Wyoming Wing works with State Officials during record Spring flooding

Wyoming Wings

Wyoming Wings

November 2010

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Wyoming WingsThe Wyoming Wings is an autho-rized magazine published three times a year in the interest of the members of Wyoming Wing, Civil Air Patrol. The printers are a private firm in no way con-nected with the Department of the Air Force or Civil Air Patrol. Opinions expressed by the pub-lishers and writers are their own and not to be considered official expression by Civil Air Patrol or the Air Force. The appearance of advertisements in this publica-tion, including supplements and inserts, does not constitute an endorsement by Civil Air Patrol or the Department of the Air Force of products and services advertised.

H HEADQUARTERS H Wyoming WingCivil Air Patrol

Bldg. 233Warren AFB

(307) 773-4519Fax (307) 773-4783

H MAILINg ADDRESS HWyoming WingCivil Air PatrolP. O. Box 9507

Cheyenne, WY 82003-9507

Wing CommanderColonel Stan Skrabut

Editor1st Lt. Jeanne Stone-Hunter

For information onadvertising rates and space,

please call1-800-635-6036

Continued on page 9 . . .

Commander’s CornerStan Skrabut, Col., CAP, Wyoming Wing Commander

Well, folks, this is the last time that I will be writing to you as your wing commander. All I can say is that this has been a tremendously rewarding oppor-tunity, one that I will certainly treasure. It is now time to turn the reigns over to someone new. I only ask that you support the new commander as well as you have supported me. I believe that collectively we have moved the wing forward and achieved a great deal. Our standings with in the region and nation reflect the great work you have done.

I wou ld l i ke to t ake a moment to give you a quick update where we are as of mid-August. As we approach the end of the fiscal year, we are well ahead of schedule regarding our flight operations. At the end of July, you have flown 950 hours, ��4% of our goal hours. You are currently ranked 9th in the nation for aircraft utiliza-tion; this is currently first in the region. At the end of FY 2009, we flew 1098 hours, and right now we still have two months

to go. This is a significant accomplishment and it could not have been done without the tremendous support of the State of Wyoming and their finan-cial support and the Wyoming Military Department. You are also flying a 348% C-17/B-12 ratio; this is great! Again, you rank �st in the region. In regards to cadet orientation flights, 67% of all our cadets have received a flight, and they are eligible for 9 flights; however, this is down from a high of 74%. Yet, you are again ranked �st in the region.

Aerospace Educat ion – Presently, 48% of our members have received the Yeager Award, and it again looks like we will meet our goal of �2 members earning this award for 2010. I am seeing some advancement in the Aerospace Education spe-cialty track; naturally, I would like to see more. This is a great specialty track, and all senior members are encouraged to pur-sue it. Finally, if your unit is not involved with the Aerospace

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6 / 1 6 / 2 0 1 0 – C H E Y E N N E , Wyo. – For the past week, air-crews and support staff from the Wyoming Wing of the Civil Air Patrol have been assisting several county agencies and Wyoming National Guard authorities in their efforts to monitor severe flooding throughout Wyoming. Initially tasked to assist Teton and Fremont counties early last week, the mis-sion has been expanded to include the entire state with additional sorties being flown in Albany and Carbon counties.

A i r c r e w s f r o m t h e 4 9 2 Emergency Services Squadron (Casper), Teton County Squadron, Powder River Flight (Gillette) and Cheyenne have flown 18 sorties in four separate aircraft so far. CAP crews have taken more than 900 photos during more than 26 hours of

flight time. Local and state officials have flown with CAP crew for reconnaissance and photographing of the areas. The Wing remains on call for further assistance requests including transport of personnel or vital mission supplies if needed.

According to the CAP Incident Commander , L t . Co l . R ick Fawcett, “Aircrews will remain on standby as long as they are needed. Additional crews and air-craft across the state are also ready for tasking.”

“The Wyoming Wing trains

Wyoming Wing, Civil Air Patrol assists Emergency Officials during record floodingBy Capt. Jeanne M. Stone-HunterPublic Information Officer Wyoming Wing, Civil Air Patrol

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missing aircraft, provides emer-gency disaster relief in conjunc-tion with other relief organi-zations, and encourages and fosters civil aviation in local communities through adult and youth education programs.

There are more than 250 Civil Air Patrol members in Wyoming. For more information about CAP contact Jeanne Stone-Hunter at 307-638-9349.

endlessly for just this type of mission. We are always on call to offer assistance in emergency situations. Through our close partnership with the Wyoming National Guard, we’ve been able to respond very quickly and provide a unique service to their mission,” said Col. Stan Skrabut, Wyoming Wing commander.

The Civil Air Patrol is the volunteer, civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force, and was formed December 1, 1941, as an emergency measure to make civil aviation aircraft and pilots available to the national defense effort.

Today, the Civil Air Patrol conducts search missions for

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CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo.– Lt . Col . Heather Gould, of Sheridan, Wyo., is closing in on retirement from her duties in the Civil Air Patrol.

For the past two years, she commanded CAP cadets during the Wyoming Wing’s summer encampment, a week-long basic training program used by the CAP, at the Wyoming National Guard’s Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center.

“It’s always a thrill to see a bunch of scrappy looking 12-year-olds come in, and then leave here looking squared away, with more leadership potential than what they came with,” Gould said, from her operations center at the camp.

For the past six years, she’s worn the battle dress uniform with blue name tapes, trained to assist when disaster strikes.

“I always tell people, ‘If you can succeed in the CAP, you can succeed in just about anything,’” she said.

In the fall, she will enter the University of Wyoming as a freshman, studying on an U.S. Air Force ROTC scholarship.

Gould is a cadet lieutenant colonel. She gradu-ated from high school just a few months before. Like the cadets she’s helping to mentor, Gould began as a scruffy 12-year-old.

“When I was 12, I just needed something to do,” she said, her posture and mannerisms similar to the soldiers and airmen training at the base. “I went to my basic encampment in 2005 and since then, I’ve been to one every summer.”

In the CAP, the summer encampment repre-sents a mixture of basic training and summer camp for its cadet program, ages 12-18-years-old. This particular encampment began Aug. 2.

Wyoming National GuardStory by 2nd Lt. Christian Venhuizen

Courtesy Photo http://www.dvidshub.net/image/308049/wyoming-civil-air-patrol-encampment

The first trip through the encampment teaches basic drill and ceremony, physical fitness, leader-ship, followership, and more. Subsequent encamp-ments allow cadets to develop their abilities by serving as cadet staff members.

“It’s a chance to let [the cadets] know what CAP is all about,” Maj. BJ Carlson, the adult encampment supervisor, said. “They’re fun, the ones that are really dedicated are so much fun to teach because they are interested in absorbing the knowledge.”

Cadet Senior Airmen Mark Gruschka, 15, came to the Wyoming encampment from Belmont, Calif. This encampment is his first, marking the end of his first year in the CAP. He said he wanted to have the best experience, so he did some research online.

“I looked at the dates and Wyoming seemed to have a very good reputation,” Gruschka said, noting the C-130 Hercules and military helicopter orientation flights helped convince him. “So far, it’s excellent.”

The first-year cadet joined CAP because of his

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NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – A full comple-ment – 112 – of Civil Air Patrol’s rising cadets will attend Cadet Officer School, one of the top profes-sional development opportunities available to CAP youth, July 5-15, at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., home of Air University and professional military education for the U.S. Air Force.

The participating cadets competed for selection to the school. Only the top 15 percent of all CAP cadets nationwide are invited to participate.

While at the school, the cadets will have a unique opportunity to learn about the Air Force, airpower history, leadership, teamwork, communi-cation skills and problem-solving.

Patterned after Air Force Squadron Officer School, Cadet Officer School is an academically challenging program combining lectures, seminars and hands-on training. Cadets will practice what they learn through a series of writing and speak-ing assignments that will culminate with a group project testing their ability to overcome obstacles through planning and teamwork.

This leadership opportunity is one of 30 National Cadet Special Activities sponsored by CAP this summer. These activities allow cadets to hone their skills in a variety of areas, including search and rescue, flight and emergency services, science, citizenship and military courtesies, and to explore aerospace technology and aviation careers.

In 2009, 1,100 youth participated in CAP sponsored summer activities.

Wyoming Wing Attendee:Cloud Peak Composite Squadron — Cadet Capt. Heather gould

Top Cadets to train at Alabama AFBJuly 1, 2010

interest in the aerospace component of the program and his aspirations for an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. In the mean time, he said he will recruit more California cadets to come to Wyoming.

“I’m going to tell them, if anyone has the abil-ity to make it out [to Camp Guernsey], they should definitely try out this encampment,” he said.

The Wyoming Wing utilizes the military train-ing facilities, barracks and dining halls the soldiers and airmen use. That includes using computerized marksmanship training, and flying in aircraft at the Guernsey Army Airfield.

Cadet Tech. Sgt. Shelby Sterling has also been in for just over a year. Unlike Gruschka, Camp Guernsey is just 30 minutes away from the 16-year-old’s Wheatland, Wyo., home.

While she said she would like to travel the world someday, Sterling smiled when she talked about the fun she’s having, learning about the Civil Air Patrol.

Team-building games, mixed with physical training and positive classroom environments are positives for her. “They’re all kind of goofy,” she said of her instructors. “It’s like having them give the class, but they’re trying to make it fun.”

Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Joshua Cromer, of Wellington, Colo., is in his second year in the CAP. The 17-year-old high school senior said he’ll likely remain with the organization, entering into the search and rescue division while in college.

“I enjoy the physical fitness. I enjoy learning new things. I enjoy doing something most other kids my age don’t do or don’t know about,” Cromer said.

As for the encampment, his goals included becoming more proficient at drill and ceremony, running squadron meetings and developing a bet-ter sense of respect for senior officers. “And this [encampment] is teaching me. Now I know how to drill my flight more accurately.”

Cromer also said he loves the food served by the dining facility at the encampment, despite not being allowed to eat the pastries. “The Wyoming encampment has been a very good learning experi-ence and I think more people should come.”

WY Nat’l Guard Continued . . .

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Education Excellence (AEX) program, I encourage you to do so. You can now enroll online within e-services. This summer under the leadership of Joe Feiler and Alan Martin, we had an opportunity to run a Teacher Orientation Program where we flew 11 teachers. This was a great event, and we now have 13 Aerospace Education Members on our roles. Finally, Captain Robert Giese attended the Aerospace Education Officer School in Pensacola, FL; I look forward to seeing what he has learned.

Cadet Programs – Presently, 39% of our cadets have earned the Wright Brothers Award and 15% have earned the Mitchell Award. One cadet has earned the Earhart Award and Cadet Heather Could has earned the Eaker Award. No cadets have earned the Spaatz Award. I am not seeing much movement in this area. As I mentioned earlier, only 67% of cadets have had an orientation flight. Our goal is 100%; if you are a cadet and have not flown with CAP; see your unit commander to sched-ule a flight.

Emergency Services –We are graded on the number of mission pilots we have. In order to meet

the standard set by national, we need 5 mission pilots for each of our aircraft. Presently, we have 4.2 mission pilots per aircraft. A number of our qualified pilots let their qualifications go; I would like to get all capable mission pilots re-qualified. We could use a lot more help in the mission staff area, our staff is woefully over tasked.

Membership – Naturally, we cannot get any of our missions done with out our membership. Our membership has stabilized from the dip I reported last win-ter. At this time last year, we had 62 cadets and 168 senior members. Presently, we have 61 cadets and 172 senior members. I would like to see more empha-sis in cadet membership.

As you can see, there are a number of ways where your individual efforts help Wyoming Wing as a team. Please be a great team player. Remember, T.E.A.M. – Together Each Achieves More.

Well that is it for now. In the meantime, make a difference and get involved. Be safe in every-thing you do. You will be able to find me in the Laramie Valley Composite Squadron. Again, thanks for all of your support. See you around Wyoming.

Commander’s Corner Continued from page 1. . .

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Support the Cadet Programs –

Our Youth are the future of

Civil Air Patrol!

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Another highly successful Encampment at Camp Guernsey is in the history books! Once again, those who participated a great time at “Camp G” and we’re already looking forward to next year.

We continue to set the tone for team -work amongst Wings, both in and out of our region. We had one Senior Member staff member from Nebraska, a Cadet staff member from Colorado, and Cadets from California, Colorado, and Nebraska.

This was our largest Encampment to date, with two flights of Basic Trainees plus the Advanced Training Flight. As always, the Wyoming National Guard provided outstanding support to us. Cadets and Senior Members were able to “fire” weapons at the Fire Arms Training Simulator, and build confidence and teamwork at the obstacle course. We took an off-base “field trip” to Guernsey State Park where Cadets and Seniors learned map and compass skills and had more opportunities to practice teamwork and leadership. Senior Members, Active Duty Military personnel, and Cadet Officers and NCOs presented classes on leadership, aerospace, moral leadership, CAP his-tory, and the US Air Force. As has so often been the case, the “Cadet Urban Legends” class was yet again a favorite class. All the Cadets and many willing Senior Members participated in physi-cal training activities and the Cadet staff led the Cadets in close-order drill every day.

On Saturday, 7 August, we held a Graduation and Awards banquet at one of the troop kitch-ens. Wyoming Wing Commander Colonel Stan Skrabut spoke to the Cadets about the value of the Cadet Program in general, and the value of the Encampment they just completed. Colonel Luke Reiner of the Wyoming Military Department presented several “Challenge Coins” to the outstanding Cadets from the Encampment and was our guest speaker. Colonel Skrabut and Colonel Reiner also promoted the Encampment

2010 EncampmentCommander, Major B.J. Carlson, to Lieutenant Colonel that evening.

Lieutenant Colonel Carlson and Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Heather Gould, the Encampment Cadet Commander, presented numerous awards at the ceremony. The major awards the commanders presented were as follows:

Honor Cadet – C/Amn Brendan Hewes, Thompson Valley Composite Squadron (Colorado Wing)

Outstanding Cadet – Alpha Flight – C/Amn Christopher Pyle , Thompson Valley Composite Squadron

Outstanding Cadet – Bravo Flight – C/A1C Samuel Kincaid, Foothills Cadet Squadron (Colorado Wing)

Outstanding Cadet – Advanced Training Flight – C/TSgt. Teodoro Valerio III, Montrose Composite Squadron (Colorado Wing)

Honor Flight - Alpha Flight, Flight Commander C/2nd Lt. Johnny Cattaneo, Cloud Peak Composite Squadron

Outstanding Cadet Staff Member - C/CMSgt Roderick Harger, Thompson Val ley Composite Squadron

Outstanding Senior Staff Member – Dr. (Major) gary Chizever, Laramie Valley Composite Squadron

You can view photos of activities of the entire week on the Wyoming Cadets’ web site: http://www.wyocadets.com

We are already planning the 2011 Encampment, tentatively scheduled for the last 10 days of June, 2011. Those interested in serving on the Encampment Staff are urged to apply early. More information will be forthcoming on the Wing Cadets’ web site in the near future.

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general Ira C. Eaker Award C/Lt. Col. Heather Gould, Cloud Peak Composite Squadron

general Billy Mitchell AwardC/2nd Lt. Johnny Cattaneo, Cloud Peak Composite Squadron C/2nd Lt. Austin Cooper, 492nd Emergency Service Squadron

Earhart AwardC/Capt. Jason Steed, Laramie Valley Composite SquadronC/Lt. Col. Heather Gould, Cloud Peak Composite Squadron

Mitchell AwardC/2nd Lt. Jonathan Barella, Cheyenne Composite SquadronC/2nd Lt. Austin Cooper, 492nd Emergency Services SquadronC/1st Lt. Ezekiel House, Cheyenne Composite SquadronC/2nd Lt. Johnny Cattaneo, Cloud Peak SquadronC/1st Lt. Nia Cattaneo, Cloud Peak Squadron

Wright Brothers AwardC/2nd Lt. Jonathan Barella, Cheyenne Composite Squadron C/2nd Lt. Austin Cooper, 492nd Emergency Service SquadronC/CMSgt. Stephen Belden, 492nd Emergency Services SquadronC/MSgt. Joshua Kirkman, 492nd Emergency Services SquadronShelby Sterling, Wheatland Composite SquadronC/2nd Lt. Tyler Stovall, Wheatland Composite SquadronC/SSgt. Daniel Crosby, Cheyenne Composite Squadron C/1st Lt. Ezekiel House, Cheyenne Composite SquadronC/MSgt. Nathan Kamm , Cheyenne Composite SquadronC/TSgt. Josh Ryan, Cheyenne Composite SquadronC/MSgt. Tyler Toman, Cheyenne Composite SquadronC/TSgt. Stephen Myers, Cody Composite Squadron C/SSgt. James Argeris, Big Horn Composite SquadronC/SMSgt. Henry Reed, Big Horn Composite Squadron C/SSgt. Ross Wald, Big Horn Composite Squadron

CADET AWARDS Cadet Awards Defined

The General Ira C. Eaker Award is given by the Civil Air Patrol in honor of the former Deputy Commander U.S. Army Air Forces and aviation pioneer. It is presented on behalf of CAP by CAP National Headquarters to cadets who have completed the specific requirements in the Phase IV of the cadet program. The award is accom-panied by promotion to the grade of Cadet Lieutenant Colonel.The General Billy Mitchell Award is earned by Civil Air Patrol cadets who have successfully completed the second phase of the cadet program. It marks the end of the enlisted phase of the cadet program; cadets are pro-moted to Cadet Second Lieutenants upon receipt and, by extension, Cadet Officers. The award is given in honor of Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell, former Deputy Chief of the Army Air Service and military aviation visionary.In order to earn this award, cadets must pass a series of leadership, aerospace and physical fitness tests and attend moral leadership training for each achievement from Cadet Air-man Basic through Cadet Chief Master Sergeant. In addition, cadets must attend a military-style encampment before this award is made, and have maintained active membership in the Civil Air Patrol for at least 18 months since joining. 15% of Civil Air Patrol cadets achieve the Mitchell Award.Mitchell Cadets who chose to enlist in the United States Air Force or the United States Coast Guard are promoted to E-3 upon enlistment and completion of Basic Military Training (BMT), instead of E-1. Mitchell Cadets who enlist in the Marine Corps, Navy, or Army are promoted to E-2 upon completion of BMT. A silver star is worn on the ribbon to denote successful completion of Cadet Officer School.

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CAP Totals 100 Saves for 2010 . . . So far

Jennifer s. Kornegay Contributing writer

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Civil Air Patrol reached a major milestone this summer, racking up its 100th save for fiscal 2010 … and the year isn’t over yet.

CAP reached the century mark in saved lives in late June, when an elderly couple set out for a short hike in Natrona County, Wyo. A day later, the two had not made it back home, and their family was growing concerned. The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office began a search, and soon reached out to CAP for assistance.

Maj. George Twitchell, director of operations for the Wyoming Wing, served as incident com-mander for the mission, which he describes as routine – at least in the beginning.

“The couple had left a note for their family that outlined their plans to visit a nearby dam to get some photos of the water running over the spill-way; it only does that about once every 20 years,” Twitchell said. “So we had a good idea of where they were.”

He dispatched a pair of aircrews to search two grids along the dam, the river and the reservoir. Despite the specifics of their location, the search turned up nothing.

Then Twitchell got new information from the sheriff’s office. “Someone reported seeing the couple back in town, and that they had plans to visit an old cabin they once owned,” he said.

The first search crew had landed to refuel, but the second crew was still in the air, so he “diverted them to the new location, but this was less specific,” Twitchell said. “I basically sent them towards a certain road on a hunch.”

The crew quickly found the couple, safe and sound, with their vehicle stuck in the mud. Within 15 minutes, the sheriff was there to get them home.

“They were in good shape when we found them, very grateful and very glad to see us,” Twitchell said. “It turned out to be a very lucky find. It would have been hard for the sheriff’s ground search to find them because where they were stuck was kind of tucked away.”

Twitchell was pleased to know the save got CAP to the 100 mark, and he was thrilled with its happy ending – as he is after any save, saying it validates the work he and other CAP members perform all the time.

“That’s what we’re out there for, and a save is always what we want,” he said. “I wouldn’t be volunteering and spending my time doing this if I didn’t think CAP could make a difference and do some real good. I just spent a weekend doing some CAP training, and sometimes I’d like to do something else on my weekends.

“But I know what we do is important, so it is worth it.”

And while this particular save effort proved successful at last in part because of Twitchell’s intuition, enhanced use of new technologies is playing a large role in many CAP search and rescue missions and has contributed to the high number of saves this year, said John Desmarais, interim mis-sions director at CAP National Headquarters.

“Some changes in how we do business are resulting in many of these searches becoming saves,” Desmarais said. “We now have a couple of teams working on utilizing data forensics, both cell phone and radar forensics.”

Both techniques help narrow search areas by analyzing data. Several members, including Capt. Justin Odgen of the Arizona Wing, who works with cell phone forensics, are developing these tools and training other members to use them.

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“By tightening the search area, they shorten searches for us,” Desmarais said. “The quicker we get there, the more likely it is that there will be survivors. Both radar and cell phone forensics can make a significant difference in a SAR.”

The proof is in the numbers. Both technologies have been in use for a few years, increasing each year. In 2009, CAP had 72 saves. And while the number has hit 100 before, the yearly average for the last four decades is 84.

Increased CAP responsibilities have led to more saves, too. “We are working more,” Desmarais said. “Many saves this year have come on just a few missions, those we conducted after natural disasters like floods.”

But no matter how CAP got to 100, it’s impor-tant not to get lost in the numbers. Every individual save matters.

“When we get a save, it gives credence to what we train our people to do every day,” Desmarais said. “Some wings have more SAR missions than others, and some of them are more routine, but it is always a big deal.”

He also pointed to something many CAP mem-bers may take for granted about themselves.

“We only have 100 paid staff at CAP head-quarters and then a limited number of wing admin-istrators and financial analysts in the field; the rest are volunteers,” Desmarais said. “The emergency services and SAR training they do takes a lot of time, so when they see the positive result of a save, it makes it all worth it.

“They get ‘paid’ when they get that ‘thank you’ from a family.”

The Wyoming Wing’s commander, Col. Stan Skrabut, was excited that his wing had added to the year’s significant saves total, but he echoed Desmarais’ sentiment on the real reason to celebrate.

“A save, every save, is the ultimate outcome,” Skrabut said. “We spend a lot of time training our crews to do this, so the fact that we bring comfort to folks by finding them safe is the best reward for the time and effort we put in.”

100 CAP Saves Continued . . .

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Congrats to Wyoming

Wing

Wyoming Wing was awarded Unit

Citation for the period of 1 January

2006 to 31 December 2009 for exceptional performance. Wing members are now

authorized to wear the Unit Citation Ribbon

on their uniforms. Keep up the great

work!

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Earlier this year the Wing Commander, Col. Skrabut, offered me a chance to attend the National Aerospace Officer’s School in Pensacola, Florida.

I immediately accep t ed . I am a private pilot without m e d i c a l s o can only fly light sport air-craft. Needing a r ide there I a sked the Commander i f he would let Lt. Alan

The National Aerospace Education School

ByRobert P. Giese, Captain, CAP

Director of Aerospace Education for the Wyoming Wing

Email: wywg.ae@capwyhq.org

M a r t i n g o as we l l . An inqui ry was m a d e a b o u t l a n d i n g a n o n - N a v y aircraft at the P e n s a c o l a N a v a l A i r S t a t i on and found that it could be done w i t h s o m e advance notice. Unfortunately, Lt. Martin had other obligations so I got commercial air tickets.

I got the least expensive tickets that I could

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needed breaks, but the school went from 0700 to 1700 each day, followed by an hour or two of me reviewing my notes.

A considerable time was spent building model airplanes, rockets, helicopters, robots, etc. While building these things I first thought that this was a waste of very valuable time. Later I realized that I could go into an elemen-tary school and present any one of these topics myself. This was the tenth time that this national class had been taught and I believe it gets better every year. These people are professional educa-tors and do know what they are teaching.

Graduation came quickly. I could have used several more days of learning if there was time. The diplomas were handed out by General Reggie Chitwood. I had met him earlier and called him Gen. Chitwood, but he quickly responded and said call me Reggie.

Saturday morning we had some time before my flight home so we visited the museum again. There I flew a F16 simulator and tried to land it on an aircraft carrier. My best landing was when I actually landed on the deck but missed the tail hook and ended up in the water.

I highly recommend the National Aerospace Education School for anyone interested in AE. There were people there from the Unit level, Wing level, Region level and National level. One of my assignments before attending this school was given to me by Major Brian Smiley, DAE for the Rocky Mountain Region. This was to take good notes, meet lots of key people and get ready to help teach part of a Rocky Mountain Region school in Montana some time in 2011. This school should be very similar to the National school, but will be taught in a place much easier to travel to here in the West. Any Unit or Wing DAE who has not attended the National school should attend this one. Those who have attended the National school are most welcomed to help out with the Region school in 2011. H

find and flew from Jackson Hole to Pensacola via Washington DC. All was fine until getting to DC. First there were airline delays. Then the wind shifted so the aircraft taxied from one end of a run-way to the next. Then the weather got bad and we taxied to the terminal. After an hour or so we got in line behind a dozen or so aircraft and took off when it was our turn. I got into Pensacola almost 3 hours late. Mike McArdle and Woody Williams were sent to pick me up and were still waiting for me. They were both Lt. Colonels from Wisconsin, my home state. Both worked at the national level.

Breakfast and lunch were provided by the school. I got up and went to the class building but got there a half hour before it opened. We were asked to wear shorts since we were going to see the Blue Angels fly later that morning. The first person that I met was John Paul Jones. He was a distant great-great- … -great grandson of the navy person with the same name. A very interesting person. He tried to get into the Navy but was rejected for health reasons. He tried other branches of the military but was also rejected. Finally he tried the CAP and was accepted. He has almost 40 years with our organization.

The Blue Angels were great pilots! We had reserved seating while most of the other several thousand spectators had to stand. I took many pic-tures, but learned that I can’t use camera without optical viewfinder for aircraft going fast.

After the flight we got a tour of the restoration hangar, the aircraft on the tarmac and the museum. We spent the afternoon at school, but most of the time was meeting new people.

The next day the fun really started. Students and teachers all sat together and from time to time a teacher would get up and present a topic. So much material was presented that I needed to review my notes each evening. I had been in my position of Wing DAE for just over half a year at the time of the school, so the biggest thing I learned was just how much information about aerospace educa-tion that I did not know. There were several well

Support our Cadets . . . They are our Future!!!

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August 17 was a special day for several members of the Cheyenne Composite Squadron. Weeks of training culminated in five minutes as they posted the colors for the National Guard Natural and Cultural Resources Workshop in Laramie, WY. Approximately 60 National Guard contractors from around the nation were in atten-dance. The Color Guard consisted of: C/1st Lt. Ezekiel House,CG, CC-American Flagbearer, C/MSgt. Tyler Toman-Wyoming Flagbearer, C/SSgt. Daniel Crosby-Lead Rifle, and C/A1C Jonathan Anderson-Tail Rifle. The cadets were trained especially for this event by C/1st Lt. House and C/MSgt. Toman, with the assistance of Capt. Miguel Acevedo.

Color Guard Detail

By C/1st Lt. Ezekiel HouseCivil Air Patrol

31 Aug 2010

The Cheyenne Composite Squadron Color guard posting the colors. Photo by Angela House

On July 24, cadets from the Cheyenne Composite Squadron and members of Colorado Wing’s Thomson Valley Composite Squadron marched in the Cheyenne Frontier Days Grand Parade. Cadets in attendance from Cheyenne were: C/1st Lt. Ezekiel House, C/MSgt. Tyler Toman, C/MSgt. Nathan Kamm, C/SSgt. Daniel Crosby, and C/A1C Jonathan Anderson. Thomson Valley Composite Squadron’s Color Guard and Drill Demonstration team led the way. The event was coordinated by Cheyenne Composite Squadron Commander Maj. Justin Jacobs.

The Grand Parade has been one of the main attractions of CFD for nearly 85 years, drawing crowds of up to 10,000 people to each of its four iterations throughout the week.

There were several reasons why the Cadets chose to spend their morning marching through downtown Cheyenne. Maj. Jacobs said that he organized the event to show the community that we are an active organization. “It’s advertising,” he said. “I wanted to give the cadets an opportunity to shine, to show themselves off to the community.” C/MSgt. Toman, the Cadet Flight Sergeant for Cheyenne, said, “I did it because I felt Cheyenne Squadron needed to step up and show that we’re not just a place where a bunch of teenagers can hang out. We do activities, we are professional.”

Whatever the reason, the dedication of the cadets to their squadron was evident as they marched through the streets. The members of the Cheyenne Composite Squadron would like to express their gratitude to Thomson Valley Composite Squadron for their involvement in this event.

Civil Air Patrol Cadets March in Local Parade

By C/1st Lt. Ezekiel HouseCivil Air Patrol

31 Aug 2010

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Level IV – Paul E. Garber Award(since 1 April 2008)Lt. Col. B.J. CarlsonMajor Dennis CornellCapt. Jeanne Stone-Hunter

Level III – Grover C. Loening Award(since 1 April 2008)Major John BurkettMajor Dan WilcoxCaptain John ToddCapt. Jeanne Stone-Hunter

Level II – Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Award(since 1 April 2008)Lt. Col. Jason Wollard Captain Miguel AcevedoCaptain James FerrellCaptain Vance Hoyt, Jr.Captain Nina McDonaldCaptain Steven Schofield1st Lt. James Ackerson�st Lt. Mark Westby

Yeager Aerospace Education Achievement AwardCapt. William Heine, Cloud Peak Composite Squadron�st Lt. Travis Gibson, Cody Cadet SquadronSM Raymond Moss, Cody Cadet SquadronSM Patricia Truitt, Teton County Senior SquadronCapt. Harry Gillway, Wyoming Wing HeadquartersSM Adrian Nunenkamp, Laramie Valley Composite SquadronSM Stephen Horvath, Big Horn Composite Squadron Capt. Patricia Young, Wheatland Composite Squadron

Senior Member Professional Development and Aerospace

Education Awards

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ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Spring 2010 Floor Surveillance MissionCapt. Al Lapointe2nd Lt. Kathy Clay2nd Lt. Stephen Foster Capt. Roy BaughmanMaj. John Burkett2nd Lt. Wayne Grim�st Lt. Alan Martin�st Lt. Mark Westby1st Lt. Michael GrayMaj. GeorgeTwitchell 2nd Lt. Stephen KrubeckMaj. Gregory Schreurs 2nd Lt. Angus McDougallLt. Col Rick Fawcett Capt. Jeanne Stone-Hunter 2nd Lt. Bill JepsenMaj. Ken JohnstonFly A Teacher ProgramLt. Col Mike Carlson Capt. Orville Moore SM Susan Knighton Maj. Toni Brown

COMMANDERS COMMENDATIONS

EncampmentMaj. Gary ChizeverCapt. Miguel Acevedo Lt. Col. Mike Carlson SM Lester OlsenLt. Col. Rick FawcettCapt. DJ SadlerC/Lt. Col. Heather GouldFlex Spade Air Force ExerciseMaj. Ken JohnstonMaj. George Twitchell,Capt. Doug Henry1st Lt. Bill Jepsen �st Lt. Mike Gray �st Lt. Al Martin�st Lt. Joe Feiler

UNIT COMMENDATIONS

Capt. Roy Baughman, 492nd Emergency Services Squadron (Casper)

1st Lt. Bill Jepsen, Teton County Senior SquadronLt. Col. Susan McDonald, Wheatland Composite

SquadronCapt. Miguel Acevedo, Cheyenne Composite

Squadron Maj. Gregory Schreurs, Powder River Composite

Squadron1st Lt. James Ackerson, Laramie Valley

Composite SquadronMaj. Rita Malone, Big Horn Composite SquadronCapt. John Todd, Cloud Peak Composite

Squadron

YEAgER AWARDS

SM Adrian Nunenkamp, Laramie Valley Comp. Squadron

Capt. Ray Moss, Cody Cadet Squadron�st Lt. Travis Gibson, Cody Cadet SquadronCapt. Harry Gillway, Wing Headquarters2nd Lt. Patricia Truitt, Teton Co. Senior Squadron

Senior Member of the Year Major John Burkett, Wing Staff

Squadron of Merit Cheyenne Composite Squadron

Cadet of the Year C/2nd Lt. Nia Cattaneo, Cloud Peak Composite

Squadron

Lt. Col. Edwin Lewis Incident Staff Member of the Year

Lt. Col. Mike Carlson, Cody Cadet Squadron

George Texido Legislative Officer of the Year Award

Col. Bill Morton, Wing Staff

Members Honored at Wing Conference

29 29

62 CAP Cadets, 17 Escorts Cross International Borders Throught IACE

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS– Sixty-two Civil Air Patrol cadets from 31 wings and their escorts are helping foster international good-will through Aug. 4 as they participate in the International Air Cadet Exchange.

IACE gives the cadets and the 17 senior mem-bers escorting them an opportunity to serve as ambassadors by visiting participating countries and promoting international friendship and under-standing through a common focus on aviation.

Cadets are selected to visit one of the fol-lowing countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey or the United Kingdom.

CAP members also host 78 international teens visiting the U.S., participating in aviation-related activities alongside them.

“The exchange is an opportunity of a lifetime for everyone involved,” said Lt. Col. Beverly L. Scoggins, director of the activity, who has been

July 20, 2010

abroad twice – to Norway and Singapore -- as an escort cadet.

“The cadets will see the host countries not like a tourist but as a member of the local community,” said Scoggins, assistant director of plans and pro-grams for the Pacific Region. “Many will stay with host families.”

In the U.S. in addition to three days in Washington, D.C., the international teens will spend 10 days in a host wing -- California, Colorado and Wyoming, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Tennessee or Texas.

IACE is conducted by the International Air Cadet Exchange Association, a league of 19 air cadet organizations. CAP has sponsored cadet participation in the program since 1948.

Wyoming Wing Attendee:Cody Cadet Squadron–Lt. Col. Michael Carlson

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W h a t i s I A C E – Singapore??? Well…. Let’s start out with what is IACE? IACE is International Air Cadet Exchange, an annual exchange of visits by air-minded youth of the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, and the Pacific with the objec-tive of promoting international understanding, goodwill, and fellowship among the youth of the world. As explained by Nat’l CAP … “As an ambassador in IACE, you will be a global messenger of the United States, as well as Civil Air Patrol.”

CAP’s participation into the program started back in 1948. That’s about the time Lt. Col. Ray Carpenter, aS Cody Cadet

IACE Singapore 2010By Lt. Col. Mike Carlson

Squadron member, was a cadet.CAP sponsors the U.S. par-

ticipation in the exchange by arranging housing accommoda-

tions, travel itineraries, and edu-cational, recreational and social activities for the foreign cadets. That’s what Singapore did for us. We had a 2 week opportunity to visit many different aspects of the Singapore culture and air capacities.

IACE cadets and escorts are selected for participation based on demonstrated lead-ership, ability, character, and good citizenship. For cadets the minimum requirements … rank of Captain … minimum age of 17. For Escorts the minimum requirements … a SM, at least 2� yrs old, and holds a Senior rating in Cadet Programs.

I started the process way back in 2008. Every November CAP opens the opportunities for cadets and SMs to register for the

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next year’s NATIONAL CADET SPECIAL ACTIVITIES. I had filed for IACE, NESA, and NBB for 2009. I was expecting to go to only 2 of those because NBB & IACE would occur about the same time period. Low-and-behold there is one IACE activity that is scheduled earlier – Singapore and I was selected to it and the other 2 (NESA & NBB). This was going to fill-up my summer, being away from home (June thru middle August) …. not to the liking of my Squadron CC, the then Major BJ Carlson, who was going to have to cover all the ranch work at home and Squadron CAP meet-ings (Most of you know the then Major Carlson is also the better ½ in our marital relationship).

By mid-March, 2009, I was notified of my acceptance for IACE – Singapore 2009, and the 2 C/Captains I would be escort-ing. Everything was going well … I conversed with the 2 cadets, had them build up a website and

blog site for us to notify folks back home of our experiences. Then the anvil fell out of the sky …. Singapore cancelled. The Swine Flu pandemic had been spreading enough around the world, so they (Singapore) did not want to conduct the event. So, with this cancellation I was verbally affirmed, if I signed up for 2010, I would be slotted for Singapore. In November, 2009, the NATIONAL CADET SPECIAL ACTIVITIES were announced and I quickly filled out the paperwork. By mid-March, again, I was slotted to be the Singapore Escort. I received my cadet roster ….. two cadets from Maryland, C/Capt. Kathleen Crockett and C/Maj. Alice Chan. C/Crockett was going to be graduating High School 2 days before leaving for Singapore on May 30th. C/Chan was a 3rd year college student studying Electrical Engineering and would turn to the “Dark Side” 5 weeks after our return

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Sentosa theme park, M16 firing range, Zip-line, paintball, jungle tree top walk, bicycle riding, WWII history tour, water works tour, the largest Ferris Wheel, F14 & F16 full cockpit simu-lators, shopping, soccer, laser light show, and more……..

The only downfall to this trip was the 95% humidity and 95F+ temperature. I took a shower, toweled off, stepped out on the veranda and was sweating. A kid from Wyoming is used to 110F and 10% humidity. Felt like the wicked Witch of the West …. “I’m melting!!!”

I guess I’ve been blessed having GREAT Cadets during CAP National Activity functions, NBB (2x) and now IACE. Just one day before leaving C/Capt. Crockett moved up to C/Major. C/Maj. Chan has changed over to the “Dark Side” and is now a SM Captain. Yep …. She made Spaatz before changing over!!!

You can see by the pictures the interesting times and the relations developed. The only hardest part of the whole trip was not the traveling to or from but LEAVING . Guess the Christmas letter this year will have a more international flavor than its ever had before.

Now, the problem is how to convince the now Lt. Col. Carlson (ma’ma) to stay home the summer of 2011 while I go off and attend NBB, Hawk Mountain, and maybe PJOC. My guess is NOT, BUT ……. I’ve got at least 6 more months to work on convincing her. H

from Singapore. We had all our ducks in a row …. Passports were obtained, $375 sent into Nat’l CAP, medical coverage verified, didn’t need any “needle sticking” immunizations, but …. we were waiting on the spe-cial uniforms that Nat’l CAP was getting us. We needed to obtain at least one pair of grey slacks, two pair khaki pants, black socks, black belt, & black shoes. Nat’l CAP was to ship two white aviator shirts, two IACE nameplates, one pair of grey epaulets, three polo shirts with IACE logo.

E - t i c k e t s w i t h U n i t e d Airlines were arranged. I was to travel to Chicago O’Hare and meet up with the cadets coming in on the 30th of May. I started out on the 29th at the Billings Airport, flew to Denver, then unto Chicago, and had one night lay-over at the O’Hare Hilton.

I met the cadets and got some “face” time with them before boarding the flight to Singapore. The route UA took to Hong Kong went north over Hudson Bay then into Russia and over Mongolia. The time en-route was 14½ hours. I’ve never had to be cooped up for so long with numb-butt syndrome. Four movies and two documen-taries jellied the brain. My body wouldn’t let me sleep or put up with reading a book. I felt like a zombie from Mars.

With a plane change at Hong Kong I was able to put down 2 hours of hard sleep on the floor of the terminal. I was told by the cadets there was a wood pile … enough for 2 winters stacked up.

Ohhh well …. Re-boarding was on time.

Then the problem …. seems the ground controllers lost the plane. Don’t know how that happens. So … tack on another hour, on the ground, to the 3 hr flight to Singapore means the travel time stretched into the 31st of May, totaling 21+ hrs.

On arrival we couldn’t get the right game plan to pass through Singapore Customs. We found out it took just a couple extra pieces of paper to get us through customs. Luggage was waiting for us and the Singapore Hosts were jumping up-and-down trying to get our attention. Through the gates and out to awaiting handshakes … AND …. a Birthday cake!! They had GOOD eyes and read over all our applications and found out it was my birthday.

A bus ride to the Singapore National Cadet Core compound in the north central section of Singapore got us in at 0130 Singapore time. Escorted to our rooms, un-packed, and head on the pillow by 0300. We didn’t have to be at breakfast until 0830. The mind would not let the body sleep. Tossing & turning lasted until 0630. I made my way up to our central meeting area and found C/Chan was in the same condition. We decided to go out for a run and see if the body could convince the mind to succumb. That didn’t even work.

This was the start of 2 weeks of a fun, tiring, learning experi-ence. Fokker 50 & Chinook heli-copter rides, Air/Space museum,

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June 19, 2010, this past summer was a busy time for the members of Wheatland Composite Squadron. Father’s Day weekend we attended the Chugwater Chili Event in Chugwater, Wyoming, one of our annual events. We set up our tent and set about recruiting and passing out DDR information and promotional items.

June 25, 2010, members of the unit helped out at the Wheatland Relay for Life and also walked the event to raise money for the American Cancer society. The event was located at Lewis Park, also known as City Park.

During Colonel McDonald’s absence this summer Major Cornell and 2nd Lt. Schilreff soldiered on and began the new year of Aerospace Excellence, with the making of the Goddard rocket. Each cadet in attendance created their own Goddard Rocket out of meat trays and pipe foam insulation.

July 24, 2010, the next fun activity was our third rocket launch, held at Frontier Astronautics Headquarters �� miles south of Chugwater a t t h e o l d Atlas Missile S i l o . W e were joined by members of the Cody Cadet squad-ron and their commander. We camped o u t a t t h e C h u g w a t e r C i t y P a r k ,

practiced some ground team skills and launched our rockets the following day. We gave Mr. Timothy Bendel a plaque as a thank you for hosting this annual event for us. Jerry, owner of Master Photography

from Guernsey took lots of photos for us.July 28 2010, next on the summers plans was

the Thunderbirds’ Air Show during Cheyenne Frontier Days. We saw many hundreds of people at this booth. Many people commented positively on the information we passed out. We have attended this activity for 5 or our 6 years of existence and it never ceases to amaze me the number of people that stand in line for at least an hour waiting for our DDR items.This event is our premiere AF event. Due to the nature of the event many AF active duty, retirees and dependents attend this event as well as com-munity members and visitors to our state. We

were also visited by our CAP family from Colorado Wing as well as the International Air Cadet Exchange members. Lt. Col. Rick Fawcett, Lt. Col. Mike Carlson and Colonel Stan Skrabut also stopped by our

Wheatland Squadron News

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booth. The cadets got their pictures taken with the Frontier Days Dandies. Major Cornell also spent time sharing information about our DDR mission with the Dandies and was rewarded with a dance over by the bandstand. Major Cornell had been a competitive country western dancer in the past.

Aug 4, 2010, the next event was the Platte County Fair where we provide free water and lots of promotional and recruiting info for passer bys and 4-H competitors.

Aug 14, 2010, our second Orientation Flights of the year were held at Phifer Field in Wheatland. Cadet Shelby Sterling accompa-

nied her sister Cadet Kelley Sterl ing on her first Flight. Cadet Tyler Stovall accom-panied Cadet Mason Jones on h i s f i r s t flight. Our pilot for the day was Captain Miguel Acevedo from Cheyenne Squadron.

S e p t e m b e r 2 8 , 2010, our Autumn Promotion and Induction Ceremony was held at our meeting place at the Wheatland Army National Guard Armory. We were joined by Wheatland Mayor Dean

Hensel, Torrington City Councilman Ted Kinny, Lt. Col. Rick Fawcett, CAP and twenty-five friends and family as well as eleven members of our unit.

Our newest cadet C/AB Kenneth Gregory was sworn in as a new cadet. Cadets Kelley Sterling and Daniel Tucker received their Airman stripe and Curry ribbon. Cadet Reo Radford received his Mary Fiek Award and ribbon and is now a C/SrAmn. Cadet Mason Jones received his Wright Brothers certificate and ribbon for his past promotion. Cadet Shelby Sterling received her Master Sergeant stripe and ribbon and Lindbergh certificate from Wheatland Mayor Dean Hensel.

2nd Lt. George Schilreff received his 2nd Lt. Certificate he had not received last year and new senior Patricia Young received her promotion to Captain as recognition for her prior service in the Army as a captain.

Cadet 2nd Lt. Tyler Stovall received his General Billy Mitchell certificate from Torrington City councilman Ted Kinny. He was promoted to C/2nd Lt. at the Wyoming Wing Conference by Wing Commander, Colonel Stan Skrabut and Unit Deputy for cadets, Major Dennis Cornell.

Refreshments were had by all and the event deemed a success. Visitors checked out the DDR display and visited with each other. H