Arizona Wing Encampment - 2011

Award, and officership.

In addition, Encampment unlocks many other awesome experi-ences and activities in the CAP Cadet Program, such as Encamp-ment staffing opportunities in Arizona and other Wings. You will also be eligible to attend National Cadet Special Activities, which include the National Blue Beret (NBB), National Flight Academies, and the Pararescue Jumper Orientation Course (PJOC).

With such an outstanding turn-out this year, the cadet staff is working hard to make sure that you succeed, and ultimately, graduate next Saturday morning with Leadership skills you can take home to your squadron.

Good luck, and Semper Vigilans!

Welcome, Candidates, to the 7th Arizona Cadet Training Group!

By now, you’ve been assigned to a flight, and are getting to know your fellow cadets. While En-campment might seem over-whelming, the staff can promise that it will only get better!

This encampment is the culmina-tion of months of hard work on the part of both Cadet and Sen-ior Member staff, numbering almost 40, all of whom are look-ing forward to presenting a unique encampment experience to you, one of the 96 candidates who checked through in-processing today.

In even applying for Encampment, you have demonstrated initiative, seeking to become a better ca-det.

Encampment truly is the first step towards unlocking future potential in the Civil Air Patrol, serving as a prerequisite for the Mitchell Achievement. Whether you are looking forward that far in your future or not, even as a cadet Airman, you can begin working towards your Mitchell

The 7th ACTG is the brainchild of Major Marilee Taylor, the Senior Member and also the Encampment Commander behind the scenes who made it all possi-ble. Currently serving as the Arizona Wing Director of Cadet Programs, Major Taylor has been planning Encampment since early December, when she decided to once again lead an Arizona

Summer Encampment.

“I feel excellent about Encamp-ment, we have a great staff, and have had an extraordinary turn-out, with over 90 registered cadets, many of whom hail from Arizona, and some from other Wings. I’m really looking forward to all of the future leaders com-ing out of Encampment.”

A word to Parents: “They’ll come home in one piece. En-campment is a great training experience. See you all in one week at Graduation!

Charlie Flight Commander C/2d Lt Humphries inspect-ing candidates in barracks

Welcome to Encampment, Candidates!

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Advice from the Staff

2

Cadet Staffer of the day

2

Honor Cadet of the Day

2

The Senior Member Behind it All...

7 T H A C T G S U M M E R

E N C A M P M E N T

GOING COMMANDO D - D A Y ( J U N E 1 1 , 2 0 1 1 ) V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :

• Cadet and

Staff Mem-bers of the Day!

• Hints from

the Staff!

P U B L I C A F F A I R S S T A F F :

C/1st Lt Burton (Officer-in-Charge)

C/SSgt VanSant (Assistant)

C/SSgt. Bautista (Assistant)

P A G E 2

“Don’t worry, I’ve

done this

(Encampment) before.

Your kids are in good

hands.”

- Cadet Lt. Colonel

Simpson, 7th ACTG

Cadet Commander

Foxtrot Flight in opening formation

First Impressions: The Cadet Commander

Staff Offers Valuable Advice! So, now that you’re a part of the 7th ACTG, what next? To help you succeed, the cadet staff wants to offer some help-ful advice to Basic Cadets.

Stress is a large part of En-campment experience, present in anyone, and coping with it can be a challenge. Cadet Cap-tain Kyle Corales, the Standard Evaluation Team Commander, has some unique advice re-garding stress.

“Keep a level head during spe-cial situations. Freaking out

does not help you make the best decisions. If you feel really stressed out about something,, talk to your flight staff, they really work hard to help you succeed.”

Captain Mead, the Deputy Cadet Commander, also offers some great advice about atti-tude to basic cadets.

“Think of every day as an ac-complishment, and hold your head high. Encampment only lasts a week, and when you graduate, will hopefully leave

you a better person and cadet, if the staff succeeds.

Monday is almost over— that’s one day down, and six to go! Keep up the hard work, and lets make this Summer En-campment the best of the ACTG yet!

ham, Delta Flight, who started off his day in the early hours of the morning in order to arrive to encampment on time. Sur-prisingly enough, he discovered he was the first cadet to ar-rive! Larkham aspires to one day become the Cadet Com-mander of his squadron, Glen-dale Composite 308. Candi-

Midmorning, at 0900 hrs. sharp, Encampment in-processing be-gan, through which over 90 candidates regis-tered. The first of whom was Candidate Lark-

date Larkham joined the the CAP program a little over a year ago, and while he is a little nervous, is ready to be chal-lenged by this year’s staff.

Good luck from the Cadet Staff!

Background: As the 7th ACTG’s Cadet Commander, Colonel Simpson has attended seven full-length Encampments, making him a real veteran of the Encampment process. Also an Eaker Cadet, Colonel Simp-son has virtually completed the Cadet Program.

In addition, he has attended multiple National Cadet Special Activities, such as Cadet Offi-

cer School. He is very optimis-tic about this years Encamp-ment, and sees the potential to make this encampment something to be remembered. In the Arizona Wing.

Semper Vigilans!

A Word to Parents from the Cadet Commander, Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Brian Simp-son.:

“Don’t worry, I’ve done this (Encampment) before. Your kids are in good hands. I prom-ise that when they come back, they will be much better or-ganized and will have no ex-cuse for not making their beds...”

Candidate Larkham

during In-processing

G O I N G C O M M A N D O

The Early Bird…

Well, not really! But close enough!

Earlier today, the 7th ACTG had the exclusive privilege of meeting and interacting with the an elite Federal law enforcement team. Due to the sensitive nature of their work, we’re not allowed to divulge the agency’s name or give specific information.

Some of the different demonstra-tions included a flashbang presen-tation, tactical fire control by one of the officers, and an equipment showcase, and a display of an impressive array of firearms and night vision equipment.

These elite team must go through a five-week selection process with a 70% washout rate. Candidates are tested on firearms, land navigation, man-

tracking, and survival skills by military Special Forces.

This impressive team of highly-trained individuals can be de-ployed anywhere in the United States, and can spend between 2-3 weeks in the field gathering intelligence and tracking before actually engaging in any conflict. They may also be deployed inter-nationally to train and supple-ment the police and security forces of other nations, and en-gage in anti-terrorist and anti-smuggling operations around the globe.

Through enormous sacrifice, these individuals provide the first line of defense for America and her citizens.

The position of Deputy Cadet Commander is an essential com-mand role. Managing the flight staff, he ensures they are meeting the standards for professionalism and training. Basically, he serves as the right hand of the Cadet Commander. Cadet Captain Mead has aptly filled this role, and has high hopes for this year’s staff and basics.

Captain Mead first attended En-campment in 2004, and has since then staffed another three. Proudly competing on the AZWG Sun-God’s Drill Team, Captain Mead has two National Cadet Competition Champion-ships under his belt. Other activi-ties include an NCO Academy in 2009 and the National Flight Academy in 2008. He is an ar-dent believer in the cadet pro-

gram, and offers this advice to parents: “Never take your child out of the program. Support them!”

Cadets Get Flashbanged!


Honors of the Day

2

Meet the Commandant

2

“The Oasis” 2

First Impressions: The Deputy Cadet Commander


E N C A M P M E N T

GOING COMMANDO T D - 1 ( J U N E 1 2 , 2 0 1 1 ) V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2

S A F E T Y S U G G E S T I O N O F T H E D A Y :

“ B E T T E R A T H O U S A N D T I M E S C A R E F U L T H A N O N C E D E A D ”

- A U T H O R U N -N O W N





P A G E 2

“Relax. The cadets

are in good hands”

-Captain Cochran

Commandant of

Cadets, 7th ACTG

Foxtrot Flight gath-ered for a motiva-tional meeting

The Right-Hand Man: Commandant of Cadets

The Oasis

Congratulations, Foxtrot and Charlie Flights! Due to the outstanding leader-ship of C/2d. Lt Holmes and C/CMSgt Zaro, and the hard work of the cadets of Foxtrot Flight, they have earned the privilege of Honor Flight!

Flight Commander Lt. Holmes has reason to be proud of his cadets, and thinks that:

“Probably the thing that pushed them over was their inspection-ready uniforms and motivation. They are learning how to work as a team, even on the first day!”

That sentiment is reflected by flight members too!

“Our leaders are great! They can be strict, but still compas-sionate. It is an honor being a part of this flight.” (Candidate

Kepczyk).

Another Encampment tradition is to recognize a cadet who has distinguished himself — an “Honor Cadet”. Candidate McHatton has earned this honor because of his diligence and team spirit, setting a great example for other candidates.

“The award was great! I wasn’t even expecting it! We were all focused on getting honor flight. That is why it was such a sur-prise!”

Outstanding job, candidates!

religious service. In it’s place, Encampment offers two ser-vices: A Non-Denominational Service, led by Chaplain Cath-cart, and a Baptist service, led by Chaplain Rountree. At both of these services, a Bible study and a time of sharing is held. However, cadets do not need to belong to a specific religion to attend— All are welcome

In such a busy training environ-ment, it can be difficult to have a place to fall back when you’re stressed and tired. For that reason, cadets have the option every day of attending a devotional time with the on-site Chaplain in the “Oasis”.

Today, a Sunday, many cadets would usually have attended a

to come and share. This “oasis,” is a place where cadets can de-stress and reorganize their thoughts, returning to their flights recharged mentally and spiritually.

Captain Cochran is excited about this year’s encampment, hoping to graduate 100 per-cent of the cadets who applied, bringing some back as staff members the next year.

Our Commandant of Cadets works managing transportation for Sealy Mattress, and enjoys many hobbies outside of CAP.

Captain Cochran has absolute confidence in the beneficial

aspects of Encampment, To the parents of cadets, he offers once piece of advice: “Relax. The cadets are in good hands.”

This year, we once again have the honor of having Captain Cochran as our Commandant of Cadets. Serving as the right-hand man of the Encampment Commander, Major Taylor, Captain Cochran is the voice the cadet staff to the Senior Member staff. The Cadet Commander reports directly to Captain Cochran, who then reports to the Major Taylor.

Chaplains Cathcart and Rountree during Sunday

Services


in winning Honor Flight. It’s not just one cadet that decides whether we are worthy or not, we are a team. WE did it. WE stepped up our game,” stated Candidate Payne.

In addition, it would not be fair not to mention the honor cadet of the TD-2, Candidate Mulich, of Delta Flight.

Candidate Mulich has risen above the rest of the cadet training corps, and deserves this great honor.

“I’m very proud of myself. I was definitely aiming for this accom-plishment. For any cadet that wants to step up their game and receive this award. I recommend that you try your best, stay sharp, and just be proud to be a candidate.”

Today, TD-2, Alpha Flight has proved itself worthy of Honor flight, moving from fifth place to the honor slot! Both staff and cadets are to be commended for their hard work and persever-ance!

Both cadets and staff are ex-tremely proud of their accom-plishment, and show no signs of slowing down!

“It’s a major accomplishment. I

would like to mention that it’s not just me, or the Flight Com-mander. I just helped motivate them. In the end, it was the can-didates,” admits C/CMSgt Dailey, Alpha Flight Sergeant.

The candidates reflect the same attitude, and realize that only as a team did they achieve this honor.

“I feel honored to have assisted

Today, the entire cadet training corps had the opportunity to become certified in basic radio use through the Basic Communi-cations User Training (B-CUT).

Some of the concepts covered in this course included Simplex (Single frequency, one station at a time) versus Repeater (Two frequencies one station at a

time), and the different frequen-cies authorized for training and missions. The basics of radio communication were also cov-ered, such as call-signs and radio jargon.

Now certified, cadets can par-ticipate with radios on Ground Team, and are also authorized to use radios during CAP Activities.

Candidate Mulich, Honor Cadet TD-2

Congratulations, Alpha and Delta Flight!


Air Force Liaison

2

“All I Have” 2

First Aid Training

2

Cadets Certified as Radio Operators


E N C A M P M E N T


S A F E T Y S U G G E S T I O N O F T H E D A Y :

“ W O R K I N G S A F E L Y I S L I K E

B R E A T H I N G - I F

Y O U D O N ' T ,

Y O U D I E . ”

- A U T H O R U N -K N O W N





P A G E 2

“It is not that you

can’t, but that you

won’t!”

-Chaplain

Rountree

Maj. Patterson, the USAF-CAP Liaison of Arizona

“All I Have...”

Cadets Take The Offensive On Heat Hazards

The Other Side of the Coin: CAP-USAF Liaison The United States Air Force, like any other professional institution, interacts with other organizations on a regular basis. To maintain these im-portant relationships, special Air Force officers are assigned as liaisons to the various groups. In Arizona, six such officers exist, one of whom has been assigned to the CAP Cadet Program, and is in fact here at Encampment.

Major Patterson, the USAF-CAP Liaison, has actually been on-site at AZWG Encamp-

ments since 2008, and mainly provides guidance and over-sight, using her military knowl-edge and experience to help guide AZWG and Encampment policies.

Maj. Patterson has served 13 years active duty as a Military Police Officer, and been ap-pointed as Chief of Police. Serving overseas in Germany for five years during the Gulf War, Major Patterson watched as the Berlin Wall fell and Communism crumbled.

With regards to the Cadet

Program, Major Patterson is highly impressed, and has many great things to say about the cadets she has encountered.

“The program is exceptional! I wish I knew about it when I was younger. CAP provides an opportunity for cadets to grow in their confidence and matur-ity while preparing them for a future career and education.”

Our work would be much more difficult, if not impossi-ble, if it were not for the ef-forts of individuals like Major. Patterson.

veteran nurse and paramedic, covering hydration and signs of heat stress, exhaustion, and stroke. Because of the many insects and animals abounding on the grounds of the facility, various treatments for bites and stings were also estab-lished. For instance, the inside of a banana peel can remove most of the effects of a bee or mosquito sting.

In a sometimes hostile climate at Marana AZ, Candi-dates and staff alike need to be pre-pared for the many weather and health hazards present.

This evening, an intensive first aid course was provided by Captain Cassano a

The average candidate spends most of his day on his feet, so foot care is one of the primary health focuses, besides hydra-tion. The importance of well-fitted boots and lubricated feet was repeatedly emphasized.

Only with the proper knowl-edge can cadets be prepared tto meet these health hazards head-on.

sis, blindness, or any other.

The moral of this exercise and class, was to point out that not only does everyone have weaknesses (physical or men-tal), but that they also have strength. In order to over-come those weaknesses, we supplement them with our strengths. “It is not that you can’t, but that you won’t!”

Chaplain Rountree was once a

cadet, and even staffed as a basic cadet! When asked if he would change any aspect of his life, in terms of his “disability,” he stated that: “I would not go back and change a thing. This made me who I am.”

Late this morning, Cadets at-tended a Moral Leadership class held by Chaplain Round-tree, a paraplegic diagnosed with Spina Bifida (Open spine).

In his class, Chaplain Rountree discussed the concepts of car-ing and individuality with the cadets, and assigned them each to a workshop. Each work-shop, designed by the Chap-lain, was designed to simulate a disability, whether it be paraly-

Capt. Cassano, qualified

Paramedic for over nine years


After his confinement, he was miraculously transferred into a 48-man room, housing Com-mander McCain and many other VIP prisoners. The prisoners suc-cessfully thwarted the NVA ef-forts to dehumanize them, holding church services every Sunday.

When the war ended on January 12, 1973, the prisoners were released and returned to the United States, where they shortly returned to active duty.

This story of bravery and courage touched all who listened, and serves as an example for us, Col. Kirk’s closing statement reminds us:

“When you get up in the morning, look in the mirror and ask your-self ‘how are you?’ How are you as a person? If you don’t like the answer… Only YOU can change that answer.”

Early this afternoon, we had the enormous honor of hosting a former Vietnam Prisoner-of-war, Colonel Thomas Kirk (USAF-Ret).

This Air Force officer was held for over five and a half years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, as this prison complex was sarcastically titled by it’s inmates, some of which included Commander John McCain, and Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale.

Col. Kirk, at the time of his cap-ture, was leading the war’s largest raid, but was shot down by anti-aircraft fire after destroying his target.

At the time of his capture, Kirk was tied up and left bound in a room for several days before being interrogated by several Vietnamese officers. The dehy-drated and bruised officer was then tortured and left in his cell

for three days and three nights.

Col. Kirk was then moved into solitary confinement for 28 days, then moved to a two-man cell for

14 months. That term concluded when Col. Kirk, after being beaten, punched a prison guard in retaliation. Col Kirk did not see another human being for two years in the resulting solitary confinement.

A successful Encampment de-pends not only on the Flight staff, but on the people in the back-

ground, like Administration, Lo-gistics, and Public Affairs. How-ever, someone must oversee these key support positions, and that person is the Executive Offi-cer, Cadet Major Jacque Taylor.

Major Taylor joined the cadet program at the first squadron meeting she attended in 2006 after a brief stint with the Young Marines. Less than a month after-wards, she attended encampment as a Basic. When she returned to her squadron, she quickly started

promoting, moving up the com-mand structure, achieving her Mitchell Award in 2008.

Since then, Maj. Taylor, a four-time Honor Guard Academy Alumni, has served as Squadron Cadet Commander and staffed at several encampments, now acting as the Executive Officer of the 7th ACTG.

Maj Taylor offers this advice to basic cadets: ”Don’t take any-thing personally. Follow orders, and you’ll be fine.”

Stories From the Hanoi Hilton


Honors 2

National Cadet Special Activities

2

Crash-Landing

2

First Impressions: Executive Officer


E N C A M P M E N T


S A F E T Y H I N T O F T H E D A Y :

“ B E T T E R D E A D S U R E T H A N S U R E D E A D . ”

- A U T H O R U N K N O W N



C/SSgt Bautista(Assistant)


P A G E 2

“Through this ‘Congress of cadets’… regulations have been altered and created— CAP policy has been changed by cadets.”

Charlie Flight, Honor Flight TD-3

The Congress of Civil Air Patrol

Cadets Simulate Emergency Water Landing

Congratulations Charlie and Alpha Flight! Congratulations, Charlie Flight, for a job well done! Credit is due to both the candidates and the outstanding leadership of its staff, C/2d Lt Humphries, and C/SMSgt Mieding. Charlie Flight has demonstrated a strong team mentality and motivation that caught the eyes of the staff Well, their efforts have paid off! All mem-bers of the flight are to be commended for their hard work.

Alpha Flight should also be

congratulated, for Candidate Felmlee, one of the members of that flight, was awarded Honor Cadet of Training Day three!

“It’s a great privilege! Since the beginning of the week, I’ve been working hard following my leaders and motivating others, helping everyone work as a team. It feels great to be recognized for my efforts.”

Alpha Flight Commander C/2d Lt. Nero agrees. “Candidate Henley has been an out-

standing cadet, and has really stood out from the rest of the flight. He’s a great example for the rest of the flight, being loyal, and following directions.”

Keep up the good work!

to take a break from the sun and swim.

Knowledge of, and actual han-dling of this safety equipment gives cadets an advantage, should an actual emergency arrive.

At the same time, another class was being held with an-other group of cadets, a Pre-paredness workshop where

Members of the Evergreen Fire Station, with 1st Lt Kocksch of Squadron 104, hosted a water safety class today, simulating an emergency water

landing with salt-water acti-vated life vests. After the exer-cise, the cadets were allowed

cadets constructed emergency bracelets out of para-cord—stylish and practical.

Cadets wearing these bracelets while hiking or on a Ground Team exercise would have an emergency supply of para-cord that would allow them to bet-ter construct an impromptu shelter and improvise a num-ber of other tasks.

Through this “Congress of cadets,” Maj. Taylor explained, regulations have been altered and created— CAP policy has been changed by cadets.

Some of the benefits of the CAC, especially for cadets in leadership positions, is the ability to exchange information and ideas with cadets who are otherwise very separated geo-graphically. Cadets may also move up through the CAC

organizational levels, actually corresponding with National CAP officers at some of the higher CAC echelons.

Cadets may also wear a col-ored shoulder cord (Green, red, blue, gold, depending on the CAC echelon) while serv-ing on the council and are awarded the white CAC rib-bon after a one-year term with the CAC.

One of the less known aspects of the cadet program would probably be the Cadet Advi-sory Council (CAC). C/Maj. Taylor, who led the explana-tory class, currently serves as the Arizona Wing representa-tive at the Region level.

The CAC council, operating at Group, Wing, Region,, and National levels, provides ca-dets with a voice in an other-wise Senior-led environment,

Candidate Miller

activating his life

vest


The Basic CAC Ribbon

(b) Between 17-22 years of age.

(c) Unmarried or without any domestic attachments

(d) Of good moral character.

Also, a candidate must be aca-demically competitive, medically and physically qualified, and have an official nomination in order to be eligible to even compete for an appointment.

Different types of nominations were discussed, along with the average grades and extracurricu-lar resume of incoming freshmen.

In this class, cadets were encour-aged to look deeper into the opportunities that the Air Force Academy has to offer, and take steps towards an official appoint-ment.

Cadets of the ACTG spent most of the afternoon today inside, listening attentively as different Air Force Officers elaborated on the many opportunities and con-cepts at work in the United States Air Force.

Lt Eickelmann, a USAF Liaison, discussed the mission of the Air Force, explaining the role of the Air Force, and its mission; Flight. Fight. Win.

Lt. Eickelmann also briefly cov-ered some of the Air Force’s responsibilities, such as control-ling the airspace, defending the U.S. from aerial attack, maintain-ing aerospace supremacy, and ground support.

Afterwards, Captain Schoon of the United States Air Force gave

an intensive briefing on the ad-missions process into the Air Force Academy.

For instance, for admission into the Air Force Academy, a candi-date must be:

(a) A United States citizen.

Today, cadets competed in an Encampment-wide Ultimate Fris-bee tournament., with each flight jockeying for the Squadron Championships. After several close games, Charlie Flight (Squadron 13) and Foxtrot Flight (Squadron 14) emerged as the squadron victors. After a short break, both teams gathered for the Encampment Championship.

The Championship game itself was a riveting experience, with many turnovers and close calls on both sides. Both team put their best effort in, but in the

end, Charlie Flight dominated.

Congratulations, 7th ACTG Ulti-mate Frisbee Champions!

Capt. Schoon explaining different types of nomina-tions

Cadets Explore Air Force Opportunities


Honors 2

Squadron Commander

2

Helicopter Acrobatics

2 Charlie Dominates in Frisbee Tournament

D E L T A F L I G H T V S .



“ I S B E T T E R

T O L O S E

O N E M I N U T E

I N L I F E . . .

T H A N T O

L O S E L I F E

I N A M I N -

U T E . ”

- A U T H O R

U N K N O W N





Flight Win Lost

Alpha 1 1

Bravo 0 2

Charlie 2 0

Flight Win Lost

Delta 1 1

Echo 0 2

Foxtrot 2 0

Flight Final Score

Charlie 4

Foxtrot 0

P A G E 2

”Strive for perfection. Anything less than the best is a felony.”

-Capt Spanier, Squadron 13 Commander

Bravo Flight, Honor Flight TD-3

First Impressions: Squadron 13 Commander

5-Foot Helicopters

Congratulations Bravo and Foxtrot Flight! Early this morning, Bravo Flight was awarded it’s first Honor streamer for it’s outstanding performance in the field and as a team.

The cadets of Bravo Flight have shown intense dedication and motivation to their leaders and each other, and continue to improve their uniforms and inspections from day to day, outshining every other flight..

Bravo has truly proved itself worthy to be called “Honor Flight” of TD-4.

In addition, Candidate Kepczyk of Foxtrot Flight should be recognized for his outstanding attitude and contributions to his flight.

This candidate has shown a remarkable work ethic, and

has consistently come along-side weaker cadets in his flight and helped them with what-ever they are struggling with. His hard work did not go un-noticed by either his staff or the Standard Evaluation Team, and has now paid off.

Candidate Kepczyk’s actions are a credit to his leaders, flight, and squadron.

and-go’s, and many other ma-neuvers.

Basically, these models operate like the real thing but at a smaller scale. These helicop-ters provided a great aero-space experience for the ca-dets, but at a cheaper and less dangerous level.

Today, two gentlemen from the Phoenix Police Depart-ment, who also fly gasoline-powered model helicopters as a hobby, presented their two five-foot model aircraft to the cadet corps in a series of acro-batic flights. In these demon-strations, their aircraft pulled many loops, dives, rolls, touch-

ACTG as First Sergeant Spanier), serves as Squadron 13 Commander.

Captain Spanier has been ac-tive in CAP for about two and a half years, already achieving the Earhart Award. Some items on Capt Spanier’s re-sume would probably include the 2010 Color Guard Cham-pionship and the Drill Team National Cadet Competition.

Capt. Spanier originally joined CAP because he was consider-ing a career as an Air Force pilot, but as his plans changed, he decided to stay in the pro-gram for the people he met.

Capt Spanier offers this moti-vating advice to basics: “

”Strive for perfection. Any-thing less than the best is a felony.”

This year, we have the privi-lege of having a very compe-tent Flight Staff, but it is not always so. To help enforce standards and ensure that the quality of training is never compromised, all Flight Staff report to the Squadron Com-mander, who reports to the Deputy Cadet Commander.

This year, C/Capt. Adam Spanier, (known to the last

One of the Remote-Controlled Helicopters


techniques. For many cadets, this was the first time that they had ever held a gun, so it was ob-voiusly a very exciting and memorable experience

Every cadet was given the oppor-tunity to take their targets home, so they’ll have a souvenir from this awesome experience.

Members of the 7th ACTG had today an experience that many adults have never had. Sergeants Martinez and Gamboa of the Army National Guard hosted a day at the shooting range, where every cadet had a chance to practice their marksmanship, with the M16A2 Service Rifle.

Each cadet, in groups of nine, were handed a magazine of ten 5.56mm bullets and assigned a target at 300 yards.

Lying prone, many cadets hit the target every time, some even scoring bulls-eyes!

Before the candidates were ever able to handle the rifles, they sat through an hour-long intensive gun-handling and safety course taught by elite Army marksmen, covering T.A.B. (Treat every firearm as if it is loaded, always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot, and be sure of your target, and be-yond), rules of the range, and essential marksmanship skills.

Cadets learned how to properly hold and air the M16 rifle and specific firing and follow-through

As stated in the last issue of this news-letter, the S q u a d r o n Commander serves the i m p o r t a n t role of su-

pervising the Flight Commanders and standardizing training. Yes-terday, we introduced the Squad-ron 13 Commander, but now it

Is time to get to know our other Squadron Commander, C/Capt. Petonic.

Captain Petonic has been active in CAP for over six years, and recognizes the way CAP has affected his life. Encampment this year will actually be his sixth. Originally, his parents had forced him to join, but obviously there has been a change of thought.

Captain Petonic aspires to be an

Infantry officer in the Marine Corps, and enjoys playing the electric guitar and airsofting out-side of CAP.

Captain Petonic sees real value in the Encampment experience, in the way that “It turns individual-istic candidates into highly moti-vated team thinkers. Encamp-ment is all about competition, and competition drives excel-lence.”

Cadets Start Day With a Bang


Honors 2

Drug De-mand Reduc-tion

2

Rock Wall 2

First Impressions: Squadron 14 Commander


E N C A M P M E N T



“Precaution is better than cure” -Edward Coke





P A G E 2

“...the danger of addiction is always present with drugs, along with the risk of ruining, or even ending your life!”

-Excerpt from “The Dangers of Drugs”

Alpha Flight, Honor Flight TD-4.

Cadets Learn About the Dangers of Drugs

National Guard Hosts Rock-Climbing Wall

Congratulations, Alpha and Bravo Flight! Today, Alpha Flight was awarded it’s second Honor Flight, this time for TD-4, mak-ing them the only flight with a double award.

C/2d Lt Nero and C/CMSgt Dailey have clearly put in many hours of work towards this award, and their flight’s achievement reflects on their leadership. However, they still advise caution, as Lt. Nero states:

“This is outstanding! We broke of curse of not winning

Honor Flight. I’m extremely proud of the cadets. We just can’t let it go to our heads, and keep up the good work.”

It would not be fair not to mention the Honor Cadet of the day, Candidate Ingram, who, while injuring his leg early in the week, has nonetheless enthusiastically participated in every activity. Here is what he has to say after achieving this award:

“I am very proud to the be Honor Cadet for Bravo. My

injury only made me more determined. But, I couldn’t do this alone! Teamwork is every-thing. Help out your flight!”

strength, all while having fun and interacting with members of the Armed Forces.

In fact, one of the Army per-sonnel challenged some of the cadets to a push-up contest!

Overall, every cadet had a blast cheering each other on and having a great time!

Today, members of the Ari-zona Army National Guard constructed a 20–foot rock wall for the cadets of the 7th ACTG to scale.

This challenging course, hosted by PFC Walder, SFC Chris-man, Sgt. Gardner, PFC Guevara, PFC Guerena, and SSG Hawkins was designed to test each cadet’s agility and

regarding Drug addiction.

Ms. Grimsley currently serves as a Judge while working with CAP on the side. Ms. Grimsley has been teaching DDR in CAP for over five years, the 7th ACTG is the fifth Encamp-ment she has been involved in.

In her class, Ms. Grimsley first discussed the danger of addic-tion, to any substance. Addic-tion causes death, in short.

Drugs may also cause halluci-nations and visions, vomiting, nausea. Students using drugs cannot think straight and fol-low logical processes, which is the reason that they rarely succeed in school.

Cadets learned that the danger of addiction is always present with drugs, along with the risk of ruining, or even ending your life!

Today, the Wing Drug-Demand-Reduction Adminis-trator (DDR), Donna Grimsley paid a visit to the 7th ACTG


Candidates briefing with Sergeant First Class Chrisman.

demonstrated many of the take-down and intimidation techniques employed by ca-nine units, educating the ca-dets about their work and life in the Air Force Security Forces.

Cadets then traveled to the base theater, where Lt. Col. Inman, an MQ-1 Predator

pilot and member of the 214th Reconnaissance Group. gave an intensive briefing on the

Predator drones and their capa-bilities, along with the future of unmanned military flight.

Col. Inman was then joined by Capt. Flex, an A-10 “Warthog” pilot and trainer. who explained the A-10 and its capabilities.

Even though it might have been a busy day for the cadets, it was definitely one of the most excit-ing!

Today, the candidates closed their training week with proba-bly the coolest experience of all!

All day, the cadet corps of the ACTG toured Davis Monthan Air Force Base, listening to Air Force professionals— leaders in their field.

To start the day off, the cadets first visited the maintenance workshop, home of the F-4 Drone program. There, the flight line supervisor gave the cadets a tour around the facility, and ex-plained the program.

Because hundreds of Vietnam-war era F-4 Phantom nets have sitting in storage, the Air Force has decided refit them as drones for Air Force pilots to shoot down..

The cadets were then led on a tour of the C-5 Galaxy, the larg-

est transport plane flown by the Air Force, and toured the main-tenance shelter, roughly 1000 feet long (equivalent to the length of an aircraft carrier).

From there, the cadets broke for lunch and met at the base K-9 training facility, staffed by Amn Hawkins, SSgt Escalante, TSgt Valdez, and SSgt Klein. At their facility, these NCO’s and one of their canine trainees, “Bennie,”

Congratulations, Delta Flight, Honor Flight of TD-5, for a job well done!

It looks like the perseverance of C1st Lt Karnes and C/TSgt Soaf has paid off! The candidates of Delta Flight are finally starting to come together as a team, as Sgt. Soaf recalls:

“The moment they became a team is the moment we knew

that we could get Honor Flight— That day was yesterday.”

Candidate Deinzer, of Bravo Flight, has also performed to a higher standard, and has been recognized for her efforts as the Honor Cadet of TD-5.

Candidate Deinzer found that simply trying her best and work-ing as a team member was the best way to get Honor Cadet. It

is impor-tant to note that even while injuring her leg mid-

week, Deinzer has put 110 per-cent into all into her work and is a great example to other candi-dates.

The Encampment Grand Finale

Congratulations Delta and Bravo Flight!


E N C A M P M E N T



“For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind. “ -Eleanor Everet





Cadets in the C-5 Galaxy’s carge bay

Documents

Arizona Wing Encampment - 2011