National News

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(From left) Mission planning occupies (from left) the Huntsville Composite Squadron’s commander, 1st Lt. Joe Roberts; the Redstone Composite Squadron's logistic officer, 1st Lt. Phil Haberlen; and 2nd Lt. Joel Mason, the Huntsville unit’s aerospace education officer, before takeoff.

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Cadet Airman Matt Hanna of the Redstone Composite Squadron and Capt. Ernie Blair, the squadron’s legal officer, provide communications support for aircrews, the local mission base and the incident command post.

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Capt. Ian Johnston, Huntsville Composite Squadron deputy commander, conducts a preflight inspection.

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The Huntsville Composite Squadron’s aerospace education officer, 1st Lt.  Joel Mason, prepares preflight paperwork and charts before flying as mission observer.


1st Lt. Kim Miller
Public Affairs Officer
Redstone Composite Squadron
Alabama Wing

ALABAMA -- The Alabama Wing recently conducted a statewide search and rescue exercise revolving around a scenario in which a Cessna 172 was reported overdue after leaving Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals and failing to arrive at Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, Fla.

As part of the scenario, the simulated flight path would have taken the aircraft through inclement weather that had moved through Alabama earlier in the afternoon.

An incident command post was set up at the Bessemer Airport, but each participating squadron received assignments by phone and left from its own airfield.

In north Alabama, aircrews from the Redstone and Huntsville composite squadrons used the Madison County Executive Airport as their home base. The airport’s fixed base operator served as the squadron’ planning area, while radio communications were performed outside in the Huntsville unit’s Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer, normally used as a mobile command post and employed as a local mission base for the exercise.

Using VHS and HF in combination with repeaters, members staffing the mission base relayed message traffic from the incident command post to the local squadrons’ aircrews and ground teams. The wing’s high-bird plane also proved invaluable in occasionally relaying a message to the Bessemer Airport post.
 

McMinnville Composite Squadron cadets.


Lt. Col. Les Peterson
Commander
McMinnville Composite Squadron
Oregon Wing

OREGON -- The McMinnville Composite Squadron capped off its annual Leadership Weekend, held Feb. 26-28 at the U.S. National Guard Armory, with the presentation of awards to top members.

More than 50 family members and guests attend the awards dinner, which featured guest speaker Larry Wood, education director of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Another highlight was video, produced by Cadet Staff Sgt. Kolin Shapiro, showing squadron activities from the past year. 

Awards went to:

• Cadet of the Year – Cadet Tech Sgt.  Myles Ireland.
   
• Most Improved – Cadet Airman 1st Class Justin Jones.
   
• Esprit de Corps – Cadet Staff Sgt. Kolin Shapiro.
   
• Senior Member of the Year – Lt. Col. Les Peterson.
   
• Squadron Appreciation Awards – Mr. and Mrs. Sean Ireland and 1st Lt. Sarah Beckerman.
   
• Professional Development Award (Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Award) – Capt. Gary Arnold.

Along with giving cadets the opportunity to learn about and demonstrate the art of leadership, the rest of the weekend included lots of fun teamwork exercise, as well as classes in aerospace education, emergency services, drill and ceremony, radio communication and military customs and courtesies. 

Cadets and senior members also planned the squadron’s goals, objectives and activities for the year.

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Maj. Greg Schulz, Wisconsin Wing assistant director of professional development, makes a presentation during the Corporate Learning Course.

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Senior Member Mary Flaminio of Milwaukee Senior Special Squadron 10 is all smiles while trying out the hovercraft in the aerospace education training class.

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Participants in the public affairs training.

Photos by Capt James Kalemis


1st Lt. Jeri Gonwa
Assistant Public Affairs Officer
Wisconsin Wing

WISCONSIN – More than 60 Wisconsin Wing members gathered Feb. 19-21 at Volk Field Air National Guard Base as the wing hosted its inaugural professional development weekend, featuring multiple courses typically offered one at a time and only at the group level.

Training covered a variety of specialty tracks available to Civil Air Patrol senior members. Courses included:

• Training Leaders of Cadets – Essential for senior members interested in learning the fine art of training cadets to become a leader in their squadrons and communities, Maj. Joseph Hackett, the wing’s director of cadet programs, taught this two-day course.
   
• The Corporate Learning Course – Led by Maj. Greg Schulz, assistant director of professional development for the wing, this training focused on the Civil Air Patrol squadron’s relationship with the next major echelon of command – the wing. The course covered wing staff officers’ working relationships with each other and with their squadron-level counterparts, as well as how wing-level operations help accomplish the three missions of CAP – aerospace education, cadet programs and emergency services.
   
• Aerospace Education – This one-day course, taught by Lt. Col. Woody Williams, the wing’s director of aerospace education, featured hands-on activities, most notably allowing participants  to try out a hovercraft.
   
• Emergency Services – Lt. Col. Chris Trossen, Timmerman Composite Squadron commander, led this half-day course. The class touched on and answered questions such as: “I'm the Squadron ES Officer – Now What Do I Do?”; “Navigating the ES Training roadmap;” “ES Training Resources;” “Requesting ES Ratings” and “ES Training Opportunities.”
   
• Public Affairs – Maj. Al Pabon, national public affairs team leader, guided the training for members who want to help tell the CAP story and to protect the organization’s image. In addition, Capt. James Kalemis, Great Lakes Region deputy chief of staff for cadet programs, shared with participants not only the importance of taking pictures, but also how to take a better-than-average picture.

Plans are already in the works for another professional development training weekend next year.

One of Hawaii Wing’s nine CAP Cessnas sits in a hangar in preflight, on stand-by before Saturday morning’s tsunami warnings.

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – The 13th Air Force in support of the state of Hawaii Civil Defense launched planes from Civil Air Patrol’s Hawaii Wing this morning for statewide tsunami warnings following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile.

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Matt Jurgensen makes use of a PowerPoint slide while discussing types of aircraft used in firefighting missions.

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Matt Jurgensen receiving a certificate of appreciation from Capt Antonio Gutierrez for his presentation.


1st Lt David J. D'Arcy
Public Affairs Officer
Lakeshore 119th Composite Squadron
Michigan Wing

MICHIGAN – Members of the Lakeshore 119th Composite Squadron heard a presentation on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s firefighting activities from Matthew Jurgensen, a Grand Haven native and agency employee who flies in response to fires across the country.

Based in Boise, Idaho, Jurgensen has flown more than 10,000 hours. He totaled 87 of those as a cropduster, a job he said contributed to developing the skills for firefighting flights.
 
In discussing methods for combating fires, he said that developing a fire break in front of a blaze is usually more effective than raining retardant directly onto the fire. The most effective approach is target a natural barrier — like a river, stream or roadways — and then drop retardant on its far side, away from the fire, Jurgensen added.

Usually, he noted, a smaller spotter aircraft lays down smoke along the route the larger aircraft carrying retardant is to drop.
Jurgensen had been allotted 45 minutes to present his program, but his presentation was so interesting that the squadron’s commander, Capt. Antonio Gutierrez, allowed him to continue for another 40 minutes.


 

Lt. Col. Ray Rosenberg (center), Marco Island Composite Squadron Senior Member of the Year, is congratulated by Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Lee Henderson and Florida Wing Group 5 Commander Lt. Col. Fran Gleockler.


Lt. Col. Richard C. Niess
Public Affairs Officer
Marco Island Composite Squadron
Florida Wing

Florida Wing, Civil Air Patrol

FLORIDA -- Lt. Col. Ray Rosenberg, the Marco Island Composite Squadron's deputy commander for seniors, has been recognized as the unit’s Senior Member of the Year for 2009.
 
“As deputy commander, Ray has enthusiastically and tirelessly managed the operational functions of the squadron and has assumed leadership of the squadron in an exemplary manner during absences of the commander,” said the squadron’s commander, Lt. Col. Lee Henderson, who presented the award Feb. 7 with Lt. Col. Fran Gleockler, Florida Wing Group 5 commander. 

“In this role he has developed valuable contacts within the Civil Air Patrol in Florida, both at Group 5 and Florida Wing levels. This has been of great benefit to the Marco Island Composite Squadron as we have grown to become the envy of most other units at all levels in Florida,” Henderson said.

“Of his own initiative, he qualified as an aircrew mission observer and has spearheaded expansion of Squadron, Group 5, and Florida Wing communications programs, acting as a key player in the installation of a new repeater system for Civil Air Patrol communications in southwest Florida as well as obtaining necessary communications equipment for homeland security missions.

“Lt. Col. Rosenberg sets high standards and the tough example others strive to match,” Henderson said, lauding the deputy commander’s “willingness to apply his many talents and extensive experience whenever called upon, without regard to personal sacrifice.”

“Lt. Col. Rosenberg is well-deserving of the award of Marco Island Composite Squadron Senior Member of the Year – 2009,” the unit’s commander concluded.

ALASKA -- Two squadrons from Civil Air Patrol made valiant attempts in the air and on the ground to get to the site of a deadly helicopter crash Tuesday. Their search and rescue attempts late Tuesday and early Wednesday were part of a multi-agency effort that also included Alaska State Troopers and the Air National Guard. The search and rescue was halted several times by inclement weather. Pararescuemen from the National Guard eventually made it to the crash site, where they found a teen survivor among the four dead.

(Seated, from left) Lt. Col. Joseph Sirois, Northeast Region vice commander – south; Col. Christopher Hayden, Northeast Region commander; Lt. Col. Merrie Knightly, Northeast Region vice commander – north; (standing, from left) Cols. Anthony Gagliardi, Rhode Island Wing; Thomas Benckert, Vermont Wing commander; Mathew Balleau, then-acting Connecticut Wing commander; Cassandra Huchko, then-incoming Connecticut Wing commander; and Cols. David Mull, New Jersey Wing commander; Donald Davidson, New Hampshire Wing commander; William Meskill, Massachusetts Wing commander; Kenneth Andreu, New York Wing commander; Mark Lee, Pennsylvania Wing commander; and Daniel Leclair, Maine Wing commander.
 

Lt. Col. Constance M. O'Grady
Northeast Region

MASSACHUSETTS – Commanders of the nine Northeast Region wings and their directors of operations and emergency services gathered recently at Westover Air Force Base for a session the region’s commander, Col. Christopher Hayden, called in order to begin forging a new era of joint training.

The Northeast Region Strategic Operations Conference aimed to foster and reorganize mutual aid in the form of joint training and exercises and to lower the boundaries between flights, squadrons, groups and wings. 

Lt. Col. Joseph Abegg, the region's deputy chief of staff for operations, served as project officer for what was. He began the daylong session by telling the participants, "Our goal is to make a perfect 10 out of the nine wings and the NER Staff by forging a renewed bond to work, train and exercise together."

Those in attendance spent the day listening to lectures on safety, radio communications, critical incident stress management, emergency services, homeland security, and search and rescue evaluations, along with holding open forums to brainstorm new ideas and ways to work together. 

The first step in the process is to build Web site training and activity links between wings and to promote joint training exercises. Giving individual members access to other unit training activities within the nine wings will give them greater flexibility in finding activities that fit their schedules and professional needs. It will also enhance the sharing of best practices and techniques and promote networking. 

The Rhode Island and Maine wings and the Vermont and New Hampshire wings, respectively, are already planning joint exercises as a result of the meeting. By promoting training and networking across wing boundaries, members are increasing their ability to work as one team during regional search and rescue missions and disasters. 

One of the presenters – and the keynote speaker for the event – was John Salvador, director of the Missions Directorate at Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters, who brought the group up-to-date on evolving new missions, procedures and the status of operations.

Abegg summed up by saying, "the synergies and efficiencies of working as a team are always better than working individually, and our vigilance and readiness should never be compromised.”
 

 

Maj. Corey Stohlquist, Illinois Wing director of safety, receives the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team’s FAASTeam Aviation Safety Award from Carolyn Remol, program manager, on the wing’s behalf.


ILLINOIS -- The Illinois Wing has been recognized with the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team’s FAASTeam Aviation Safety Award for its success in promoting participation in the agency’s pilot proficiency program.

The wing’s director of safety, Maj. Corey Stohlquist, received the award on behalf of the wing from Carolyn Remol, FAASTeam program manager, on Feb. 8 at a FAASTeam CFI Workshop at the Hilton Garden Inn in St. Charles, Ill.

Presented with the award was a letter from the FAASTeam Great Lakes Region manager, Valerie Palazzolo, which said:

During the period of July 2009 through December 2009, the Great Lakes FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) was committed to increasing pilot participation in the WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program. The Illinois Wing of Civil Air Patrol accepted this challenge and conducted a major project that far exceeded prior expectations.

Under the lead of Capt. Mordechai Levin, the WINGS Campaign project officer, CAP helped the Illinois FAA Safety Team outperform all other states in the nation in the percentage increase of WINGS phase completions. Working together with the FAA Safety Team, CAP demonstrated its capacity as a partner of choice to promote aviation safety. The many hours donated to promote airmen participation in aviation safety training and pilot proficiency led to a 60 percent increase in pilot participation in the WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program in Illinois.

The assistance to the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team in providing counsel to the FAASTeam and FAASTeam representatives has further improved aviation safety in Illinois. As role models and leaders, the Civil Air Patrol has energized others to become involved in all aspects of aviation safety.

We take this opportunity to thank the Civil Air Patrol for your exemplary volunteers, dedication to aviation safety and enthusiasm promoting the FAA Safety Team.

Levin, aerospace education officer for Illinois Wing Group 2, recently was named FAA 2010 Flight Instructor of the Year for the DuPage Flight Standards District Office.
 

 
Col. Robert L. Johnson
Public Affairs Officer
Connecticut Wing

CONNECTICUT – Col. Cassandra Huchko has been appointed commander of the Connecticut Wing, becoming the third female to achieve the post.

Huchko was promoted to full colonel from lieutenant colonel and assumed command of the wing Feb. 21 during a formal ceremony presided over by fellow Civil Air Patrol dignitaries, including Col. Christopher Hayden, Northeast Region commander, and a number of past Connecticut Wing commanders.

More than 100 Connecticut Wing senior members and cadets, as well as State Rep. Elizabeth A. Boukus and local officials, were present. The ceremony was held at the Robertson Airport in Plainville.

"This wing is, and will be, all about teamwork,” Huchko told her audience. “The wing staff is not going to be my staff; it’s your staff.”

Over two decades, Huchko has successfully performed the responsibilities of squadron officer, squadron commander, wing administrative officer, director of administration and personnel and, most recently, wing chief of staff.
 

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Civil Air Patrol Lifetime Member Col. Mary Feik (second from right) tours the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., with CAP cadets attending this week’s Civic Leadership Academy.

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The 24 cadets attending the 2010 Civic Leadership Academy pose for a group photo with Col. Mary Feik (center), who accompanied them during their tour of the Air & Space Museum.

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Cadet Maj. Heather Gould of the Wyoming Wing and Cadet Lt. Col. Benton Beasley of the Tennessee Wing’ lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

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The cadets pose for another group photo at the Lincoln Memorial.

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U.S. Associate Justice Antonin Scalia (right) visits with Cadet 1st Lt. Joelah Bruccoleri of the California Wing’s Skyhawk Composite Squadron 47 after she presented him with a Civic Leadership Academy coin.

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Members of the CLA staff – (from left) Lt. Col. John Knowles of the Maryland Wing, Capt. Sharon Weeks of the North Carolina Wing, Lt. Col. John Erickson of the Alaska Wing, Lt. Col. Bill Brockman of the Florida Wing, Curt LaFond of CAP National Headquarters and Capt. Brenda Reed of the Maryland Wing – pose for a photo with U.S. Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.
Photo provided

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Former CAP National Cadet of the Year Darcy Burner (left) chats with Utah Wing Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall and Maryland Wing Cadet Maj. Eashan Samak after  the cadets’ Pentagon tour. Burner, an Oregon congressional candidate in 2006 and 2008 who is now executive director of the political action committee ProgressiveCongress.org, visited with the cadets at Mott House, across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court building. She talked about the roles that political action committees play in the legislative process and elections.

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(From left) New York Wing Cadet Capt. Mark Teubl, Cadet Majs. Joshua Carr of the Missouri Wing and Alice Chan of the Maryland Wing, Arizona Wing Cadet Col. Matthew Bricker and Utah Wing Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall check out the ceiling of the Rotunda while touring the U.S. Capitol.

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U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (center), R-Alaska, a member of CAP’s Congressional Squadron, listens to South Carolina Wing Cadet Capt. Sarah Sill as Alaska Wing Cadet 1st Lt. Jennifer Coisman stands by during CAP’s Legislative Day on Capitol Hill. CLA cadets joined their wing commanders and others for the annual visit to the offices of their home state senators and representatives.

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(From left) Louisiana Wing Cadet 2nd Lt. Brett Denehan joins Cadet Master Sgt. Christin McCall, Maj. Christopher Roche, Cadet Capt. Kathleen Crockett and Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Anne Sisk, all of the Maryland Wing, for a pizza party in the office of U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md. Bartlett – a member of Civil Air Patrol’s Congressional Squadron – has treated CAP volunteers to a Legislative Day lunch the past four years.

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Cadet Capt. Jordan Watson of the Washington Wing receives her Cadet Leadership Academy graduation certificate from Brig. Gen. Reggie Chitwood, CAP national vice commander. Watson was one of 24 cadets graduating from the weeklong academy, held each year in the nation’s capital.

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CLA graduates pose for a group photo with National Park Service rangers at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The cadets went to the park for an after-graduation party to mark completion of a full week of activities in the nation’s capital.

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Cadet Capt. Nicholas Cocco of the Pennsylvania Wing takes a break outside the Lincoln Memorial during the after-graduation party.

Photos by Capt. Brenda Reed, Maryland Wing, except where indicated


WASHINGTON, D.C. --Twenty-four of Civil Air Patrol’s top cadets from across the nation gained a head start in their public service careers Feb. 20-27 by participating in one of America’s leading civic education activities, the Civic Leadership Academy.

The CLA, an academically intense, interactive study of U.S. government in action, provides participants the opportunity to grow as citizens and young leaders through lessons in persuasive leadership, federal government, public service careers and American heritage.

“Civic Leadership Academy provides cadets an unrivaled opportunity to gain a well-rounded understanding of leadership, public service and the principles that guide our nation,” said Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP’s national commander and the academy’s founding director. “This activity empowers our cadets to apply those principles in their own lives and to be thoughtful participants in our nation’s future.”

A real career thread runs throughout the program, said Lt. Col. Bill Brockman of the Florida Wing's SRQ Composite Squadron, CLA activity director and founding faculty member.

In addition to a blend of field trips, lectures, seminars and assigned readings from historic and current sources, the cadets visited the U.S. Capitol; the Supreme Court; the State Department; Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the CIA; the Pentagon; legislative offices; and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, as well as the World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Women in Military Service and Lincoln memorials.

At these locations they encountered VIP speakers who provided them with insights designed to deepen their understanding of government in action.

“We hoped to provide the cadets attending CLA with a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of their government and how easy it is for an individual to interact with their government representatives,” Brockman said. “CLA is a challenging, intellectual study.”

“It is a weeklong total immersion into the world of government,” added Cadet Capt. Dannie Fountain of the Michigan Wing’s Selfridge Cadet Squadron.

The 2010 academy began Sunday with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington. Cadets had the opportunity to visit with the guards in the guardroom after the ceremony. They were briefed on the training process for new guards and given a history of the cemetery.

“The cadets were amazed to learn the amount of time each individual tomb guard spends on preparing his uniform for duty at the Tomb,” Brockman said.

On Monday, after a tour of the U.S. Capitol, the cadets met with retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Suter, the clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, and U.S. Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.

 “The general spoke with the cadets about his position at the court and leadership,” Brockman said. “The general took some of the cadets to his office to see his picture of himself with Elvis Presley as a young soldier in Germany.”

Scalia spent an hour talking with the cadets about the landmark Marbury vs. Madison case, the significance of judicial review and interpreting the Constitution.

 “The success of CLA has been to keep the cadets engaged in activities they could not do on their own,” Brockman said. “The cadets are not just learning about government, but also how to interact with government, how they can be involved to make a difference and how to look for internship opportunities.”

On Thursday, the CLA cadets returned to Capitol Hill to participate in CAP’s 2010 Legislative Day by working alongside their wing commanders to brief U.S. legislators on how CAP’s primary missions – search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs – have benefited their communities.

Legislative Day was held in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting Friday and Saturday at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Va.

Saturday evening, many of the cadets attended The Spaatz Association’s 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Event. Featured speaker for the dinner was U.S. astronaut Eric Boe, the Air Force colonel and CAP senior member who piloted Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station in November 2008.

The week’s activities seemed to be a hit with the CLA cadets.

“It is the top NCSA (National Cadet Special Activity) I have attended,” said Cadet 1st Lt. Joelah Bruccoleri of the California Wing’s Skyhawk Composite Squadron 47. “Visiting the memorials, with Lt. Col. Brockman’s personal connection to them, helped me feel an even greater appreciation for the sacrifices that have been made for us.”

Cadet 1st Lt. William Woodham of the Florida Wing’s Pasco County Composite Squadron found CLA “a rigorous but rewarding experience. It helped me learn to be a critical thinker. It gave me a new understanding of how the government and the democratic system work.”

For Cadet Lt. Col. Benton Beasley of the Tennessee Wing’s Murfreesboro Composite Squadron, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was delighted to discover that learning about our government and the American political system was enjoyable and invigorating.”

Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall of the Utah Wing’s Thunderbird Composite Squadron provided a much simpler evaluation of the weeklong experience: “CLA rocks!”

 
2010 Civic Leadership Academy graduates

• Alabama Wing — Cadet Maj. Jonathan Ernest, Chilton County Composite Squadron.
   
• Alaska Wing — Cadet 1st Lt. Jennifer Coisman, Mat-Su Valley Cadet Squadron. 
   
• Arizona Wing — Cadet Col. Matthew Bricker, Cottonwood Cadet Squadron 212. 
   
• California Wing — Cadet 1st Lt. Joelah Bruccoleri, Skyhawk Composite Squadron 47. 
   
• Florida Wing — Cadet 1st Lt. William Woodham, Pasco County Composite Squadron. 
   
• Kentucky Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Colin Burke, Campbell County Composite Squadron. 
   
• Louisiana Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Brett Denehan, Barksdale Composite Squadron.
   
• Maryland Wing — Cadet Capts. Alice Chan, Howard Composite Squadron, and Eashan Samak, St. Mary’s Composite Squadron.
   
• Michigan Wing — Cadet Capt. Dannie Fountain, Selfridge Cadet Squadron. 
   
• Missouri Wing — Cadet Capt. Joshua Carr, Springfield Regional Composite Squadron .
   
• Nevada Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Jeni Crandy, 70th Cadet Squadron. 
   
• New Hampshire Wing — Cadet Col. Vincent Van Dintel, Highlanders Cadet Squadron. 
   
• New York Wing — Cadet Capt. Mark Teubl, Ulster County Composite Squadron. 
   
• Ohio Wing — Cadet Capt. Bonnie Wilshire, Harrison Composite Squadron. 
   
• Pennsylvania Wing — Cadet Capt. Nicholas Cocco, Delco Composite Squadron 1007. 
   
• South Carolina Wing — Cadet Capt. Sarah Sill, Spartanburg Composite Squadron. 
   
• South Dakota Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. David Small, Lookout Mountain Composite Squadron. 
   
• Tennessee Wing — Cadet Lt. Col. Benton Beasley, Murfreesboro Composite Squadron. 
   
• Texas Wing — Cadet Lt. Col. Jose Machuca, Plano Mustangs Composite Squadron.  
   
• Utah Wing — Cadet Lt. Col. Cheston Newhall, Thunderbird Composite Squadron.
   
• Virginia Wing — Cadet 2nd Lt. Mary Herman, Newport-News Composite Squadron. 
   
• Washington Wing — Cadet Capt. Jordan Watson, Green River Composite Squadron. 
   
• Wyoming Wing — Cadet Capt. Heather Gould, Cloud Peak Composite Squadron. 

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Air Force Col. Eric Boe (left) receives two new Spaatz award coins to carry with him when he returns to space as the shuttle pilot for STS-133, targeted to launch in September. Brig. Gen. Richard L. Anderson, Spaatz Association president and former Civil Air Patrol national commander, made the presentation following Boe’s appearance as the featured speaker at the association’s 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Event in Arlington, Va.

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The Spaatz Association’s president, Brig. Gen. Richard L. Anderson (right), presents Air Force Col. and Civil Air Patrol Senior Member Eric Boe with a framed montage displaying a new copy of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award coin Boe earned as a Georgia Wing cadet in 1983 and  carried on his Space Shuttle Endeavour flight in 2008. The original coin, signifying Boe as Spaatz award winner No. 648, is slated to be hung in the foyer of CAP National Headquarters once the building’s refurbishment is complete this year.

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Brig. Gen. Richard L. Anderson (right) thanks Daniel B. Ginsberg, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, after his comments at the Spaatz Association’s 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Events. Ginsberg praised the Air Force and its auxiliary, CAP, in his speech and encouraged Spaatz cadets to think about a career in the Air Force. “We need the best of the best. We need you,” he said. “Our Air Force is more capable now than ever, but we cannot afford to lose this fight for talent so we can remain the most powerful and capable Air Force in the world.”

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Col. Gerry Weiss (left), Maryland Wing commander, presents Cadet Col. Anna Bladey with her Spaatz coin following the annual dinner at Arlington. During the dinner, Bladey, a member of the Maryland Wing’s Frederick Composite Squadron, received Spaatz award No. 1751, making her the most recent CAP cadet to earn the honor. Cadet Col. Paul McNiel of the California Wing’s San Francisco Cadet Squadron 86 also was presented with his coin and certificate as the recipient of Spaatz award No. 1728.

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Cadet Maj. Kira Swerdfeger (second from left) of the California Wing’s Saddleback Composite Squadron 68 is recognized as one of two recipients of The Spaatz Association’s Aerospace Leadership Scholarship. Cadet Col. Stasia Rogacki of the New Jersey Wing’s Curtiss-Wright Composite Squadron was the other recipient. The $2,500 scholarships, given each year by the association, will help the recipients earn their private pilot’s licenses.

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Eight members of Gen. Carl A. Spaatz’s family pose with a portrait of him at the annual Spaatz Association dinner in Arlington — (from left) daughter Carla Spaatz Thomas; granddaughters Raechel Thomas Andreassi, Katharine Burell Gresham, Rebecca Thomas Palo, Rebecca Wayne Gresham and Edith Gresham Laver; grandson Carl Andrew Spaatz Thomas; and granddaughter Carla Barrett. During the dinner, Katharine Gresham, the Spaatz family historian, shared details from her grandfather’s war diaries.

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Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, Civil Air Patrol national commander, pins the Distinguished Service Medal on Col. Andrew E. Skiba for outstanding performance of duty as CAP’s senior adviser for operations. Courter made the presentation at the 2010 Winter National Board meeting in Arlington. Over the past two years, Skiba was directly responsible for the nine advisory teams established to provide advice and assistance to CAP’s national commander, National Board and National Executive Committee. Under his leadership, these advisory teams worked diligently to ensure the membership’s operational expertise continued to grow as CAP’s mission capability expanded. During his tenure, the online National Check Pilot Standardization Course was developed as an innovative approach to updating much needed standardized training. Skiba was also responsible for establishing safety requirements, water skills and overwater flight and survival skills required for flight crews participating in South East Watch II, which has become the standard for all CAP overwater flight crew training.
 
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Members of CAP’s National Board cast their votes on an amendment to the organization’s governing constitution and bylaws at their annual winter business session. The 69 members of the board – representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia – considered a full agenda during the two-day meeting.

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As is customary, Col. Lisa Robinson (left) of the Alabama Wing is welcomed to the 2010 Winter National Board as one of 10 new wing commanders. Others included Cols. Cassandra Huchko, Connecticut Wing; William Meskill, Massachusetts Wing; Jay Lindler, South Carolina Wing; Dennis Barron, West Virginia Wing; Richard Griffith, Indiana Wing; Tonya Boylan, Georgia Wing; Teresa Schimelfening, South Dakota Wing; Art Scarbrough, Louisiana Wing; and Jerry Wellman, Utah Wing. It is also tradition to recognize National Board members meeting for the last time – in this case, Cols. Ken Andreu, New York Wing commander; Gerry Weiss, Maryland Wing commander; Don Haffner, Wisconsin Wing commander; Robert Todd, Nebraska Wing commander; Karl Altenberg, North Dakota Wing commander; Carl Brown, Alaska Wing commander; and Dave Maxwell, Washington Wing commander.
 
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Col. Charles L. Carr Jr. (left), Great Lakes Region commander, presents a packet to Civil Air Patrol’s national historian, Col. Len Blascovich (right), for the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in England. Blascovich, with the assistance of CAP National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. Reggie Chitwood (center), collected unit, wing and region patches from each of CAP’s eight region commanders for a CAP display at the museum.
  
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With the assistance of Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter (left), CAP national commander, Capt. Grace Stapf of the Maryland Wing’s Mount Airy Composite Squadron is promoted to major during a break at the 2010 Winter National Board meeting. 
   
(12)
Retired Air Force Col. David T. “Buck” Buckwalter, executive vice president of the Air Force Association, addresses CAP’s National Board during its annual winter meeting. Buckwalter talked about AFA’s involvement in helping prepare for the nation’s cyber defense. Over the past two years, the association has sponsored a CyberPatriot competition for teams from the nation’s CAP and Air Force Junior ROTC units.

(13)
Cadet Col. Zach King of the New Jersey Wing, chairman of the National Cadet Advisory Council, updates National Board members on the council’s activities. Like the National Board, the council was in session for two days during the week of the 2010 Winter National Board meeting. As chairman of the 16-member NCAC, King serves as Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter’s No. 1 source for cadet perspectives on challenges facing CAP. Collectively, the council represents more than 24,000 youth in CAP’s Cadet Program.

(14)
Col. Brian Bishop (right), Oregon Wing commander, addresses fellow members of CAP’s National Board during their annual winter business session. Beside him is the Pennsylvania Wing’s commander, Col. Mark Lee.

(15)
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (left), D-Mich., visits with a large entourage from Civil Air Patrol on Legislative Day. The senator’s guests included the Michigan Wing’s commander, Col. Michael Saile (third from Levin’s left) and CAP’s national commander, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter (to Levin’s right), who lives in Michigan. Following the members’ presentation, Levin commented, “These missions that you perform are a great service to the nation. Your energy and commitment are reassuring.”

(16)
Lt. Col. Paul Tweden (left), CAP’s national government relations adviser; Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP’s national commander; and Col. Herbert Cahalen (right), Montana Wing commander, present U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., with his Congressional Squadron Certificate, a lifetime membership card and a  CAP polo shirt during Legislative Day activities on Capitol Hill. Tester responded, “Does that dog hunt or what,” adding, “We very much appreciate the work that you do.

Photos by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters 


ARLINGTON, Va. -- Astronaut Eric Boe brought a familiar message Saturday to Civil Air Patrol’s most-honored past and present cadets when they gathered for The Spaatz Association’s 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Event.

“Dream big! You have to be able to dream it before you can do it,” Boe said, offering words of encouragement to a convention hall filled with recipients of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award – CAP’s highest cadet honor.

Like many of the former and current cadets attending the dinner at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, Boe is also a recipient of the Spaatz award. He earned Spaatz award No. 648 as a Georgia Wing cadet in 1983 and retains his CAP membership today as a senior member. He credits CAP for first sparking his interest in flight and is a staunch supporter of the organization, serving as the motivational featured speaker for the Spaatz dinner.

Boe, a U.S. Air Force colonel, reached great heights in 2008 as pilot of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The 16-day mission, STS-126, was a great success, delivering equipment and supplies to expand the capacity of the International Space Station in late 2008.

He expects to return to space later this year as the shuttle pilot for STS-133, scheduled to launch in September. The eight-day mission will carry a pressurized logistics module to the space station.

The Spaatz dinner marked the end of a full week of activities for CAP members in Washington, D.C. ON CAP’s Legislative Day, Thursday, the organization’s 52 wing and eight region commanders, as well as cadets involved in CAP’s weeklong Civic Leadership Academy, personally briefed their congressional representatives on how CAP’s primary missions – search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs – have made a difference in their communities during fiscal year 2009.

“Our legislators, and the citizens they represent, are CAP’s stakeholders,” said CAP’s national commander, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter. “We want them to know what an incredible job CAP volunteers are doing in their communities both in the air and on the ground.”

CAP resources were put to work in 2009 across America, making the organization of citizen volunteers a true force multiplier for the U.S. Air Force. CAP’s flying operations increased 6 percent last year, with volunteers logging 112,000 hours in the organization’s versatile fleet of 550 aircraft.

Members were credited with saving 72 lives through search and rescue missions, many using advances in technology in which CAP is the known leader. Through the use of cell phone forensics and radar technology, many lives were saved by getting search and rescue personnel to survivors quickly. This was accomplished entirely by dedicated volunteers using their talents and education to help others. 

CAP’s disaster relief teams also provided critical support to communities nationwide. Personnel flew reconnaissance flights to assist emergency personnel in combating forest fires, managing the effects of winter ice storms and dealing with massive flooding.

Legislative Day was conducted in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting Friday and Saturday at the Marriott Crystal City in Arlington. CAP’s National Board consists of 69 members representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The board is CAP’s policy-making arm and, in conjunction with the Board of Governors, proposes amendments to the governing constitution and bylaws.

Speakers for the Winter National Board included retired Air Force Col. David T. “Buck” Buckwalter, executive vice president of the Air Force Association, who talked about the association’s growing relationship with CAP. Buckwalter praised CAP for its recent participation in CyberPatriot II, an international cyber defense competition sponsored by the AFA.

Besides Boe, other speakers at the Spaatz dinner included Courter, who introduced keynote speaker Daniel B. Ginsberg, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs; and Brig. Gen. Richard L. Anderson, Spaatz Association president and former CAP national commander, who also serves on CAP’s Board of Governors.

Katherine Gresham, the Spaatz family historian, also visited and shared details from her grandfather’s war diaries.

 

(1)
At Civil Air Patrol's annual conference banquet in September 2009, Col. Eric Boe receives a framed montage displaying his Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award coin, earned as a cadet, which he carried on his Space Shuttle Endeavour flight. Making the presentation is Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP’s national commander. The Spaatz Association has plans to provide Boe with a duplicate coin, while his original framed one is slated to be hung in the foyer of CAP National Headquarters once the building’s refurbishment is complete this year.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(2)
Cadet Col. Natasha Cohen receives her 2009 Spaatz Association commemorative challenge coin from Brig. Gen. Richard Anderson, former CAP national commander and current president of the Spaatz Association. The presentation was made in front of a life-size photo of Spaatz, who was represented at last year’s Spaatz banquet by several family members, including Spaatz family historian Katharine Gresham.
Photo courtesy of Michael A. Murphy, Spaatz Association

(3)
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., listens as Col. Edward Phelka, Colorado Wing commander, presents an overview of the wing’s accomplishments, including 16 saves in 2008. On hand for the 2009 meeting on Capitol Hill were Col. Gary Tobey, the wing’s government relations officer, and Cadet Maj. Clay Amann of the Washington Wing’s Mount Rainier Composite Squadron.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(4)
Cadet Capt. Timothy Lhota of the Florida Wing’s Gainesville Composite Squadron is promoted by U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., as Lt. Col. Bill Brockman of the SRQ Composite Squadron looks on during last year’s Legislative Day on Capitol Hill. Lhota, one of 24 cadets from across America attending the 2009 Civic Leadership Academy activities in the nation’s capital, was honored by his hometown congressman during Legislative Day activities. Stearns presented Lhota with the Amelia Earhart Achievement Award, which carries with it the rank of captain. Brockman served as activity director for the Civic Leadership Academy. 
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(5)
Civil Air Patrol’s national government relations consultant, John Swain (second from left), chats with U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (right), R-Pa., on 2009 Legislative Day as the Pennsylvania Wing’s commander, Col. Mark Lee (left), and chief of staff, Lt. Col. Walter C. Vertreace, stand by.
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(6)
More than 20 cadets and senior members from the Maryland Wing enjoy a pizza party in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., as part of 2009 Legislative Day activities in Washington. Visiting with the CAP members is Pudge Forrester (right), who works on Bartlett’s staff and is also a CAP second lieutenant in the West Virginia Wing’s Martinsburg Composite Squadron. Bartlett, a member of CAP’s Congressional Squadron, has treated the Maryland Wing volunteers to lunch for the past three years.  He met with the CAP delegation shortly after the photo was taken.
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(7)
(From left) Col. Steve Kuddes, North Central Region commander; Col. Andrea Davis, Southwest Region vice commander; Air Force Lt. Col. Don Hensley. Southwest Liaison Region commander; Col. John Eggen, Arizona Wing commander; Col. Robert Britton, Arkansas Wing commander; and Lt. Col. Amos Plante, Louisiana Wing chief of staff, line one of the tables near the front of the 2009 Winter National Board meeting room. Davis represented Col. Joseph Jensen, Southwest Region commander, at the business session, and Plante was sitting in for Col. Michael DuBois, Louisiana Wing commander.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(8)
At the 2009 board meeting, CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter presents an Exceptional Service Award to 1st Lt. Tolga Tarhan of the California Wing’s Saddleback Composite Squadron 68, who received the award for his development of a software program that automates much of the work involved with labeling CAP photos to 1st Air Force standards. It is now being used by many CAP wings and squadrons nationwide.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters


NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Civil Air Patrol’s most-honored past and present cadets will hear from one of their own, U.S. astronaut Eric Boe, when they convene Saturday for The Spaatz Association’s 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Event at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va.

Boe, a U.S. Air Force colonel and CAP senior member, reached great heights in 2008 as pilot of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The 16-day mission, STS-126, was a great success, delivering equipment and supplies to expand the capacity of the International Space Station in late 2008.

He expects to return to space later this year as the shuttle pilot for STS-133, targeted to launch in September. The eight-day mission will carry a pressurized logistics module to the space station.

Like many of the former and current cadets attending Saturday’s dinner, Boe is a recipient of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award – CAP’s highest cadet honor. He earned the award as a CAP cadet in Georgia in 1983 and retains his CAP membership today.

Boe credits CAP for first sparking his interest in flight and is a staunch supporter of CAP, serving as keynote speaker for the organization’s annual conference in San Antonio in September.  

At the annual conference, Boe encouraged both CAP cadets and senior members to “dream big! You have to be able to dream it before you can do it.” That is a message he is expected to bring to Arlington when he visits Saturday with his fellow Spaatz cadets as their featured speaker.

The Spaatz banquet is part of a full week of activities for Civil Air Patrol members. During CAP’s Legislative Day, on Thursday, the organization’s 52 wing and eight region commanders, as well as youth involved in the cadet program, will personally brief their congressional representatives in Washington on how CAP’s primary missions – search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs – have made a difference in their communities during fiscal year 2009.

“Our legislators, and the citizens they represent, are CAP’s stakeholders,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter. “We want them to know what an incredible job CAP volunteers are doing in their communities both in the air and on the ground.”

CAP resources were put to work in 2009 in support of communities across America, making the organization of citizen volunteers a true force multiplier for the U.S. Air Force. CAP’s flying operations increased 6 percent last year, with volunteers logging 112,000 hours in the organization’s versatile fleet of 550 aircraft.

Members were credited with saving 72 lives through search and rescue missions, many using advances in technology in which CAP is the known leader. Through the use of cell phone forensics and radar technology, many lives were saved by getting search and rescue personnel to survivors quickly. This was accomplished entirely by dedicated volunteers using their talents and education to help others.  

CAP’s disaster relief teams also provided critical support to communities nationwide. Personnel flew reconnaissance flights to assist emergency managers in combating forest fires, managing the effects of winter ice storms and dealing with massive flooding.

Legislative Day will be conducted in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting Friday and Saturday at the Marriott Crystal City in Arlington. The CAP National Board consists of 69 members representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The board is CAP’s policy-making arm and, in conjunction with the CAP Board of Governors, proposes amendments to the governing constitution and bylaws.

Speakers for the Winter National Board will include R. Philip Deavel, a member of the Senior Executive Service, who is deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Reserve Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), at the Pentagon. Within the Air Force, he is responsible for coordinating, planning and establishing policy for the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and CAP.

Besides Boe, other speakers at Saturday’s Spaatz banquet include Courter, who will introduce keynote speaker Daniel B. Ginsberg, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Katherine Gresham, the Spaatz family historian, also will visit to share details from her grandfather’s war diaries.

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(1)
At the Civil Air Patrol conference banquet in 2009, Col. Eric Boe receives a framed montage displaying his Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award coin, earned as a cadet, which he carried on his Space Shuttle Endeavour flight. Making the presentation is Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP’s national commander. The Spaatz Association has plans to provide Boe with a duplicate coin, while his original framed one is slated to be hung in the foyer of CAP National Headquarters once the building’s refurbishment is complete this year.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(2)
Cadet Col. Natasha Cohen receives her 2009 Spaatz Association commemorative challenge coin from Brig. Gen. Richard Anderson, former CAP national commander and current president of the Spaatz Association. The presentation was made in front of a life-size photo of Spaatz, who was represented at last year’s Spaatz banquet by several family members, including Spaatz family historian Katharine Gresham.
Photo courtesy of Michael A. Murphy, Spaatz Association

(e)
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., listens as Col. Edward Phelka, Colorado Wing commander, presents an overview of the wing’s accomplishments, including 16 saves in 2008. On hand for the 2009 meeting on Capitol Hill were Col. Gary Tobey, the wing’s government relations officer, and Cadet Maj. Clay Amann of the Washington Wing’s Mount Rainier Composite Squadron.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(4)
Cadet Capt. Timothy Lhota of the Florida Wing’s Gainesville Composite Squadron is promoted by U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., as Lt. Col. Bill Brockman of the SRQ Composite Squadron looks on during last year’s Legislative Day on Capitol Hill. Lhota, one of 24 cadets from across America attending the 2009 Civic Leadership Academy activities in the nation’s capital, was honored by his hometown congressman during Legislative Day activities. Stearns presented Lhota with the Amelia Earhart Achievement Award, which carries with it the rank of captain. Brockman served as activity director for the Civic Leadership Academy.
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(5)
Civil Air Patrol’s national government relations consultant, John Swain (second from left), chats with U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (right), R-Pa., on 2009 Legislative Day as the Pennsylvania Wing’s commander, Col. Mark Lee (left), and chief of staff, Lt. Col. Walter C. Vertreace, stand by.
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(6)
More than 20 cadets and senior members from the Maryland Wing enjoy a pizza party in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., as part of 2009 Legislative Day activities in Washington. Visiting with the CAP members is Pudge Forrester (right), who works on Bartlett’s staff and is also a CAP second lieutenant in the West Virginia Wing’s Martinsburg Composite Squadron. Bartlett, a member of CAP’s Congressional Squadron, has treated the Maryland Wing volunteers to lunch for the past three years.  He met with the CAP delegation shortly after the photo was taken.
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(7)
(From left) Col. Steve Kuddes, North Central Region commander; Col. Andrea Davis, Southwest Region vice commander; Air Force Lt. Col. Don Hensley. Southwest Liaison Region commander; Col. John Eggen, Arizona Wing commander; Col. Robert Britton, Arkansas Wing commander; and Lt. Col. Amos Plante, Louisiana Wing chief of staff, line one of the tables near the front of the 2009 Winter National Board meeting room. Davis represented Col. Joseph Jensen, Southwest Region commander, at the business session, and Plante was sitting in for Col. Michael DuBois, Louisiana Wing commander.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(8)
At the 2009 board meeting, CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter presents an Exceptional Service Award to 1st Lt. Tolga Tarhan of the California Wing’s Saddleback Composite Squadron 68, who received the award for his development of a software program that automates much of the work involved with labeling CAP photos to 1st Air Force standards. It is now being used by many CAP wings and squadrons nationwide. 
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

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MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Civil Air Patrol’s most-honored past and present cadets will hear from one of their own, U.S. astronaut Eric Boe, when they convene Saturday for The Spaatz Association’s 2010 Annual Dinner and Awards Event at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va.

Boe, a U.S. Air Force colonel and Civil Air Patrol senior member, reached great heights in 2008 as pilot of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The 16-day mission, STS-126, was a great success, delivering equipment and supplies to expand the capacity of the International Space Station in late 2008. He expects to return to space later this year as the shuttle pilot for STS-133, targeted to launch in September. The eight-day mission will carry a pressurized logistics module to the space station.

Like many of the former and current cadets attending Saturday’s dinner, Boe is a recipient of the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award – CAP’s highest cadet award. He earned the award as a CAP cadet in Georgia in 1983 and retains his CAP membership today. He credits CAP for first sparking his interest in flight and is a staunch supporter of CAP, serving as keynote speaker for the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization’s annual conference in San Antonio in September. 

At the annual conference, Boe encouraged both CAP cadets and senior members to “dream big! You have to be able to dream it before you can do it.” That is a message he is expected to bring to Arlington when he visits Saturday with his fellow Spaatz cadets as their featured speaker.

The Spaatz banquet is part of a full week of activities for Civil Air Patrol members. During CAP’s Legislative Day, on Thursday, the organization’s 52 wing and eight region commanders, as well as youth involved in the cadet program, will personally brief their congressional representatives in Washington on how CAP’s primary missions – search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs – have made a difference in their communities during fiscal year 2009.

“Our legislators, and the citizens they represent, are CAP’s stakeholders,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter. “We want them to know what an incredible job CAP volunteers are doing in their communities both in the air and on the ground.”

CAP resources were put to work in 2009 in support of communities across America, making the organization of citizen volunteers a true force multiplier for the U.S. Air Force. CAP’s flying operations increased 6 percent last year, with volunteers logging 112,000 hours in CAP’s versatile fleet of 550 aircraft.

Civil Air Patrol volunteers were credited with saving 72 lives through search and rescue missions, many using advances in technology in which CAP is the known leader. Through the use of cell phone forensics and radar technology, many lives were saved by getting search and rescue personnel to survivors quickly. This was accomplished entirely by dedicated volunteers using their talents and education to help others. 

CAP’s disaster relief teams also provided critical support to communities nationwide. Personnel flew reconnaissance flights to assist emergency managers in combating forest fires, managing the effects of winter ice storms and dealing with massive flooding.

Legislative Day will be conducted in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting Friday and Saturday at the Marriott Crystal City in Arlington. The CAP National Board consists of 69 members representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The board is CAP’s policy-making arm and, in conjunction with the CAP Board of Governors, proposes amendments to the governing constitution and bylaws.

Speakers for the Winter National Board will include R. Philip Deavel, a member of the Senior Executive Service, who is deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Reserve Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), at the Pentagon. Within the Air Force, he is responsible for coordinating, planning and establishing policy for the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Civil Air Patrol.

Besides Boe, other speakers at Saturday’s Spaatz banquet include Courter, who will introduce keynote speaker Daniel B. Ginsberg, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Katherine Gresham, the Spaatz family historian, also will visit to share details from her grandfather’s war diaries.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 59,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue CoordinationCenter and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 72 lives in fiscal year 2009. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 24,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 68 years. For more information on Civil Air Patrol, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.

(1)
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., listens as Col. Edward Phelka, Colorado Wing commander, presents an overview of the wing’s accomplishments, including 16 saves in 2008. On hand for the 2009 meeting on Capitol Hill were Col. Gary Tobey, the wing’s government relations officer, and Cadet Maj. Clay Amann of the Washington Wing’s Mount Rainier Composite Squadron.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(2)
Cadet Capt. Timothy Lhota of the Florida Wing’s Gainesville Composite Squadron is promoted by U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., as Lt. Col. Bill Brockman of the SRQ Composite Squadron looks on during last year’s Legislative Day on Capitol Hill. Lhota, one of 24 cadets from across America attending the 2009 Civic Leadership Academy activities in the nation’s capital, was honored by his hometown congressman during Legislative Day activities. Stearns presented Lhota with the Amelia Earhart Achievement Award, which carries with it the rank of captain. Brockman served as activity director for the Civic Leadership Academy. 
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(3)
Civil Air Patrol’s national government relations consultant, John Swain (second from left), chats with U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (right), R-Pa., on 2009 Legislative Day as the Pennsylvania Wing’s commander, Col. Mark Lee (left), and chief of staff, Lt. Col. Walter C. Vertreace, stand by.
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(4)
More than 20 cadets and senior members from the Maryland Wing enjoy a pizza party in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., as part of 2009 Legislative Day activities in Washington. Visiting with the CAP members is Pudge Forrester (right), who works on Bartlett’s staff and is also a CAP second lieutenant in the West Virginia Wing’s Martinsburg Composite Squadron. Bartlett, a member of CAP’s Congressional Squadron, has treated the Maryland Wing volunteers to lunch for the past three years.  He met with the CAP delegation shortly after the photo was taken.
Photo by Ryan Easterling, CAP National Headquarters

(5)
(From left) Col. Steve Kuddes, North Central Region commander; Col. Andrea Davis, Southwest Region vice commander; Air Force Lt. Col. Don Hensley. Southwest Liaison Region commander; Col. John Eggen, Arizona Wing commander; Col. Robert Britton, Arkansas Wing commander; and Lt. Col. Amos Plante, Louisiana Wing chief of staff, line one of the tables near the front of the 2009 Winter National Board meeting room. Davis represented Col. Joseph Jensen, Southwest Region commander, at the business session, and Plante was sitting in for Col. Michael DuBois, Louisiana Wing commander.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters

(6)
At the 2009 board meeting, CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter presents an Exceptional Service Award to 1st Lt. Tolga Tarhan of the California Wing’s Saddleback Composite Squadron 68, who received the award for his development of a software program that automates much of the work involved with labeling CAP photos to 1st Air Force standards. It is now being used by many CAP wings and squadrons nationwide.
Photo by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters



NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – During Civil Air Patrol’s 2010 Legislative Day this Thursday in Washington, D.C., the organization’s 52 wing and eight region commanders, as well as youth involved in the cadet program, will brief their congressional representatives on how CAP’s primary missions – search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs – have made a difference in their communities during fiscal year 2009.

“Our legislators, and the citizens they represent, are CAP’s stakeholders,” said Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, CAP national commander. “We want them to know what an incredible job CAP volunteers are doing in their communities both in the air and on the ground.”
CAP resources were put to work in 2009 in support of communities across America, making the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization a true force multiplier for the U.S. Air Force. CAP’s flying operations increased 6 percent last year, with volunteers logging 112,000 hours in CAP’s versatile fleet of 550 aircraft.

Members were credited with saving 72 lives through search and rescue missions, many because of advances in technology in which CAP is the known leader. Through the use of cell phone forensics and radar technology, many lives were saved by getting search and rescue personnel to survivors quickly. This was accomplished entirely by dedicated volunteers using their talents and education to help others. 

CAP’s disaster relief teams also provided critical support to communities nationwide. Personnel flew reconnaissance flights to assist emergency managers in combating forest fires, managing the effects of winter ice storms and dealing with massive flooding.

Legislative Day will be conducted in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting Feb. 26-27 at the Marriott Crystal City in Arlington, Va. The CAP National Board consists of 69 members representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The board is CAP’s policy-making arm and, in conjunction with the CAP Board of Governors, proposes amendments to the governing constitution and bylaws.

Speakers will include R. Philip Deavel, a member of the Senior Executive Service, who is deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Reserve Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), at the Pentagon. Within the Air Force, he is responsible for coordinating, planning and establishing policy for the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and CAP.
 

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MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – During Civil Air Patrol’s 2010 Legislative Day on Thursday, the organization’s 52 wing and eight region commanders, as well as youth involved in the cadet program, will personally brief their congressional representatives in Washington, D.C., on how CAP’s primary missions – search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs – have made a difference in their communities during fiscal year 2009.

“Our legislators, and the citizens they represent, are CAP’s stakeholders,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter. “We want them to know what an incredible job CAP volunteers are doing in their communities both in the air and on the ground.”

CAP resources were put to work in 2009 in support of communities across America, making the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization a true force multiplier for the U.S. Air Force. CAP’s flying operations increased 6 percent last year, with volunteers logging 112,000 hours in CAP’s versatile fleet of 550 aircraft.

Civil Air Patrol volunteers were credited with saving 72 lives through search and rescue missions, many of which are now due to advances in technology in which CAP is the known leader. Through the use of cell phone forensics and radar technology, many lives were saved by getting search and rescue personnel to survivors quickly. This was accomplished entirely by dedicated volunteers using their talents and education to help others. 

CAP’s disaster relief teams also provided critical support to communities nationwide. Personnel flew reconnaissance flights to assist emergency managers in combating forest fires, managing the effects of winter ice storms and dealing with massive flooding.

Legislative Day will be conducted in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting to be held Feb. 26-27 at the Marriott Crystal City in Arlington, Va. The CAP National Board consists of 69 members representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, within the organization’s eight regions. The board is CAP’s policy-making arm and, in conjunction with the CAP Board of Governors, proposes amendments to the governing constitution and bylaws.

Speakers will include R. Philip Deavel, a member of the Senior Executive Service, who is deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Reserve Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), at the Pentagon. Within the Air Force, he is responsible for coordinating, planning and establishing policy for the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Civil Air Patrol.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 59,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue CoordinationCenter and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 72 lives in fiscal year 2009. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 24,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 68 years. For more information on Civil Air Patrol, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.

INDIANA -- Members of the Terre Haute Senior Squadron and the group itself will be honored for outstanding service at the 2010 Indiana Wing Conference in April. Lt. Col. Reginald Paul, the wing's counter-drug officer, has been named Senior Member of the Year; Capt. Adam Springmeyer has been named Safety Officer of the Year. The squadron, Indiana's 93rd, will be recognized as the Senior Squadron of the Year.

FLORIDA -- Two Civil Air Patrol cyber defense teams from the Burlington Composite Squadron in Burlington, N.C., and Beach Cities Cadet Squadron 107 in Torrance, Calif., captured second and third place respectively at the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot II Championships in Orlando Friday. They finished just shy of first place, which was won by an Air Force Junior ROTC team from Clearfield High School in Clearfield, Utah. Two other CAP teams -- Willie Composite Squadron 304 and the Seacoast Composte Squadron in Portsmouth, N.H. -- also competed in the championships.