka and Viking Squadrons share

congratulations during the Panel Quiz portion of the 2009

Minnesota Wing Color Guard Competition. (Photo courtesy

of Major Richard Sprouse, Minnesota Group 2 PIO)

Color Guard Competition in early 200. A team

from the squadron won both Minnesota and North

Central Region Color Guard Competitions last

year before attending National Cadet Competitionin Oregon.

In what is now very much a holiday tradition,

Civil Air Patrol is partnering with Wreaths Across

America, a nonprot organization with a mission

to remember, honor and teach about the serviceand sacrices of our nations veterans.

The Southeast Composite Squadron had a

successful rst year participating in the program

placing about 70 wreaths in Rochester.

All in all, a great year!

Year in Review Continued from page 5 . . .


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While most people were

s leeping in on a Saturday

morning last November 7, a

small group of cadets from theMankato Squadron of the Civil

Air Patrol were participating

in CyerPatriot II, the largest

simultaneous worldwide high

school cyber defense competi-

tion ever staged.

Basically, the cadets learned

how to prevent people from put-

ting viruses on computers, said

Senior Master Sergeant David

Dlugiewicz, the squadronsaerospace education ofcer.

The Mankato cadets spent

most of the day trying to uncover

20 things that compromised a

computer operating system as

part of a hands-on exercise to

interest young adults in math,

science and technology. Their

competition included 200 high

school teams from 4 states

and Japan competing over

the Internet. Over two weeks,

that group was narrowed to 36

teams for the second round or

Medalist Flight competition on

Nov. 2.

Dlugiewicz said the Mankato

team experienced some techni-

cal problems throughout the rst


Public Affairs Ofcer, Group II

Mankato Squadron Participates in

CyberPatriot II

two rounds.

After 3 hours of the second

round, the cadets had only xed

one item according to the test-

ing software. At that point, the

cadets decided that they wanted

to make sure their gear was

together if they were needed

for a ground team so they

stopped after about four hours

instead of completing all six.

The Mankato team did not

qualify for the 3rd round of the

competition, but Dlugiewicz

w a s p r o u d o f t h e c a d e t s

Overall, I was impressed with

the cadets performance and

their decision to try again in

round two. There were many

teams that opted not to partici-

pate in round two at all.

Senior Master Sergeant David Dlugiewicz, Mankato Squadron aerospace

education ofcer, and cadets participating in CyerPatriot II the largest

simultaneous worldwide high school cyber defense competition ever staged.

(Photo courtesy Mankato Composite Squadron, Minnesota Wing, Civil Air Patrol)


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Hundreds showed up for the Wreaths Across

America at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery in

Minnesota on December 2, 2009.

Minnesota, US Congresswoman Michele

Bachmann, Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, Col. Tom

Theis, Minnesota Wing, Commander, CAP

members from several Squadrons, the Patriot

Guard along with guests attended the ceremo-

nies. CAP, Maj. Rich Geis, MCed the event

which included presentation of Wreaths at

the military memorial flags. Guest and CAP

members placed over 000 wreaths at graves of

Wreaths Across America atFt. Snelling National Cemetery

It was a cold day but their heartswere warm and heavy

1st Lt. George SupanPublic Affairs Ofcer, Anoka Composite Squadron & Group 3

Veterans who gave the greatest of all sacrices

for our freedom.

The Colors were presented by the Minnesota

Wing Color Guard from North Hennepin

Composite Squadron. MN Wing Chaplain, Lt. Col.

Don Mikitta did the invocation and Chaplain, Maj.

Robert McLawhorn provided the benediction.

Rep Bachmann (picture by 1st Lt. George Supan).

Ries (picture by 1st Lt. George Supan).

NCR Color Guard Team, North Hennepin Composite

Squadron and Lt. Gov. Molnau: (L-R) C/Capt Nic Trombley,

C/CMSgt Matthew Bruffey, C/MSgt Frank Albrecht, Lt. Gov.

Carol Molnau, C/CMSgt Reuben Miller and C/TSgt Caitlin

Albrecht (picture by Lt. Suzanne Albrecht).


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CAP members escorted family members or

special guests who placed wreaths at the flag

poles and markers for each of the branches of the

military. At the completion of the ceremonies Taps

was played along with a volley of rie res.

After the formal ceremonies wreaths were

placed by the grave markers at a sections of the

cemetery by CAP members and anyone who was

in attendance. Some placed wreaths at individual

graves of family members and loved ones who

have served their Country.

Cadet Bill Davis accepts a wreath on behalf

of his brother, former cadet, Marine Corps Lance

Corporal Jake Davis who is now serving in

Washington, D.C.

The event was a great opportunity for everyone

to pay tribute to those who have served. We

Remembered, We Honored and We Shared with

Cadets through our teachings.

Maj. Richard Geis, Ft. Snelling Squadron (picture by 1st Lt.

George Supan).Assisting with wreath Cadet Cadet 2nd Lt. Matt Frame,

Anoka Composite Squadron (picture by 1st Lt. George

Supan).

Cadet Bill Davis accepts a wreath (picture by Lt. Suzanne

Albrecht).

Too many magazines around your house?Leave this one in a public place

as a recruiting tool!


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4 4

Decembers annual Wreaths Across America

event is long gone, but not forgotten by members

of the Southeast Squadron of the Minnesota Wing

of the Civil Air Patrol.

I was really impressed by the squadronshigh participation in this rst year effort, and hope

we can lay a wreath at every veterans grave in

Rochester in the future, said Second Lieutenant

Gene Enos, squadron deputy commander. Were

already discussing plans for 200.

There are four cemeteries in Rochester contain-

ing the graves of more than ,000 veterans.

In its rst year of participation in the nationwide

event, the squadron placed 70 wreaths at Calvary

Cemetery in Rochester. Most of the wreaths were

secured through squadron-solicited donations.

Good Feelings From WreathsAcross America Linger on for

Minnesota SquadronMajor Richard Sprouse


ABOVE: Cadet Elias Rosedahl lays a wreath on the

grave a veteran at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester,Minn., as part of Wreaths Across America. (Photo

courtesy of Chaplain (Maj.) Curtis Martin, Southeast

Minnesota Composite Squadron).

LEFT: Major Richard Baker renders a salute during

the Wreaths Across America event held at Calvary

Cemetery in Rochester, Minn. (Photo courtesy of

Chaplain (Maj.) Curtis Martin, Southeast Minnesota

Composite Squadron).


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On a cold, windy central Minnesota morning, as geese

winged their way to southern climates, wreaths warmed over 300

snow covered graves at the State Veterans Cemetery near CampRipley as part of Wreaths Across America.

Members of the Crow Wing and St. Cloud squadrons of the

Civil Air Patrol combined efforts to distribute the wreaths. They

were joined by the Minnesota Patriot Guard, as well as other

veterans organizations. The Minnesota Department of Veteran

Affairs conducted a brief ceremony placing seven wreaths,

representing each branch of service, the Merchant Marines,

Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.

Wreaths Across America is a non-profit organization that

began over 5 years ago when Worcester Wreath Company

started placing wreaths on the headstones of fallen heroes atArlington National Cemetery. Today, the tradition continues

as the Civil Air Patrol, the Patriot Guard Riders and other civic

organizations place wreaths during a special observance at each

of the over 230 State and National Cemeteries, and Veterans

Monuments nationwide.

Squadrons Combine Efforts DuringWreath-Laying Ceremony at

Veterans CemeteryMajor Richard Sprouse


LEFT: C/2nd Lt Ben Leaf of St. Cloud Squadron prepares to lay a wreath at

one of 300 graves at the State Veterans Cemetery near Camp Ripley, Minn.,

as part of Wreaths Across America. (photo courtesy Maj. Richard Sprouse,

Group II PIO, Minnesota Wing).

C/A1C Jessica Holmes of Crow Wing Squadron waits for the

Wreaths Across America ceremony to get underway at the

State Veterans Cemetery near Camp Ripley, Minnesota.

(photo courtesy Maj. Richard Sprouse, Group II PIO,

Minnesota Wing).

C/Amn Timothy OReilly of Crow Wing Squadron places

a wreath during a cold, windy Wreaths Across America

ceremony at the State Veterans Cemetery near Camp

Ripley, Minnesota. (photo courtesy Maj. Richard Sprouse,

Group II PIO, Minnesota Wing).


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Cadet 3rd Class Andrew Haus,

who attended St. Francis, MN High

School is named best of the best

at the U.S. Air Force Academy, inColorado Springs, Co.

Cadets with the Class of 202

received awards for outstanding

performance as freshmen during the

annual Liaison Officer Directors

conference in Colorado Spring

January 4, 200.

C a d e t H a u s w a s C a d e t

C o m m a n d e r a t t h e A n o k a

Compos i te Squadron o f the

Minnesota Wing, Civil Air Patrolbefore being accepted into the U.S.

Air Force Academy.

Cadet Haus was ranked fourth

in his class militarily, had a 3.8

mid-semester GPA and earned a

445 of 500 possible points on

his physical tness test. In addition,

he was a class representative for

Cadet Squadron 04 and dedicated his spring break

to Habitat for Humanity.

I think my biggest accomplishment was

simply keeping up good grades, said Haus.

Academics are everything here, and Im denitely

not a genius in any way. I have never worked so

hard on schoolwork, but it really paid off.

The award ceremony gives liaison officer

directors a chance to recognize the outstanding

achievements and hard work that cadets put into

the Academy, said Larry Jones, acting director

Former MN Civil Air PatrolMember is Now the

Best of the Best1st Lt. George Supan

Public Affairs Ofcer, Anoka Composite Squadron

(L-R) Paula Gould, wife of Academy Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Mike Gould;

Cadet 3rd Class Andrew Haus; Larry Jones, acting director of admissions.

(Photo taken by Rachel Boettcher)

of admissions. These are the same cadets our

Academy liaison ofcers mentored and helped get

to the Academy two years ago, said Jones.

M e m b e r s o f t h e A n o k a C o m p o s i t e

Squadron are very excited to see one of their

own become the best of the best, said Capt.

Shelly Supan, Commander.

0% of the new Cadets at the U.S. Air

Force Academy are former Cadets in the Civil

Air Patrol.


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Many of the leadership challenges facing Civil

Air Patrol members are the same ones confrontingmembers of todays military says Marine Corps

Reserve Lance Corporal Jeff Dvorak of Sauk

Rapids, Minn.

From September 4, 2009, the Minnesota

Wing - St. Cloud Squadron rst lieutenant has been

running convoys as a member of Marine Wing

Support Squadron 472 at Al Asad Airbase Iraq.

The unit was tasked with assisting retrograding

the Marine Corps side of operations in Iraq to the

U.S. Army, which they successfully accomplished

January 23, 200.

Deployed Marine, CAP

Member Sees Similar

Leadership ChallengesMajor Richard Sprouse

Public Affairs Ofcer

Group II, Minnesota Wing

This mission has our unit moving equipment

from place to place, as well as setting up refueling

points for helicopters, repairing landing sites, and

hauling fuel to remote locations, Dvorak said.

We were so efcient in doing this that our deploy-

ment was shortened by several months! Hes

expected back home shortly.

Dvorak transitioned to the senior ofcer side of

CAP after a successful cadet experience that show-

cased his Emergency Services skills, particularly

as a Ground Team Leader. To help pay for college

he enlisted in the Marine Reserve two years ago.

He was attending St. Cloud State University

US Marine Corps Reserve Lance Corporal Jeff Dvorak, a

CAP rst lieutenant with the Minnesota Wings St. Cloud

Squadron, working comm on a convoy in Iraq. The headset

allows him to talk to the convoy assets while a handset, right

ear, allows him to talk to Marine tactical air supporting the

convoy. (Photo provided by LCPL Dvorak)



Squadron working communications during a convoy in Iraq.

(Photo provided by LCPL Dvorak)


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9 9

when he was selected to augment Marine Wing

Support Squadron 472, based in Willow Grove,

Pennsylvania, for its mission to Iraq.

Convoy duty was intense and stressful, but

there were moments of humor as well.

I watched a Marine known for being clumsy,

get down from a 7-ton truck, and catch his weaponsling on a fire extinguisher which then began

spraying purple re suppressant everywhere. This

Marine tried to stem the ow by sticking his nger

in the nozzle. It was one of the funniest things I

had seen in a long time, Dvorak said.

Dvorak said what he learned about leadership

as a CAP cadet served him well as a deployed

Marine.

The Minnesota Leadership Academys Basic

Commissioned Ofce Course (BCOC) and Major

Sprouses series Learning to Lead specically,applied and were conrmed while I was in Iraq,

Dvorak said.

1. In CAP, a leaders rst priority is tak-

ing care of their cadets. In the Marines,

this meant doing simple things like

making sure everyone was properly

fed, housed and getting enough rest.

Also, treating everyone fairly.

2. BCOC emphasized setting clear goalsand objectives. Dvorak said Marines

always have a plan of action so person-

nel and equipment are not sitting idly

by.

3. Make sure your people receive praise

and formal recognition regularly.

4. Know your job. He said theres noth-

ing worse than an incompetent leader

who hasnt taken the time to learn their

profession.

5. Be confidant. Dont be the timid

leader who gives orders phrased as

questions.

6. Give respect to get respect. Dvorak

said its an old clich, but true. As



Squadron, on convoy duty in Iraq. (Photo provided by LCPL

Dvorak)

a leader, take your subordinates sug-

gestions into account, and if they are

better than yours show your maturity

and change your course of action.

7. An ineffective, poor leader screams

and yells. Instead, set high standards

and expectations, and enforce them.

Leadership challenges that come up in CAP

are the same as the ones faced by todays mili-

tary, Dvorak said. He said the biggest differences

between CAP and the Marines are pay and the

laws that apply on the military side, laws that

increase the consequences of both positive and

negative actions.

The experience in Iraq has been eye open-

ing, both as a follower and as a potential leader,

Dvorak said. There is so much one can learn just

by paying attention and then applying what you

have learned. I look forward to getting back to the

squadron in St. Cloud and doing just that.


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The annual Lock-in and Volleyball tour-nament hosted March 6-7 by the St. Cloud

Composite Squadron and Minnesota Wing has

become a mainstay for Minnesota members of

the Civil Air Patrol wanting a break from the long

winter and an opportunity to have some fun with

other families and friends from across the state.

The event held at St. Cloud State University

drew nearly 250 people this year.

It was also an opportunity for Major Pat Cruze,

St. Cloud Squadron commander, and one of the

organizers of the highly popular event, to get outsome valuable information to potential members

of CAP, as well as thank all wing members for

their efforts throughout the year.

Wing members invite friends and family along

so its a great time to share a lot of good informa-

tion about the opportunities CAP provides and do

MinnesotaWing Enjoys

AnotherWinter Blast



a little recruiting, as well as give them a taste of

some of the fun events that occur during the year,

Cruze said. Its also a great event to keep current

cadet and senior members from across the state

connected to what is going on in their squadrons.

The event centers around the volleyball tourna-

ment earlier in the day, but there are lots of other

fun activities during the overnight lock-in such as

swimming, movies, board games, dodge ball and

basketball. The state of the art flight simulatorsprovided by the universitys nationally recognized

aviation department put cadets behind the controls

of various aircraft.

The rock climb is always a popular event during the

Minnesota Wing Lock-In/Volleyball Tournament held

annually at St. Cloud State University. (Photo courtesy Major

Richard Sprouse, Group II PIO, Minnesota Wing)

Continued on page 23 . . .

A cadet prepares to serve during the 2010 Minnesota Wing

Lock-In/Volleyball Tournament held annually at St. Cloud

State University. (Photo courtesy Major Richard Sprouse,

Group II PIO, Minnesota Wing)


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22 22

Members of the Minnesota

Wing of the Civil Air Patrol

underwent a U. S. Air Force

e v a l u a t i o n A p r i l 7 a n d

r e c e i v e d S u c c e s s f u l ,

Excellent and Outstanding

r a t i n g s , r e s p e c t i v e l y .

We are pleased to report that

Minnesota Wing has success-

fully completed its two-year

operations evaluation by the Air

Force and is mission ready, saidMaj. Paul Pieper, Minnesota

Wings emergency services

director and incident commander

of the USAF evaluation.

Nearly 20 CAP members

and 2 aircraft participated in

the evaluation, which assessed

areas cri t ical or important

Team Minnesota is Mission ReadyMajor Richard Sprouse


to assure the health and per-formance of Civil Air Patrol

Wings everywhere.

I congratulate you on the

successful completion of this, as

well. For all those who received

Excellent or Outstanding

ratings, Im extremely proud

of you, said Col. Tom Theis,

Minnesota Wing Commander.

While the overall rating was

Successful, Pieper and Theis

acknowledged theres always

work to do. However, both

agreed with the Air Force evalu-

ators that Minnesota Wing is

ready to serve when called.

Successful means that we are

ready. We stand on our readi-

ness, we do what we need to do

A cadet performs ight line marshalling during the USAF evaluation held in

Mankato, Minn., on April 17, 2010. Nearly 120 CAP members and 12 aircraft

participated in the event. (Photo courtesy Maj. Richard Sprouse, Group II PIO,

Minnesota Wing)

Lt. Col. Thomas Hollenhorst is interviewed by KEYC-TV during the USAF

evaluation held in Mankato, Minn., on April 17, 2010. (Photo courtesy Maj. Richard

Sprouse, Group II PIO, Minnesota Wing)


18/22

23 23

to be ready at a moments notice

to deploy our air and ground

resources wherever they are

needed and whenever they are

needed, Pieper said. We meetthe standards set forth by the Air

Force, but I say with condence

that as Minnesotans we not only

want to meet but exceed stan-

dards and we will continue to

work to that end.

Every moment of the day

-- 24 hours a day, seven days

a week Minnesota Wing

stands ready to serve locally,

regionally, and nationally,Col. Theis said.

2nd Lt. Greg Erickson readies an aircraft for a mission during the USAF evaluation

held at in Mankato, Minn., on April 17, 2010. (Photo courtesy Maj. Richard

Sprouse, Group II PIO, Minnesota Wing)

While many people were havingfun playing volleyball or the many

other activities, some were climbing

the walls.

The rock climbing wall is a very

popular event. Most people head

straight for the wall as soon as they

get here, Cruze said, but we hear it

every year, its all a blast.

There was also plenty of pizza,

sloppy joes, hotdogs, chips, bever-

ages, and other assorted foods and

treats thanks to the generous dona-

tions of numerous vendors in the St.

Cloud area.

All in all, it was a great time and

good, clean family fun for every-

one who attended with many of the

attendees already looking forward to

next years event.

Winter Blast Continued from page 21

Minnesota Wing Commander Col. Tom Theis (far right) joins members of

the North Hennepin Squadron, winners of the volleyball competition. (Photo

courtesy Major Richard Sprouse, Group II PIO, Minnesota Wing)


19/22

25 25

Its go time.With that, 75 members of the Minnesota Wing

of the Civil Air Patrol are on the ground in the

Fargo/Moorhead area lling sandbags and building

dikes in areas threatened by the rising Red River.

Weve been checking and packing our gear,

and nalizing our call-down list for the past week

in anticipation of getting the call, said First

Lieutenant Steven Parker, St. Cloud Squadrons

Emergency Services ofcer. Parker, a former CAP

cadet, is a full-time student at St. Cloud State

University who will be commissioned as a Marine

Corps second lieutenant in May.

Twelve cadets and two senior ofcers departed

St. Cloud Airport at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday for the

three-hour trip to the Fargo/Moorhead area.

The St. Cloud Squadron was working

Wednesday south of Moorhead, Minn., with

CAP members from Anoka and North Hennepin

Flood Flight is on again inNorth Dakota and Minnesota


Public Information Ofcer

2010 Flood Operations-Minnesota

Minnesota Wing

squadrons laying sandbags in ood prone areas.

A man in his 70s greeted the CAP vans as they

rolled up.

He was awfully glad to see us, Parker said.

This is a situation where a community is in

need of our support, were here to help in any

way we can.

The ride to the site and a quick reconnaissance

of the area told CAP members all they needed to

know about what theyre facing.

Waterways running high and the saturatedground have created ideal conditions for ooding,

Parker said. Were going to be busy.

Hutchinson, Red Wing, St. Croix, Mankato and

St. Paul Squadrons have similar missions at other

locations. Other Minnesota Squadrons are in route.

Several senior ofcers and cadets are working at

the mission base in Fargo Airport.

Weather conditions brought both relief and

Members of the Minnesota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol

sandbagging south of Moorhead, Minn. (Photo courtesy of

1st Lt. Steven Parker, St. Cloud Squadron, Minnesota Wing)

(Standing with shovel) C/Capt Lydia Stone and C/2nd Lt Ben

Leaf (holding sandbag), both of St. Cloud (Minn.) Squadron

sandbagging south of Moorhead, Minn. (Photo courtesy of



20/22

26 2626

concern to Parker.

The weather is ideal for

working outside, sunny and in

the upper 40s, a far cry from theblizzard conditions we experi-

enced during last years record

ood, Parker said.

Ice jams on the Red River

north of Fargo have slowed the

rushing waters, but the warmer

temperatures and sunshine will

hasten their melt.

That concerns everyone

here, Parker said. Were

watching. Its all we can do.The Red River in eastern

North Dakota and western

Minnesota is expected to crest

about 20 feet above ood stage

and three feet below last years record crest by

March 20.

Major Paul Pieper, Minnesota Wings

Emergency Services director, said Minnesota air

crews are standing by to assist. We just nished

up a series of training missions in anticipation

of supporting disaster relief efforts in the RedRiver Valley, as well as other areas of Minnesota

threatened with ooding.

The ood ght is on again in North Dakota

and Minnesota. Its go time.

The Minnesota Wing consists of 23 squadrons

located in every area of the state, with more than

,300 members and 7 light aircraft.

Minnesota Wing routinely flies thousandsof hours per year of operational flights, and

contributes some 0,000 + hours to search and

rescue, counter drug, disaster preparedness,

Homeland Security and other humanitarian mis-

sion ying. For more information on Minnesota

CAP go to: www.mncap.org

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the

U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with

58,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force

auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental

U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked bythe Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was

credited by the AFRCC with saving 72 lives in s-

cal year 2009. Its volunteers play a leading role in

aerospace education and serve as mentors to more

than 23,000 young people currently participating

in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing

missions for America for nearly 70 years.Members of the Minnesota Wing of the Civil Air Patrolsandbagging south of Moorhead, Minn. (Photo courtesy of


(Foreground) 1st Lieutenant Jeff Dvorak, St. Cloud Squadron, recently returned from

a deployment to Iraq with the Marine Corps, sandbags south of Moorhead, Minn.

(Photo courtesy of 1st Lt. Steven Parker, St. Cloud Squadron, Minnesota Wing)


21/22

27 27

FARGO, N.D.Civil Air Patrol aircraft and per-

sonnel from seven Midwest states have returned

home after providing nearly 360 hours of flight

time supporting disaster relief efforts in North

Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Our mission is complete, said Illinois

Wing Maj. Eric Templeton, who directed CAPs

ARCHER flights over the Red River Valley as

well as other parts of North Dakota from the orga-

nizations ood response mission base at Fargos

Hector International Airport. Id like to express

my personal thanks to everyone who directly and

indirectly supported our activities, especially those

CAP Aircrews Wrap SuccessfulFlooding Response

Flights document Midwest states critical

infrastructure concerns


Public Information Ofcer

2010 Flood Operations-Minnesota

Minnesota Wing

who covered for us back home.

Acting as an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force,

CAP sent aircrews from Illinois, Minnesota,

Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and

Wisconsin to the Fargo mission base. The aircrews

ew 160 still photography and ARCHER ights,

delivering ,00 images and ,270 gigabytes of

ARCHER information to the Federal Emergency

Management Agency, the North Dakota Emergency

Operations Center, U.S. Geological Service,

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the

Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral

CAP Gippsland GA-8 Airvans equipped with the ARCHER hyperspectral imaging system set on the tarmac at Fargos Hector

International Airport. The Airvans were used to y sorties in support of federal and state emergency management agencies

involved in the recent ood response in the Red River Valley. In all, CAP aircrews from seven Midwest states made 160

ARCHER and still photography ights in support of the mission. (Photo by Lt. Col. John Barsness, Minnesota Wing)


22/22

Enhanced Reconnaissance, or ARCHER, is own

aboard CAPs Australian-built Gippsland GA-8

aircraft. Developed a few years ago specifically

for Civil Air Patrol to aid in search and rescue,

homeland security and disaster relief, ARCHER

is one of the most sophisticated non-classified

airborne imaging systems in the world. It provides

hyperspectral imaging capabilities through a high-resolution camera onboard each CAP Airvan.

Federal and state emergency management

officials used ARCHER images taken in North

Dakota and Minnesota to determine the extent of

the ood inundation along the Red River as well

as other rivers and tributaries as they crested and to

help analyze the integrity of several earthen dams.

The images also helped ofcials improve the snow

melt models used to predict water levels for the

river and its tributaries.

This provided more than just situational aware-

ness, said Capt. Nash Pherson, a Minnesota Wing

volunteer who helped coordinate the ARCHER

flights. We were able to rapidly provide high-

resolution imagery that could be pulled into the

mapping systems used by emergency response

decision-makers.

More than 30 CAP members utilizing four

GA-8 Airvans and 2 other aircraft supported

ARCHER. Each agency was very happy with

the speed and quality of the data it received from

ARCHER, said Templeton, adding, North

Dakota officials are interested in some longer-

term tasking activities to support other needs of

the state.

While ARCHER was out collecting data,

other aircrews often used the 2 support planesat the Fargo mission base to provide ice jam

patrols all over the state as well as still images

of rivers and tributaries, said Lt. Col. Bill Kay,

the incident commander for North Dakota Wing.

Our crews worked the Missouri, Knife, Heart

and Cannonball rivers in central North Dakota,

while others flew the James, Sheyenne, North

Red, Forest and Park rivers on the eastern side

of the state from the North Dakota-South Dakota

border to Canada. We are still doing that even

today, albeit at a lesser degree.

Similar activities were repeated in South

Dakota, on the rivers and tributaries in the Mount

Rushmore State. Capt. John Seten, South Dakota

Wings incident commander, said aircrews pro-

vided overights of ooded areas of the state and

took geographically tagged aerial photographs of

ice jams and ood damage for the states Ofce of

Emergency Management.

Three ARCHER-equipped Gippsland GA-8 Airvans are prepped for ight at Fargos Hector International Airport, the mission

base for Civil Air Patrols recent ood response in the Red River Valley. The hyperspectral imaging system aboard four CAP

Airvans was used to assist federal and state emergency management ofcials responding to the ooding in the upper Midwest.In all, CAP aircrews from seven Midwest states made 160 ARCHER and still photography ights in support of the mission.

(Photo by Lt. Col. Troy C. Krabbenhoft, North Dakota Wing)

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Minnesota Wing - Mar 2010

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