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WingTipsThe official publication of Minnesota W ing Civil Air Patrol June 2005
by Col. Kevin Sliwinksi,
Minnesota Wing
The Minnesota WingCommander Col. Stephen
Miller presented 50 year
membership plaques tofour members of the wing
in May.
The 50 year members areLt Col. John Evans, Col.
Richard Murphy Sr., Lt.Col. Diane Oliver and
Capt. J. Albert Oster.
Evans joined CAP in 1954.He has held positions such
as Minnesota Wing directorof cadet programs and
director of aerospace
education.
(Left to Right) Col. Steve Miller, wing commander; Lt. Col. John Evans, Col.
Richard Murphy, Sr.; Lt. Col. Diane Oliver; Capt. J. Albert Oster; and Lt. Col.
Thomas Kettell, wing vice commander. Photo by Col. Kevin Sliwinksi
50-yearmembers
recognized
Murphy joined CAP in1953. He is a pastMinnesota Wing command-
er and North CentralRegion commander.
Oliver joined CAP in 1949
as a cadet. She has a masterrating in the administrationspecialty track and has held
numerous positions inMinnesota Wing and North
Central Region.
Oster joined CAP in 1950.He has a master rating inthe logistics specialty track
and has supported wingmembers for years with
supplies and equipment.
Wing Conference Featured Inside
by Maj. David Odette,
Group One commanderApproximately 111 mem-
bers from 16 Minnesota
squadrons attended the
Group One search and res-cue/disaster relief training
exercise, hosted by DuluthComposite Squadron,
May 19-22.
The exercise was held in anAir Force evaluation format
with the incident command-
er being given preliminary
Sixteen units send members toGroup One exercise in Duluth
(Left to Right, facing front)
Dan Jorganson, Robert
Swearengin and Jim
Hetherington, all Viking,
and (front) Lt. Col. Roger
Brogan, St. Croix. Photo
by Maj. David Odette SAR / Page 10
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by Col. Steve Miller,
wing commander
If any of you have drivenby the South St. Paul air-
port, you may have seenthe construction of our newmaintenance facility. At this
point, the walls and roofare up. As this article is
written, the internal work is
ongoing. The expectedcompletion date is mid-July
2005. Watch for furtherannouncements on this.
Another on-going activity
of note in the wing is themembership drive. To
improve Civil Air Patrol's
membership, national head-quarters has put together a
membership drive. All unitsshould have the details of
this drive. The importantthing here is that, like the
rest of the country,
Minnesota Wing has expe-rienced a drop in member-
ship. This drop in member-ship may be attributed to
any number factors many
over which we have nocontrol.
My philosophy has always
been to control what wecan control and be aware
of, but don't dwell on, whatwe cannot control. There
are many reasons why our
membership has droppedslightly.
At the Group I search and
rescue exercise held inDuluth, I found an interest-
ing notice on the squadron'sbulletin board. I pass it on
for consideration:
The Six Deadly Sins of aVolunteer Organization that
is Losing Members:
l Lack of fun (no plannedactivities)
WingTips is a publication ofMinnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol,
U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
P.O. Box 11230, St. Paul, MN 55111
The views expressed, either written or implied, are not neces-sarily those of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol or
Minnesota Wing. Submissions should be sent to the aboveemail address.
Wing Commander: Col. Steve Miller
Wingtips Editor: Maj. Shannon Bauer
Commanders Column: Six deadly sins of a volunteer group
Col. Steve Miller
l Neglect (no follow-upon members)
l Incompetence(leadership and staff not
doing their jobs)
l Overwhelming members(burnout)
l Complaints (internalstrife)
l It has been found thatmore than 60 percent of
the non-renewed mem-bers did not have any
further training nor did
they participate in anyactivities.
Most of these six "sins" arerelatively easily fixed. It
takes a focused effort by
leaders AND followers tomake it happen. Don't wait
around for someone else tocome up with the solution.
Get involved.
Remember, you will get out
of this organization what
you put into it.
This is an exciting time to
be a member of CAP.
Minnesota Wing is a leaderin CAP. We have been
selected to have theGippsland aircraft assigned
here. We have the fourth
glass cockpit sent out toCivil Air Patrol wings. We
have a great training budgetand are using it for training
throughout the state.
Each of us make this wingthe best in the nation. Let's
continue our efforts to bethe most highly motivated,
the best trained and the
most operationally effectivewing in the country.
-Semper Vigilans
Page 2 WingTips June 2005
Col. Stephen Miller, Minnesota Wing commander, pre-
sented Minnesota Senator Paul Koering with his mem-
bership in the Minnesota Legislative Squadron. Day
represents District 12 (Little Falls, Crosby-Ironton and
Fort Ripley area) and recently joined CAP. Photo by
Col. Kevin Sliwinski
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June 2005 WingTips Page 3
by Lt. Col. Bill Rutten, St. Croix Squadron
Minnesota Wing held its 58th annual conference April 29-May 1 at the Breezy Point Resort north of Brainerd, Minn.
More than 350 seniors, cadets and guests attended and car-
ried away with them their new experiences and friend-ships. Highlights included the Spaatz and Wilson, the
awards presentations, the specialty fair and the "Rock."
The North HennepinSquadron Color Guard start-
ed the general assembly with
the posting of the colors.
Assistant Director of
Aeronautics for the
Minnesota Department ofTransportation Steve Hurvitz,
North Central RegionCommander Col. Rex
Glasgow and the Air Force
North Central Liaison RegionCommander Lt. Col. Larry
Brockshus all addressed thegeneral assembly.
Receiving the "Pipestone
Rock" Award was MinnesotaWing State Director Maj. Bill
Willis. Lt. Col. Robert Dykstra
and Maj. Richard Wenzel pre-sented the award to Willis and
explained its
meaning.Willis received "The
Rock" for his gallant
attempt to use it as aplatform to address
members present for asearch and rescue exer-
cise. He apparently fell
off it three times.
Commander's commen-
dation medals and
plaques were presentedto Col. Kevin
Sliwinski, MinnesotaWing, for his years of
work as a chief of staff
and Lt. Col. Betty JoEckhoff, Minnesota
Wing, for her decade ofwork as the wing
finance director.
The following members
received longevity cer-tificates from national
headquarters for serv-ing 20 years in CAP
(photo on next page):Lt. Col. David Skaar,
Minnesota Wing; Maj.
Wayne Sherman,Minnesota Wing; Lt.
Col. Dennis Ostlund,Red Wing Squadron;
Lt. Col. Stanley
Kegel, MinnesotaWing; Capt. David
Kellesvig, MinnesotaWing; Maj. John
Hole, Minnesota Wing;
Capt. Jay Randall,North Hennepin
Squadron; and 1st Lt.Ronald Jansen, St.
Croix Squadron.
Minnesota Wing Conference ReviewMoving Ahead in 2005
(Left top) North
Hennepin Squadron
Color Guard. (Left
lower) Steve Hurvitz.
(Right top) The Rock
award. (Right center)
Col. Kevin Sliwinski.
(Right bottom) Lt. Col.
Betty Jo Eckhoff.
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Page 4 WingTips June 2005
The following members received longevity certificates for
serving 30 years in CAP: Maj. Roberta Zylla, NorthHennepin Squadron; Maj. Eric Grubb, St. Paul Squadron;
and Lt. Col. Bruce Hegrenes, Minnesota Wing.
Capt Paul A. Kief, Northland Squadron, received alongevity certificate for serving 40 years in CAP.
National headquarters also recognized the CAP pioneers
Col. Gerald M. Quilling and Lt. Col. John L. Evans,both Minnesota Wing, for their service to Minnesota and
the United States. In gratitude, they both received a plaqueand a membership card that will never expire, which
means they will never need to pay a membership fee again.
The following members received a specialist of the yearaward for their outstanding performance in one of the CAP
specialty tracks:
l Administration: Lt. Col. Keith Bischoff, Duluth
Squadron;
l Aerospace Education: Capt. Gina Palazzari-Chavz,North Hennepin Squadron;
l Cadet Programs:1st Lt. Seth Grenke, HutchinsonSquadron;
l Communications: 2nd Lt. John Snyder, DuluthSquadron;
l Emergency Services: Capt. James Hetherington,Viking Squadron;
lFinance: Capt. Hal Waale, Northwest MinnesotaSquadron
l Historian: 2nd Lt. David Hobson, North HennepinSquadron;
l Logistics: Maj. Douglas Mitchell, Duluth Squadron;
l Flight Operations: 1st Lt. Mark Helseth , VikingSquadron;
l Personnel: Capt. Kim Johnson, St. Croix Squadron;
l Professional Development: Maj. Rodney Broome,North Hennepin Squadron;
l Public Affairs: 2nd Lt. Michael Rice, Anoka Squadron;and
l Safety: Capt. Thomas Urban, Hutchinson Squadron.
Col. Thomas Simonet, Air Force National Security
Emergency Preparedness liaison officer to the MinnesotaJoint National Guard Headquarters and Emergency
Operations Center, served as the keynote speaker for the
adult assembly.
Members who received longevity certificates for
20 years service in CAP.
Members who received outstanding performance
awards for their specialty area.
Col. Thomas Simonet Col. Gerald Quilling
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June 2005 WingTips Page 5
Gary Pendleton of the Federal Aviation Administrationpresented a special award to Lt. Col. Paul Thompson,
Viking Squadron. Thompson received the prestigious FAAMaster Pilot Award. Shaking hands with Pendleton is
Tedye Thompson, while Thompson looks on.
Col. Stephen Miller, wing commander, presented Senator
Carrie Rudd, Minnesota 4th District, with a membershipcertificate to the Minnesota Legislative Squadron. Her hus-
band, Richard Rostad, looks on.
Spaatz Award recipients included C/Col. Lori Sobolewski,Anoka Squadron, and C/Col. Joshua Gulbranson, Valley
Squadron. The presentation was made by Brig. Gen. Terry
Heggemeier, Minnesota
National Guard adjutant gen-eral - air. This is the highest
training award a cadet can
earn.
Maj. Charlotte
Miller,Valley Squadron, and
Maj. Rodney Broome,North Hennepin Squadron,
received the Gill RobbWilson Award. This is the
highest training award a sen-
ior member can earn.
Maj. Rey Casanova, North
Hennepin Squadron, received
the Dorothy SindelarMemorial Award. This award
is for an individual whoworked outside of his or her
assigned specialty by consis-
tently and dependability vol-unteering to assist other staff
members in processing theirpaperwork.
1st Lt. Bryce Duncan, Red
Wing Squadron, received theRobert Dunbar Memorial
Award. This award is for an
individual who expanded thecapability of the Minnesota
Wing communication fieldthrough his or her effort and
technical expertise.
Maj Sherrie Herzfeld,Anoka Squadron, received
the Coffin Memorial Award.
Although not assigned as acadet programs officer, she
went out of her way to assist
in promoting the programand provided solutions to the
many cadet challenges.
C/Sgt. Nathan Lundeen,
North Hennepin Squadron,
received the CadetNoncommissioned Officer of
the Year Award. This awardis patterned after the Air
Force Sergeants Association
Maj. Charlotte Miller
Maj. Rod Broome
Maj. Sherrie Herzfeld
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Page 6 WingTips June 2005
NCO Award and recognizes
an outstanding cadet NCO.
C/1st Lt. Janna
Fosterling, St. Croix
Squadron, received the
Cadet Commander of theYear Award. She served asher units cadet commander
from July 2003 to July
2004.
C/Col. Jack Houck, Anoka
Squadron, received the
Cadet of the Year Award.Selection of this award is
based upon outstandingachievements contributed to
the success of CAPs mis-sion over the years. Withthis award, he was allowed
to select the recipient of theAir Force Torch Award,
which emphasizes the
importance of mentoringour future leaders and rec-
ognizes the dedication andleadership of a CAP senior
member. To receive this
award, Houck selected Lt.
Col. Michael Moen, AnokaSquadron, out of the manypeople who mentored him
through the cadet program.
1st Lt. Janelle Gates,North Hennepin Squadron,
received the Senior
Member of the Year Award.This award is based on the
member's lifetime contribu-tions to CAP, their enthusi-
asm, shared expertise, lead-ership and compliance withCAP rules, regulations and
objectives.
Gates also received theNorth Central Region
Senior Member of the YearAward. Brockshus and
Glasgow presented her with
her award. This award ele-
vates Gates to the national
competition.
Glasgow and Brockshusalso spresented Houck with
the NCR Cadet of the YearAward. This award elevates
Houck to the national com-
petition.
Minnesota Wing's Family
of the Year Award was the
2nd Lt. Thomas Lucey
family of Anoka Squadron.
Lucey's sons, Adam and
David, are also members ofAnoka Squadron. The
selection for this award is
based upon a familysunselfish contribution of
time, effort and skills insupport of CAP activities,
events and meetings.
Chap. (Lt. Col.) Donald
Mikitta received the Wing
Staff Member of the YearAward. The award is based
upon the wing staff member
C/1st Lt. Janna Fosterling (Left two) C/Col. Jack Houck Lt. Col. Michael Moen
1st Lt. Janelle Gates Members of the 2nd Lt. Thomas Lucey family
Lt. Col. Don Mikitta
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who has best served the squadron members of Minnesota
Wing.
Capt. Alan Matson, Viking Squadron, received the UnitCommander of the Year Award. The Wing Commander
makes the selection for this award after consideringaccomplishment of the commanders emphasis items statis-
tical report and his personal knowledge of all the unit
commanders
The Squadron of the Year Award went to Grand Rapids
Squadron for accomplishing a higher level of success in
the commander's emphasis items. 1st Lt. James Miller,unit commander, and C/Chief Master Sgt. Jasper Berg,
cadet commander, accepted the award on behalf of thesquadron from Miller.
Viking Squadron received the National Headquarters
Squadron of Merit Award. Each year national headquar-
ters selects seven squadrons throughout the nation thatexcelled in its cadet program through educational achieve-
ments, membership growth and retention, aerospace edu-cation promotion and emergency service activities partici-
pation. Capt. Alan Matson, unit commander, and C/Capt.Joshua Waddell, cadet commander, accepted the award.
1st Lt. Ronald Jansen, St. Croix Squadron, earned the
Certificate of Recognition for Lifesaving. He volunteeredto work at a disabled adult camp last summer, when he
was directed to a camper who was choking. He delivered
the Heimlich Hug three times to finally dislodge the
obstruction.
June 2005 WingTips Page 7
C/Chief Master Sgt. Jasper Berg and 1st Lt.
James Miller accept the Squadron of the YearAward on behalf of Grand Rapids Squadron.
C/Capt. Josh Waddell and Capt. Alan Matson
accept the Squadron of Merit Award on
behalf of Viking Squadron.
Capt. Alan Matson
1st Lt. Ronald Jansen
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The 2005 Wing Conference staff says thank you to all
the members and guests that attended the conference.Until next years conference at Breezy Point Resort, stay
safe!
1st Lt. Noel Westlind
Maj. Victoria Rock
Col. Dennis Rock
1st Lt. Barbara Kasper
Lt. Col. Richard Kirchner
Lt. Col. Anna Marie Bistodeau
Lt. Col. Bill Rutten.Prepared by Conference Committee public affairs team:
Bill Rutten, team leader, and 1st Lt. Bradley Heck andCapt. Al Pabon, photographers. (Maj. Shannon Bauer con-
tributed the last four photos.)
Page 8 WingTips June 2005
The 2005 Wing Conference team
Lt. Col. Tom Theis and Maj. Bill Willis
Col. Steve Miller and Lt. Col. Tom Kettell
Brad, 1st Lt. Cathy and Logan Cooksy
Maj. Brent
Halweg and Anita
Delegard
Seeyou
in2006!
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Lt. Col. Tony Tarpy,
Fort Snelling Squadron
C/Senior Master Sgt.
Trevor Mathisen, FortSnelling Squadron,
received the Air Force
Association Award toOutstanding CAP Cadets
for his service.
Glen Schull, AFA represen-
tative, presented the award
to Mathisen during a unitmeeting in Minneapolis.
Mathisen has distinguished
himself as an outstandingcadet and leader at Fort
Snelling Squadron. As the
first sergeant, Mathisenassumed the highest leader-
ship position in thesquadron and has served in
that role since October of2004.
He supervised the growth
of newer cadets and servedas a link between the sen-
iors and cadets. His leader-
ship brought about a rapidincrease in the promotion
of his fellow cadets.
Mathisens activities haveextended outside the
squadron, attending thecadet encampment in 2004
and being selected as staff
for the 2005 encampment.
Mathisen received the
Wright Brothers Award in
November 2004 and wasselected as the 2004 Fort
Snelling NCO of the Year.
This award is an annualaward established by the
AFA to recognize the out-standing CAP cadet in each
squadron. Selections are
made by the unit com-manders concerned not
later than April 15 annually.
June 2005 WingTips Page 9
Mathisen awarded AFA award
Glen Schull, Air Force Association, presented C/Senior
Master Sgt. Trevor Mathisen, Fort Snelling Squadron,with an AFA Award to Outstanding CAP Cadets. Photo
by Lt. Col. Tony Tarpy
by Lt. Col. (Chap.) Don Mikitta, Minnesota Wing
Six wing chaplains and moral leadership officers attended
the North Central Region Chaplain Service Staff Collegeat Columban Father Retreat Center in Bellevue, Neb.,
located just off Offutt Air Force Base, from April 25-28.
Those attending from Minnesota for the first time includ-ed Capt. (Chap.) Hyle Anderson, Northland; Lt. Col.
Robert Juroszek, Anoka; and 1st Lt. (Chap.) Donel
Swanson, St. Paul. Past Minnesota graduates attendingagain included Capt. Terry Dull, Viking; Lt. Col. (Chap.)
Don Mikitta, wing; and Lt. Col. (Chap.) Jim Sickmeyer,Worthington.
Participants attended classes in suicide prevention, proto-col, uniform wear, aerospace education and cadet pro-grams. They received briefings from the CAP chief of
chaplains, the NCR commander and the NCR chaplain.
The highlight was a briefing from the Air Force DeputyChief of Chaplains, Brig. Gen. Cecil Richardson. Events
culminated with a banquet at Papillion Latter Day SaintsStake House, hosted by the youth members of the Stake
House. The color guard was provided by the Douglas
County Composite Squadron in Nebraska.
Sickmeyer gave a briefing to the attendants on suicide
prevention, and 28 attendants earned QPR SuicidePrevention Certification.
Minnesota chaplains and moralleadership officers go to school
Capt. (Chap.) Hyle Anderson, Northland Squadron,
gets his uniform checked by Maj. Tim Steppan, Sioux
Falls Squadron, S.D.
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scenario clues periodically, starting mid-week.
This first training scenario included a miss-
ing Cessna-172 with two people aboardthat departed Mankato, Minn., en route to
Hibbing, Minn. The route required a flightof approximately two hours for the Cessna-
172. An eyewitness at Mankato verified the
aircraft departure, but a flight plan on filewas not opened nor was there any commu-
nications with flight services.
This scenario provided the staff with a verybroad area to search; and due to scenario
weather reports, the first search flightscould not start until Friday evening.
The mission command staff and search per-
sonnel assembled at the Duluth Squadronheadquarters on Saturday morning to set up
the search for the simulated missing air-
plane. During the morning briefing, theincident commander received an announce-
ment that a severe storm had passedthrough an area west of Duluth late Friday
night and three additional disaster relief
type scenarios were given. The staff imme-
diately went to work on solving the scenar-ios by dispatching aircraft flight crews andground teams from various unit locations in
the state.
Additional disaster relief scenarios weregiven as others were solved. The partici-
pants completed the disaster relief scenar-
ios on Saturday and the missing aircraftscenario on Sunday afternoon.
A special thank you to the members of the
Air Force-Civil Air Patrol-ReserveAssistance Program, or CAP-RAP, program
who also attended. They provided overviewsupport and helped CAP members become
better in providing emergency services.
SAR / from Page 1
Lt. Col. John Quilling,wing headquarters,
served as air operations
director. Photo by Maj.
David Odette
Despite temperatures in the 30s and frequent snow showers, the Owatonna Squadron showed their patriotism by
marching in the Owatonna, Minn., Loyalty Parade held May 1. The local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
hosted the parade. Loyalty day is observed on May 1 and originated during the cold car as a way for Americans
to counteract the Russian's May Day observances in which communists celebrated their hate for the United
States. This parade had not been held in Owatonna since the early 1980s. The unit was cold...but proud to
serve." Photo by SM Julie Dally
Page 10 WingTips June 2005
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NONPROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 7109ST.PAUL, MN
Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol,U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
P.O. Box 11230, St. Paul, MN 55111
Senior member promotionsLt. Col.
Lt. Col. Joe Volding, Group III
Major
Jim Abeler, Matt Dean, John Dorn, Tom Emmer, Larry Hosch,
Dean Johnson, Neil Peterson, Char Samuelson, and Kurt
Zellers all Minnesota Legislative
Captain
William Hienz, Viking; Richard High, Grand Rapids; James
Kline, Fort Snelling; Eugene Sellen, Valley;
and Stefan Sylvander, St. Croix
1st Lt.
Andrew Boshart, Anoka; Kathleen Eeten, Southeast
Minnesota; Thomas Eeten, Southeast Minnesota; Earl Gibson,
Northwest Minnesota; Gail Kephart, Southeast Minnesota;
Don Mooney, St. Croix; Kevin Odette, Northwest Minnesota;
Brent Smith, Fort Snelling; John Snyder, Duluth;
and Linda Tyner, Crow Wing2nd Lt.
Thomas Atol, Duluth; Michael Blowers, Northwest
Minnesota; Julie Dally, Owatonna; Tom Flemming, Grand
Rapids; Aaron Peterson, St. Cloud; Richard Sather, St. Croix;
and Robert Swearengin, Viking
Momentous occasions ...The 130th Squadron celebrated a cadet change of com-
mand ceremony May 10. C/1st Lt. Jennifer Willhiteassumed command from C/Maj. Brian Anderson.
Valley Squadron celebrated a cadet change of command
ceremony June 2. C/Capt. Ben Piehl assumed commandfrom C/1st Lt. Michael Jacobsen.
Lt. Col. Robert Juroszek, Minnesota Wing, was ordained
into the priesthood on June 3 at St. Bridget's Church inMinneapolis.
Taps ...Dr. (Maj.) Richard Hall, a long time member of Mankato
Squadron, May 1.
Capt. Victor Olesen, a long time member of HutchinsonSquadron, early April.
Cadet officer promotionsC/Capt. Mark Pomerleau, North Hennepin
C/2nd Lt. Shawn Cruze, North Star; Nicholas Johnson,
St. Croix; and Cory Titus, Viking
June 2005 WingTips Page 11