Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Welcome To Encampment! Thank you WBKB

Thank you to Casey Coffey from Channel 11 News in Alpena for spending some time with us this week. CAP has been on the 6pm news two times so far with hopes of more. Casey had the chance to go for his very own O Flight!

Edition 3 of 6
Fire Truck Demo
By 2d Lt Vinson and 2d Lt Bowden Congratulations to C/CMSgt del Rosario from Alpha Flight for winning the fireman gear race! 3 cadets got to race to try and get on the 30 pounds of fire fighting gear the fastest. With Cadets cheering and yelling loudly C/CMSgt del Rosario took home the prize by a narrow margin. This prize, a new book of jodies, should come in handy. The cadets learned a lot about fire service, the importance of all the gear and what it is used for and had time to ask lots of questions. Later, cadets went outdoors for a tour of the base fire truck inside and out and witnessed a master stream nozzle demonstration which poured out many gallons of water. Cadets attended a class about fire fighting taught by SSgt Willman and 1st Lt Murray. Topics included Air Force fire fighter training, MIWG SAR academy and how it inspired SSgt Willman to go into fire fighting, and SSgt Willmans military and civilian fire fighting career. Special thanks to Capt. Dave Watts for saving the day!

A true NCO
By C/CMSgt Sara Fishbein By Maj Christina Watts, Commandant This morning, SMSgt Pops Biddle (USAF retired), taught classes for the cadet wing. My flight was there to listen to him speak about Air Force careers. Pops encouraged cadets to wait until they were sure of what they wanted from the military before speaking to recruiters. He also gave insightful advice about enlisted and officer careers, as well as information about the other branches. He also spoke about the role of the NonCommissioned Officer (NCO). In his words, NCOs are the ones who really run the military. During this class, he shared many stories from his 28 years on active duty, including his time as a boom operator on a KC-135. Pops is a beloved member of the CAP community and I know myself and the rest of the cadets greatly enjoyed his classes this week.

Welcome to day five of encampment! I certainly hope you are enjoying the time you have experienced in Alpena so far. Your week is half over and I am sure that you have gained some valuable lessons to take back to your home squadrons. Encampment is a process of continual learning from the moment that you arrive at encampment until the moment you drive out of the base gates. Your encampment experience does not end there should you choose to further your training by coming back on staff. In my vast years of serving on encampment staff I have found that the learning experience continues throughout your encampment career from flight staff, through Cadet Leadership School and even serving on senior staff. I remember learning many valuable life lessons from working with my basic flight staff. From there I went on to learn advanced leadership skills at Cadet Leadership School. From those lessons, I have taken everything memorable about my basic year as a cadet and have tried to implement that whenever possible. I encourage you to do the same back at your home unit and at future encampments. I leave you with the most priceless lesson that I feel that a cadet can bring home from encampment is teamwork and gaining life-long friends from across the state of Michigan. This year I have the privilege of having an assistant Commandant of Cadets 1st Lt Retzlaff from Oakland Composite Squadron. She has been a tremendous help to myself and the cadet staff.

5...4...3...2...1...LAUNCH
By Rocketry Today our first rocket launch was a success!!! A couple of rockets took a few times to launch correctly without losing their rocket engine. It was quite an interesting event, and no one gave up. According to C/Amn Gardener, Third times the charm! To C/Amn Gardeners relief, the third time his rocket shot into the air, it returned with all of the parts. Congratulations Rocketry, for building your rockets with success!!

Daily Safety Moment

By Maj Woolston Walking alone on base is a NO NO!!!! It is a good idea for all members at night to walk with a buddy. This is a large base with many hazards especially with military vehicles and construction. Cadets, whether basic or staff should never walk alone at night, or put themselves at risk of being alone and then having to walk somewhere. This is for your s a f e t y .

Quotes Heard around CLS

My CLS experience has taught me more in the past three days than I have learned in the past 3 years. Cadet Serra, CLS CLS is the best thing a CAP leaders can attend if they want to learn how to do their job as best they can. I would recommend CLS to any CAP cadet -Cadet Z. Myers, CLS One recommendation I would give to someone planning on attending CLS is to not think too highly of themselves because at CLS you are going to learn that you arent perfect. Even great leaders will learn something new. -Cadet Koulchar, CLS If you are attending CLS- be yourself, remember your customs and courtesies, use your time properly and do your best is all that matters. The most memorable thing this week has been the friends I have made. Cadet Maciag, CLS Overall, CLS will challenge you to step out of your comfort zone. You will have tons to bring back to your squadron -Cadet Kosik

Random Photo Goodness

Everyone Loves PT
By: C/CMSgt Luke Rondeau "Good morning cadets; you have thirty seconds to get outside for PT!" How many of you have wondered why we do PT every morning and every evening? C/SSgt Smith at Foxtrot Flight says that "PT is a good way to relieve stress." We do PT not only to strengthen our bodies, we do PT to learn to motivate ourselves and our fellow flight members, as well. C/A1C Fillmore, also from Foxtrot says that "PT is challenging, but rewarding." Remember, though, PT is very active and it is important to drink lots of water. Also, stretch out alot during cool-down. That is the most important time to stretch. I'll see you on the PT field. One last thought..."If you keep your mind positive, you can do anything."

Life on Flight Staft

By: C/MSgt Jake Suszko Close your eyes, drift off and imagine some things for a second. You are being told to find cadets needing meds from Med Bay, SOP your locker, and get your flight to the chow hall in five minutes. This is how it feels to be on flight staff. When something needs to be done, it works its way through the chain all the way to flight staff. Moving cadets is our responsibility. Waking cadets up is our responsibility. Getting cadets in bed is our responsibility. We also do all the activities and have the same requirements as basics. If you are on staff at your squadron, being on encampment staff is an entirely different beast. It is hard, stressful, and if you don't use your diaphragm, you will have no voice by Day 3. It is also very rewarding. It is our responsibility to produce the cadets that will lead the wing in a few short years.

Greetings from Facebook

Dawn Lennox-Hanley Excellent job keep us all posted on the happenings at Encampment...wish I were there too! Hi C/Msgt Hanley, hope you are learning tons at CLS, can't wait to see you at Graduation and to hear all your awesome stories! Ron Brown Hello to Kris and Tim Brown and the rest of the Lapeer Composite Squadron! The Browns Jennifer Kooshian What an awesome day for everyone! Hello to Peter and Jeremiah Kooshian and all of the Hudsonville Metro Squadron! Shannon Funkhouser Thank you to all of C.A.P staff for all you have done and especially those who help Derek out. You all are truly in a league of your own, and I am proud to have my sons with this organization! Susan Klotz Wiggins Just want to say thank you so much for the updates and say hello to my son Kyle Wiggins. Jacqueline Yaple Hello to everyone who rode up with me to Alpena, especially Mary Yaple my daughter and Amanda Shields. Hope you are all having a great time Alyssa Ansah-Asante WOW! Sounds like cadets are in store for excitement; enjoy! Hi C/Amn Ansah-Asante! Absorb it all-what great experiences. We are looking forward to seeing you on graduation day!!! Steve Schelske did Cadet Schelske break any bones yet or is it gonna be tomorrow?

HONOR FLIGHT

DELTA
Give EM the Brick !
Our beloved C/Maj Bacero received not one but TWO gold bricks. Apparently a cadet should not kick Lt Col Cotton!

Internet Access Graciously Provided by:

Encampment Editorial Staff 1st Lt Mark Curtis, Director 2d Lt Robert Bowden, Asst. Director 1st Lt Rick Lauterbach, Videographer 2d Lt Carol Vinson, Newsletter Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 after the duty day for us to make copies!

Thursday, 23 July 2009

Welcome To Encampment!
Welcome Maj Gen Amy S Courter
By 2d Lt Bowden We are honored to have Major General Amy S. Courter, the Civil Air Patrol National Commander, Col Charles L. Carr Jr. Great Lakes Region Commander, as well as Col Michael A. Saile, Michigan Wing Commander, joining us for the rest of the encampment. Maj Gen Courter is a former MIWG Commander and currently lives in South Lyon Michigan. Maj Gen Courter is a huge supporter of the cadet program and is often heard saying that Michigan wing is her home. WELCOME HOME MAAM

Edition 4 of 6
Look out below
A few quotes from the rappelling tower C/CMSgt Neil Liagve Awesome! Everyone should do it. Its not as scary as it looks and its a lot of fun! C/SMsgt Gerard There is nothing better than the feeling of free falling off a wall. C/SMSgt Joel Cortright My spidey senses tingled as I crawled carefully up the wall. I became spiderman. C/SrA Anastasha Collins Its one of the best experiences Ive ever had free falling off of the wall. C/Ssgt Nate Weil In just three days, Ive gone from a quiet, unsure follower to a confident leader and theres still two days left! I also have a bunch of new friends.

By Maj Machcinski, Executive Officer If you are a cadet or senior member at the 2009 GLR Encampment at the CRTC, many words may come to your mind to describe your experience here. AMAZING is one word that comes to my mind. As XO (Executive Officer) for Encampment this year, my main responsibility is to ensure smooth operation for all areas. Sometimes that includes being everywhere and knowing everything that goes on, however, it also includes staying out of sight and out of the way. Amazing changes take place during this week. The biggest changes that are seen are in the basic cadets. They arrive not knowing what awaits them, armed only with the stories from fellow cadets and the encouragement received from senior members to attend this activity. From total confusion and not knowing what to do, the weeks training turns them into focused team members and a strong asset to this organization. These basic cadets go through an amazing transformation, not only seen by the staff and other cadets at encampment, but also by their parents when they arrive home. Senior members also go through an amazing experience as they watch the cadets develop and mature in front of their eyes. They see young boys and girls turn into cadets, leaders and future staff. All this is thanks to the amazing experience we call Encampment

One Big Family

By 2d Lt Bowden and 2d Lt Vinson Many of you may have been wondering about all of the different wing patches youve been seeing this week. This year at the GLR Encampment, along with our usual Michigan Wing members, we have members from the New York Wing, National Capital Wing, Kentucky Wing, Texas Wing, Indiana Wing and Massachusetts Wing. Everyone in MIWG has heard of this encampment and how great it is and the word is spreading. This year we have twenty out-ofwing members from three different regions. Friendships are forming that may carry on for years. This week at encampment will bond you with many others for a lifetime. Take the opportunity to get names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., so you can stay in touch. When you get home, you can sign up to become a fan of Great-Lakes-Region-North-MIWGEncampment on Facebook. Thats another great way to stay in touch and also view the many photos that have been taken over the week by our PAO staff.

Daily Safety Moment

By Maj Rutherford Flash Boom!!! Yes, we still have the threat of thunderstorms and other severe weather. If you can hear thunder, you can be close enough to be struck by lightening. So, what to do? Get indoors. You are far safer indoors. There are safe areas to go to on base: *In the bathrooms of your barracks away from windows, such as, under the sinks or in the showers. *Building 440, especially in the center of the building. *The Collins Center restrooms. Or, as a last resort, any building that is open; go to an area away from windows.

Exercise Exercise Exercise

By 2d Lt Bowden How many times this week have we heard this coming from the loud speakers on base? The 220th Buckeye EI squadron, which is part of the Ohio Air National Guard, is on base training and upgrading the base communications equipment. These Guardsmen specialize in front-line installation of telecommunications and every other type of communications equipment you can think of. Yesterday and today they are conducting war games simulating a chemical attack. This unit is often deployed with the current war on terror. The chemical gear that they wear is around 60 Lbs and very hot. This is a very specialized unit which is one of only five in the country. The 220th consists of about 120 airmen and officers that work very hard to keep everyone connected in todays world of electronics.

Random Photo Goodness

1st Lt Herb Aukett

By 2d Lt Vinson Most of you may have noticed a special person among us this week. He is 1Lt Herb Aukett of the Detroit 100th Composite Squadron. He has been a CAP member for over five years and this is his fourth encampment. While enrolled in the ECI-13 class over the week he has some spare time to help out in Flight Ops. He is a natural out there with the gliders. And we sure appreciate his help and expertise. Lt. Aukett has been flying planes and gliders for 50 years. He originates in U.K. where he joined the Sea Cadets. He moved to the U.S. in 1956 where he learned to fly. The first plane he learned to fly was the Cessna 120 and his primary flight instructor was a young woman pilot at Detroit City Airport. He sees the noticeable difference in cadets after theyve been at encampment. After being here for a week, the cadets grow and mature and present themselves well. According to Aukett, another good reason to come to encampment is, You can start putting names and faces together. You suddenly realize how big an organization CAP is.

Greetings from Facebook

SteveLooks like way too much fun, folks! And no calls to me as legal officer yet, so everyone must be doing it right! (Asst. Wing Legal Officer) Shannon- Keep up the great work Cadets Kelly and Derek Funkhouser from Blue Water Composite Squadron. We know you are doing your Squadron proud and making great friends! Miss you both very much. Mom, Dad, Carol, Al, and Danni Mark Looks like perfect days for all the training at encampment! Special hi to C/Amn Miller from the folks! Candace Lt. Jerry Murray, Glad you are having such a great time at Encampment. But I miss you and can't wait to see you soon. Love Bullet Susan- To Cadet Kyle Wiggins - Hope you are having fun and we can't wait to see you on Saturday. Keep trying to do your best. Love ya lots, Mom and dad Andrew Hi Hollowood--Looks like you are having fun!! How are the rockets blasting off?? I sure hope you have big engines in them. Have fun. Mom Ron Hi Jill, Nice looking rockets! Did they fly? Thanks for your encouragement notes to the cadets. Sue Brown Denise Warms my heart to see you smile Troy. Looks a though they are keeping you quite busy! Glad to see you enjoying it. To see more comments please visit the Encampment fan page once you get home.

HONOR FLIGHT

GOLF
Give EM the Brick !
Keep an eye out for Capt Dave Watts brick. Maybe you can catch him without it and he will earn a second one. C/Maj Bacero learned that 2d Lt Bowden remembers getting tackled by her last year.

Internet Access Graciously

Encampment Editorial Staff 1st Lt Mark Curtis, Director 2d Lt Robert Bowden, Asst. Director 1st Lt Rick Lauterbach, Videographer 2d Lt Carol Vinson, Newsletter Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 after the duty day for us to make copies!

Friday, 24 July 2009

Its Not Goodbye CRTC Check Out Procedures
By 2d Lt Carol Vinson Cadets and Seniors, as we finish out our week here at CRTC, we want to leave the base buildings in the same or better condition that we found them in. Please remember to do the following things: Unplug fridge, wipe out and leave door open Vacuum all carpet floors Wipe all furniture with damp cloth Place pillow at head of bed (by wall) Fold blankets, place at foot of bed All windows closed and locked All window shades at half mast There is a $5.00 charge for lost keys Remove all trash from floors, rooms, dayroom and bathroom and place in dumpster Remove any posters, signs, etc., including tape Turn off all lights Empty all cigarette butt cans Police outside area, pick up all trash Flight Staff need to return all used linen to Collins Center by 8a.m. Cadets may store luggage in CLS room in Collins Center as directed by flight staff Clean out web belt and empty canteen; return to Collins Center as directed by flight staff

Edition 5 of 6
Cadets Learn to Succeed
By C/1st Lt Randi Wild From Rubiks cubes to toilet paper stars, Cadet Leadership School is packed with teambuilding activities and leadership classes that are slowly shaping your fellow cadets into fine leaders. CLS is packed with activities that literally keep us cadets on our toes. We began the week with getting to know one another and jumped right into a challenging, but rewarding program. The Cadets in CLS send their highest regards to the rest of the encampment, and encourage all of the cadets in basic to do their best and have fun.

By 1st Lt Mark L. Curtis, Public Affairs ...its see you next year! This will be the last edition of At Ease! for this week of encampment, but you will still have a newsletter to read come Saturday morning; with Michigan Wings Cadet Gazette - Encampment Edition. For those of you who know me, this has been my third year working in the Public Affairs office at encampment and it will also be my last. As much as I love Public Affairs, it is time to move on and try something new, so look for me in a new role next year! Im looking forward to whatever it may be. Needless to say, the week isnt even over yet, and Im looking forward to the next year. If I had my way, encampment would go on forever. I enjoy every waking minute I am here with you in Alpena. Watching you all experience flight, overcome your fears and become fast friends in the span of just a few days, to me, is simply amazing to watch! For me, as a cadet I never made it to encampment and wish I had those memories with me as I grow. Needless to say, the memories you make here will be with you for a lifetime! It is my most sincere desire that you take what you have learned here back to your home unit and share it with your squadron mates, especially those who could not be with us in Alpena this year, because it will not only pay off in inspiring them to come next year, but help you continue to build on your own leadership skillset as you move forward in your CAP career! I look forward to seeing you all next year!

Cadets learn about DDR

By 2d Lt Carol Vinson We had a great presentation by a Michigan State Police Sheriff. Not only was he very informative, but the cadets had a great hands-on time with some of his equipment. Later, we got to witness the demonstration with his canine partner. This dog was amazing! His level of training was outstanding as he obeyed and followed commands. He even sniffed out some drugs placed in the Collins Center! What an asset to the police as they help stop the sale and use of drugs. Ill never look at a tennis ball the same again.

CLS Graduation
By 2d Lt Robert Bowden

The 2009 Cadet Leadership School will be graduating on Friday the 24th at 1900 in the Collins Center. These cadets have been studying hard all week. CLS is one of the best programs cadets can attend to further their leadership education. CLS graduates have the skills to return next year on flight and squadron staff, as well as taking a new fresh approach to leadership, back to their home units.

Daily Safety Moment

By Maj Jennifer Woolston To all of you thank you for making this one of the safest encampments ever. It makes our job a lot easier. As you head home, remember to follow the speed limit and dont drive while distracted. NO TEXTING AND DRIVING. If you start to feel sleepy - because for some of you this will be a long trip home pull over and let someone else drive. I look forward to seeing you next year. Have a safe trip home. : ) We are all responsible for safety!

One Final Launch

The Rocketry Cadets have completed building their rockets. Once they launch them, they will qualify for a Rocketry badge. The graduation for Model Rocketry will take place Friday at 1400.

What now?
By 2d Lt Robert Bowden As the week comes to a close, many cadets start to look forward to the benefits of graduating from basic encampment. Cadets who graduate from encampment are able to apply for National Cadet Special Activities such as National Blue Beret, Hawk Mountain Ranger School, National Flight Academy, National Emergency Services Academy and many, many more. Cadets also complete one of the requirements for the Billy Mitchell Award which marks the end of phase two of the cadet program and gives the cadet the grade of C/2d Lt. Cadets can return to encampment next year as Cadet Staff, Support Staff, PAO, CLS or Rocketry students. Whatever you decide to do just make sure you get out there and do something. Nothing is worse than coming back to encampment next year as the same grade and having not done anything new. Take some advise from a former C/Lt Col, Aim for the stars and never stop trying, because when you do life becomes meaningless.

Random Photo Goodness

We are go for LAUNCH By C/TSgt Giddery On Wednesday, the Rocketry Flight launched rockets for the basic cadets and we managed to lose only one rocket to the swamp monster. The swamp monster is what we call the river! Also, on Wednesday we found out a way to make the cadets be quiet. We started playing a game called the quiet game. The last cadet wins a special prize. It is a lot of fun! We learned how to spray paint our rockets, too. It was interesting to see everyone paint them in their unique ways.

Greetings from Facebook

Bill Charles- Fantastic pages and notes. Makes one homesick for Alpena in the summer. Tonya Minser- Thank you!!! to all of the many leaders and volunteers who make this week a possibility. You are impacting so many lives. Thank you!!! Edward D. Phelka- Greetings from Colorado Wing! I hope everyone is having a great time in Alpena. I wish I could be there with you. Christine Rinn- Wish I were there, maybe next year. Jennifer Nicholson -Brit Nicholson - Can't wait to see you at graduation. Dad and I are proud of you. And yes, we'll head to BK for a triple!!! Love, Mom Jason Dworkin - Let me get this straight. You guys wait until AFTER I leave to do this? That's it! I'm coming back...

A big THANK YOU to the Walmart in Alpena! The store donated a $100 gift card to the CAP Encampment. It was used to print a 4 x 6 photo to be given to all the basic cadets with each of them in their flight. Other needed administrative supplies were also purchased. We sure appreciate their generosity.

Happy Birthday to Capt Duffy, 1st Lt Sue Cotton yesterday and Lt Col Reid tomorrow.
Honor Flight

Delta
Give EM the Brick !
It seams squadron staff got jealous of C/ Maj Baceros brick and got themselves a few bricks of their own tonight.

Mark K Miller Looks like perfect days for all the training at encampment! Special hi to C/ Amn Miller (Michael R Miller-Hudsonville) from the folks! Natasha White Andrews Only my daughter can be a diva in BDU's, lol

Internet Access Graciously Provided by:

Encampment Editorial Staff 1st Lt Mark Curtis, Director 2d Lt Robert Bowden, Asst. Director 1st Lt Rick Lauterbach, Videographer 2d Lt Carol Vinson, Newsletter Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 after the duty day for us to make copies!

Once you get home make sure you check out the Fan Page for encampment. Just do a search for Great Lakes Region North Encampment. We have 265 people watching the updates on Facebook as of Thursday night and that number is still growing.