Southeast Region - Jan 2006

8/7/2019 Southeast Region - Jan 2006

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The Puerto Rico Wing hosted

its Wing Conference during theweekend of De-cember 3 at theWyndham Con-dado Plaza Hotelin San Juan,Puerto Rico,celebrating thecommunity ser-vice missionsand educationopportunitiesexperienced overthe last year.

The conferencewas attended byover 200 dele-gates representing the sevengroups from Puerto Rico and 6representatives from Puerto RicosGroup 8 of the Virgin Islands.

Activities at this years confer-ence included sight-seeing toursfor out-of-town guests, and an

awards/recognition service, semi-nars, and a gala awards banquet.

Presenters included NationalCommander Maj Gen AntonioPineda, Southeast Region Com-mander Col Matthew R. Sharkey,National Staff representative MarcHouchette, and PR Wing Com-mander Herman Liboy.

Liboy recalled the 2004 WingConference and said, We

accepted Col Matt Sharkeys re-cruiting challenge last year and

have performed re-markably having agrowth of more than200 members. ColSharkey expressedhis pride in thewings positivegrowth in his pres-entation, remarkingthat the Puerto RicoWing illustrateswhat can be done

with hard work andenthusiasm. MarkHouchette mirroredthe sentiment, stat-ing In a time of de-

crease, you have in-creased. You are set-ting an example forthe rest of the nationto follow.

Nazario Lugo,Puerto Rico StateEmergency Manage-ment Agency Direc-tor and guest speaker,offered his congratu-lations to the mem-bers for their hardwork and service.

The banquet included a specialguest from the Puerto Rico AirNational Guard who presentedCapt Giacomo Venza, the Senior

of the Year2005 with

an addi-tionalaward.Group 7swept themajority ofcategoriesincludingProfes-sional

Development, Aerospace Educa-tion, Cadet Program, and Group of

the Year.

During the awards presentation,the Puerto Rico Wing received thePaul W. Turner safety Award.

The Frank G. Brewer awardrecipients in-cluded the IslaGrande FlyingSchool, Or-ganization,and C/LtCol

Miguel Santi-ago, Cadet.2Lt YanisseFerrer and 1LtIvelisse Peawon Life Sav-ing Awards.

The NCO Cadet Awards went toc/MSgt Lizbeth Roman andC/MSgt Jose C. Valdez and theCadet of the Year was C/LtColDavid Irizarry.

Puerto Rico Wing Conference By 1Lt Kelly Green Sharkey and Maj Sonia Soto

January 2006

Administration ............. 17Aerospace Education ... 16Alabama....................... 5, 13Cadets .......................... 7, 12Chaplains ..................... 14

DMSP .................. 7, 14Florida.................. 3, 4, 8-13, 15, 17-19Georgia ................ 6, 8, 9History ................. 15Medical................ 6

Mississippi............4, 7National................11Public Affairs .......19Puerto Rico...........1, 3, 8, 9Tennessee .............15

Col Sharkey congratulates Capt

Giacomo Venza, Puerto Ricos

Senior of the Year 2005

Members applaud

award recipients and

special guest speakers

News from the

Southeast Region Civil Air Patrol

Col Matt Sharkey, Commander

IN THIS ISSUE

Jose Rafols is promoted to C/Maj


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2 January 2006 Region ReCAP

When I joined Civil Air Patrol I was a teenager with no direction, nopurpose, and no regular visits to the barber shop! It was an impressionabletime in my life and I needed to find a raison dtre (French for reason forbeing). Joining gave me the opportunity to learn leadership skills, becomededicated to something bigger than myself, and enjoy the friendship and

community the Organization provides.At that age, there are a lot of new experiences to enjoy, but Civil Air Patrol

offered me an opportunity to foster new friendships and experience a varietyof great activities. My first encampment gave me a glimpse at the life of ourmilitary personnel, but the activity that got me hooked into being a memberwas participating in the NER Cadet Competition. Through CAP I acceptedthe challenge and responsibility of a new command assignment, especiallybeing named as Cadet Commander and Wing Commander and now theSoutheast Commander. (As a cadet, I would never have thought.)

Ive enjoyed meeting aviation icons like Paul Garber, who told me toldstories about the Wright Brothers and Amelia Earhart. And Dr. EdgarMitchell, who during dinner told me about his experiences as the sixth manto walk on the moon. And Scott Crossfield shared with me the thrill of beingone of the first men to enter the walkway towards to the sound barrier.

Despite the awesome opportunities afforded me, I found that spark wasneeded to re-light the fire of volunteer service from time to time. What getsme re-charged? I have found through the years that attending encampmentsand cadet competitions help me remember the excitement of youth. Confer-ences and training events sparked a desire to learn and grow. Giving awardsranging from the Curry through the Silver Medal of Valor inspire me to ex-cellence. Presenting 50 Year certificates make me aim for the future. Andhaving dinner with the gang, playing games, and going on trips with friendsreminds me of the greatest joy in CAP, that of having a second family.

Are you in a new year with hopes and goals for 06, or are you in a seasonwithout spark? If youre the latter, attend activities, go on excursions, be afriend, and start something. Remember why you joined in the first place, andpass that excitement along to someone else who might need it.

Quote of the month:

You cant

direct the wind

but you canadjust the sails.

Keep the Newness With You

CCommanders Comments

Happy Birthday

Staff Members

Ray Hayden 1/1

Edward Kessler, 1/8

Brian Bluck, 1/8

Evelyn Holdren, 1/15

Mark Lighterman, 1/17

Matt Sharkey, 1/18

John Stokesberry, 1/25

Mark Your Calendar

02-04 March Winter National Board, DC

07-09 April GAWG Conference

28-30 April MSWG Conference

28-30 April ALWG Conference

5-7 May FLWG Conference


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Region ReCAP January 2006 3

By 1Lt Raya Vezina

Over the first weekend in De-cember, 11 cadets and six seniormembers of the Northside Chris-tian School Cadet Squadron re-

ceived intense training and first-hand experience in land navigationin a bivouac at Camp Blanding.

To prepare, two special class-room sessions were a part of theregular squadron meeting in Octo-ber and November. These classescovered basic topics such as howto read contour lines and terrainfeatures, as well as how to plotgrid coordinates, determine direc-tion and bearing, and plotting azi-

muths on a map. Advanced in-struction was given on how to reada compass and map.

The real test of the classroomlearning occurred through the ac-tual hands-on experiences. Thecadets and senior members weredivided into four teams and senton three different missions duringthe day. Each mission took placein a completely different part ofthe camp.

For mission one, each team wasgiven several compass and dis-tance readings and sent on theirway to locate blue markers in the

woods. These markers had to belocated using only the compassand pace counts. The terrain wasrough as everyone encountereddowned trees, thick underbrush,

and high earthen berms. Theseobstacles, as well as the debrisfrom the previous years hurri-canes, made straight line directheadings to each point impossible.As a resulteach team wasrequired tostop at regularintervals toverify theirpace counts

and azimuthreadings.

Late in theafternoon allteams plotteda new courseon grid maps ofthe base, in-creasing their skills in the use ofprotractors and mathematics. Mis-sion two followed these mapsthrough the woods and over a

stream as unit members learnedthe importance of relating the ac-tual geography and terrain featuresto the representations of the terrain

features as depicted on a flat map.

Finally, the much-anticipatedthird mission took place in thedark of night. Here teams had torely solely on the accuracy of their

pace counts and compass readingsas the blackness of the woodsmade reading visual cues a virtualimpossibility. Each team wasgiven an objective and had to use

the naturalambientlight of thenight andthe glowmarks ontheir com-

passes tosuccess-fully com-plete themission.

The week-end was a

success thanks to awesome teach-ers Lt Col McCormick and SMajMichael Selitch of the US Army.Both work at MacDill Air Forcebase and are land navigation ex-perts through their professionaltraining.

1Lt Vezina is the Northside Christian

School Cadet Squadron PAO

Florida Cadets Attend Bivouac

Group 8 cadets establish pace counts during

weekend bivouac held at Camp Blanding, Starke

By 1Lt Kelly Green Sharkey

Lt Col William Hickman,USAF Southeast Liaison RegionCommander, presented at the

Puerto Rico Wing Conference De-cember 3, praising members fortheir dedication, hard work, andmembership in Civil Air Patrol.

In his discussion Hickman ex-plained the increasing Air Forcerequests for CAPs services. CivilAir Patrol is a full-force multi-plier, said Hickman. Air Forcedecision makers are floored, es-pecially when they see how much

[using CAP] costs them by free-ing up military resources.

Hickman went on to express hispride in the Puerto Rico Wing,

their exemplary safety record, andclean aircraft. Their professional-ism made him glad [they] aregoing to get the new glass cockpitC-172 in the upcoming year.

Lt Col Hickman was accompa-nied by MSgt Sam Heard, who is aLogistics expert in Col Hickmanscommand.

SER CC Col Sharkey was grate-

ful the twocould attend.Im glad tohave both Col

Hickman andMSgt Heardon our team,said Sharkey.They help usin innumer-able ways tobe a strongregion and anexcellent or-ganization.

Hickman Presents at PRWG Conference

Lt Col William

Hickman,

USAF Southeast

Liaison Commander


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Tampa Florida

Members

Encourage

Nursing Home

ResidentsBy Maj Linda E. TrimpeyDuring the Operation Healing

Voices event Saturday, December3, seven cadets and two seniorssang and played for the residentsof the James A. Haley VeteransAdministration Medical Centernursing home in Tampa.

C/Maj Orlando Zambrano andC/Commander of the Tampa CadetSquadron read a historical essay

while the other cadets and seniorshummed America the Beautifulaccompanied on piano. This wasone of several patriotic songssung. The group also sang variousChristmas hymns and holiday car-ols. C/Maj Zambrano performed aviolin solo.

The cadets then asked the resi-dents about their military serviceand offered them cookies. Manyare World War II veterans and onewas a prisoner of war in a Germanconcentration camp.

Many of the residents clappedafter every song and many timesvoiced their appreciation by sayingthat was wonderful!

By Lt Col Joe Pope

The cadets of the Jackson, MS, James S. McKinnie Composite Squad-ron were visited by their former cadet squadron commander.

Cadet Robert D. (Robbie) Grete, a recent addition to the UnitedStates Military Academy, WestPoint, was a special guest at aChristmas reception plannedand hosted in his honor.

The training hall was filledto standing room only withcadets, senior members, par-ents, grandparents and inter-ested visitors, all eager to wel-

come Grete home for his veryfirst Christmas leave. Theywere anxious to hear about hisdaily routines and his new lifeat West Point. He answeredquestions and shared with theattendees the process by whicha new cadet becomes part of ahighly structured, carefullymanaged, society of traditionand discipline at the Armys 204 year old military academy.

The audience was able to view a DVD of Beast Barracks

phase, the cadet initial training regimen and introduction to the stan-dards, physical conditioning, weapons qualifications, and basic infantrytactics taught to every new member. The description of his first days atthe history-rich military academy, included what meals were like and thetypes of classes he is currently taking. He is especially thankful tohave earned a place in a school that has produced some of our nationsmost famous presidents, generals, astronauts, countless government offi-cials and leaders in every corner of American society.

Robbie is a 2005 graduate of Jackson, Mississippis, Veritas LatinSchool. He participated in school sports, church activities, communityservice and seven years in the Civil Air Patrol where he was a cadetsquadron commander, and commander of the MSWG 2005 drill

team. Robbie gives his family the credit for helping him maintain focuson his goals and at the same time encouraging him to take time to relaxand have some fun. He explained that some simple things become treas-ures to new cadets, especially calls to and regular letters from parentsand friends. A huge spirit lifter was to receive a big box of his sistershomemade cookies that he could enjoy and share with classmates.

He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William B. Grete of Clinton, MS andwas drawn to Army service by his grandfather who graduated with theWest Point class of 1958.

Lt Col Pope is the PAO for the James S. McKinnie Composite Squadron, MSWG

Cadets sing and recite for residents of

the James A. Haley VA Medical Center

nursing home

C/TSgt LeAnne Lovett and C/1Lt Benjamin

Rowland pose with West Point

Cadet Robert Grete

West Pointer Visits

Mississippi Squadron


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Alabama Wing Participates in Tiger Fly DaySubmitted by Maj Patricia Mitcham

On December 10, 2005, Ala-bama cadets and senior membersparticipated inTiger Fly

Day. Cadetsfrom ShelbyCounty, PellCity, Bessemerand ClayCounty gathered at Shelby Countyfor orientation flying. They flewin the Alabama Wings Maule andin Bessemers C-172. Lunch was

compliments of Lt Col Ward,commander of the Shelby CountyFlight. Clay County Flight AL-125 traveled to the Shelby CountyAirport to participate in the SERTiger Fly Day with members ofthe Shelby County Flight and theBessemer Squadron. Bessemer

cadets who participated in TigerDay: Cody Key, John Fuller,Devin Adams, Jordan Box, Chris-tian Sanchez, Erinn Scott, NathanGates, and Jamie DeSpain. SeniorMembers from Bessemer were 1LtBob Krall (Pilot), 2Lt Ron Dudley,2Lt Rosalind Fazel, Capt JimSmiley.

Capt David Hester, Commanderof Clay County Flight, and C/SSgt

Caleb Branch, C/SMSgt TravisFulbright, C/SMSgt JoshuaMcCain and C/AB Tommy Bow-

man. The cadetswere able to ex-

perience an orien-tation flight in theAlabama Wing'sMaule aircraftbased at theShelby County

Airport. Following the orientationflight the cadets participated in aphysical fitness test which in-

cluded ashuttle run,push-

ups, sit andreachevaluation,and curlups. Fol-lowing thetest theytook a onemile funrun. Afterthe physi-cal training

exercisesthe cadets

from ClayCounty re-

ceived a tour of the NationalWeather Service Forecast Officelocated adjacentto the ShelbyCounty Airport.

At PryorField, in Deca-tur, AL, senior

members fromMuscle Shoals,Pell City andRedstone pro-vided orienta-tion rides to ca-dets from Mus-cle Shoals andRedstone Com-posite cadets.Cadets Massey

Morgan, Jim Richard, and KendalRenfro from Muscle Shoals, andcadetsMi-chael

JohnsandZach-aryHub-bardfromRed-stonepartici-pated inthe Ti-

ger Fly Day at Pryor Field in De-catur, AL. Senior members fromRedstone coordinating or flyingcadets were Dani Richard, JohnBlakely, and Mike Johnson fromRedstone. Chris Iddins and JamesGoswell came from Pell City, andJames Hensley from MuscleShoals. The FBO at Decatur as-sisted members in providing aHanger-Cookout during TigerFly Day.

Information from:

1Lt James Smiley

Capt David Hestor

Capt Dani Richard

Lt Col Johnny Ward

L to R Cadet Jim Rickard, Pilot James Hensley, Cadet Kendal Renfro

Cadet Morgan Massey

Lt Col Johnny Ward talking to cadets at Shelby County Airport


6/20


Georgia Plays Fair

During the recent MiddleGeorgia Fair at the PerryAgricenter fairground, CAPwas requested to assist by pro-viding aerial photographs ofreal-time traffic patterns andpotential delays during peak

attendance times to help Fairmanagement and law enforce-ment officials keep trafficflowing as smoothly as possi-ble. The Middle Georgia Com-posite Squadron and Group IVHQ provided staff qualified asAgency Liaisons, Air BranchDirectors, and Radio Operatorsto work in the GEMA com-mand post at the Fairgroundsand coordinate with their per-sonnel and CAP aircrews thatprovided current aerial photosas requested during the fair.

Region MedicalBy Lt Col Patricia Faunt

Health-Related Web Sites

Searching the Web for informa-tion on health,nutrition anddrugs can be-

come confusing.We must alsoconsider thesource of theinformation. Is itfactual or bunk?

One of the sites I like is Quack-watch.org, it is operated byStephan Barrett, MD. The primaryfocus is to combat health-relatedfrauds, myths, fads, and fallacies.

Another site, considered to be abible for physicians and nurses, isthe Merck Manual, merck-homeedition.com. You can getinformation about diseases andconditions, also causes, symptoms,diagnosis, prognosis and preven-tion strategies.

Next is the American Academyof Pediatrics. Its a great startingpoint when you want informationon childrens health. It also has a

parenting corner, health topicssuch as childrens health, finding apediatrician, immunization infor-

mation, car seat safety, and muchmore. Go to aap.org.

For women we have4women.gov. It is a service of theOffice on Womens Health(OWH) in the US Department ofHealth and Human Services. Itworks to improve the health and

well being of women and girls inthe United States.

The US Department of Agricul-tures Food and Nutrition Informa-tion center is a great place to finddietary guidelines. It gives infor-mation on childcare nutrition, foodsafety, school meals, and more.Visit nal.usda.gov/fnic.

If you need to check on medica-tions, go to The Drug Information

database at the American Acad-emy of Family Physicians website.This site will tell you what a drugcan do, how to take it, when not totake it, and lists any adverse ef-fects. Go to familydoctor.org/druginfo.xml

Heart Problems? The AmericanHeart Association website ameri-canheart.org offers a wide array ofpractical information. There is aHealth Tools section where you

can find information, chats, andinteractive pages.

The Cancer Society web page

cancer.org has detailed discussionsabout cancer prevention, drugs,and treatment. They have groupsfor patients, family and friends,survivors, health information seek-ers and professionals. You mayalso find out about activities, newsor resources in your area.

Lt Col Faunt is the Southeast RegionNurse Officer

By Captain Jim Phillips

The Savannah CompositeSquadron facilities in Savannah,Georgia will be expanded.

On 01 December, Captain Bob

Olson, Squadron Com-mander, announced thatthe squadron had re-ceived final ap-proval from the Savan-nah Airport Commission(SAC) for the squadronto acquire additionalfloor space. Thisenlarges the facility toeight rooms totaling1,995 square feet. In addition, the

SAC recently approved the squad-rons installation of a radio com-munication antenna on the roof ofthe building.

The long-anticipated expansion

comes at a critical time asthe Squadron, also knownas the Flying Tiger Squad-ron, continues to grow inmembership and mis-sions and demonstratesitself as a valuable asset tothe community.

The Tiger Den is housedin the former Delta Air-

lines flight operations center

within the former Savannah Air-port Terminal Building complex.It is adjacent to Gulfstream, Signa-ture Flight Support, and a flightline regularly occupied by not onlyCAPFLT 921, the squadronsCessna 172, but military, civilian,and commercial aircraft.

The Squadron was originallyformed in June, 1942 and uses theFlying Tiger name with the ap-proval of the American VolunteerGroup, the famous Flying Tigersof World War Two and the CivilAir Patrol.

Captain Philips is Savannah Composite

Flying Tiger Squadron PAO, GAWG

GA Squadron Expands Facility

Squadron Patch


7/20


Soldier Needs SupportWeve recently celebrated a time of giving thanks

and remembering our family and special friends, so besure to remember One Of Our Own, Col GaryNelson who is now on his fourth deployment toBaghdad, Iraq. Col Nelson is currently serving asa staff officer for the Civilian Police Assistance andTraining Team of the Multi-National Security Transi-tion Command.

If you would like to send a note or email:

Colonel Gary NelsonMNSTC-I/CPATTAPO AE 09316

[email protected]

Soldier Offer ThanksJust wanted to write to you and tell you another

story about an experience we had over here.As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi childrenover here and several people (Americans that support

National Cadet

CompetitionThe 2006 National Cadet Com-

petition will be held at the Na-tional Air & Space Museums Ud-var-Hazy Center in Washington,

DC, along with select venues inHerndon, VA 06 -11 July.

NCC 2006 will be governed byRules of Engagement 5.4, avail-able for download at http://level2.cap.gov/documents/ROE_54.pdf.

2005 National Cadet Competition Color

Guard Winners from SER

with SER Director of Cadets,

Capt Vickie Meyer and

SER Commander, Col Matt Sharkey

LtoR: Rodriguez, Taujours, Meyer,

Sharkey, Culp, Hansson and Amadiz

By Lt Col Joe Pope

Cadets and senior members ofthe James S. McKinnie CompositeSquadron enjoyed a special experi-ence December 7 as they ended the

2005 training year. The Missis-sippi ArmyNationalGuards,AlphaCompany,1st Battalion,185th Avia-tion, pro-vided orienta-tion flights intheir UH-60

Blackhawkhelicopters,for 25members.

For the 18cadets in thegroup it was a valuable addition totheir aerospace studies program asall their 2005 orientation flightshad been in CAP light fixed wingaircraft and the Mississippi Wings

Switzer glider. The cadets studyprogram covers the basic princi-ples of rotary wing flight, but thiswas their first time to actually ex-perience the power and versatility

of a combat-proven aircraft that is

used by every branch of the UnitedStates armed forces.

Lt Col Pope is the James S. McKinnie

Composite Squadron PAO, MSWG

MS Members Ride Blackhawk

Jackson, Mississippi, CAP takes orientation flights aboard the

Mississippi Army National Guards UH-60 Blackhawk

us) sent them over by the box. On each patrol we takethrough the city, we take as many toys as will fit in ourpockets and hand them out as we can. The kids takethe toys and run to show them off as if they were wortha million bucks.

On a patrol, the lead vehicle reported a little girl sit-ting in the road and said she just would not budge. Isoon saw her sitting there and in her arms she wasclutching a little bear that we had handed her a fewpatrols back. I radioed that we were going to stop. As Iknelt down to talk to her, she moved over and pointed

to a mine in the road. It was a heart of acceptance, oftolerance, of peace and grace, even through the incon-veniences of conflict that saved that convoy from hit-ting that mine.

If you sent over a toy or a Marine (or any US Ser-vice member) you took part in this. You are a reasonthat Iraq has to believe in a better future. Thank you somuch for supporting us and for supporting our causeover here.

Semper Fi, Mark, GySgt / USMC (Letter abridged)


8/20


Secret SantaEach year the Georgia Depart-

ment of Fam-

ily and Chil-dren Services(DFCS) con-ducts a SecretSanta Pro-gram for chil-dren in thestates fostercare system.This programdistributesgifts to foster

children dur-ing the Holiday season. DFCSneeded help assembling and deliv-ering the toys across the state.

The Bartow Etowah Squadron,supported by attached personnelfrom the Boy Scouts of AmericaTroop 157 and Georgia State De-fense Force 1st BN of Rome(GSDF), answered the call of Bar-tow County DFCS supervisor GailMcDaniel. The toys were all deliv-

ered to the DFCS office and lit-tered the hallways. At this pointthe GSDF and CAP volunteers

arrived to sort and place the toysin deliverable packages, and driv-ers were assigned. Each organiza-tion donated several hours of time

and lots of gas sup-

porting this opera-tion. One specialdelivery was madeto Flint Michigan viaDelta Airlines andMarriott Hotels.

During this opera-tion, close to 300homes were visited.

By 1st Lt John Clark

Holiday in

the ParkMembers of the Okeechobee

Composite Squadron SER FL-453participated in a Holiday in thePark event on November 30,2005. Streets in the area of thedowntown Okeechobee Parks off

SR 70 were closed off to traffic toallow businesses, craftsmen, localnon-profit groups and others to

exhibit their wares to the commu-nity. A special lighting ceremonytook place in the park across fromOkeechobee City Hall and theevent, lead by Santa Claus, moved

to the downtown parks.The Squadron participated in

this event by setting up an aware-ness and recruitment booth.Squadron members informed thepublic about Civil Air Patrol and

handed out CAP literature. Severalinterested perspective cadets wereinterviewed.

Holiday Happenings Holiday Happenings Holid

Lt Col Bob Berlam of Naples Senior

with Marathon Squadron member

Members will become Air Force Auxiliary

mission pilots or mission observers when

they complete their training

Photo by Maj Avery Loucks

Members of the Savannah and Augusta,

Georgia Civil Air Patrol squadrons

Members participated in an overnight

encampment Dec. 16-18 under the com-

mand of SFO Carl Godbee and 1Lt Gary

Rawlinson Photo by Capt Phillips

Tiger Day Flights and

SSGT Fleming GSDF and

CAP Cadet Zane Collins

Tiger Day in December, Puerto Rico, at

The Isla Grande Airport

A total of 42 cadets participated from

three squadrons: Bayamon 3, Bayamon 6

and Aibonito Cadets Squadrons

Okeechobee Composite Squadron

members at their recruitment booth


9/20


Squadron

CelebrationMembers of the Ormond Beach

Florida Squadron gath-ered for a Christmasparty and awardsbanquet.

Squadron CommanderLt Col Joe Wisniewskipresented awards in thebeautiful River Grillclub room decorated by2Lt Betty Wisniewski.

Guests included Coland Mrs. Matt Sharkey.

By Capt Michael Becker

On an average Monday night,the St. Petersburg Cadet Squadron,commanded by Capt Pleasants,boasts about 18 cadets and six sen-ior members. Whether it was thethought of not having to drill, orthe anticipation of roast turkey,

spiral ham and loads of sides anddesserts, the little squadron had abig turnout for their holiday partyon December 12, 2005.

The turnout was expected to be

a total of 45 to 50 people. In actu-ality, 82 peoplecame out for theevent. Speaking onthe large turnout, LtCol Alvin Bedgood,Group 8 Com-mander said, itmeans the organiza-tion employs effec-tive communication;

and italsomeansthat theparentsaregenu-inelyinter-ested in

thecadets

and what they are doing.

C/SAm Kevin Rafferty wantedto organize the function as theyhadnt had a holiday in a longtime.

I wanted to do something thatwould get all the cadets and theirfamilies involved, and I wantedparents to learn more about thesquadron, said Rafferty. Thesquadrons newly-formed colorguard posted and retrieved the col-ors for the evenings festivities.zee of the members of the colorguard have been in the squadronfor less than three months.

Happenings Holiday Happenings Holiday Happenin

The Lake City Cadet Squadron teamed

up with the Suwannee Valley Food

Bank in a holiday food drive

By days end, the cadets had collected

1,540 pounds of canned and dry goods

Contributed by 2Lt M. Sweitzer

Activities Around the Region

Packed House enjoys holiday bash Photo by Capt Michelle Becker

Col Wisniewski and

Col Sharkey enjoy

celebrating the season.

Cadets Traver, Hoover, and Rawlinson

pose with a vintage 1940s Ercoupe

Savannah Composite Squadron partici-

pate in a SAREX at Malcolm McKinnon

Field on St. Simons Island, GA

Photo by Capt Phillips

Puerto Rico Cadets enjoy O-Rides in

SERs Tiger Fly Day

Orientation flights were flown by Lt Col

Manuel Bracete, Lt Col Jose Vila, Capt

Luis Luhring, Capt Miguel Castellon, Maj

Hector Alicea and 2Lt Yamil Snchez

Holiday Bash


10/20


By Capt Linus Gomez and

Lt Col George Navarini

Cadet members of the MiamiBeach Civil Air Patrol Squadronpresented the Colors at the 7th

annual Sand in ourBoots Pearl HarborCommemoration Cere-mony in Miami Beach onDecember 7, 2005.Jointly organized by theCity of Miami Beach, theAmerican Legion, andthe Colony Hotel, theSand in our BootsCeremony commemo-rates Miami Beachs

small but vital part inWorld War IIhistory.

Between 1941 and1943, U. S. Army andNaval officers trained inMiami Beach in prepara-tion for theirdeploymentoverseas. Backthen, open-airSaturday night

dances andSunday morn-ing church ser-vices werecelebrated atthe very placetodays com-memorationwas held.

The MiamiBeach CadetSquadron

Honor Guardhas been aproud part ofthis ceremonyfor several years, said Capt LinusGomez, Commander of the Cadetunit. Thousands of service menpracticed basic drill and ceremo-nies, along with advanced beachlandings and maneuvers in prepa-

ration for the Allied invasions ofNormandy and the Japanese-heldislands in the Pacific. It is veryfitting we honor them here to-day. The ceremony was brief and

poignant. Manyof those in atten-dance were

some of the verysame men andwomen whotrained on thesebeaches andlater moved toSouth Florida

with their newfamilies after theWar.

Every year theMiami BeachCadet SquadronColor Guard

actively participates in numerouslocal and countywide ceremoniesand activities, and it has been hon-ored for its service by many or-ganizations, including the Ameri-

can Legion,Veterans of ForeignWars, Cuban AmericanVeterans Associationand Allied VeteransAssociation, as well asseveral local schools andorganizations.

Members of the MiamiBeach Cadet SquadronHonor Guard includeC/SNSgt, Sara Umana,

C/TSgts Adrian Amadiz,and Michael David, andC/Amn BrianAmadiz. Of particularnote, two of the mem-bers of the Miami BeachSquadron Honor Guardwere a part of champion-ship-winning teams. C/

TSgt Amadiz is a member of the2005 National Color Guard Cham-pionship Team, and C/SMSgt

Umana is a member of the 2005Florida Wing Champion DrillTeam.

Capt Linus Gomez is the Commander,

Miami Beach Cadet Squadron. Lt Col

George Navarini is Chief of Staff for

Group 7, FLWG

Miami Cadets Have Sand in Our Boots

C/SMSgt Sara Umana and a local WWII Veteran, immediately

after the Pearl Harbor Commemoration Ceremony

Photo by Miami Beach Cadet Squadron


11/20


The Central Florida Compos-ite Squadron, Captain RickMiller commanding, recentlycelebrated the end of a produc-tive year with their annualAwards Dinner/Holiday Celebra-tion. The event was held at alocal restaurant and distin-guished attendees included ColMatt Sharkey, SER Commander,and Major John Vredenburgh,Group 9 Commander.

Throughout the course of thedinner, members and family hadthe opportunity to bid on itemsthrough a silent auction. Vari-ous books, airplane art, ESequipment, two activity scholar-

ships, and otheritems wereavailable forbidding. Allproceeds fromthe auctions areto be used to

support squad-ron and itsmembers.

A highlightof the eventwas the Mitchellpresentations toCadets Jack Miller, ChelseaWeiss and David Eddy. Each ofthese cadets has participated in

many cadet activities such as theencampments and NationalSpecial Activities.

Cadets promoted at Orlando Holiday Event

Jack Miller, Chelsea Weiss and David Eddy

are promoted to Cadet 2Lt

From Major General Antonio J. Pineda,

CAP Commander

The Air Force has approved ca-det orientation flights to once againbecome Air Force assigned mis-sions. This includes both poweredand glider orientation flights andallows appropriated funding to beused for maintenance of CAP as-sets supporting this program. TheNHQ staff is working the imple-mentation details with CAP-USAFand will publish that information

next week. Expect a 1 Jan 2006date to begin using a new A mis-

sion symbol for cadet orientationflights. This success is a result ofthe cooperative efforts of CAP andCAP-USAF working together tosolve one of the important issuesfacing our organization. I wouldlike to personally thank all the peo-ple in CAP and CAP-USAF whoworked very hard to get approvalto make cadet orientation flightsAir Force assigned missions.

O-Rides Approved as Air

Force Assigned Missions

Reverse Flag

Wear on BDUs

Approved

Effective immediately cadet andsenior members will wear the re-

verse American flag on the rightshoulder ofthe BDUand CAPdistinctivefield uni-form. This2 x 3gold reverse field flag will beworn centered, inch below theshoulder seam on the right sleeve.All patches previously authorized

to be worn in this position will beremoved.

The Development Committeehas been tasked with recommend-ing new placement policy for theseoptional patches and the NationalBoard is expected to act on theirrecommendation at the wintermeeting in March 2006. Membersmay begin wearing the flag imme-diately but the mandatory weardate is 1 June 2006.

The 2006 SER printable calendar isavailable for download. Visit the SERwebsite and click on the calendarlink: ser.cap.gov. The photos cele-brate around-the-region activities ofthe past year that will, hope-fully, inspire us to Make an Impactin 2006.

SER Calendar Available


12/20


By Col Eileen Parker

Col Dan Levitch, Florida WingCommander, Col Eileen Parker,Florida Wing Vice Commander,and Lt Col Luis Garcia, Florida

Wing Director of Opera-tions, visited the first CommandersCall under new Group 5 Com-mander Maj John Varsames onSaturday, December 10, 2005. Themeeting was held in the SkylineCaf at the Punta Gorda Airport.Eighteen members were presentfrom Group 5 staff and its squad-rons. Col Levitch expressed hisgratitude for the hard work and

dedication from all. He spokeabout the new A/C maintenanceprogram and also on Recruitingand Retention. The squadronsshared recruiting ideas, and a Na-

tional Headquarters display, thatincluded brochures, was featuredat the meeting. These free bro-chures are placed in all the librar-ies, schools, FBO, and more.

The meeting was adjourned andlunch was served, compliments ofMaj Varsames. The CommandTeam then socialized with themembers, answered questions, andvisited the local Group 5 Head-

quarters located on the CharlotteCounty Airport airfield.

Col Parker is the FLWG Vice

Commander

FL Group 5 Celebrates New Command

Cadet ProgramsBy Major Vickie Meyer

As the recentlyappointed SERDeputy Chief ofStaff for Cadet Pro-grams, I am look-ing forward toworking with each

and every one of you from all theWings within the South East Re-gion, especially at our upcomingSER Cadet Competition. I knowthat everyone is anxiously holdingtheir breath waiting to hear aboutthe date and location, but unfortu-nately we have not been able topinpoint that exact information.Im working TOWARDS Ft. Ben-ning on March 25-26, but nothingis set yet. Ill put the word out as

soon as I get it confirmed.I will need volunteers to help

with this activity. If you are will-ing to help, contact me. I will havea list of jobs, so please let meknow your availability and yourpreferences ( i.e. PT, color guard,drill team, escort duty, etc.).

Major Ivan Acosta has agreed tohelp with the organization and pa-perwork part of the competition.

He has many years of experience,both as a cadet and a senior mem-ber. Capt Alina Garcia is alsohelping, and brings with her muchexperience as well. She has takentwo color guards to the Nationalcompetition level. With thisamount of experience, and yourhelp, I know thiswill be the best

competition ever!I do have some

dates for you tomark on your cal-endars:

January 17, theSER CAC willhave a conferencecall scheduled at2000 hrs EST. Formore informationon this, please

contact Capt Ashlei Hamada [email protected] Hamada is the Senior Advi-sor for the SER CAC. She is a for-mer Spaatz cadet from FloridaWing, and is also a previousFLWG CAC Chairperson.

On February 21 and March21, all Wing DCPs and DeputyDCPs are asked to participate in a

conference call at 2000 hrs EST.Please contact me [email protected] for the spe-cific phone number and extensionnumber. These conference callswill be no more than one hour induration.

Some of the ideas andgoals that I have for theCadet Program for 2006

are to offer a TrainingLeaders of Cadetscourse for the seniormembers within theSER. I know this is arequired course for theCadet Program track, soIm working on a loca-tion and time for that. Ifanyone has any ideas,please let me know. Iwould also like to offer

a summer Region CadetLeadership School, so again,please give me feed back on thisidea.

I welcome all of your ideas andsuggestions. I look forward tobringing the SER Cadet Programto its full potential, with your help.Lets work together and make2006 and the SER the best ever!

Col Dan Levitch, FLWG Commander

and Maj John Varsames, Group 5 Com-

mander


13/20


By 2Lt Lou Enriquez

On December 12, 2005, Luis L.Enriquez received the GeneralBilly Mitchell Award, recipient

number 54,189. The Award alsopromotes Enriquez to C/2Lt

Enriquez has been with MaxwellComposite Squadron since joiningCivil Air Patrol. He has advancedthrough each cadet enlisted gradeby successfully completing thestructured program of aerospaceeducation, leadership, physical fit-ness, and moral and ethical values.He has also performed his requiredduties assigned to him. With dili-gence and commitment, he has pro-gressed to a cadet officer.

The Award is normally pre-sented by a CAP group commanderor higher, the wing director of ca-det programs, or a state or federal

governmentofficial. Ma-jor Joe Curry,Wing Direc-

tor of CadetPrograms,presented theAward. LtCol Rob Gas-ton performedas the Masterof Ceremony.

Presently, Enriquez is specialassistant to Squadron DeputyCommander, Lt Col Rob Gaston.He is a freshman at Evangel

Family Christian Academy withaspirations of attending the U.S.Air Force Academy and flyingfighter planes.

2Lt Enriquez is the PAO, SER-AL-032

FL Mitchell

Awards GivenBy Lt Col George Navarini

Miami Congresswoman IlleanaRos-Lehtinen (R-FL) presented theGeneral Billy Mitchell Award to

two Florida Wing Cadets in cere-monies during the InternationalHarvestFestival atPalmerTrinitySchool onNovember18, 2005.TheMitchellAward was

presented to Cadet Second Lieu-tenants Ryan J. Cason, age 15 ofMiami Enterprise Cadet Squadron,and Thomas J. Boharsik, age 17 ofPalmer-Trinity Cadet Squadron.

In addition to their award cer-tificates, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen presented both youngmen with American Flag that wasflown over the U.S. Capitol build-ing. We are extremely proud ofboth these young men, said Lt

Col Art Giles, Commander ofGroup Seven, covering Miami-

Dade andMonroeCounty.Throughtheir hardwork anddedicationto the CAPCadet Pro-gram, they

are develop-ing into dynamic Americans andaerospace leaders.

These leadership habits, oncemastered, will ensure their successin life, whatever they chose to do,Lt Col Giles added. Both of thesecadets were actively involved inCivil Air Patrols local and state-wide response to hurricanes Den-nis, Katrina, and Wilma.

The General Billy Mitchell Award has been in existence since 1964and is a milestone in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. It is named inhonor of the late Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, who was an aviationpioneer, advocate and staunch supporter of an independent Air Force forAmerica. The General Billy Mitchell Award is earned after the comple-

tion of the first eight achievements of the Cadet Program. In addition,the cadet must pass a comprehensive 100-question examination cover-ing leadership theory and aerospace topics. The candidate is also re-quired to write a paper and present a speech.

General Billy Mitchell Award

AL Mitchell Is Presented

Maj Joe Curry

promotes Enriquez

to C/2Lt

At a recent meeting of theOrlando Florida Air Force

Association, Col MattSharkey presented Rich Or-tega with the Brewer Award(pictured at right), the highestAE award Civil Air Patrolgives for outstanding contri-butions to Aerospace Educa-tion. Ortega is the winner ofthe 2005 Florida, SoutheastRegion, and National BrewerAwards.

Brewer Recipient Honored at AFA

Ros-Lehtinen & Cason

Ros-Lehtinen and

Boharsik


14/20


DMSP UpdateBy Chaplain Lt Col Dewey Painter

The total number of care pack-ages sent through combined effortsof our CAP units and others sinceDesert Storm is now 51,996. Wewill try to send out the remaining

four next week to meet the goal of52,000 care packages.

We were able to get extra boxesout at the last moment becauseCOMCAST did an area wide driveto collect DVD and Music CD forthe troops. It was great to haveCOMCAST join us as networkpartners to support the troops.

We have a large push on to senda 40 foot container to the troops inJanuary. We have about 50 percent

of the needed materials and 30percent of the funds needed for theshipping and handling. SeveralCAP units are active in collectingschool supplies for the troops. TheFlorida Unit deployed in Afghani-stan has requested school supplieswhich they can give the childrenas they volunteer to rebuild theirschool buildings. For more detailson how you can help go towww.missionlogistics.org or con-

tact Major Crockwell at [email protected] or ChaplainPainter at [email protected].

Moral

LeadershipBy Chaplain Lt Col Oscar Cope

Avoid the Miss Piggy Syndrome!

One of my comrades in ministryhas the uncanny

ability to write off-the-wall articlesthat first get yourattention and thenfind their way intoyour heart. Re-cently I felt he wasabout as confusedas a termite in a yo-yo when hewrote about the Miss Piggy Syn-drome.

Most of us remember the Mup-

pet character, Miss Piggy. She wasalways wanting to buy a new ward-robe or try a new hair-do or hire agood plastic surgeon or even en-gage a shrink to make a dramaticchange in her life. But the bottomline was always thisMiss Piggywas an overweight pig (Sorry, MissPiggy; no offense intended)!

All of us strive to reach a higherdegree of success so we often castan image of ourselves that is more

boisterous, or flamboyant, or in-triguing than we really are. Manytimes we attempt to assume therole and persona of someone else.

But we do not need to becomecopy cats or mere reflections ofsomeone we are not. When we dothis, we are untrue to our ownDNA personality. And, of course,we can never be the other personeither! (That job is taken!)

One homespun philosopher put itthis way: Always be who you is,cause if you aint who you is, youis who you aint! Now I know thatis horrible grammar but aint itso?!?

So whats the point? How doesthis relate to CAP Chaplains andMLOs in the New Year? In ourattempts to cross-train (which arenoble), we forget and fail to give

our best efforts to chaplaincy andmoral leadership.

Dont misunderstand meI loveto work the radio during a SAREX;I am proud of my Observer Wingsand Scanner rating and PAO train-ing. I encourage our Chaplains andMLOs to cross-train.

But lets always remember thatchaplaincy and moral leadership isour primary calling, our highercalling. In his book, Visioneering,Andy Stanley says, Everybodywinds up somewhere in life. Afew people wind up somewhere onpurpose. These are the ones withvision.

I challenge you to be a person ofvision in 2006! Resist the Miss

Piggy Syndrome. Be that personthat God intended you to be! Bestwishes in 2006 as you go aboutserving God and country!

Chaplains and MLOsremember the SoutheastRegion Chaplains Service

Staff College, May 1-4, 2006at Warner Robins Air ForceBase. Registration forms willbe mailed to you in January. Itis imperative that you register;there can be no walk-ons at amilitary base. I look forwardto seeing our Chaplains andMLOs!

Membership Numbers 2005 v 2006

Jan 05 Cadets Seniors Jan 06 +/-

Alabama 1087 310 739 1049 -38

Florida 4366 1958 2143 4101 -265

Georgia 1846 765 952 1717 -129

Mississippi 525 202 320 522 -3

Puerto Rico 1234 999 392 1391 +157

SER HQ 92 0 94 94 +2

Tennessee 1340 511 710 1221 -119

10490 10095


15/20


Lt Col Buddy Harris successfullycompleted his Operation Paper-

back campaign in December. Vol-unteers packed five cartons with100 paperback books in each. The500 books were personallyscreened by Harris to meet the De-partment of Defense and Muslimcriteria. Books were contributed bythe Edgewater Pointe Estates Li-brary, St. Andrews North Library,St. Andrews South Library, and theBooksellers Store in DeerfieldBeach at a discounted price

(purchased by Harris). ShippingBoxes and wrapping tape were pro-vided by Bonnie Movers, Inc. ofBoca Raton.

Says Harris, Lt Col DeweyPainter deserves so much of thecredit for [inspiring] us.

FL Member Joins

Organization1Lt Leslie Ballard, on behalf of

Gainesville Composite Squadron,joined the Alachua County CitizenCorps Council. This will provide

the squadron the opportunity tonetwork with other agencies andindividuals to recruit potential newmembers, to receive valuable no-cost training for its members, andto discover opportunities to assistthe community.

For more information about theCitizen Corps in your area, or tostart a Council in your community,visit www.citizencorps.gov.

TN Groups

Share HolidayBy 1Lt Rob Parnell

The five squadrons of Group2 held their Christmas banquet

in Cleveland, TN.

Senior members and cadets whohad earned awards during the yearwere recognized.

TNWG Commander Col JamesRushing and Group 2 Commander

Col William Lord presented awardsto those members who were unableto receive them during this yearsregion/wing conference.

Beecher Hunter, Life Care Cen-ters of America Executive VP, gavea report on the success of OperationChristmas Child (OCC). The mem-bers have been actively involved inthis program for several years aspart of their community serviceagenda.

The group was treated to thefirst public viewing of a video forOCC that was filmed while CAPNational Commander Maj GenPineda was in attendance.

1Lt Parnell is a Communication Officer,

Cleveland Composite Squadron, TNWG

By Capt Jim Shaw

Civil Air Patrol has just cele-brated its 64th anniversary. Thisis quite and achievement for anall volunteer program. It is a tes-tament to the spirit and dedica-tion of its members. I would liketo take this opportunity to sug-gest some reading for our mem-bers. You dont have to be fol-lowing the historian specialtytrack or even have a big desire to

become a CAP historical gurubut just a curiosity to know.

The first book is Flying Min-ute Men of the Civil Air Patrolby Robert E. Neprud. This is thefirst real full-length book thatgives a detailed description ofmany of the early CAP activities.It was published in the mid 40sand is sometimes hard to come

by. It was also published underthe titleHero Next Doorin theearly 70s.

The next book is This is yourCivil AirPatrol by C.B. Colby.This is a relatively short bookbut has some good informationabout earlier programs and somepretty decent pictures. The bookdoes not go into detail but givesgeneral information about thedifferent activities.

The third book is From Maineto Mexico by Lewis E. Keefer.This book goes into great detailabout some of the private pilotsthat helped to fight the GermanU-Boats along our coast line.Although the book is relativelynew it is out of print but avail-able through the Civil Air PatrolHistorical foundation. You can

go to caphistory.org and make adonation of about $20 to get thebook. It is excellent reading.

The last I suggest is one I havejust purchased. This book is ti-tled Flying With the CoastalPatrol by Lewis E. Theiss. Eventhough the book is fiction I havebeen told that a lot of the infor-mation is pretty good. This bookwas published in the mid-40sand is extremely rare and hard to

find. I plan on trying to scan thisand make it available to ourmembers somehow (copyrightpermitting).

If you want to learn moreplease email me and I will bemore than happy to help you asbest as possible. And by the wayHappy Reading

Capt Shaw is the SER Historian

Read CAP History

Troops Get

Paperbacks


16/20


Aerospace EducationBy LTC Dave Garner

At the beginning of this new year, AerospaceEducation Officers should remember that a numberof deadlines are approaching. The below is taken

from CAPP 15, page 33. If you are a squadron AEofficer, or commander, your AE report should havebeen sent to your state DAE by the end of Decem-ber. Also Brewer Award nominations are due toyour wing DAE by 15 January.

State Directors of Aerospace Education shouldsubmit your plan of action and yearly reports tonational headquarters AE and your region DCS AEby March 1, 2006.

Yearly Deadlines:

Squadron AEOs:

NCASE Crown Circle nominations are to be sentto NHQ/LMA by 1 JanuaryBrewer Award nominations to your wing DAE by15 JanuarySquadron AE Activity report to your unitcommander and wing DAE by 15 JanuaryA. Scott Crossfield Teacher of the Year

nominations to NHQ/LMA by 1 February

Wing DAEs:NCASE Crown Circle nominations to NHQ/LMAby 1 JanuaryA. Scott Crossfield Teacher of the Year

nominations to NHQ/LMA by 1 FebruaryBrewer Awards nominations to your region DCS/AE by 15 FebruaryApproved Wing Plan of Action to your regionDCS/AE by 1 MarchApproved Wing Plan of Action and ActivityReport to NHQ/LMA by 15 March

Region DCS/AEs:

NCASE Crown Circle nominations to NHQ/LMA by 1 JanuaryA. Scott Crossfield Teacher of the Year nomina-tions to NHQ/LMA by 1 February

Brewer Awards nominations to NHQ/LMA by 15March

I wish to thank all of you for your hard work thisyear in promoting our aerospace mission and mak-ing the Southeast Region the top region in thenation in aerospace education for the ninth yearin a row!

LTC Garner is the SER Aerospace Director

Tillmans

FoundBy 1Lt Kelly Green Sharkey with

Capt Tonya Boylan

The bodies of long-time Rome

Composite Squadron member, MajGary Tillman, and his 16-year-olddaughter Hannah, have been foundoff the Vilano Beach, Florida coastwhen a shrimp boat netted thewreckage. Gary and HannahTillman have been missing sincetheir 1952 Cessna C-195 crashed onDec. 18, near St. Augustine, FL.

Two friends, Rachel Hostetler,16, and Anna Kipp, 16, were pickedup shortly after the crash, although

only Hostetler survived. She wasreleased from Wolfson ChildrensHospital Dec. 19.

Tillman, 47, was owner of theTillman Insurance Agency. He andthe three girls boarded the plane atRichard B. Russell Regional Air-port in Rome mid-morning Dec. 17and left for Craig Airfield in Jack-sonville, FL. The group then tookoff for the Bahamas when the sin-gle-engine plane lost communica-

tion with air traffic control.

We are saddened, SER Com-mander Col Matthew Sharkeyshared, by the loss of one of ourmembers and, of course, his daugh-ter and their young friends.

Continues Sharkey, MajTillmans contributions of leader-ship and enthusiasm will bemourned by not only the RomeComposite Squadron, but the entire

Southeast Region.Tillman is the son of Lt Col Earl

Tillman, also of the Rome Compos-ite squadron and a CAP membersince 1956. Major Tillman is sur-vived by his wife Denise and twoyounger daughters.

A service is planned for Satur-day, January 7 at 1 p.m. at the FirstBaptist Church of Rome.


17/20


Florida SER Spaatz Cadet Named

By Lt Col Alvin Bedgood

Please join me in congratulatingGroup 8 and Florida Wings new-est Spaatz Cadet.

Cadet Colonel TimothyMedeiros completed his Spaatzexaminations on Friday, 16 De-cember, 2005 and the results wereposted to CAPWATCH. He hasearned Spaatz Certificate 1577.

Cadet Medeiros, among otherthings, serves as the Group 8 DrugDemand Reduction Officer.

Tim joined CAP in August 1999

and earned the Mitchell Award(48266) in December 2001.

He went on to earn the EarhartAward (11835) in June 2002 and

the Eaker Award (1226) in June2003.

The Spaatz Award will be pre-sented to Cadet Colonel Medeirosat the Group 8 Awards banquet on14 January 2005.

Cadet Medeiros is an out-standing example for all of us.

Lt Col Alvin Bedgood is the Florida

Group 8 Commander

Col Matthew Sharkey had thepleasure of honoring Col June GRuth with his 50 Year Member-ship certificate. Ruth joined CAPon 28 Oct 1955 and worked inmultiple specialties, havingachieved his Plans and ProgramsMaster Certification. Ruth cur-rently resides in Georgia.

50 Year Member

Announced

AdministrationBy Lt Col Evelyn Holdren

A Review of CAPR 10-1

This is of interest

to Commanders

and Administrative

OfficersCAPR 10-1 cov-

ers Administrativecommunicationswith details of preparing andprocessing correspondence.Commanders would want to keepcurrent with this Regulation asthey would want communicationsthey sign to be in compliancewith 10-1. Admin Officers andothers who prepare or process

correspondence need to be famil-iar with all correspondence de-tails so that their product is incompliance with the regulation.

The regulation defines CAPcorrespondence and military cor-respondence. An important noteis the fact that CAP units shouldnot correspond with any militaryactivity except HQ. CAP-USAF,CAP-USAF Liaison Regions andWing Liaison Officers. It is pos-

sible that other Regulations/Manuals could define specificinstances to the contrary. How-

ever the writer should be veryfamiliar with that regulation be-fore proceeding with any corre-spondence to military units.

CAPR-10-1 provides a com-plete listing of National Boardoffice symbols, Region Com-manders symbols, Corporate Of-

fice address symbols, CAP-USAFoffice symbols and CAP Func-tional address symbols to assistthe writer in properly addressingcommunications.

Notes regarding clarity, sub-jects per letter and reference toprevious communications provideguidance. Notes for styles ofcommunication authorized forCAP use are also described aswell as specimen copies of same.The subject of Suspense controlis clearly described. Preparationof proper letterhead is discussed

Attachments covering properaddress lines, subject lines andsignature lines are included in theinformation as well as notes tothe typist.

This is a very good regulationto guide proper communicationpreparation. Reading 10-1 can be

rewarding and helpful to all.Lt Col Holdren is the Southeast Region

Director of Administration

By 1Lt Vic Cassella

The FL Wing Patrick Air ForceBase Composite Squadron hosteda series of training seminars for

new flight crews in east centralFlorida on December 14, 2005.Flight crews consist of three peo-ple: scanner, observer / radio op-erator, and pilot. The seminarsstarted in late November 2005 andwill continue on the second andforth Tuesday monthly until allmembers in the east central Floridaarea have completed their trainingrequirements. To receive their cer-tificates, the members will then

need to fly two actual or simulatedsearch and rescue missions.

Flight Crews

Trained

Lt Col Joe Tirado explains search and

rescue tactics to senior members in

scanner training seminar


18/20


By 2Lt Len Goellner

Members of FLWG Group 3 at-tended Urban Direction Finder(UDF) training at the BrooksvilleComposite Squadron locatedat Hernando County Airport onNovember 27 and December 3-4,2005. The training was provided by

the FLWG Specialized ResponseUnit with Lt Col Bruce McConnellas the lead instructor, and Capt JoePerez, assisting.

Twelve members attended andcompleted the training, includingthe two required training missionsfor sign-off. The class included 10seniors and two cadets as train-ees. The members learned how touse multiple tools to conduct an

effective electronic search, includ-ing the use of Lpers (trademarkname of an electronic device usedto help track emergency sig-nals), scanners and air band ra-dios. The final training mission onSunday challenged their knowledgeand skill as they were given merge

co-ordinates and sent out to find anElectronic Locater Transmitter.

Eventually it was identified thatthe very weak ELT was comingfrom inside a metal hanger, but thatwasnt enough for the members tosign off on their training. Once inthe hanger, the members discov-ered no visible ELT, but there wereseveral closed metal cabinetsthroughout the hanger. The trainees

were challenged to not only locatewhich cabinet the ELT was in, buton what shelf and on what side.Only then did the instructors allowthe doors to be opened and theirsuccess revealed. The class standsready for tasking, and one can restassured that when the call comes,they will be successful.

2 Lt Goellner is the Director of

Operations, Group 3, FLWG

Chaplain Lt Col Dewey Painterhas been awarded the DistinguishedService Award. Painters exem-plary service is in keeping with thefinest traditions of military service

on all levels and reflects greatcredit upon himself and CAP.Painter has successfully served hisfellow man with distinction as aleader, and a servant. His workwith Moral Leadership Officers,the Deployed Support Military Pro-ject, and his assistance to disastervictims (including recent Hurri-canes) shine as examples of a lifewell spent.

When Painter first became the

FLWG Chaplain in September of2001, he saw a need to increase thenumber of Chaplains and MLOs.He has worked together, and coor-dinated with, subordinate units tofulfill this need. Together they haveincreased the numbers from 58 in2001 to 91 with 53 in the certifica-tion process.

Painter has also exerted mucheffort in the Deployed MilitarySupport Program. This outreach

has touched the lives of over

10,000 troops, providing gift bagsand letters of support. You havebrightened a few soldiers lives,says a soldier serving in Iraq. Painters support ex-tends beyond the mailproject. He recentlycoordinated a partyfor 500 troops return-ing home to PatrickAFB. His commit-ment to encouragingour military men andwomen has motivatedmany to adopt hisattitude of generosity.

As Director of Mission Harvest,a Jacksonville-based outreach pro-gram, Dr. Painter is responsible forthe disbursement of 27 millionpounds of food, clothing, and sup-plies over the years. Most recentlythe group delivered over 100 truck-loads of needed relief items to hur-ricane victims.

Painter not only works with pro-viding humanitarian aid, but sup-ports the Floridas Cadet Activitiesand ROTC units. Through procure-

ment of corporate donations, cadet

activities are more affordable forall cadets in the state.

Finally, Painter takes time tohelp individuals. A chap-lain in another state be-

came critically ill andneeded a motorizedscooter to get around.Chaplain Painter got onedonated and arranged forit to be transported. He hasalso arranged for vehicles,furniture, and housing tobe provided for those inneed.

It takes dedication, tenac-ity, and longsuffering to coordinate

the myriad projects Painter workseach and every day. He is an assetto our organization and is neverreluctant to go above and beyondthe call of duty. He is more thanwilling to do more than asked andconfidently lives by faith.

Says Col Sharkey, As someonewho has been personally impactedby his career of service, I can thinkof no one more worthy than Chap-lain Dewey Painter to receive this

prestigious award.

UDF Training Successful

FLWG Group 3 members at

UDF training. Photo by 2d Lt Len Goellner

Painter Receives Distinguished Service Award

Painter and Sharkey


19/20


By Maj Linda E. Trimpey

On October 13, 2005, sevenGroup 3 senior members and 23cadet members toured Valiant AirCommand and Cape Canav-

eral. Their tour guide took them tothe restoration hanger where theFrom Subject Received

Size

Tonya Boylan Photoof Gary Tillman 3:59 PM

8 KB highlight ofthe visit was seeing the Grum-man F4F Wildcat. This aircraftwas at the bottom of LakeMichigan for 50 years beforebeing raised and brought to

this restoration facility. TheGrumman Gremlins, the resto-ration team for this aircraft,worked on Wildcats duringWWII. Group 3 then touredthe hanger of restored aircraftand the memorabiliaroom. The bus tour of CapeCanaveral took them to sites thegeneral public doesnt see on aKennedy Space Center tour.

The members stopped at Site 14

where John Glenn, the first Ameri-can to orbit the earth, launched inhis Mercury capsule atop an Atlasrocket. Site 19 was where theGemini spacecraft launched. TheApollo 1 fire occurred at complex34. The last stop was at Site 26

where the blockhouse now housesthe USAF Space Museum; there isan exhibit hall and outdoor dis-plays of gantries, spacecraft andmissiles; this is the only Cape Ca-

naveral site the general publicfrom the KSC tours visits. One ofthe cadet officers said, This is the

best Group 3 field trip Iveever taken.

Their guide was Mr. William

Dickerson, retired fromKSC. Being very knowledgeableabout space operations at KSC andCape Canaveral, he answered allthe members questions. Ida Barry,Patrick AFB coordinator of thetour, indicated that she would try

Valiant Air Command/KSC Tour

C/2Lt Jonathan Law, North Tampa Cadet

Squadron, takes a flight in a simulator at

Valiant Air Command

Public AffairsBy 1Lt Kelly Green Sharkey

Writing involves remembering alot of rules.One was justexemplified. Alot is two

words. Andits means itis. Always. Noexceptions.

So what doesone do if he orshe is not an editor, or teacher, orprofessional writer? Does that dis-qualify someone as a Public Af-fairs Officer? Certainly not!

As the Director of SoutheastRegion Public Affairs, it is my

hope PAOs will turn in articlesand photos with cutlines (the de-scriptive words that briefly tellwho is in the photo, where thephoto is taken, and by whom) withor without previous writingexperience.

A Public Affairs Officers job(and every CAP members too) isto promote the activities per-formed in our Missions for Amer-ica. Non-professional writersshould simply write out what hap-pened at an event as if telling thestory to a friend. Would you usefifty cent words? No. Wouldyou tell who was there and whathappened? Yes. Would you keeptalking for minutes without takinga breath? No. Would you brieflytell when it happened? Yes.

Its not rocket science (althoughwe encourage hearing about rocket

events!).If you are not sure youre

(contraction of you are) notready to turn in your (possessiveand never you are) article, thinkagain. Help is available, and justan email away.

Contact me at: [email protected]

1Lt Sharkey is the Southeast Region

Director of Public Affairs

By Capt Jim Shaw

The 64th Anniversary edition ofthe CAP Hero Next Door newslet-ter is now available on the South-east Region webpage. It has a lotof good and interesting informa-tion about CAP and some of itsmembers. Maj Gen Pineda asloincluded an article as well as ahost of many others.

I hope you enjoy the reading. Ifyou have input or suggestions forit please feel free to send it to me.(Email: [email protected])

The newsletter will now bepublished on the alternatingmonths between CAPs new maga-zine.

Capt Shaw is the SER Historian

Hero Next Door Newsletter Is Here


20/20

SER Organizational Chart

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Documents

Southeast Region - Jan 2006