Say AAdAd ee, SG easons November/December 1999 From the Commander Captain Vern Gibson First, let me wish heart felt Happy Holiday wishes to all from Squadron 35, Its hard to believe another year is passing by already, but so ithas. And whata year ithas been! Tlljust mention a few of our many activities. There are so many things that were done and so many fine members that participated, it’s impossible to mention all. My apologies and thanks go out to the ones who do those helping things behind the scenes and do not get mentioned or public ac- knowledgment. Please know that you are appre- ciated Saturday, November 6 saw a major work party take place at our facility again. Several mem- bers of Squadron 35 and Group 1 got together to brush and strip our porches and handicap ramp and prepare them for repainting as they were get- ting very shabby. Tom Conrad, Bill Cuddyer, Tammy, Woody, Nikki, Pat Malone, Delores Limpus, Jim Briggs, Marv Mullins, Lloyd Burrell and several others assisted in getting everything prepared for painting. Special thanks again to my brother Garth Gibson for helping our squadron and me get everything painted. As he says it was a good day for F Troop. Activities such as work parties do bring people together asa team. Ittakes this to get things done. November 14 brought up our Squadron 35 reetings NV OW from PLANE TALK THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF ‘SAN FERNANDO SENIOR SQUADRON 25. UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY (CIVIL AIR PATROL 12658 Ostome Sree. Pecoima, Calla 91891 breakfast. Thanks to all the squadrons of Group 1 and other Group 1 members for attending. This ‘wasa very successful fund raiser and brought with ita lot of good camaraderie. We are a lucky squadron at 35 to have so many people that continue to try to get ahead in CAP. These members have personal ambition as well as a desire to help train others. Woody Me- Cauley, Margot Leveque, Pat Malone, Steve Huss, Monica Huss, Joe Spahr, to mention a few, are folks that continue to do Level 1 Classes and assist in Corporate Learning Classes and Squadron Lead- ership School. ‘Our squadron continues to fly ROTC flights and Cadet Orientation Rides on a regular basis. ‘Thanks to all who are involved. The busier we are the better we may become. ‘Squadron 35 is a fun place to be. It’s a place where things are happening. We all gain by shar- ing and participating in all the activities. December 4 was the date of out Whiteman Airport Search And Rescue Exercise. This exer- cise taught a lot of us a few more lessons of pilot- age as well as finding targets. Thanks to Joe Spahr and his team of helpers for making sure that ev- erything worked out okay. Group One will be having its get together at Rockie’s at Whiteman Airport again this year to celebrate the holidays. This is always a happy occasion and I look forward to seeing all the folks in such a festive mood. Happy Holidays to all and a healthy New Year!PUBLIC AFFAIRS NOTES MOVING ON UP IN THE = CIVIL AIR PATROL a YOUR PROMOTION TO 2LT When do you qualify? * When you've been a member for 6 months. (It’s easy to check, just look at theday on your National member- ship card.) + Ifyou are a high school graduate * When you have contributed to the work and mission of the squadron by getting into a specialty track and showing that you care. How do you apply * Ask someone in Admin or Personnel (Jim Hayden or Spencer Suderman) for a CAP Form 2 - Request for Pro- motion Action * Fill out the top two lines (Personal Data) as it instructs. * In Part Il (Training Data) fill in the dates of your Level I class and Ca- det Protection Program Training. In the Specialty Training box place the track number of your specialty (Mar- got Leveque has all of these if you for- got yours). + InPart Ill (Officer Grade Requested ) check the box marked 2LT. + InPart IMI -section (1) Duty Perfor- mance , check the box to the right of the word “performance,” and also check the box marked 2LT * On the back - write “member” in the box marked requested by, then have the squadron commander sign and date the request. ——= PLANE TALK + Give the completed form to the Per- sonnel Officer (or representative) for submission to National. (With this and with ALL paperwork you sub- mit in CAP, MAKE COPIES FOR YOUR 201 FILE AND for YOUR- SELF, Now What? Itusually takes 4 to5 weeks to get the pi motions processed. You will receive a new Na- tional membership card in the U.S. Mail with your new rank listed. IF the card doesnot come within that time frame, check with personnel re- garding follow up AND get out your copies. Promotions to First and Second Lieutenant go directly to National Headquarters from the Squadron. There should not, therefore, be much ofa delay. Good luck to you on your first promotion and we'll be writing to you soon about your next. 1LT Nikki Vaughan, Public Affairs Officer November/December 1999YOSEMITE ECHOES Appearances-.is it true what the ‘commercial says,"You never get a second chance to make a first impression"? I do not know the answer to that one, but I do know that physical appearance means a lot to some people. Asa brief aside here, my wife told me last night that of 2,000 high school students surveyed recently in the San Fernando Valley, 87% planned on being TV, or motion picture actors. This was instructive to me, because I would not tion had the necessary physical attributes to crash into an impacted field of endeavor like entertainment. I know that appear- ances are important. Ihave always enjoyed wearing a beard. Lots of people don't like beards, especially on ministers. This has been a recurring theme through- out my life. I find myself now torn between the de- sire to wear my smart Air Force-Style uniform, and wearing my beloved beard. Perhaps I could convert and become a Rabbi, or Greek Orthodox chaplain. These groups can even God would have me attempt to give us all some- thing to ponder at this special time. ‘Thanksgiving has just passed. Now would be a good time, be before overindulging again, and say a little prayer for the fact that we have lived our life in a land where we could worship God as we were lead, or choose not to worship at all. The only thing worse than no religion at all, is too much religion. At least that is the lesson I draw from history. This thankfulness is merely a segue into what I really want to say today. Take time to honor God somewhere in your life, because we are all "Strangers in a strange land.” [ am in the busi- ness of believing, as it were, and I know that there is an order to the Universe, and that we are all a small part of that greater awareness. We who are pilots, and flyers should be espe- cially mindful of our mortality. The end came in the air for two men in the last few months. It is easy to look at the one and say, “that couldn't happen to wear a beard on active duty, since itis part of their me, I'm a smarter pilot than that.” The other was a famous golfer, accepted packaging. But, 1 fear | am too old to jump through a whole new set of hoops, even if my be- lief system allowed for that. Enough about appearances for now. At the end of the Gospels Jesus told Peter, "Feed my Sheep.” It is now the Holiday season again, and all these various Holidays are rife with Religious meaning. Asa minister of the Gospel, lam charged with feeding His sheep. This is no small under- taking in such a diverse group. But I feel that November/December 1999 PLANE TALK =} and an avowed Chris- tian, and merely a passenger, whom I doubt had done anything wrong, as regards the flight that killed him. I apologize for having to remind each of us what we already know, that we will one day leave this earth, but I feel that as Chaplain it is my duty to do so now and again. May God make YOUR NEW YEAR a great one. Captain David Cantrell, Chaplain Page 3