Minnesota Wing - May 2006

8/9/2019 Minnesota Wing - May 2006

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The official publication of Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol April/May 2006

by Capt. Al Pabon

Minnesota Wing

Members of Minnesota

Wing distributed copies of

the CAP Annual Report to

Congress to members of the

Minnesota State LegislatureApril 11.

During these meetings, leg-

islators were informed

about Minnesota Wing and

its missions, as well as

were invited to join the

Minnesota Wing

Legislative Squadron.

As a result, five new mem-

bers joined the Legislative

Squadron. They are

Senators Amy Koch ofDistrict 19 and Jim

Vickerman of District 2, as

well as Representatives

Matt Entenza of District

64A, Loren Solberg of

District 03B and Andrew

Westerberg of District 51A.

There are currently 76

members of the Minnesota

Wing Legislative Squadron.

Many thanks to the follow-ing members that made this

event happen, including

Col. Dennis Rock, Col.

Kevin Sliwinski, Capt.

Janelle Gates, 1st Lt. Andy

Bosshart, 2nd Lt. Norine

Olson, C/Capt. Steven

Cross, C/1st Lt. Mark

Cross, C/Chief Master Sgt.

Andrew Haus, C/Senior

Master Sgt. Veronica Olson,

C/Senior Airman Cory

Bosshart, C/Senior AirmanSam Dicosimo, C/Airman

1st Class Andrew

Nordlund, C/Airman

Dominque Frisco and

C/Airman Kaelyn Olson.

Special Wing Conference Section InsideWing members meet lawmakers at state Legislative Day

Cadets visit the Minnesota State Legislature. Back Row: C/Airman 1st Class Andrew Nordlund, Sen. (Maj.)

Leroy Stumpf, C/Senior Airman Sam Dicosimo, C/ 1st Lt. Mark Cross, C/Chief Master Sgt. Andrew Haus and

C/Capt. Steven Cross. Front Row: C/Airman Kaelyn Olson, C/Airman Dominque Frisco, C/Senior Master Sgt.

Veronica Olson, C/Senior Airman Cory Bosshart, Sen. Becky Lourey. Photo by Col. Kevin Sliwinski


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WingTips is a publication ofMinnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol,

U.S. Air Force Auxiliary

6275 Crossman Lane

Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076

www.mncap.org

[email protected]

The views expressed, either written or implied, are not neces-

sarily those of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol orMinnesota Wing. Submissions should be sent to the aboveemail address.

Wing Commander: Col. Steve Miller

Wing Public Affairs Officer: Capt. Al Pabon

Wingtips Editor: Lt. Col. Shannon Bauer

Page 2 WingTips April/May 2006

by Lt. Col. Keith Bischoff

Duluth Squadron

The Duluth Air Show 2006

will be held July 8-9 at the

Duluth International

Airport, featuring theU.S. Air Force

Thunderbirds and other air

and static attractions.

More information is avail-

able on the air show web

site at www.duluthair-

show.com Once again, the

Duluth Composite

Squadron will host the

opportunity for Minnesota

Wing members to partici-pate in the largest air show

in Minnesota this year.

Primary activities for CAP

senior and cadet members

will include assisting with

parking the multitude of

private aircraft expected to

visit the event, parking

vehicles and manning a

CAP recruiting booth with

a CAP aircraft on display.The duty day will be from

8 a.m.-6 p.m. each day.

Members who participate

will be afforded free

entrance to the air show

both days and one meal

each day and may expect

the opportunity for breaks

to enjoy the show. Camping

areas will be available.

(With prior arrangements, afew may use the Duluth

unit facilities for

overnight.)

Since it is necessary for

planning purposes to allo-

cate personnel resources,

CAP units with members

who want to participate

should provide that infor-

mation to:

[email protected] nolate than June 1.

A unit point of contact

should submit information

on all unit members that

will participate. The list

should include names, dates

attending and task prefer-

ences for each person

The Duluth unit is looking

forward to successfully

supporting this event withMinnesota Wing assistance

as in the past.

We thank you for your con-

sideration in advance.

Duluth Squadron looking for

volunteers to work air show

by Lt. Col. Joe Volding,

Group III, and Capt. Ronn

Winkler, Viking Squadron

All squadrons are invited to

attend the Group III Search

and Rescue Exercise June

10-11 for a weekend of

training and fun.

Viking Squadron will host

the event at its emergency

response center, which is

located on the north side of

Flying Cloud Airport on

Pioneer Trail, or CountyRoad 1. The event will take

place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lt. Col. Joe Volding, Group

III, will service as incident

commander for the event.

The goal for the weekend is

to keep the sorties flowing

and minimize down time.

In general, the sorties for

the SAREX are designed to

emphasize tasks rather than

simulate long drawn out

search patterns or long dis-

tance drives.

There will be a formation

and general briefing at

8:30 a.m. A training officer

will also be on duty, who

will be glad to hook any

member up with an air or

ground sortie and will

address the members train-

ing needs.

All participants must bring

the equipment appropriateto their qualifications. All

ground team trainees must

bring, at minimum, a can-

teen, sun screen, insect

repellent and a pair of

leather gloves. Members

should wear battle dress

uniforms, or BDUs; flight

suits; or CAP equivalent.

Lunch will be available at

mission base for about $5.

Group 3 invites members to

search and rescue exercise

There is room inside the

fenced area on the grass of

the ERC for camping.

There will be a port-o-potty

on site. Each squadron

must chaperone its own

cadets if camping. If a unit

plans to camp either Friday

or Saturday night, contact

Capt. Ronn Winkler,

Viking Squadron, in

advance at:

[email protected].


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Wing

Wing

Conference

Conference

20062006


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April/May 2006 WingTips Page 5

commander's workshops.

Minnesota Wing has had a long tradition or recognizing

excellent performance at the unit level. This is done with

"Specialist Awards." Members are nominated by their

peers and award selection is made by the wing level spe-

cialist and the wing commander. The 2005 awardees are:

Administration: Lt. Col. Russ Gerber, St Croix Squadron

Aerospace Education: Capt. Eric Knutson, Hutchinson

Squadron

Cadet Programs: Capt. Terry Dull, Viking Squadron

Chaplain: Capt. Karl Hellwig, St Croix Squadron

Communications/Cadet: C/Senior Master Sgt. Mitchell

McGillick, Hutchinson Squadron

Communications/Senior: Capt. Mark McCormick,Worthington Squadron

Emergency Services/Individual: Capt. Paul Piper, St Paul

Squadron

Emergency Services/Unit: Hutchinson Squadron

Finance: Maj. Jess Riehle, Grand Rapids Squadron

Flight Operations: Capt. Cliff Tamplin, St Paul Squadron

Historian: Capt. Mary Johnson, Crow Wing Squadron

Logistics: 1st Lt. Linda Tyner, Crow Wing Squadron

Moral Leadership: 1st Lt. Todd Mitchell, North Hennepin

Squadron

Operations: 1st Lt. Mitch Spinler, Red Wing Squadron

Personnel: Maj. Rey Casanova, North Hennepin

Squadron

Public Affairs: Capt. Joe Bradfield, Worthington

Squadron

Public Affairs/ Cadet: C/1st Lt. Amanda Letourneau,

Grand Rapids Squadron

Professional Development: Maj. Bill Hewitt, OwatonnaSquadron

Recruiting/Retention: 2nd Lt. Julie Daly, Owatonna

Squadron

Safety: Capt. Tom Urban, Hutchinson Squadron

Stan/Eval: Capt. Lonell Koppes, Crow Wing Squadron

Conference / From Page 4

Conference / Page 6

Minnesota Wing specialty award recipients


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During the afternoon, members attended breakout sessions

that covered a wide array of CAP items, including emer-

gency services, finance, flight operations, technology,

aerospace, cadet programs and marketing. There were alsospecialized sessions for cadets.

Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, Minnesota adjutant general,

served as the keynote speaker at the banquet. He spokeabout the contributions of Minnesota National Guard

members in the War on Terror and the various deploy-

ments the guard has completed in recent years.

The general also spoke about the outstanding contribu-

tions that CAP members make and especially the contribu-

tions of cadets and leaders of the cadet program in mold-

ing the next generation of American leaders.

Shellito presented the Gill Robb Wilson Award to Lt. Col.

Tom Kettell, Wing vice commander; Lt. Col. Dick

Johnson; North Hennepin Squadron commander; and to

Maj. David Odette, Group 1 commander.

The Gill Robb Wilson Award is CAPs highest award for

senior member professional development. It recognizes

senior members who have dedicated themselves to leader-

ship and personal development in the CAP. This award

was first given in 1964 and honors the late Gill Robb

Wilson. He is regarded as the founder of CAP and served

as CAPs first executive officer.

The general also presented the Gen Carl A. Spaatz award

to C/Col. Mark Pomerleau, North Hennepin Squadron.

Pomerleau is the 46th Minnesota Wing cadet to earn this

award.

The Spaatz Award is CAPs highest cadet honor. It is pre-

sented to cadets who have demonstrated excellence in

leadership, character, fitness and aerospace education.

Cadets qualify for this prestigious award after devoting an

average of five years to progress through 16 achievements

in the CAP Cadet Program. Along the way, they develop

self-discipline, a strong sense of personal responsibility,the ability to lead and persuade and the foundation neces-

sary for pursuing a career in aviation, space or

technology.

The final step a cadet must complete to earn the Spaatz

Conference / From Page 5 Minnesota Wing specialty award recipients

Conference / Page 7


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Award is a rigorous four-part exam consisting of a chal-

lenging physical fitness test, an essay exam testing theirmoral reasoning, a comprehensive written exam on leader-

ship and a comprehensive written exam on aerospace edu-

cation. Upon passing the Spaatz Award exams, the cadet is

promoted to the grade of cadet colonel.

On average, only two cadets in 1,000 earn the Spaatz

Award. Since the awards inception in 1964, Civil Air

Patrol has presented the Spaatz Award to just more than

1,500 cadets.

These awards were also presented during the banquet:

CAP Lifesaving Award, Capt. Jim Miller, Grand Rapids

Squadron;

Coffin Memorial Award (for Excellence in Support of

Cadet Programs), Capt. Kenneth Hartwig, Northland

Squadron;

Sindlear Memorial Award (for Excellence in

Administrative Support), Capt. Mark McCormick,

Worthington Squadron;

Family of the Year, The Fogarty Family, 130th Squadron

Cadet Commander of the Year, C/Col. Jacob Heffron,

Crow Wing Squadron;

Cadet Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, C/Chief

Master Sgt. Andrew Puckett, Hutchinson Squadron;

Cadet of the Year, C/Maj. Joshua Waddell, Viking

Squadron;

Air Force Torch Award, Maj. Alan Matson, Group II;

Wing Staff Member of the Year, Maj. Sherrie Herzfeld,

Anoka Squadron;

Senior Member of the Year, Capt. Elizabeth Pfingsten,

Crow Wing Squadron;

Unit Commander of the Year, Maj. Chet Wilberg,Hutchinson Squadron;

Squadron of the Year, North Hennepin Squadron;

and Squadron of Merit, Hutchinson Squadron.


Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito (left), Minnesota adjutant

general, and Col. Steve Miller (right), Minnesota Wing

commander, present C/Col. Mark Pomerleau, North

Hennepin Squadron, with the Carl A. Spaatz Award.

Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito (left), Minnesota adjutant

general, and Col. Steve Miller (right), Minnesota Wing

commander, present Maj. David Odette, North

Hennepin Squadron, with the Gill Robb Wilson Award. Conference / Page 8


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After the banquet a military ball was held. The ball was

organized by a committee of cadets.

The conference concluded Sunday morning with a

Commanders Call and Cadet Advisory Council Meeting.

At the CAC Meeting, the council elected officers for the

2006-2007 term. These are incoming chair, C/Lt. Col.

Matt Dunleavy, Anoka Squadron; incoming vice-chair,

C/Capt. Cory Titus, Viking Squadron; and incoming

recorder, C/Capt. Laura Broker, North Star Cadet

Squadron. These cadets will assume office this summer.


Col. Steve Miller (right), wing commander, presents

the Coffman Memorial Award (for Excellence in

Support of Cadet Programs) to Capt. Kenneth

Hartwig, Northland Squadron.


the Sindlear Memorial Award (for Excellence in

Administrative Support) to Capt. Mark McCormick,

Worthington Squadron.

Conference / Page 9


the Family of the Year Award to the Fogarty Family,

130th Squadron.


the CAP Life Saving Award to Capt. Jim Miller, Grand

Rapids Squadron.


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The wing will begin accepting nominations for awards to

be made at the 2007 Wing Conference Oct. 1. This

process only works if members recognize excellence by

sending in nominations.

If you have pictures you would like to contribute to the

2006 Wing Conference Scrapbook, please send them to

[email protected].

Speech given by Raymond Rought,

Minnesota Department of Transportation

director of aeronautics:Good morning everyone!

I am very pleased to be invited once again to be a part of

this excellent conference and learning opportunity.

Throughout the year, I receive messages about the many

accomplishments and triumphs of CAP members. I am

most often amazed by the things cadets can do. The

amount of work you young members put into your pro-

gram, is terrific. But the benefit to you will be consider-

ably greater to you as you grow, gain experience, and con-

tinue to learn through training and actual missions.

You will quickly discover that what once was difficult is

now very easy, and what you once thought you could

never master, you are now teaching to others. I am very

proud of all the cadets, and I believe the outlook for futureaviation is good because of your efforts today.

CAP is a very important organization in Minnesota and in

fact throughout the nation. It has taken on new relevance

having accepted a critically important role in homeland

defense. CAP's mission in the security of this nation is

clearly acknowledged as vital and necessary by the federal

government and the department of the Air Force.

CAP's place in history was secured at the its birth Dec. 1,

1941, and now each and every one of you will help to

write a new and very important chapter in the history of

this great organization.

As you know, the Office of Aeronautics provides some

financial support to this wing. We also provided a portion

of the monies needed to build the new hangar and future

training facility at South St. Paul Airport.

It is an excellent facility that was built to very high stan-

Conference / Page 10


the Wing Staff Member of the Year Award to Maj.

Sherrie Herzfeld, Anoka Squadron.


the Senior Member of the Year Award to Capt.

Elizabeth Pfingsten, Crow Wing Squadron.


10/15



dards and will serve CAP for many years to come. It has

been a pleasure for us to play a small part in that large and

very successful project. We extend a special thank you to

Col. [Steve] Miller, Col. [Kevin] Sliwinski, Lt. Col. John

Quilling, and all those who contributed so much time, tal-ent and excellence to the wing facilities project.

Some of you know that for the past six years we have pro-

vided a special edition of the state aeronautical planning

chart for CAP. Your pilots and planners have used them

well. This year, I am pleased to tell you that we will once

again provide the chart with the CAP grid printed on it.

But we added something new!

This year, the grids have been numbered for you which

we hope will save you time and effort, while increasing

the accuracy in your training and mission activities.

The support we provide to CAP, especially in this time of

significantly reduced budgets and high costs, demonstrates

that we truly appreciate and respect you for your tremen-

dous spirit of volunteerism, and for your silent but none-

the-less, heroic service to our great state and nation. I

thank you for that, and the many things you all do, that we

civilians may not actually see, even though your efforts

provide benefits to all the people of Minnesota.

One very big, but perhaps little known example comes to

mind. Through the truly magnificent efforts of Colonels

Steve Miller and Kevin Sliwinski, this wing has developed

a legislative squadron, where nearly every member is an

active state representative or state senator.

The benefit to CAP is perhaps very easy to understand.

But the benefits of this special squadron reach far beyond

just CAP. By enrolling these Minnesota lawmakers and

leaders, CAP has opened the doors of aviation to them.

This is a direct benefit to all aviation in Minnesota

because these elected leaders can now develop first-hand

knowledge of, and experience, with aviation. They can

learn for themselves the value and importance of aviation

in Minnesota and the tremendous economic impact avia-tion has here and across the nation!

The leaders will also have the opportunities to see the

active support CAP provides within the borders of

Minnesota. They will also have the opportunities to see

what strong partnerships, like the one aeronautics has with

CAP, can accomplish.

Conference / Page 10

Col. Steve Miller (right), wing commander, and Lt.Col. MIke Pederson (second from left), CAP-USAF

North Central Liaison Region director of operations,

present the Cadet of the Year Award to C/Maj. Josh

Waddell (second from right), Viking Squadron, and the

Torch Award to Maj. Al Matson (left), Group II.


the Commander of the Year Award to Maj. Chet

Wilberg, Hutchinson Squadron.


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Another great opportunity awaits them. They will get to

see the dedicated, generous, caring members of CAP as

the members volunteer their time, strengths and resources

to benefit the people of Minnesota and beyond. It is a win-win deal no matter how you look at it.

I could go on, but I know you have many other speakers

to hear and learn from this morning. I thank you all for

your pride, spirit, dedication and service. I look forward to

your continued growth and constantly improving military

bearing and professionalism at all levels of this wing.

Before I go I want to reassure you that my staff and I will

continue to support you whenever and wherever we can.

Thanks again for inviting me to be with you today. I am

truly enjoying my time here with you.

Enjoy the conference!

Aerospace education kicks it in gear

during wing conference festivitiesby Capt. Conrad Peterson, Wing Headquarters

Wing Conference 2006 was a great year for aerospace

education. The aerospace education folks got "In the mix

for 2006!"

New this year were breakout sessions for the different

departments. This allowed the wing to offer large class-room style presentation, as well as time for questions after

the presentations.

On Saturday, Capt. Josh Puhl, Mankato Squadron, present-

ed the satellite tool kit. These kits are an excellent tool for

units but can also be a complex program to run. Puhl

cracked the code to make the kit much more user friendly.

Puhl does plan to offer more satellite tool kit training and

will be making unit visits. For questions about the kit,

contact him via email at: [email protected].

On Sunday, the wing aerospace education staff hosted aGeneral Chuck Yeager aerospace test session. This was a

first time program but definitely not a last time either. The

staff plans to host another exam next year, but maybe not

quite so early in the morning.

Three senior members participated in the test this year,

including Capt. Joseph Yenkosky, Flight Officer Justin

Binion and Senior Member Robin Helgager.


North Hennepin Squadron received the Minnesota

Wing of the Year Award.

Hutchinson Squadron received the Minnesota Wing of

the Year Award.

wing conference photos

by Lt. Col. Shannon Bauer


12/15



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by 2nd Lt. Gary Hall,

Viking Squadron

Senior and cadet members

of Viking Squadron, along

with family and friends,

volunteered their time at

relief organization Feed My

Starving Children April 11.

C/Chief Master Sgt. Angela

Shields organized this com-

munity service event forthe third time. After a short

briefing, 31 unit members

put on hair nets and aprons

and spent more than an

hour preparing 11,448

nutritious meals, which

came close to the record for

one night.

These high protein, rice-

based meals are distributed

by Christian agencies in

third world countries,

where thousands of chil-

dren die of hunger each

day. Adding boiling water

to the package is all that is

needed to prepare a vitamin

rich meal for six.

A good spirited competitiondeveloped and motivated

the participants to get a lot

done. The vikings had a lot

of fun working together to

make a difference for starv-

ing people around the

world.

(Left to right) Viking cadets 1st Lt. Cory Titus, Chief

Master Sgt. Angela Shields and Senior Master Sgt.

Julie Crevier package food to be shipped to third world

countries. Photo by 2nd Lt. Gary Hall

Vikings perform community service by packaging food

Captain Al Pabon

Minnesota Wing

Valley Cadet Squadron held

its annual awards ceremony

at Burnsville City HallMarch 30. During the pro-

gram, members were recog-

nized for their achieve-

ments and service to the

community.

Cadets received unit awards

as indicated below: Cadet

of the Quarter (October-

December 2005): C/Capt.

Stephen Cross; Cadet of the

Quarter (January-March2006): C/Airman 1st Class

Sam DiCosmio; Cadet of

the Year: C/1st Lt. Mark

Cross; Best Driller: C/2nd

Lt. Travis Nelson; Most

Professional Cadet:

C/Senior Master Sgt.

Veronica Olson; Best

Attendance: C/Senior

Master Sgt. Joe Connelly;

Best Cadet Support Staff

Member: C/Staff Sgt. Tyler

Watson; Most ImprovedCadet: C/Senior Master Sgt.

Joe Connelly; Most Helpful

Cadet: Cadet Tim Blesi;

Best Uniformed Cadet:

C/Airman 1st Class Jacob

Kosters.

Additionally, C/2nd Lt.

Travis Nelson received the

General Billy Mitchell

Award from Group III

Commander Lt. Col. MikeMoen, and C/Capt. Stephen

Cross received the Amelia

Earhart Award from State

Senator (Lt. Col.) Chris

Gerlach. Gerlach is a for-

mer cadet and recipient of

the Carl A. Spaatz Award.

Col. Steve Miller,

Minnesota Wing command-er, presented 1st Lt. Norine

Olson with the Brig. Gen.

Chuck Yeager Aerospace

Achievement award. She

was also recognized as

Valleys Senior Member of

the Year.

Glenn Schull, Air Force

Associations E.W.Rawlings chapter president,

presented C/Maj. Ben Piehl

with the AFA Outstanding

Cadet Award. This award is

presented to the best CAP,

Air Force Junior ROTC and

Senior Air Force ROTC

cadets in the Twin Cities.

Valley Squadron recognizes excellence at awards ceremony

Valley Squadron awardees pose for a photo.



15/15


Lieutenant Colonel

Adrian Sanchez, Anoka

Major

Matt Entenza, Minnesota Sate Legislative|

Brad Finstad, Minnesota State Legislative

Margaret Kelliher, Minnesota State Legislative

Amy Koch, Minnesota State Legislative

Tina Liebling, Minnesota State Legislative

Jeanne Poppe, Minnesota State Legislative

Loren Solberg, Minnesota State Legislative

Jim Vickerman, Minnesota State Legislative

Andrew Westerberg, Minnesota State Legislative

Captain

Deborah Feil, St. Croix

Mark Helseth, VikingJames Hickey, Valley

Jared Scribner, Viking

Scott Slawson, North Hennepin

Donel Swanson, Fort Snelling

Richard Zeman, Northwest Minnesota

1st Lieutenant

Denton Anderson, Red Wing

Todd Christopherson, North Star

Penny Hadrava, Grand Rapids

Michael Pierce, Owatonna

Richard Raveling, St. Cloud

James Rucks, St. CloudTyrel Schue, Grand Rapids

Robert Swearengin, Viking

2nd Lieutenant

John Bruns, St. Cloud

Rodger Dahlager, Viking

James Goodrich, North Hennepin

Robin Helgager, Northland

James Mc Ilrath, Red Wing

Jeremy Quilling, Mankato

Edwin Skog, Red Wing

Jason Suby, Viking

Kateri Wold, North Hennepin

C/2nd Lieutenant

Cody Denver, Grand Rapids

Haylee Fosterling, St. Croix

Andrew Gallagher, Duluth

Althea Johnston, Duluth

Dan Zierath, St. Croix

Senior member & cadet

officer promotions ...

Momentous Occasion ...

Capt. Joe Bradfield, Worthington Squadron, was

appointed as the deputy wing public affairs officer mid-

April.

Maj. Eric Grubb, wing transportation officer, was

appointed as the wings assistant recruiting officer

mid-April.

Capt. James Harris will assume command of Cass

County Squadron, May 30. He will replace Capt. Rich

Yaeger.

C/2nd Lt. Althea Johnston, Duluth Squadron, was

selected for the Air Force Academy.

Capt. Clifford Tamplin will assume command of St.

Paul Squadron, late May. He will replace Lt. Col. Gary

Chambers.

C/Scott Wright, Duluth Squadron, completed his first

solo flight May 18.

2nd Lts. Jack Houck and Lori Sobolewski, formerly

Anoka Squadron and both Spaatz cadets, were mar-

ried May 27 after graduating from college and receiv-

ing U.S. Air Force commissions. They are now heading

off to Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. They met eight

years ago in CAP.

Documents

Minnesota Wing - May 2006