California Wing - Dec 2007

8/9/2019 California Wing - Dec 2007

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The Ofcial Magazine of California Wing Civil Air Patrol

Winter

2008

Fossett Search Members contribute expertise

State of the Wing Parris, Keilholtz, Prusak



Eagle Call is an authorized publication serving the

interests of the California Wing of the United States

Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol. A private rm thatis not connected with the Department of the Air Forceor with the Civil Air Patrol Corporation publishes it.

The appearance of advertisements in this publication,including supplements and inserts, does not constitutean endorsement by the U.S. Air Force or CAP of theproducts and services advertised herein.

Eagle Call encourages contributions from all CAPmembers, military personnel, and related agencies.

Material must be original, free of copyright constraint,unpublished, and submitted only to Eagle Call, whichreserves the right to approve, reject, edit, abridge orexpand any submission. Features must be discussed inadvance with the Editor, Capt. Greg Solman, at 909-338-5789.

Submission guidelines: As a thrice-yearly publication,the magazine is not suitable for dated material on rou-tine Squadron or Wing activities. PAOs and other cor-respondents should generally avoid rst-person voiceand subjects typical of newsletters. Use the Associated

Press Stylebook or read the latest magazine for style

points. Never imbed photographs within documentsunless jpgs are also submitted separately. Always

include contact information at the top of copy. Articlesshould include .jpg-extension photos of a minimum500K. Email editorial to [email protected] material should be sent California Wing CivilAir Patrol, P.O. Box 7688, Van Nuys, CA 91409. Forinformation on advertising rates and space availability,please call 800-635-6036.

Lt. Col. Jesus Muniz

Acting Wing Commander

Capt. Frank Geraty

Director of Public Affairs, Publisher

Capt. Gregory Solman, Editor

Capt. Chris Storey

Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Associate Editor

Maj. Sam SeneviratneTechnical & Scientic Editor

Photos by Lt. Col. John C. Jay

(Clockwise, from top):

A California Wing member inspects a map of the search

area.

Capt. Frank Duarte of San Jose Senior Squadron 80

peraes he Caifria Wig y-away radi ki. Lt. Col. Joseph Chizmadia of Los Angeles County Group 1

cducs a base brieg a 6 a.m. Sep. 11.

Lt. Col. Bill Gordon of San Jose Senior Squadron

87 cducs a igh crew brieg f Maj. Chares Russe,

missi pi, ad Sr. Mbr. Curis Gree, missi bserer,

both of Torrance Senior Squadron 129.

Calif. WingMembers Handle

Phase of Steve

Fossett SearchSearchers operate from Bishop, Calif., baseSeptember 11, 2007

ON THE COVER: The California

Wing’s Bishop, Calif., ightline at dawn before

the resumption of the search for Steve Fossett.

Reprinted from CAP News Online



Continued on page 7 . . .

Behind the headlines of the

search for missing avia-tor Steve Fossett, the res-

cue team included a Santa MariaCivil Air Patrol cadet who only

earned his emergency-responsecerticate six months ago.

John Gerrity, 15, may have joined a mission that drew inter-national attention, but that hadno bearing on the cadet.

“When we were on the

search, there wasn’t any press,”Gerrity said. “We were justdoing our jobs.”

Fossett has been missingsince Sept. 3, when he took off in a single-engine plane from aprivate airstrip about 80 milessoutheast of Reno, Nev.

A search was launched


Calif. Cadet Recalls Role in Searchfor Steve Fossett

September 27, 2007

Vandenberg Composite Squadron 101’sGerrity talks with newspaper

when Fossett - an adventurerand aviation record-holder -didn’t return, and more thantwo weeks later rescuers have

scoured an area twice the size of

New Jersey. Crews are combingrugged terrain along the Nevadaand California border.

Following the call to service,Gerrity said it was a hectic few

hours as he gathered his gear

and coordinated transportation.

“At the time I was think-ing it’s going to be a pretty bigoperation and we will be out

there a while,” he said.Gerrity, a cadet master ser-

geant - plus Cadet Lt. RobertFrederiksen of Santa Maria;

CALIFORNIA—Cadet Master Sgt. John Gerrity of Vandenberg Composite Squadron 101 talksabout his involvement in the ground search for missing aviator Steve Fossett in an interview with theSanta Maria Times that also includes praise for the cadet by the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Lisa Tuggle,and by st Lt. Chris Wickers.

Reprinted with permission from Santa Maria Times

September 24, 2007

By Malia Spencer/

Senior staff writer

CAP Teen Joins inFossett Search

Jh Gerriy is par f he Cii Air Par ad k par i he grud search ad

rescue fr See Fsse. He is e f he few seir cmmissied fcers i

he CAP hae eared his emergecy-respse cericae. //Brya Wa/Saff



5 5



7 7

Capt. Richard Bingham of ShellBeach; and Lt. Col. Tony Upton,of Santa Barbara - loaded a pair of Jeeps Sept. 14 and made a seven-

hour trek to Bishop to help in theCivil Air Patrol rescue mission.

The group are all membersof the Vandenberg CompositeSquadron 101, of the CaliforniaWing of the Civil Air Patrol.

The CAP is a national, non-profit organization that acts as

an auxiliary to the Air Force.

Created in 1941, the group hasthree main missions: aerospace

education, cadet programs andemergency services.

The group meets weekly atthe Santa Maria Public Airport

and at Vandenberg Air ForceBase. Cadets range in age from12 to 21, and through their train-ing learn to “become better mem-bers of society and understand

the meaning of national service”in addition to being available for

emergency response services,said CAP st Lt. Chris Wickers.

Civil Air Patrol personnel

conduct 95 percent of the inlandsearch-and-rescue operations in theU.S. When an aircraft goes down,or a distress beacon is activated,the CAP are thrown into action.

Once in Bishop, Gerrity and hiscolleagues were given their assign-ment at a 5 a.m. brieng Sept. 15.

The target - locate a possiblecrash site two hours away that

was spotted from the air. Thenif that turns out to be a dead

end, search a more than 200mile area for any sign of Fossett. “I wasn’t really expecting tond anything,” Gerrity said afterhis return. “After about the rst

two days, the chances of locat-ing something (or someone) godown dramatically.”

The group spent an hour and

a half “combing the area” for ablue object that was seen fromabove. Since Fossett was in a

blue aircraft, Gerrity said, of-cials wanted them to check it out. The area they were searching is

full of hills, canyons and desertbrush, Gerrity said, which madethe job difcult.

“It’s not that great of coun-try,” he said, seated in his dining

room in Santa Maria using hislaptop computer to zoom in onthe terrain with Google Earth.

In many searches, Gerritysaid, a distress beacon is heardon radio frequencies that rescu-ers can hone in on. But in thiscase, there is no beacon, so thesearch is blind, he said.

Despite the difculties asso-ciated with search and rescue

and the amount of training ittakes, it is clear Gerrity loveswhat he does. Recalling this

mission, Gerrity eagerly pointedout the areas they searched and

showed pictures of what they

encountered.

“It’s fun,” he said, noting thathis greatest interest right now in

CAP is emergency response, thoughying aircraft is up there too.

“We take pride in our job,”he added.

Unfortunately, the objectthey were looking for was not an

aircraft but a boat on someone’sproperty near Convict Lake.

The next target took the

group on a slight detour when

they received word from an air

crew of a C-130 of another pos-sible crash site, Gerrity said.But again - other than meetinga group of cowboys - the search

turned up empty.He was “not too disappointed,”

in not nding Fossett, although, it“would have been nice,” he said.

By the end of the day, thegroup was called back to base,though they were prepared to

spend up to three days in the wil-derness. It was also determinedthat since so many people werelooking for the missing plane,

CAP would be better served tohave Gerrity and the rest of hisgroup return to the Central Coast -in case CAP is needed else where.

The search for Fossett was

Gerrity’s first big mission, hesaid, and “one of the more farung” destinations.

Two previous searches

resulted in Gerrity finding thetargets. The rst was a malfunc-

tioning radio station that beganbroadcasting on the emergencyfrequency, Gerrity said, and theother was a distress beacon acti-vated during the recent Thunder

Over the Valley Air Show.At the air show, a helicopter

that was giving rides landed too

hard and the beacon was switched

on, Gerrity said. As part of thedetail working the air show, he wasdispatched to nd the beacon.

Since the aircraft wasn’tactually in trouble, and contin-ued to fly, locating the targetwas tricky as it kept moving, hesaid laughing.

Gerrity is a senior noncom-missioned officer within the

Teen joins in Fossett searchContinued from page 3 . . .

Continued . . .



9 9

C A L I F O R N I A – D i a b l o

Composite Squadron 44 hasmade its presence felt in theeffort to locate famed aviatorSteve Fossett, sending threeexperienced search and res-cue professionals as well as a

Cessna aircraft to aid the teamsbased in Minden, Nev., and inBishop, Calif.

Capt. Jim Anthony, assignedto the Minden mission base,

acted as the incident com-mand coordinator for California.He was responsible for coordi-nating operations between the

Minden and Bishop bases.In addition, 1st Lt. Spiro

Calif. Squadron ContributesExpertise to Steve Fossett

Search

Diablo Composite Squadron 44 sr. members ll positions of responsibility

September 20, 2007

Mitsanas acted as the communi-

cations unit leader for the Bishopbase. His responsibilities includ-ed all communications betweenunits in the field and aircraft

in the air, as well as commu-nications to the Minden base.

Lt. Col. Dennis Edmondson,t h e D i a b l o s q u a d r o n ’ sc o m m a n d e r , w a s p a r t o f the Planning Section at the

Bishop base. That section is

responsible for developing an

action plan for the search person-nel and for analyzing incident

status information and anticipat-ing resources needed.

group, Wickers said, and is oneof the few to get credentialed for

emergency response.“He is very focused and

motivated and has a true senseof service to the community andnational service,” Wickers said.

CAP Lt. Col. Lisa Tuggle,squadron commander, agreed,and said Gerrity is always one of the rst to volunteer.

“He is a leader in the emer-gency classes for most of thecadets and one of the rst alwaysout to help on emergency res-cue,” Tuggle said, adding thatshe is exceeding pleased with

Gerrity and all her cadets.Many CAP cadets enter the

Air Force Academy upon highschool graduation, but Gerritysaid he isn’t sure he wants topursue a military career. Sofar he is focusing on learning

and having fun with the CAP.

HOW TO JOIN:Potential members of the

Civil Air Patrol are urged to

attend meetings prior to join-ing. The Vandenberg CompositeSquadron 101 meets Wednesdaynights, twice a month at theSanta Maria Public Airport

and twice on Vandenberg AirForce Base. For more informa-tion call Lt. Col. Lisa Tuggle at

478-2438 or see the squadronWeb site, www.cap101.org. Malia Spencer can be reached

at 739-2219 or [email protected]. The AssociatedPress contributed to this report.

Teen joins in Fossett

searchContinued . . .

It is not the critic who counts;not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,or where the doer of deeds

could have done them better. The credit belongs to the manwho is actually in the arena,whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; whostrives valiantly; who errs, whocomes short again and again,because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;but who does actually strive todo the deeds; who knows great

Theodore Roosevelt26th President of the United States

enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at thebest knows in the end the

triumph of high achievement,and who at the worst, if hefails, at least fails while daringgreatly, so that his place shallnever be with those cold and

timid souls who neither knowvictory nor defeat.

2nd Lt. Jordan Edmund

Public Affairs Ofcer

Diablo Composite Squadron 44

California Wing




The Civi l Air Pat rol i s

responsible for more than 90

percent of the aircraft search andrescue activities in the continen-tal United States.

This week, a group of kidsget a taste of what the CAP is

all about.

About 150, 12 to 20-year-olds are taking part in the Civil

Calif. Wing Cadet Encampment Covered by Local TV Station

Camp San Luis Obispo session draws some 150

August 22, 2007

CALIFORNIA—The California Wing Cadet Encampment, which drew about 150 cadets to Camp SanLuis Obispo, is the subject of a news segment broadcast by KSBY, the NBC afliate in San Luis Obispo.The segment features interviews with Lt. Col. Bill Taylor of Saddleback Composite Squadron 68, campcommandant, and two cadets—Daniel Rauch of Santa Barbara Composite Squadron 131 and ChristopherCallaway of the Michigan Wing’s Livingston Composite Squadron, both of whom were especiallyimpressed by a Blackhawk helicopter ride.

Reprinted with permission from KSBY TV

Civil Air Patrol’s Teenage Cadets LearnLeadership at Camp San Luis Obispo

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Reported by: Shari Small

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

Continued . . .




Air Patrol’s Cadet Programbeing held this week at CampSan Luis Obispo. Cadets live in

encampments on base for 8 days

while they train. It’s structuredmuch like boot camp.

“It uses a military model forthe training, but really all weare trying to teach is leadership.

Some of them may exercise thatin the military. [It] works just aswell in the corporate world,” saidCivil Air Patrol Chief Tactical

Ofcer Lt. Col. William Taylor.In existence since 1941,

the al l voluntary Civil AirPatrol’s three missions areemergency service and rescue,aerospace education and cadet

training programs.“It’s very difficult waking

up early and going to bed really

late. Having to make your bunksand stuff, but it’s fun,” said cadetDaniel Rauch.

Hands down , a ride in a

Chinook CH-47 helicopter is thehighlight of the week.

Cadets learn leadershipContinued . . .

a few bon res, go around. ButI got to y in a Blackhawk heli-copter, ma’am. That was mysummer. I’m definitely havinga good time,” said 16-year-oldcadet Christopher Callaway.

Building teamwork andleadership skills, while havingthe time of their lives.

“Honestly, it’s an indescrib-able feeling ma’am. It’s awe-

some. Most people just dreamof being able to do that. We

get to do that, and I’m only 16ma’am,” said Callaway.

Most cadets at Camp SanLuis Obispo are from California.A few are from other states.

They graduate from the pro-gram Sunday.

Many go on to volunteer in

the Civil Air Patrol as adults.

h t t p : / / w w w . k s b y . c o m / global/story.asp?s=6944585

It definitely was for 12-year-old cadet Daniel Rauchof Goleta.

“It was very amazing,” saidDaniel Rauch.

“Something you’re nevergoing to forget?” asked reporterShari Small

“I’m never going to forgetit,” replied Rauch.

“I definitely had one heck

of a summer. Most of my budsstayed back there. Maybe have



15 15

Several years ago the Air Force put on a

multi-media recruitment campaign whoseslogan was entitled “Aim High.” The slogan

wasn’t about what you would do with a gun orbow-and-arrow, or something the Biblical heroDavid might have applied to his encounter withGoliath. In today’s world those words are meant tounlock the potential in all of us.

Years ago I sat in the cockpit of a T-38 await-ing the start of a “familiarization” ight while at

AF-ROTC summer encampment at PlattsburghAFB in upstate New York. Until then I had neverbeen near any airplane, let alone a supersonic jet.I sat there exhilarated and petried, thinking thatsomeday the Air Force will want me to actually yone of these jets…alone! I set two goals for thatight: not to get sick, and to keep my eyes openthe entire time. (I failed the rst test, but kept myeyes open…well, most of the time.) I set highergoals for myself after that ight. I did solo in theT-38 and I ended up back at Plattsburgh ying theFB-111.

We sometimes come across roadblocks in ourendeavors when aiming high. Sometimes thoseroadblocks are of our own making, whether bornout of fear or of preconceived notions.

Sometimes aiming high is a daunting task.That’s where true leaders shine.

I firmly believe the job of any leader is tocommunicate, motivate and recognize potential, as

well as reach, teach, and inspire.Communicate: Every commander and supervi-

sor must make informational transfer a top priorityif they are to succeed. The communicate/reachphase is where you clearly identify the goals of

the organization and your people. You cannotexpect the people in your charge to aim high without information. Information is the lifeline of anyorganization and, as a leader, you are the conduitof that information.

Information is not a one-way street either.Information must flow up and down the organi-zational structure, constantly and consistently.You will fail as a leader if you don’t believe thisis true.

Motivate: Motivating and recognizingpotential go hand in hand. In CAP, like the AirForce, we challenge our people to discover thatpotential by providing skill training and then valu-able hands-on experience. Whether its in opera-tions, logistics or cadet programs, we are all giventhe tools to excel. Its up to the commanders andsupervisors to instill the condence and promotethe self-esteem that allows subordinates to excel.It’s not really hard to do.

Recognize potential: You’d be surprised howfar a little recognition can go to bolster someone’sself image. Pride goes a long way, and once ourpeople have it, they can set goals for themselves

Aim Highfor Endless Potential

The Richest Target Opportunities Come to Leaders Who Communicate, Motivate, and

Recognize Member Potential

By Lt. Col. Mike Prusak, USAF,

California Wing Liaison Ofcer

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

Continued . . .



17 17

and their organization. Take the time to shakesome hands and inspire some dreams. All ourfolks, cadets and seniors, should be treated likepotential leaders.

When aiming high, don’t be in a hurry.Instant communications sometimes becomesinstant-gratification, which sometimes leadsto cutting corners to the point of violation of

personal or institutional integrity. Don’t move ata snail’s pace, either. It is possible to lose sightof our goals along the way. Whether you comefrom operations or logistics, for example, guideyour folks to accept challenges rather than being

repelled by the complexity. Individuals shouldfocus primarily on opportunities and not dwell

upon problems.If you are in a leadership position, setting

only your own personal goals high is selsh andcertainly not beneficial to your organization.

Help your folks lift their sights by sharing someof the leadership with them. Then give themyour support when they make decisions. Yourorganization will become healthier as you allendeavor to “aim high.”

Aim high for endless potentialContinued . . .

Some people call me Old Glory; others call me the Star Spangled

Banner. But whatever they call me, I am your Flag, the Flag o theUnited States o America. Something’s been bothering me. I thoughtI might talk it over with you, because it’s about you and me.

I remember, not too long ago, when people lined up on both sideso the street to watch the parade and naturally, I was leading every

parade, proudly waving in the breeze.When your daddy rst saw me coming, he immediately removed his

hat with his right hand and placed it against his let shoulder so hishand would rest directly over his heart. Remember that?And you, you were younger then, I remember you standing there

straight as a soldier. You didn’t havea hat but you were giving a handright (right hand?) salute. Remember your little sister? Not to be

outdone she was saluting the same way as your dad, with her righthand over her heart...remember?

What’s happened? I’m still the same old fag. Oh, I have a ew morestars since you were a boy, and a lot more blood has been shed sincethose parades o long ago but now, I don’t eel as proud as I used to.

When I come down your street in the same type o parade, someo you stand there with your hands in your pockets and I may get a

small glance rom you, but you otentimes look away. And I see your

small children running around and shouting and playing. They don’t

seem to know who I am or what I represent. I saw one man take hishat o and look around and when he didn’t see anybody else withtheir hats o, he quickly put it back on.

Is it a sin to be patriotic anymore? Have you orgotten what I standor and where I’ve been? Anzio, Guadalcanal, Bataan, Korea, and

Vietnam. Take a look at the Memorial Honor Roll sometime. You’llsee the names o those who ought to keep this country ree, those

who bled and suered and died or those o you who are standing,not saluting, not telling your children about me.Remember these words?...One Nation Under God...when you salute

me you are saluting these brave people who have, in act, given theirtomorrow’s so you could have your today’s.

Well, it won’t be long beore I’ll be coming down your street again.So when you see me, think about what I just told you. Think about

what I stand or. Stand erect, place your right hand over your heart,and tell your children and riends to do the same. As you saluteme, I’ll salute you back, by waving to you. And I’ll know that...YOU

REMEMBERED!

- Unknown Author -



19 19

Eagle Call: Understandingthat there may be some things

that cannot be publicly dis-

cussed, can you explain to

members what has happened

in California Wing’s command

structure and how you nally

came to be our Commander?

Ken Parris: It was publiclyannounced by the Region

Commander Col. Ernie Pearsont ha t t he Ca l i f o r n i a W i ng

Commander’s position wasvacant and that he had appointed

Col. Larry Myrick as the interimWing Commander. At thattime it was also announced theselection process was going

to be conducted in accordance

with existing CAP policies

and procedures [see CAPR

35-9, Board of Governors andWing Commander SelectionProcedures]. Having served asthe Wing’s Vice Commander,I submitted my application forconsideration. While I nevercoveted the position of Wing

Commander, I felt it was myobligation to the membershipand to the Wing to submit myname for consideration. As theVice Commander and formerInspector General and GroupCommander I knew that I wasfamiliar with many of the issuesand areas of concern that existed

in the Wing.

EC: When did you join Civil

Air Patrol and what has been

View of Parris

A Candid Conversation with Col. K.W. Parris, CAWG Commander,

on Where He’s Coming From and Where CAWG is Heading

your experience in it?

KP: I joined CAP in July, 1976,as a cadet in Florida Wing.

Having earned my MitchellAward, I transferred to CaliforniaWing in January, 1978. I was amember of Squadron 18, thenat the Oakland InternationalAirport. During my time as acadet, I completed all cadet

achievements, earning the EakerAward and the grade of cadet

lieutenant colonel. I had alsoserved as the Squadron Cadet

Commander. Accepting a com-mission in the U.S. Army, Ichanged my membership statusto senior member. But sinceI was only 19 years old at thetime, I had to be appointed aCAP Chief Warrant Ofcer [now

TFO]. The Wing Commanderbrought it to the attention of

National HQ that it did not makesense for a CAP member to bea U.S. Army Second Lieutenantand be prohibited from being aCAP Second Lieutenant because

he was not yet years of age.

So National HQ promoted meto the grade of CAP Second

Lieutenant when I was only 20years old.

As a senior member I haveserved as a squadron commanderin two squadrons and Group 2Commander for a total of over 13years CAP command experience.I have also served on Wing Staff in the Operations Directorate,as Wing Inspector General and

Wing Vice Commander.

EC: How would you describe

your philosophy of command?

KP: I am a strong believer incollaborative leadership, involv-ing stakeholders in the deci-sion-making process to ensurethe development of the bestpossible ideas. The collabora-

tive leadership approach alsoensures the Wing continues to

develop future leaders by engag-ing individuals with potential

for greater responsibility and

higher office in the problemsolving process, development of plans and the implementation of new programs. However, as theWing Commander I recognizeit is my responsibility to act

in the best interest of the Civil

Air Patrol, California Wing,and the membership. I take fullresponsibility for the decisions

that are made.

EC: What have you learned

from Commanders under

whom you’ve served?

KP: It is difcult to summarizein this brief article all that I havelearned from individuals underwhom I’ve been privilegedto serve. California Wing has

been very fortunate to have had

exceptional leaders like Cols.

Pearson, Brammer, Myrick andNelson who have served as Wing

Continued . . .

STATE OF THE WING



Commanders. I was fortunate tohave served under the late Col.

Ed Lewis, Jr. He was one of my

mentors and a good friend. Asyou may know, I have dedicatedmy tenure as Wing Commanderto his memory.

If I had to sum up what Ihave learned from each of theseoutstanding individuals it would

have to be to “do the right thing,for the right reason, all of thetime,” “treat everyone withrespect and dignity” and “always

put the needs and concernsof the members first.” I hopethat my tenure as your WingCommander will be emblematicof these principles.

EC: What are your thoughts

on how California Wing could

improve in various areas?

What are your goals?

KP: I outlined by goals andobjectives for the Wing in myaddress at the Wing conference

last November. I hope that manyof you were able to be there to

share that vision. For those who

could not be there, let me sum-marize my talk in three words:commitment, accountability andpreparedness.

We need to be committed

as an organization to our mem-bers, to our mission and to ourcustomers. We exist in orderto serve these three importantstakeholders. I think at timeswe have been mired in processrather than outcome. I hope thatin redirecting the Wings’ com-mitment we can get through the

malaise brought on by the pro-cess and reach towards achiev-ing the desired outcome; our

goal at being the best at what wedo in all areas.

Accountability has been

troublesome for the Wing inthe past. We, as an organiza-tion, need to be accountable toour members, our customers,higher headquarters and to the

American people. We are a vol-unteer organization that depends

upon the good intentions of our

members and their continuedsupport through dues and offer-ing of their precious time. TheWing needs to be accountable

for these important and valuableresources. Otherwise, our mem-bers will go elsewhere to give of

themselves. We also need to besure that we are able to account

for our activities and our “stuff”if we want to continue to acquire

support from our customers,higher headquarters, and theAmerican people. There are a lotof appropriated funds expended

by CAP—funds that are gener-ated by tax dollars and appropri-ated by Congress for expenditure

in support of CAP’s missions. Itis essential that every memberunderstand the magnitude of thetrust placed in us by our fellow

citizens.Finally, preparedness. Are

we ready for the missions of the 21st century? We need tobe smarter about how we seeCAP’s missions of the future.September 11th, 2001, changedthe way in which many of usview the world. Has it changed

how we see CAP’s role in thatnew world? We will be examin-ing how CAP’s missions con-

tinue to evolve and explore newareas where we can be of service

to our nation and our neighbors.

EC: What is the most dra-

matic change Wing members

should expect in the immedi-

ate future?

KP: I don’t believe mem-bers should expect “dramatic”

changes in the future but a con-tinued evolution into new and

changing roles in the post-9/11world. However, if we wantto identify something that themembers should experience dif-ferently, everyone should findmission reimbursements beingprocessed much faster and time-lier than in the past. We have

hired a Wing bookkeeper, Ms.

Terrie Singleton, who will beprocessing the reimbursements.We have worked to streamlinethis process in addition to catch-ing up all the unpaid outstanding

reimbursements. This has been amonumental task but we can seelight at the end of the tunnel.

As you may know, we haveshifted to the Wing banker sys-tem and will be moving to con-

solidated aircraft maintenancelater this year. These are sig-nicant changes in the way wehave been doing business in the

past. Like any change, there willbe some discomfort and evenresistance. But it is important forus to note that these changes are

View of ParrisContinued . . .




Continued . . .

Eagle Call: How long have youbeen involved in Emergency

Services (ES), and how has the

job changed over the years?

Bob Keilholtz: I started as acadet in the early ‘70s. Emer-gency Locator Transmittors(ELTs) and Direction Finding(DF’ing) were just gett ingstarted, and all the training was

by trial and error. I remembergoing out on weekend training

with Bruce Gordon (the L-perinventor), Lou Dartanner, PatRobinson, Jim Beggins, some of whom are still active in CAP, toname a few. We had fun, andlearned how to nd ELTs with-out the aid of the Search and

Rescue Satellites (SARSATs).I guess we may see those days

again next year when they turnthe SARSATs off.

EC: What will be the adjust-

ments on our end of that?

BK: We will need greater use

of Aircraft and ground teamsto take long range bearings

from mountain tops and highspots. Just like we did in the

early ‘70s. Back then we didn’thave radar tracks to help us. We

had many more missions likethe [adventurer and aviatorSteve] Fossett search, and oftennever located out target. We had

missions that lasted for severalweeks going seven days a week

in unheard of places like Fox

Capt. Bob Keilholtz Scores the ES Mission Readiness of CAWG’s

Misty Past, Nebulous Present, and Hazy Future

Asking for the Tasking

Field, Lancaster, Gillespie Field,San Diego, Chino, Twenty-nine

Palms, Blythe and Brackettairports. Back then, some of those airports were kind of

obscure. I remember weekendswith 50 or more aircraft anda bunch of [North AmericanAviation Texan] T-6s, [Cessna305] Birdogs, and Cessna 150s.Now most missions are overwith hours with the help of

ELTs, radar, and computers.Over the years, as we’ve got-ten all this technology, we’vebecome more efficient in ourmissions. And the Wing handlesmany more missions beyondsearch-and-rescue. We regularlyhad missions like blood transportin the past; then it was seen as

infringing upon [the business of

private contractors]. But we’veadded missions like counter-

drug, homeland security, andmore disaster relief.

EC: What exactly are your

current duties? Are you still

overseeing our Emergency

Services duties?

BK: I am currently assigned toWing and oversee missions asthe “chief” Incident Commanderfor southern California. I’m notconsidered the DOS any longer.

That job is currently being heldLt. Col. David Boehm. Lt. Col.Steve Asche is, in a newly cre-ated position, in charge of spe-cial projects, and Lt. Col. RonButts is director of operations.

STATE OF THE WING





27 27

Continued . . .

transparent, elaborate call-for-warding system for our memberowned cell phones, so when they

left nobody knew it. We over-whelmed the base resources andran out of toilet paper. The FBOis run a by a county employeewho gets $8 an hour. Seriously,we were told we were overtax-ing the resources!

EC: Did we give that search

more attention because it was

for Fossett?

BK: I’m sure that the addedcelebrity factor didn’t hurt atgetting us needed resources for

the mission.

EC: How does California’s

mission load compare to other

states?

BK: California always ranks

at or near the top for missions,and our numbers are even moreskewed because many of ourmissions have more than oneincident (i.e., ELT) assigned toit. I have been on several mis-sions where we had over a dozen

ELTs located under one mis-sion number over a wide area of southern California.

EC: Is the number of UDF andGround Teams and mission-

ready pilots and crews suffi-

cient to prosecute California’s

mission demand?

B K : N o , n o t i n s o u t h e r nCalifornia. Northern and centralCalifornia are in much better

shape, but Southern Cal has allthe volume. We are always put-ting out additional requests for

resources. We have been luckyto keep up with the missions wehave had. We are burning out

our crews. The reality is that

it takes years of training to get

people up to a level where they

are truly good at what they do.

The day-to-day missions buildneeded experience that will be

used on later missions, espe-cially the tough ones involving,

for example, a crashed aircraftin the mountains. Our trainingrarely reflects real life condi-tions encountered from signalsemitting from a balled-up air-craft, upside down, with a bro-ken antenna, in a boxed canyon.That is what an ELT in a hangar

on a shelf can fairly replicate.

EC: What are your recom-

mendations on how to developadequate manpower on the

squadron level?

BK: Members such as DeniseEdwards and Bob Miller, JanOstrat and Mitch Richman, asexamples, put on needed train-ing. The problem is getting thosefolks that have taken the training

and getting them into the eld. It

takes equipment, more training,time, money, transportation,radios, and a huge amount of commitment, not to mentiongetting on the Wing’s alertingsystem. Our folks need to reallyget involved in more Wing-widetraining and exercises to see

how others do their missions.

The local units do a good job butwe need to expand our training

beyond the local units to prevent

“inbreeding.” I think it took mewell over ve years and a hun-dred missions before it startedto come together for me. I stilllearn things these days that Iknow I will apply somewhereinto the future.

EC: What are the Wing’s

strengths and weaknesses in

prosecuting ES missions?

BK: Our strength is that we get

the missions done! On averagewe have one mission per day.That is more than a few dozenother wings combined for a fullyear. There are Wings that rarely

get any missions, they are allhandled by the sheriff or other

SAR resources. So I consider uslucky. The State OES (Ofce of

Emergency Services) and sher-iffs departments give CaliforniaWing almost complete controlover our missions. Look at theFossett mission between Nevadaand California: The state andthe county sheriffs in California

let us run a very high-profilemission, with CAP fully in com-mand, versus Nevada, whichwas run under their state OES

equivalent. The state trustedus wi th a huge amount of responsibility with little on-sitesupervision. I don’t think thereis another wing in CAP that has

such a trusted and professional

relationship with other agencies.

Asking for the taskingContinued . . .



29 29


E C : W h a t a r e y o u r

thoughts on virtual mission

bases?

BK: My idea of the perfect

base is three computers, a ve-line telephone, heating and airconditioning, a secretary, hotfood served at your workstation,private ofces, hot showers anda bed. In other words, my home.Our missions are so informationintense that we have little timeto open a base. Radar tracks

now come within hours, ELTsget us to the crash sites quickly,too. In the rst hour or two of amission the IC is overwhelmedwith information and communi-cations. Four or ve experiencedpeople using interconnected

computers, instant messaging,cell phones, faxes and radios caneasily run a mission with up tove or ten aircraft, and ground

teams, from their homes. Astime permits, we can alwaysopen a base if required. The

Fossett mission was set up atan unfamiliar location severalhundred miles from the L.A.or the San Francisco Bay areas,in just a few hours, by six peo-ple. During the first few days

we ran the base with five base

staff and up to 15 aircraft and

one ground team with little orno infrastructure. The com-mand (computer) resources usedthere were the same that wewould use at our homes or at ourSAR evals. We need to do morewith fewer personnel and faster.

E C : H o w ’ s o u r r e s p o n s e

time?

BK: It can always be improved.

What people have to under -stand is that everybody who

gets involved [in a SAR mis-sion] should take their comfort-able day-to-day clothing andgo into a walk-in cooler at aconvenience store. Sit there for

ten or 15 minutes. That’s whatmany of the people who havesurvived a crash experience

for many hours, in addition to

suffering significant injuries.Once you’ve understood theirposition, it makes our discom-fort and sacrifice of being on

ground teams or working late atnight pale in comparison. And itgives you respect for the need to

respond quickly and profession-ally, because literally their livesare in our hands.

EC: Why doesn’t the Wingand/or Air Force provide

direction-nding equipment, as

it has in the past, particularly

with the some member-owned

equipment becoming obsolete

and new sticks pricey?

BK: I know they have beenpurchasing additional equip-ment at [CAP] national, but as

with all things it comes downto money. I know there are overone hundred L-Pers that shouldbe out there at the unit levels in

California Wing, but over theyears they have gotten “mis-placed” or broken. And it takesmore than sticks. It takes people,radios, pagers, vehicles, time

and...money. They all seem inshort supply.

EC: Clearly there is inequity inthe Incident Commander duty.

At last reckoning, Eagle Call

determined that you alone

were handling nearly half of

the state’s missions. Is there a

plan to develop more ICs?

BK: Yes, but [CAP] nationalrequires all ICs to have achievedmany of the ratings below the

IC level before becoming anIC trainee. As an example, youmust have achieved a Standardrating in Operations, Planning,Logistics, and Finance, to name just a few. Plus you must bea mission pilot, observer orscanner and/or ground team,ground team leader and soon. With few missions anymore,it is hard to find experienced

applicants. We have been fast-tracking applicants that meet,or closely meet, some of theserequirements. Many of our ICsare getting up in their years and

we need young and new blood

to replace us. Being an IC is ademanding job where a missioncan last for days. Most of our

ICs cannot get the time fromwork or family to do this on a

day to day basis. The missionoverload may change whenthe SARSATs stop sending

121.5 data. We’ll see. My betis that we’ll see fewer missionsthat will take longer with the

need for more ground and UDFteams, monitoring stations,

Asking for the taskingContinued . . .



30 30

NATIONALH E A D Q U A R T E R S — T w onationally recognized, highlyregarded members of the CivilAir Patrol – Col. Edwin W.Lewis Jr., director of operationsfor CAP’s Pacific Region, andCol. Dion E. DeCamp, com-

mander of CAP’s Nevada Wing– died Thursday evening whentheir CAP plane crashed south

of Las Vegas.

Lewis had traveled to NellisAir Force Base in Las Vegas todrop off a CAP airplane to be

used as an airshow display. He

Co. ewn W. lws,

J., cto of

otons fo Cap

Pacifc Region

Co. don e. dCm,

Cap commn of

Nevada Wing

CAP Leaders Die in Plane Crash

Pacic Region director of operations, Nev. Wing commander

were en route to Rosamond, Calif.

November 09, 2007

30



and DeCamp where apparentlyen route to Rosamond, Calif.,Lewis’ hometown, when thecrash occurred.

Lewis and DeCamp hadenjoyed long and distinguishedcareers, both in the U.S. AirForce and CAP. Most recently,both men were actively involvedin the search for legendary

American aviator Steve Fossett.Lewis, 71, had served in the

Civil Air Patrol for more than 50years. He was a former nationalvice commander, elected in

August 1993. He served in thatcapacity for one year. Beforethat, he served as Pacic Regioncommander for four years. Healso was California Wing com-mander from 1978 to 1982.

Lewis was both a CAP and

USAF command pilot with morethan 28,000 ight hours.

He retired from Pan Am as acommercial airline pilot in 1989

to become a research pilot withNASA. Since 1997, he workedat Dryden Flight Research

Center at Edwards Air Force

Base, Calif., where he instructedin four aircraft – C-12, C-20A,DC-8 and T-34C – supportingNASA-Dryden flight test pro-grams. He also was the center’saviation safety ofcer.

Lewis’ mil i tary awardsinclude the Distinguished Flying

Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal,Meritorious Service Medal and

others. His CAP awards include

Distinguished Service Medals,Exceptional and Meritorious

Service Awards, Gill RobbWilson Award, the Search andRescue ribbon, and others.

Lewis was a region advisor

for the Fossett search.

He is survived by his wife, theformer Midge Chrestenson, and

two adult sons, Eric and Steven.

DeCamp, 73 , o f Reno ,Nev., became commander of the Nevada Wing in 2003. Mostrecently, he led the wing’s initialsearch efforts for Fossett, whodisappeared on Labor Day dur-ing a solo ight in Nevada. Thesearch for Fossett, who has yetto be found, was the largest in

the Civil Air Patrol’s modern-day history.

DeCamp’s wife, CAP Lt.Col. E.J. Smith, also served assearch incident commander dur-ing the Fossett mission. He issurvived by adult son, Michael,and two daughters, Kristin andGayle.

DeCamp joined CAP in1994. He served as Nevada Wing

director of operations, vice com-mander, representative to theNevada state SAR Board andPacic Region director of opera-tions training before becom-ing Nevada Wing commander. DeCamp was a CAP and USAFcommand pilot with more than27,000 ight hours. He was retiredfrom the California Air NationalGuard, served in Vietnam andflew C-130 missions world-wide. He retired, as captain,from American Airlines in 1994. The cause of the c rash i s

unknown at this time. A fullinvestigation by the NationalT r a n s p o r t a t i o n S a f e t y

Board is scheduled to begin. “The CAP family is deeply

saddened by this tremendousloss,” said Brig. Gen. AmyS . C o u r t e r , C A P i n t e r i mnational commander. “Therewere no finer members thanCol. DeCamp and Col. Lewis. “Their illustrious volunteer ser-vice, which collectively spannedmore than seven decades ,touched innumerable lives andnow, in sorrow, consoles thoseleft behind as a testament to theirdedication and commitment tothe citizens of their respective

communities.”

Because I y

I laugh more than other men

I look up and see more than they,

I know how the clouds feel,

What it’s like to have the

blue in my lap,

to look down on birds,

to feel freedom in a thing

called the stick. . .

Who but I can slice betweenGod’s billowed legs,

and feel them laugh and crash

with His step

Who else has seen the

unclimbed peaks?

The rainbow’s secret?

The real reason birds sing?

Because I Fly,

I envy no man on earth.

- Anonymous -



Continued . . .

Eagle Call: How would you

rate our mission readiness?

Mike Prusak: No comment.

EC: Allow me to rephrase. As

a Wing, how well do we pros-

ecute our emergency-services

missions?

MP: As evidenced by the re-sponse to the [aviator Steve]Fossett search and the southern

California fires, CAWG hasperformed exceptionally. Theseactions have been lauded at the

highest levels at CAP-USAFand the st Air Force. Within

minutes of taking pictures of items of DOD interest, 1st Air

Force was being briefed. CAWGhas a lot to be proud of for this

past summer and fall.

EC: Has t her e been any

improvement in our contri-

butions to the ROTC Flight

Orientation Program?

MP: The primary objective of the AF-ROTC Flight OrientationProgram is to help provide acomplete and well-rounded edu-cation in all aspects of the United

States Air Force to AF-ROTCcadets. This is accomplished byexposing AF-ROTC cadets toflight operations and pilots of

CAP serving in their role as the

USAF Auxiliary. This interac-

Between CAWG andThe Pentagon

As California Wing’s Decade-Long Liaison to the USAF,

Lt. Col. Mike Prusak Comments on CAWG’s Heading and Attitude

tion should benet the USAF byproviding motivational trainingand experience to America’syouth and future leaders of the

USAF. CAWG pilots are doinga great job making this programwork. Some of the challenges weface come from the AF-ROTCunits themselves. This is an

elective program and sometimesit’s difficult to bring them tothe water trough...but that is mychallenge. CAP is meeting theirobligations to this program.

EC: Where are we doing a

good (or at least adequate) job

and what are the areas most in

need of improvement? Are we

badly in need of an attitude

adjustment, so to speak?

MP: My biggest challenge with

CAWG has always been itsinability to come up with a train-ing plan that best ts its overalltraining needs. We have given

back to the USAF thousands

of dollars every year because

CAWG has not been able to useit all. With future taskings on

the horizon there is absolutely

no excuse for not using every

training dollar, and more.

EC: How would you describe

the Air Force’s relationship to

and current d i s pos i t i on

toward CAP?

MP: CAP is coming into its ownas a full-time partner with USAF.With CAP integrating into

the Web Mission InformationReporting System (WMIRS), atwo-star general has day-to-dayoversight of CAP operational

activities, and that’s 24/7. TheUSAF is searching daily for

thing we can do, short of goingto war. I do not see any changesin the CAP-USAF relationshipother than an increase in opera-tional tempo for CAP.

EC: How did you come to your

position?

MP: On an actual mission in1998, I stopped at the mission

base of record in Nevada, whereI met the Nevada State Director.Turns out we both ew F-111’s,but in different wings. He told

me about his job and mentionedthat the California state director

was leaving. I applied.During my last three years

on active duty I was an activemember of CAP. Not only wasI a fully qualied mission pilot,but I was also the CAP SquadronCommander at McClellan AFB.My claim to fame in CAP wasarranging to have the Secretary

of the Air Force, who was vis-iting McClellan on business,present several senior membersand cadets with awards.

STATE OF THE WING



35 35

Between CAWG and The PentagonContinued . . .

EC: What’s your outlook for

2008? What’s on the horizon

for CAP?

MP: I don’t see our missionchanging per say. Just more of it. As more agencies find outCAWG’s capabilities, I trulyfeel more tasking is imminent.CAP, in conjunct ion wi thUSAF, is looking for more waysto use emerging technology tomake CAP a more viable asset

to all concerned. Satellite digitalimaging (SDIS) is becoming acapability of choice by manyagencies. Hyperspectral Imaging(ARCHER) is a developingcapability in CAP with potential

missions’ capabilities we havenot done in the past.

EC: I’m guessing you hear

all our complaints. What’s

the most common, and whatcan be done to rectify the

situation?

MP: Most of the complaintscome from those who missthe “good old days” and wishthey did not have to be con-nected to the electronic age. Itruly believe that if each squad-ron had a mentor/expert who

could help demystify some of these electronic idiosyncrasies

(like WMIRS, IMU, WMU) andother on-line requirements, a lotof these members would feelmore comfortable embracing theinevitable.

and aircraft.

EC: Do you get the sense that

ES personnel are demoral-

ized by what’s happeningtoday, both in the Wing and

National?

BK: I hear our folks are tiredof over- regulat ions , toughrequirements and more. But ourstandards for search and rescue

are no harder than most otherSAR teams. Many teams requiretheir folks to be EMTs or know

advanced rst aid, PC832 (PeaceOfficer) weekly training, andmonthly field exercises. Withour busy lifestyles it’s hard tospend time with our families aswell as CAP. The reality is that

being good at search and rescue

cannot just happen overnightor even in a few months. Goodpilot skills take years just asgood SAR takes years. I was

never one that wanted to cutcorners in training our folks. Iwant and expect a highly com-petent and qualied rescuer outthere looking for me if I crashin my aircraft—and I expectnothing less.

Asking for the taskingContinued from page 29 . . .

in the best interest of CAP and

the Wing. I ask for everyone’spatience and cooperation in get-ting these programs established

and functioning.

EC: Do you sense that the

Wing is bemused, if not dispir-

ited, by the direction CAP

is going, on both the national

and state level?

KP: No, I think of myself as anoptimist. Change isn’t alwayscomfortable but it is an oppor-

tunity. If we wallow in ourmisery and complaints aboutwhat hasn’t worked in the pastthen we miss the opportunity toeffect a change for the better in

the future. There are very excit-ing times ahead for CAP. Withthe new national pilot program,Volunteers in Support of theAir Force (VSAF), underway Ibelieve we will be seeing more

and more missions in support of the USAF coming to CAP. CAPhas to get out of the business

of being the nation’s “best keptsecret” and demonstrate we are“the few who have been doing

so much with so little for solong that we can do just aboutanything with nothing.” I chal-lenge and invite all my fellowCalifornia Wing members to join me in this journey towardsexcellence in service to our com-munity, state and nation.

View of ParrisContinued from page 21 . . .



37 37

CALIFORNIA—Four groundteams and one search aircraftf rom the Cal i fornia Wing

responded early Oct. 5 afterreceiving reports that a Piper PA

28 fell off radar about 1 a.m. dur-ing a period of high winds, densefog and mild rain in the CajonPass in San Bernardino County.

The Civil Air Patrol mem-bers were in the field between

3 a.m.-4 a.m. heading to theplane’s last known position. AnEmergency Locator Transmitter

was also heard in the area.The rst ground team to reach

the area heard the ELT about 4:45

Calif. Searchers FindDowned Plane Near

Interstate in Cajon Pass

Crash of Piper kills USAF Lt. Col.

Capt. Andrea Binder


Chino Cadet Squadron 20

California Wing

October 12, 2007

a.m. north of California 138 and eastof Interstate 15. Another groundteam heard the ELT the strongest

at the top of the Cajon Summit.The ground teams responded to thetop of the summit, then estimatedthe crash site to be between the

interstate median.The CAP aircraft overhead

conrmed the crash site’s loca-tion about 5:30 a.m. Groundteams were able to reach the siteabout 30 minutes later.

Ofcials identied the pilot,

who was killed, as Lt. Col.Raymond Roessler of Hill AirForce Base, Utah.

CALIFORNIA—When SpaceShuttle Atlantis descended to a

smooth landing the afternoon of June at Edwards Air Force

Base, Calif., concluding a suc-cessful assembly mission to theInternational Space Station, U.S.Civil Air Patrol members wereplaying their part.

Not only is CAP involved inlaunches of the shuttle at John

F. Kennedy Space Center inFlorida, it also fills an impor-tant role in shuttle recovery at

Edwards, where six CaliforniaWing members served as partof Atlantis recovery team.

The California Wing Airvan,piloted by Capt. Mike Lauer—himself a nalist for the NASAastronaut corps—and co-pilotedby Capt. Ted Ripp, participatedin the mission.

The aircraft was used in a

2nd Lt. Richard Fairchild


Chemung/Schuyler

Composite Squadron

New York Wing

Calif. WingMembersAssist in

Space ShuttleAtlantis

Recovery

Airvan provides SDIS photos, assists with security

June 25, 2007

dual role. First, the satellite-transmitted digital imaging sys-tem was used to photograph theorbiter, with the images beingsent back to the command postat Edwards and to NASA. TheSDIS portion was handled with

expertise by Lt. Col. Woody

McCauley, assisted by Capt. BobKirby. Lauer, Ripp, McCauleyand Kirby are all members of San Fernando Senior Squadron

35, with Ripp serving as theunit’s commander.

Second, the Airvan crewassisted with security after the

shuttle landed. After the shuttle

landed only two aircraft were

permitted to be airborne atEdwards—a Navy helicopterused as a photo platform, andthe CAP Airvan.

Leading the CAP effort was

Maj. Brian Stover, CAP projectofficer for the shuttle recovery

team at Edwards and also a mem-ber of the San Fernando squadron.

He was assisted by Capt, MarkMcKibben, deputy director of homeland security for the wing.

Lt. Col. Ron Butts of wingheadquarters served as IC.



39 39

Continued . . .

One week before the

J a p a n e s e a t t a c k e d

Pearl Harbor, citizensaround the United States cametogether and formed a nationalvolunteer group with the hope

of protecting our vast coastlines.They were known as the Civil

Air Patrol. Today that samegroup has come to embodya new but equally importantmission: turning young peopleinto active and responsible citi-zens with an eye for adventure

and interest in public service.

Steps are now under way to

form a new squadron of the

Civil Air Patrol in AmadorCounty. Though the group is

an official section of the Air

Force Auxiliary, and gets itsair planes and fuel provided by

the Air Force, its main functionis to instill a love for flying in

kids, while at the same timeteaching them skills it would bedifcult to learn anywhere else.Larry Peterson, who spent 10years as a cadet in the Civil Air

Patrol, will now be a part of theefforts to create the county’snew squadron. Peterson insists

that the program is specialand should not be dismissedas merely a junior wing of themilitary. “The goal isn’t neces-sarily to train ofcers for the Air

Reprinted with permission from The Amador Ledger Dispatch

The Civil Air Patrol Comes toAmador County

By Scott Thomas Anderson

[email protected]

Friday, August 17, 2007

Force or other branches of the

Armed Forces like the ReserveOfficer Training Corps does,”Peterson said. “I would saythat it’s a lot more like the BoyScouts because it offers unique

skills and builds character -and it’s fun at the same time.”

The Civil Air Patrol does, how-ever, have some major benetsfor an individual who dreams of becoming a fighter pilot in theAir Force or Navy. The CivilAir Patrol cadets are given both

simulated and hands-on flighttraining, some of which is taughtby real Air Force personnel.

Cadets who spend enough timein the program can enter intothe Air Force at the rank of E3,which effectively skips them

past the rst two lower pay-ranks

new enlistees find themselvesin. Also, like the Air Force, theprogram welcomes both boysand girls. Currently, one of theAir Force’s most elite show-pilots in the famous ThunderBird Squadron, Major NicoleMalachowski, started as a CivilAir Patrol cadet when she was

younger. The tie between the

group and the sky-ward branchof the armed services is sostrong that members of the AirForce Reserve who volunteer to

help out with the Civil Air Patrol

earn extra retirement credit.While Peterson thinks these

military benets will be helpfulfor certain cadets, he’s quick to

Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

Squadr Cmmader Jeff Zimmerma ad Cii Air Par eera larry Peers

sad ex a Cessa 182, he ms cmm pae he Air Frce prides fr he

Cii Air Par.



41 41

Civil Air Patrol

Factspoint out that the program canhave a much broader impacton youth. “Basically, what the

cadets get is an aerospace edu-cation,” Peterson explained.“Something like that can helpopen doors to numerous excitingcareer paths that have nothing to

do with the military, includingcivil aviation, law enforcement,firefighting, search and rescue,and other emergency services.”One way the training covers

such a broad spectrum of inter-

ests is by encouraging cadetsto find various fields of con-centration, and then work inconjunction with one another forshared mission goals. In real-ity, for every one pilot flyingin a moderate-sized air plane,there are 10 people working inlogistical roles on the ground.

This type of smooth and effec-tive synergy is something the

cadets can practice by findingtheir own niche or talent - suchas control tower work, rescuetechniques or even conduct-ing a ceremonial honor guard- and then develop it on anotherlevel. During Hurricane Katrina,thousands of Civil Air Patrol

cadets from all over the nationput their skills to the test as they

helped with the rescue efforts.

The man who will be directlyin charge of the program is Jeff Zimmerman, whose 14-year-old son, Kyle, is already anactive member of a Civil AirPatrol squadron in Placerville.

Zimmerman will take on therole of the official squadron

commander. He’ll conduct a

meeting at the local airport inMartell on Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. togive out information for anyone

who’s interested in joining. ForZimmerman, the program isabout giving youngsters a sense

of purpose. “We want to cre-ate a sense of leadership in the

cadets,” Zimmerman said. “Ithink they learn leadership quali-ties by having missions, goals,and objectives. I think, in theend, they grasp the importanceof leadership through all of the

community service they do.” A local example of how the CivilAir Patrol experience can bolster

leadership can be found in the

fact that Ted Novelli, the cur-rent Amador County Supervisorof District 3, was a Civil AirPatrol cadet when he was a boy.

Novelli still has warm reectionsof his days in the program, call-ing them both “an eye-opening

education” and a lot of fun. “I’mpersonally a hundred percent in

the corner of bringing the Civil

Air Patrol to Amador County,”Novelli said. “I have so manyoutstanding memories of it fromwhen I was growing up. Therst time I ew with the C.A.P.program was from San Franciscoto Columbia, and I had thegreatest time. Over all, the pro-

gram certainly had a dramaticaffect on me as a human being.”For questions about the Aug.

30 meeting, e-mail westover-cap@gmail .com. For moreinformation about the CivilAir Patrol, visit www.cap.gov.

- i became a

federal charer

by presden

Harry truman

n 1946, whch

esablshed as

an auxlary of

he new U.S. Ar

Force.

- there are

currenly

almos 27,000

members of heCvl Ar parol

naonally, ages

12-21.

- i conducs 95

ercen of all

nland search

and rescue n he

Uned Saes.

- Saves an

average of 100

lves er year.

Amador CountyContinued . . .



43 43

CALIFORNIA -- The city of Palm Springs and the Wells

Fargo Foundation embraced theemergency services work of PalmSprings Composite Squadron with a recent check presenta-tion at Palm Springs City Hall. Mayor Ron Oden presented a

check for $3,000 from the WellsFargo Foundation to the squad-ron’s commander, Capt. John

Local Govt. Taps Calif. Unit for WellsFargo Foundation Grant

Palm Springs Composite Squadron 11

receives $3,000 to fund training

2nd Lt. Crystal Chatham



California Wing

October 01, 2007

Craig, and training ofcer, Maj.Bruce Marble. Earmarked for

training, the funds will be usedto support search and rescue

exercises and mock missionsfor both air and ground teams. The Wells Fargo Foundation

works closely with the city

of Palm Springs to provide anumber of community grants.City ofcials select which orga-

nizations will be awarded the

annual grants, based on merit

and service to the community. “ W e h a v e M a y o r O d e n

to thank for this generous

contribution,” Marble said. “Thesupport of the city and the foun-dation will further advance our

unit’s training program.”

Photo by 2nd Lt. Crystal Chatham

(Frm ef) Cap. Jh Craig, Pam Sprigs Mayr R ode ad Maj. Bruce Marbe.



45 45

CALIFORNIA—Eugene L.Carnahan Cadet Squadron 85recently hosted a full contingent

of U.S. Civil Air Patrol mem-bers from northern California atthe second annual Capital Air

Show in Sacramento, with 35

cadets and eight senior membersfrom nine different squadronsparticipating in ight line con-trol before an estimated crowdof over 100,000 at Mather Field.

Joining the Carnahan mem-bers at the event were SacramentoComposite Squadron 14, East

Calif. squadrons assist at CapitalAir Show, meet Thunderbirds’

Malachowski

Carnahan Cadet Squadron 85 hosts members from 8 units; 35 cadets, 8 sr. members participate

2nd Lt. Aaron P. Yanagihara


Eugene L. CarnahanCadet Squadron 85

California Wing

June 15, 2007

Bay Cadet Squadron 18, TravisComposite Squadron 22, MarinAir Rescue Squadron 23, DiabloComposite Squadron 44, SierraComposite Squadron 72, AuburnComposite Squadron 92 andRedwood Empire Composite

Squadron 157.T h e m a i n a t t r a c t i o n

w a s t h e p e r f o r m i n g A i rForce Thunderbirds, but thehighlight of the activity for the

CAP members was a 45-minuteprivate meeting with Maj. NicoleMalachowski, the Thunderbirds’

No. 3 right wing pilot. A for-mer CAP cadet captain and amember of the California andNevada wings, Malachowskistressed to the cadets the impor-tance of getting good grades,not hanging out wi th bad

crowds, having high self-esteemand staying away from drugsand alcohol.

After her open discussion

and questions and answers, shesigned autographs and provided

personal photo opportunities for

the cadets.

Maj. nice Maachwski

(center) of the U.S. Air

Force Thunderbirds with

California Wing cadets at

the Capital Air Show.



47 47

CALIFORNIA—The schoolyear kicked off in style Sept.

4 for students at Las PalmitasElementary School in Thermal,Calif., as they became the bene-ciaries of a month long drive byP a l m S p r i n g s C o m p o s i t eSquadron to collect back-packs and school supplies.

In al l , 53 fully stockedbackpacks donated by squadron

members and associates weredelivered to the school. The site

was selected by partner orga-nization Family YMCA of theDesert, which operates an after-school enrichment programfor children at the campus.

The backpacks, stuffed forboys and girls in various grade

levels, are being awarded duringthe rst week of school to lesser-

Calif. Unit Collects, DonatesBackpacks for Schoolchildren

Palm Springs Composite Squadron 11 lls 53 backpacks for pupils

September 05, 2007

2nd Lt. Crystal Chatham



California Wing

privileged students recognizedfor exemplary character andoutstanding citizenship.

Palm Spr ings squadronmembers, under the leadershipof Capt. John Craig, squadron commander, supported the Augustsupply drive in an effort to create

a positive learning environmentfor children in need within the

community. Squadron members,

along with many of their col-leagues and associates from busi-nesses throughout the Coachella

Valley, used personal funds topurchase backpacks reflecting

themes such as Spider-Man,Tinkerbelle, Transformers andBratz. They also shopped for thecontents, which included suchschool items as pens, pencils,rulers, notebooks, scissors, glue,

crayons, markers, folders andbook covers.

Squadron members stuffedeach bag with an identical set of

school supplies during a squad-ron barbecue and party Aug. 29.

“We are very excited about

this partnership. The kids can

definitely use the backpacks,”s a i d M i ke W i l l i ams , LasPalmitas Elementary principal.

“We know they and their fami-lies will be so appreciative of the

generosity of Civil Air Patrol

and the YMCA to give our kidsall the tools they need to do well

in school.”Extra supplies, exceeding

what was used to equip the

backpacks, are being distributedamong the school’s classrooms.



49 49

Continued . . .

Pamela Bean has alwaysdreamed of ying.

And even though the 16-year old high school junior fromSimi Valley doesn’t have herdriver’s permit yet, the deter-mined teen took her first soloight in October.

Pamela said she plans to pilotF-22A Raptors for the Air Forceafter graduating from college

and has mapped out her route tothe ghter plane’s cockpit as acadet with the Camarillo chapterof the Civil Air Patrol.

The aspiring fighter pilot

learned of the cadet programwhile taking ight lessons at theCamarillo Airport.

“I just fell in love with theplace, and I couldn’t leave,” shesaid.

Founded in the late 1930s,the 60,000-member Civil AirPatrol is the national auxiliary

arm of the U.S. Air Force. Thepatrol, which performs 95 per-cent of all search and rescue

efforts throughout the United

States, helped save Katrina vic-tims and assisted with damageassessment of the Twin Towersin the days following 9/11.

The patrol’s cadet programfocuses on aerospace education

for its members and the public,operating a cadet program foryouth ages to and helping

in disaster, humanitarian andHomeland Security missions.

Pamela is one of 16 cadetsand 34 adu l t member s o f

By Michelle Knight

[email protected]

Teen Soars High in Civil Air Patrol

Reprinted with permission from the Camarillo Acorn

Squadron 61, the local patrolteam that operates out of a set

of WWIIera bungalows in theCamarillo Airport.

For $25 a year, cadets learnabout aerospace and practice on

a ight simulator designed withrealistic cockpit controls.

C i v i l A i r Pa t r o l Cap t .

Anthony Schlotthauer is one

of the squadron’s teachers andpilots who take the cadets yingin the patrol’s Cessna 182 andother military aircraft at leastfour times a year.

Schlotthauer, a mortgagebanker in Moorpark, devotesabout six hours a week to his

patrol duties.

Those hours can quickly

multiply in an emergency whenthe patrol is called to search for

a downed airplane.

Schlotthauer said he decided

to become a pilot about 12 yearsago after watching militaryplanes perform aerial acrobaticsat one of the many air showshe’d attended over the years.

The New York native even-tually earned a pilot’s licenseand in 1997 joined the Civil AirPatrol. He made captain lastyear.

“I wanted to save lives- thatwas an exciting thought to me,”said Schlotthauer, a Simi Valleyresident.

Schlotthauer disagrees with

those who might say the cadetprogram is a camouaged meansof grooming adolescents for themilitary.

earNiNg her WiNgS: Simi vaey reside Pamea Bea, 16, prepares a

Cessa airpae fr igh a he Camari Airpr. the ee is a cade wih a

ca chaper f he Cii Air Par. Bea said she jied he prgram hep her

achiee her ga f becmig a gher pi i he U.S. Air Frce.



51 51

“This gives them the oppor-tunity of a lifetime,” he said.“This just builds character, self discipline; it motivates them.

It’s a building-block for them.”S c h l o t t h a u e r s a i d h e

doesn’t worry about his cadetsgetting involved with drugs or

joining gangs.“They get so much expo-

sure to good things that I thinkit gives them good judgment,”he added.

Camarillo resident CurtisPark said that since his teenage

son, Curt, joined the program,the youngster has become moremature and shows greater respectto adults.

“He’s very focused and agood kid,” Park said. “I think theCivil Air Patrol has allowed himto channel all of his energies.”

Curt, a junior at AdolfoCamarillo High School who’sworking toward a pilot’s license,

is a cadet staff sergeant planningto attend an aeronautical college

after graduating.

He eventually wants a career

in the Marines.

The cadet program “is agreat thing to do,” Curt said. “Itgives me discipline; it gives mefocus . . . How many 16-yearolds can go out on ground search

and rescue teams looking fordowned aircraft?” he said.

Curt’s father said the adultsin the patrol are “good role mod-els” who seem to enjoy workingwith teenagers.

Brenda and Mike Bean, whoalso comes from a military fam-ily, said Pamela’s participationin the patrol has also taught her

how to handle greater responsi-bility. Pamela must t in weeklypatrol classes and activities with

the responsibilities of school

and a part-time job.Pamela plans on fullling all

the requirements for becominga fully licensed private pilot by

Sept. 13- when she turns 17.“She’s never wavered off

this, not once,” Mike said.Pamela “just loves being in

the air,” Brenda said. “I have

Teen soars highContinued . . .

a 16-year old (daughter) withgoals and accomplishments whoknows what she wants to do

with her life, and for me that’sworth it.”

Mike, Brenda and PamelaBean plan to man the Sky BlueAir booth at the Point Mugu air

show at the Naval Base VenturaCounty on March and April .

For more information aboutthe Civil Air Patrol, call (805)4822212.



53 53

Continued . . .

WISCONSIN—Eighteen cadets from 12 CivilAir Patrol wings devoted 10 days to develop-ing aviation skills, forging friendships andobserving old aviation traditions and creat-

ing new o nes at the 2007 National FlightAcademy this summer in Oshkosh, Wisc .Three female and 15 male cadets learned tofly a CAP Cessna 172 during the 1 1/2-weekaviation immersion experience, having gonethrough a rigorous selection process, com-ple te wi th in terv iews a t the wing l eve l .

Four of the cadets accepted were from Wisconsin,with the rest were from across the nation, from asfar away as California, New York and Puerto Rico.Applications had been submitted more than six

months in advance.Although their goal at the academy isn’t

explicitly to solo, most of the participants do. Thisyear, all but one soloed, and the one that didn’twas just a week shy of her 16th birthday. Alongwith soloing—taking off and landing without aninstructor aboard -- cadets can also “pre-solo” bytaking up an instructor who stays quiet and doesn’ttouch the controls unless absolutely necessary.

Aviation is rich with ceremony and tradition,and the NFA is no exception to that.

A new approach invoked this year was the

“solo tie.”A f t e r p a s s i n g t h e p r e - s o l o t e s t a n d

oral interview, each cadet chose a neck-tie, obtained at the local Goodwill store, towear during his or her momentous f l ight .Afterward, instructors cut the tie in half to symbol-ize the student’s being freed from the bonds of earth and from the instructor.

Cadets Hone Aviation Skills at 10-dayNational Flying Academy

1st Lt. Terese Barta


Stevens Point Composite Sqdn.

Wisconsin Wing

Training draws 18 cadets from 12 wings to Wisc.

October 24, 2007

2007 National FlightAcademy Graduates

Cadet Nicholas Bonner—Boise Composite Squadron,Idaho WingCadet Nathan Bowers—Harrison Composite Squadron,Indiana WingCadet Mitchell Edwards—Evergreen CompositeSquadron, Colorado Wing

Cadet Matthew Givens—Sussex Composite Squadron,Delaware WingCadet Michael Inouye—Waukesha Composite Squadron,Wisconsin WingCadet Robert Miskimen—Weir Cook CompositeSquadron, Indiana WingCadet Brian Neiheisel—Fox Cities Composite Squadron,Wisconsin WingCadet Andrew Paszko—Kaydeross Composite Squadron,New York WingCadet Kevin Petersen—Springeld Regional CompositeSquadron, Missouri WingCadet Anson Pontynen—Fox Cities Composite Squadron,Wisconsin Wing

Cadet Lizbeth Roman-Claudio—Catano Cadet Squadron,Puerto Rico WingCadet Thomas Scheffel—Valkyrie Composite Squadron,Colorado WingCadet Wesley Shannon—99th Composite Squadron,Arkansas WingCadet Elizabeth Strunk—Clearwater Valley CompositeSquadron, Idaho WingCadet Victor Traven—St. Marys Composite Squadron,Maryland WingCadet Daniel Westfahl—Laramie Valley CompositeSquadron, Wyoming WingCadet Hannah Wirhanowicz—Twin County CompositeSquadron, Wisconsin Wing

Cadet Ethan Wiseman—Sierra Composite Squadron 72,California Wing

Both halves are signed and dated, and thestudent keeps the knotted stub. The other piece is

displayed on a poster board in the dining hall.

This practice fullls the same purpose as themore commonly observed shirt tail cutting. The



55 55

tie-cutting tradition goes back possibly fty yearsor more, to the days in which naval aviators worekhaki suits and neckties rather than a ight suit.

This year, a few NFA solos had special

signicance.For example, after soloing all of his students,

Capt. John Thompson of the Wisconsin Wing’sStevens Point Composite Squadron took over foranother instructor with a student who had been expe-riencing some ups and downs with her ight training.Something about Thompson’s unique teachingstyle nally clicked with this student, and it gavehim a special thrill when she eventually soloed.

“That was so cool,” Thompson reminisced.“She did a wonderful job and it felt like it was one

of my own kids doing something good. And thatairplane wasn’t big enough for that smile of hers.”

In Thompson’s opinion, enacting a traditionlike the tie-cutting draws the group together.

“You can tell they’re a tighter group becauseof it,” he said. “That’s one of the things they camehere for. Some of these cadets have made newfriends for life.”

The bonding between cadets became apparentby midweek. Many were called by nicknamesbased on their home state. They knew each other

as “Colorado,” “Delaware” or “Cali.”Cadets were divided into flights -- groups

of two to four -- that shared in the cama-raderie as well, with a bit of competition.For example, ights competed daily for the best-maintained and tied-down aircraft. Each ight wasknown by a nickname -- Pilots of the Caribbean,for instance.

Six CAP ight instructors and one ground instruc-tor volunteered to teach in the program. While somehad been doing so for a dozen years or more, otherswere participating at NFA for the first time.All instructors and staff took time off from theirfamilies and paying jobs to teach the eager stu-dents the art and science of flying. They camebecause they love working with the caliber of stu-dent participating at NFA, where the cadets havea reputation for being an enthusiastic and highly

focused group.

“These students are here for an extended period

of time and we y with them several times a day,”explained Thompson, the chief flight instructor.“The learning curve is almost vertical. You see thegrowth in their ying skills as you watch, almost in

fast-forward.”Cadets and instructors alike shared a military

style barracks and dining hall. A typical day

began with a 6 a.m. wake up, followed by 6:45a.m. formation and ag-raising. After breakfast,the cadets usually headed out to their aircraft with

instructors for their rst ying lesson of the day.This year the NFA was blessed with a week of

near perfect weather. Warm sunny days and calmwinds allowed most of the ight crews to get intwo or three ights per day.

The summer heat also inspired a few sur-prise soakings -- in one case, a spraying with 7Up—among the cadets, similar to the dunk tanksor wishing wells that military pilots of another erawould use to cool off their new hot pilots.

An awards banquet, held in the renownedEAA Museum, capped the 10-day program. Thetransformation of cadets’ appearance from whiteCAP T-shirts and shorts to dress blue uniformswas an inspiring sight. Those who soloed proudly

received their wings at the banquet. Surrounded

by historic aircraft, it was a time for celebrationand farewell. Token gifts between instructors and

instructors were exchanged.

The dinner concluded with “100 Low-LeadAv Gas Toast.” One ight crew, the Razorbacks(named for their instructor’s UH-1B helicopterplatoon in Vietnam), served blue Gatorade® Frostto graduating cadets from an unused plastic gascontainer. The drink almost perfectly matched thecolor of aircraft fuel.

The NFA would not have been possible withoutthe generous loan of aircraft from several Wisconsinsquadrons: Stevens Point, Fox Valley, Superior,Dodge County, Wausau, Shawano and Madison.It also took a dedicated staff.

The program director was Lt. Col. DeneseHelgeland of the Southeast Wisconsin Group. Shehad many tasks -- not to mention the paperwork-- to manage, including the transportation of

Nat’l Flying AcademyContinued . . .

Continued . . .



57 57

cadets to and from the program, the ferrying of aircraft and arranging instructors’ schedules.Helgeland even had to manage the shopping forthe cooks.

On top of that, she had to work in an ElectronicLocator Transmitter search mission that came upduring the academy. Despite the long hours she put

Nat’l Flying AcademyContinued . . .

(Clockwise, from top)

A CAP Cessna

172 furnishes

shade from

the summer

sun during the

naia Figh

Academy.

Cade Kei

Petersen of

he Missuri

Wig’s Spriged

Regia

Composite Squadron gets his

solo wings pinned

on by Capt. John

Thompson of

the Wisconsin

Wig’s Sees

Point Composite

Squadron, chief

igh isrucr a

the academy.

the ee f

Cessna 172

aircraft rest on the

CAP ramp after afu day f yig.

The “solo

tie” board on

display in the

dining hall.

in. she enjoyed the experience.“The enthusiasm the cadets brought to the

NFA was contagious and made me want to makethis a very successful NFA,” Helgeland said. “And

when they obtained their ultimate goal of soloing,the expressions on their faces made the workworthwhile.”



59 59

CALIFORNIA—Cadets andsenior members in Eugene L.

Carnahan Cadet Squadron 85were treated to a rare glimpse intoU.S. Civil Air Patrol’s originalmission when they had a chanceto learn about a CAP aircraft

that played a vital role in home-land security along the Gulf of Mexico during World War II. George Alleman, owner of therestored 1930 Stinson SM8A,briefed squadron members about

the history of the plane, basedat Placerville Airport. From1943 to 1945 the Stinson was

Calif. Members HearHistory of WWII

CAP Plane

Stinson SM8A used on patrols alongGulf of Mexico from ‘43 - ‘45

September 27, 2007

2nd Lt. AaronYanagihara


Eugene L. Carnahan Cadet Squadron 85

California Wing

Photo by 2nd Lt. Aaron Yanagihara

Gerge Aema (facig camera) sads i fr f his Sis SM8A as he

describes is hisry as a U.S. Cii Air Par aircraf frm 1943-1945 ag he

Guf f Mexic.

based out of Beaumont, Texas,for CAP border patrol and sub-

marine searches along the Gulf of Mexico. It was outfitted tocarry two 100-pound bombsor one 230-pound depth charge.A f t e r i t s C A P d a y s , t h eplane was stationed at San Jose

Army Airfield -- now MoffettField Naval Air Station—andused to pull airborne targets for

gunnery practice. Afterward, itwas used in various capacities,

including use as a crop sprayer,and i t appeared in the 1991movie “The Rocketeer.”

The Cal i forn ia Wing’sSimi Valley Challenger CadetSquadron 1986 color guard—(from left) Cadet Staff Sgt.Chris Rousey and Cadet AirmenAndrew Avalos, Anthony Avalosand Matthew Southworth—leadthe Simi Valley Days Parade,marking the squadron’s firstsuch role in the annual parade’s23-year history. The paradeis part of a weeklong event that

celebrates the community andraises money for various serviceclubs, charitable organizations,schools and nonprot groups.

Calif. CadetsLead LocalParade for1st Time

Simi Valley Challenger Cadet Squadron 1986

Color Guard heads procession

September 26, 2007



CALIFORNIA—As guests of Composite Squadron 11 dur-ing the summer, Boys & GirlsClubs members in California’s

Coachella Valley were ableto tour of the world-famous PalmSprings Air Museum, site of thesquadron’s weekly meetings.

A f t e r t h e a i r m u s e u mtour, each group—from PalmSprings, Desert Hot Springsand Cathedral City respectively

Calif. Unit Shares U.S. CAP Experience,

Museum Visit With Boys & Girls ClubsComposite Squadron 11 hosts youths,

provides tours

September 13, 2007

Boys & Girls Club members and Composite Squadron 11 members gather for a photo after tourning the

Pam Sprigs Air Museum.

cadet commander, BrandonBottemer, who explained U.S.Civil Patrol’s Cadet Programto the teen and preteen guests.

In addit ion, club memberswatched a cadet dr i l l per -formance, toured squadronfacilities, talked with seniormembers and were provid-ed with CAP literature.

Maj . Bruce L . Marble ,t h e u n i t s p u b l i c a f f a i r s

guide. He elded questions andaccompanied the club members.The adult member in charge of each club expressed thanks for

the CAP experience and said the

youths really enjoyed the tour.T h e t o u r s ’ s u c c e s s i s

prompting the squadron’s adop-tion of an annual invitation and

open house for local Boys andGirls Clubs.

California Wing - Dec 2007

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