WingTips

THE NEWSLETTER
OF MINNESOTA
WING, CIVIL AIR
PATROL

SPECIAL
POINTS
OF IN-
TEREST: AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007
Remembering
Maj Gen Doyle
E. Larson
From Stripes to Stars
Letter From Brig In memory of Major General Doyle E. Larson
Gen Amy
Courter Lt Col Dan McDowell

Encampment On Monday August 13, we, (the USAF fam-

Update ily), this community and country said good-
Awards and
bye to a great man and a true leader.
promotions Major General Doyle E. Larson, USAF Ret.,
passed away, and like every day of his
life, his departure was an example of his
strength, dignity, passion, and elegance.
General Larson began his military career as
INSIDE THIS an enlisted man. He entered the Air Force in
ISSUE: March 1951 at Lackland Air Force Base,
Texas. After completing basic training, he
Commander’s 1 was assigned to the Army Language School,
Column Monterey, Calif., to study the Russian lan-
guage. He graduated at the top of his class
Flight Acad- 3 and was assigned to the U.S. Air Force Se-
emy curity Service at Brooks Air Force Base, Maj Gen Doyle E. Larson in 1974 after
Former CAP 3 Texas. receiving second star.

cadet commis- Gen Larson continued on page 2.

sioned at
White House
Commander’s Column
State Rep. 5 Col Stephen G. Miller
Dan Severson Commander, Minnesota Wing
visits St. funds and our Orientation when Southeast Minnesota
Cloud Flight funds. It took a great flooded. I couldn’t have been
Awards & 7 deal of work by the Emer- more proud of our members
Promotions gency Services department the way they stepped up and
and hosting squadrons to for eight days spent hundreds
8
setup, coordinate, and imple- of hours assisting the local au-
Calendar
ment four major SAREXs this thorities in whatever way
year. They were all well at- needed. A JOB WELL DONE!
tended and we learned from
each of them. That’s why we The Summer National Board
do training – to hone our skills meeting was held in Atlanta,
and to work out the bugs in August 9 to 11. Many items
With the fiscal year coming our procedures so that when were brought before the
to a close this month let me the real missions come along board. A few of the high-
congratulate the Wing we will be prepared. And lights follow.
members on effectively prepared we were for the
using ALL of our training disaster relief mission we had The National Vice Comander,

Commander’s Column continued on page 2

Commander’s Column (continued from front page)
Brig Gen Amy Courter, was re-
elected to another one year
term. An agenda item to allow
an additional term for the Na-
tional Commander was de-
feated.
An agenda item for a term ex-
tension up to three additional
years for Regional Commanders
was defeated.
An agenda item for term exten-
sion for Wing Commanders was
withdrawn.
An agenda item for removal of
Group level Inspector General
assigning them to be Assistant
Inspector General to the Wing
IG was approved.
An agenda item from the winter
National Board meeting to allow
Primary flight instruction for Sen-
ior Members was brought up and
no action was taken on it. The
item was closed.
There was a draft of a new
CAPR60-1 presented to the Na-
tional Board. It was under ten
pages long. The current CAPR60-
1 is 71 pages long. The draft
was sent to the Operations Com-
mittee. This new shorter 60-1 is a
good move.
In preparation for changing to the
Wing Banker Program all units
should be in the process of clos-
ing their local bank account(s).
This program has been imple-
mented in several squadrons
already and is running well. We
need to be on this program by
October1, 2007.
As many of you may have
heard, Wyoming Wing lost three
members and an aircraft while
searching for a missing 16 year
old boy. Please keep their fami-
lies in your thoughts and prayers.
Semper Vigilans!

From Stripes to Stars (continued from front page)

In October 1952 he en-
tered training as an avia-
tion cadet at James Con-
nally Air Force Base,
Texas, and graduated with
distinction in May 1953,
earning his wings and a
commission as a Second
Lieutenant. And that was
just the beginning of what
was to become an illustri-
ous career for a young
man born in 1930 in Ma-
delia, Minnesota. He grew
to be an amazing leader
for the greatest military
force this planet has ever
known and he did it with
unfailing honor, spirit, and
patriotism.
Those who had the honor
and privilege to know
General Larson personally
can surely remember that
he was a quiet man of
strength. At the risk of
sounding rather cliché,
General Larson was not a
tall man, however his pres-
ence in any room was huge
and immediately com-
manded respect! He was
a man of great dignity and
he always lived his core val-
ues completely. He personi-
fied what a good officer
should and could be. Gen-
eral Larson always followed
protocol with an elegance
that at times was simply awe
inspiring! He led by example,
without fail from start to fin-
ish!
General Larson was a mas-
terful and complete communi-
cator. What I mean is that he
could speak very well. He
was rarely, if ever at a loss
for what to say (and it was
always the right thing), but
being a complete communi-
cator means he was an ex-
cellent listener also. He knew
how to listen to others and
truly hear what they were
saying and meaning.
General Larson’s military
decorations include the Distin-
guished Service Medal, Le-
gion of Merit with two oak
leaf clusters, Meritorious Ser-
vice Medal, Air Medal with
three oak leaf clusters, Air
Force Commendation Medal
with oak leaf cluster and the
Air Force Outstanding Unit
Award with two oak leaf clus-
ters and "V" device. He wore
the Aircraft Observer and
Missile badges.
On May 1, 1974, Brigadier
General Doyle E. Larson be-
came Major General Doyle E.
Larson. Even after he retired
from the USAF in 1983, he
was a tremendous supporter
of a number of unique organi-
zations like the Air Force Asso-
ciation, the Air Force Ser-
geants Association and Civil
Air Patrol. He was a driving
force in providing special
funds for scholarships and
awards for Cadets and Offi-
cers of CAP. He was the best
of the best in everything he
touched. He touched many of
our hearts and hopefully we’ll
carry on his legacy and emu-
late his outstanding qualities
for the good of our organiza-
tion and ourselves, and as a
way to truly honor this great
man and friend. He will be
missed.
PAGE 2
Former Minnesota CAP cadet commissioned during White House ceremony
Capt Richard Sprouse
Former Minnesota Wing Civil
Air Patrol cadet Tim Schait-
berger was commissioned as
a Second Lieutenant in the
U.S. Air Force during a recent
ceremony at the White
House.
The 22-year old Edina native
was a CAP cadet with Viking
Squadron in Eden Prairie be-
fore attending Air Force
ROTC. The Seton Hall gradu-
ate with a Master’s degree in
International Law said being
a Civil Air Patrol cadet
greatly helped him in his ca-
reer.
“It gave me a great advan-
2007 Minnesota Wing Flight Academy “a great success”
Maj David Odette
The thirty-ninth consecutive
Minnesota Wing Flight Acad-
emy was held this summer
from July 13-21, 2007.
The flight training took place
from the Mankato Airport with
housing provided at the Gus-
tavus Adolphus College Cam-
pus in St. Peter, MN.
This year’s flight academy
offered the two traditional
cadet flight training programs
as well as two new advanced
pilot flight programs.
All students and staff re-
ported to the Gustavus Adol-
phus College Campus at St.
Peter on Friday, July 13 for a
three hour Flight Academy
orientation on program struc-
ture, operational procedures
and schedules for the upcom-
tage during Air Force train-
ing, and allowed me to stand
out in many areas of Air
Force ROTC,” Schaitberger
said. “Having a solid basis in
military customs and courte-
sies is a great
asset for any young person
looking to become an officer
in the US military, either
through ROTC or the military
academies.”
Lieutenant Schaitberger was
commissioned along with 54
officers representing all 50
states, four US territories and
the District of Columbia.
President Bush, with Secretary
ing eight days of flight train-
ing. Saturday morning at
0800 the flight and ground
Cadets in opening formation on day 2
before flight training begins.
training, the point all students
and staff were waiting for,
started. Each day followed a
vigorous daily schedule from
early morning to evening of
flight and ground instruction
allowing all students the op-
of Defense
Robert
Gates lead-
ing
the oath of
office for
the lieuten-
ants, led the
ceremony.
Schaitber-
ger was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (left) and 2nd Lt
among four Tim Schaitberger at White House commissioning
ceremony.
Minnesotans
to receive their commission,
the most of any state.
Following some initial training,
Lieutenant Schaitberger will
attend pilot training in Pensa-
cola, Florida next year.
portunity to accomplish their
flight goals.
As in years past the cadet
flight programs provided
both a powered and a
glider primary flight training
program.
The power program pro-
vides the cadet primary
flight training with the cadet
receiving both flight and
classroom training. Each
day the cadet receives a
morning and afternoon ses-
sion of flight training in a
Cessna 172 aircraft as well
as a morning and afternoon
sessions of classroom ground
instruction.
The glider program oper-
Flight Academy continued on page 4
PAGE 3
Minnesota Wing Flight Academy (continued from page 3)
ates in a similar manor with both students with training on the
flight training in a Blanik or flight maneuvers required for
Schweitzer glider as well as class- the FAA Commercial check ride
room ground instruction. The and training in a Cessna 182
glider program has a second and RG meeting the FAA require-
third year program, which pro- ment of flight hours in a retract-
vide a student the opportunity to able gear aircraft for the com-
be prepared to test for their FAA mercial endorsement.
On the glider flight line with the Tom and
Private Pilot Glider Certificate. Jerry Show. Special guest for the day,
This year’s Minnesota Flight
This year two cadets completed Mr. Bill Willis.
Academy was a great success
their third year and pasted their
with a total of thirty-eight stu-
FAA Private Pilot test at Flight
dents and thirty-three staff
Academy.
members attending. Again this
The newly added advanced flight year, the students and staff
programs where Cessna 182T came from multiple CAP Wings
Glass Cockpit training and Com- and Regions identifying Flight
mercial Pilot Certificate training. Academy as a nationally known
event.
The glass cockpit training pro-
vided the five attending pilot stu-
The Flight Academy powered fleet in the
dents a concentrated time frame tie-down area.
receiving the needed ground in-
struction and in flight training to
transition from traditional flight
instrumentation to the new com-
puterized instrumentation termed
the “glass cockpit”. The new
glass cockpit instrumentation pro-
vides the pilot with many capa-
bilities, which have typically been
found in commercial and corpo- Staff and students re-fuel in the shade.
rate aircraft. The training went
beyond the basic instrument tran- Flight Academy Commander, Major Dave
sition but also acquainted them Odette and students in hanger area.
with the extended features of the
new glass cockpit system.
The commercial training program
provided the four pilot students
attending with both ground and
in-flight instruction during the
course of the program to attain a Gliders stored in the hanger overnight
due to threatening weather in the area.
Commercial Pilot rating. The in-
flight instruction provided the pilot

PAGE 4
Real “Top Gun” lauds Civil Air Patrol
Capt Richard Sprouse

Minnesota State Representative Dan
Severson of Sauk Rapids shared
some of his military experience,
stressed the importance of education
and praised the work of the Civil Air
Patrol during a recent visit to the
St. Cloud Composite Squadron.
Severson, a retired U.S. Navy fighter
pilot with 22 years of military ser-
vice, told squadron members that
military pilots work in a very techni-
cal environment requiring lots of
study.
“It looks romantic, but if you don’t
study you wash out of flight school,”
Severson said. “Of the 50 candidates
that started with me, one-third
washed out. It was very competitive.”
For those interested in becoming a
military pilot, the St. Cloud State
University physics graduate’s advice
was straight forward: “You need
a four-year college degree. Get
based in the sciences, study aerody-
namics. Sign up for the hard classes.”
Severson, who completed “Top Gun”
training in Miramar, Calif., said the
people he led in the Navy were com-
mitted to freedom and the ideals of
this country. The former F-18 pilot
sees a lot of parallels in the Civil Air
Patrol. He said that’s why he’s a
member as well.
State Representative Dan Severson.
“Taking time to participate in CAP, as
either an officer or cadet, speaks
volumes of you as good Americans,”
Severson said. “There’s pride and
discipline in the whole CAP process.
The skills you’re learning today will
help you make good decisions today
and tomorrow. You’re all winners.”
And what about the movie Top Gun?
“That was Hollywood,” Severson said.
“Civil Air Patrol is real people per-
forming real missions for America.” St Cloud Composite Squadron members
listening attentively to Rep. Severson.

"Prepare for the Unexpected by Taking Action Now" Brig Gen Amy Courter
Every year, hundreds of natural
disasters – ranging from blizzards
and wildfires to hurricanes, torna-
does and flooding – wreak havoc
on families, homes and entire com-
munities across America. Often
times, people are reminded to take
action to prepare before these
events happen, but sometimes they
occur without warning. Our lives
can be changed in an instant by a
number of different emergencies
and we are constantly reminded of
this each time we watch the news.
Yet, too many Americans have not
taken steps to prepare. There are
simple steps each of us can take to
prepare before an emergency
happens, and as a response organi-
zation, Civil Air Patrol members need
to do their part to prepare not only
themselves, but those around
them. Emergencies will happen, but
taking action now can help us mini-
mize the impact they will have on our
lives.
That's why this September, National
Preparedness Month, is all about
helping individuals, families, busi-
nesses and communities to take ac-
tion! September is an ideal time for
individuals and families to update
their emergency supply kits and fam-
ily emergency plans and to become
better informed about different
threats and local emergency
plans. Many things can change over
the course of a year, and it is impera-
tive that your entire family have the
most up-to-date emergency contact
information and a family emergency
plan as children head back to
school. It's about talking to your fami-
lies and figuring out what you should
do if an emergency happens in your
community. Where will you
meet? What emergency supplies will
you need and where should you keep
them?
This nationwide effort is to encourage
individuals and families to take simple
steps to prepare for emergencies in
their homes, businesses and schools.
Brig Gen Courter continued on page 6

PAGE 5
"Prepare for the Unexpected by Taking Action Now" (Continued from page 5)
Throughout September, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
will work with a wide variety of
organizations like the Civil Air
Patrol to highlight the importance
of emergency preparedness and
promote individual involvement
through events and activities
across the nation, such as first aid
training, town hall meetings and
much more. Many CAP units have
already scheduled events, and
many more will be scheduled in
the coming weeks. The themes for
each week are:
Week One - September 1 - 8:
Back-to-school/Ready Kids.
Week Two - September 9 -15:
Business preparedness/Ready
Business.
Week Three - September 16 - 22:
Multicultural preparedness.
Week Four - September 23 - 30:
Home and family preparedness.
This week, I would like to encourage
you to do one of the simplest things
that individuals and families can do
to be prepared: develop or update
your family emergency plan. To de-
velop one you should ask yourselves
some important questions such as, "In
the event of an emergency, is there a
safe place for my family to meet
even if we are separated?" This is
especially important if you aren't
allowed back into your home or
neighborhood. "What is the evacua-
tion location and plan of my child's
school?" "Does my child's school know
the best way to reach me in an emer-
gency, and do I know how to reach
my child's school in case of a family
emergency?" "Does everyone in the
family have one another's contact
information and the contact for an
out-of-town relative to take roll-
call?" If you have a plan already,
review it again, and make sure that
your entire family really knows the
plan.
Free preparedness resources are
just a click away at
www.ready.gov. The site has infor-
mation about the simple steps you
can take to prepare and provides
templates such as a Family Emer-
gency Plan and an Emergency Sup-
ply Checklist. There are also special
sections for kids, ages 8-12, (Ready
Kids) and small- to medium-sized
businesses (Ready Business).

Col Kevin Sliwinski Receives Legislative Award

Capt Al Pabon

Col Kevin Sliwinski re-
ceived the George Texido
Legislative Officer of the
Year Award for his excel-
lence in initiating and
managing legislative pro-
grams at the state and
federal level for Minne-
sota Wing.
The following is the cita-
tion that was read as the
award was presented:
“Since his appointment as
Minnesota Wing Com-
mander in 1997, Col
Kevin Sliwinski has
worked tirelessly to pro-
mote the Congressional
Squadron at the national
level. Through his efforts,
the membership increased
from one member to all
eight of Minnesota’s con-
gressmen and women and
the two senators from
Minnesota.
In early 2003, Col Sliwin- He has assisted Col
ski requested permission Stephen Miller in getting
of the wing commander, the membership certificate
Col Dale Hoium, to start a and identification cards
Legislative Squadron. presented in person.
Shortly thereafter, 80 of
the 201 state legislators The George Texido
joined the Legislative award was presented by
Squadron. Brig Gen Amy Courter, at
the 2007 Annual Confer-
For the past 10 years, Col ence in Atlanta.
Sliwinski has established
close relationships with all
members of the Congres-
sional Squadron.
Col Sliwinski prepares
handouts for Minnesota’s
representatives and sena-
tors specifically highlight-
ing Minnesota Wing’s ac-
tivities. In the Legislative
Squadron, he works dili-
gently with members of From left; Col Sean Fagan, Col Kevin Sliwinski,
both political parties to Brig Gen Amy Courter and Col Stephen Miller
after Col Sliwinski received his award.
interest them in becoming
a member of CAP.
PAGE 6
 Awards and Promotions
Officer Promotions Officer Awards
Second Lieutenant Paul Garber Award (Level 4)
Adam Monson, Grand Rapids Jerry Rosendahl, Wing HQ
Aaron Plumley, Red Wing
Grover Loening Award (Level 3)
Charles Terry, St. Paul
Robby Sandberg, Northland Phung Chau, North Hennepin
First Lieutenant
David Arnoldy, St. Paul
Alvin Jansen, St. Paul

MN Wing Recognized for Excellence in CAP’s Missions Capt Al Pabon

Minnesota Wing and its members
were honored with several Mission
Awards at the 2007 CAP Annual
Conference in Atlanta this past Au-
gust. The awards and a brief de-
scription of them are:
Search and Rescue - Each wing is
graded annually by a CAP-USAF
inspection team on overall perform-
ance in the execution of search and
rescue missions.
Counterdrug - This award recog-
nizes the top wing in each region in
counterdrug operations.
Aerospace Education – This award
is presented to the top wing in each
region for their excellence in promot-
ing aerospace education.
These awards will be on display at
the Wing’s Operations and Mainte-
nance Facility in South St. Paul.
Col Stephen Miller accepting the NCR
Well done Minnesota Wing! Counterdrug Award from Brig Gen Amy
Courter.

Minnesota Encampment CTG Commander chosen

Major Conrad Peterson

I am pleased to announce
that a cadet commander has
been selected for the 2008
Minnesota Wing encamp-
ment.
On Monday, August 20 an
interview board consisting of
Maj Josh Puhl and myself
was conducted. The candi-
dates that applied for en-
campment cadet commander
were asked several ques-
tions concerning encampment
operation, leadership and
character traits.
C/Col Laura Broker has been
selected as the 10th Cadet
Training Group (CTG) Com-
mander.
She will work with Maj Josh
Puhl, who will serve as the Com-
mandant of Cadets for the
2008 encampment.
Please join me in congratulating
both of these individuals on
their appointments.
We are still seeking applica-
tions for the following officer
positions; encampment Execu-
tive Officer and Staff Develop-
ment Squadron Director. If
you are interested please
email Maj Conrad Peterson
at cpeterson@mncap.org.
C/Col Broker will soon be
seeking applications for ca-
det positions as follows;
deputy commander, execu-
tive officer and squadron
commanders.
Hope to see you there in
2008!

PAGE 7
The Newsletter of Minnesota Wing, Civil
Air Patrol

WingTips is a publication of
Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol,
U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
6275 Crossman Lane
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
www.mncap.org wingtips@mncap.org

Calendar

Schedule of Events
September 7-9, SAREX rain
SEPTEMBER 2007
date. Contact: Maj Jay
Craswell.
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
September 8-15, Unit based ES
training Exercises. Contact:
Maj Chet Wilberg. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
September 8-9, Pandemic Plan-
ning. Contact: Capt Janelle 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Gates.
September 15-30, Funded 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
training blackout. Contact:
Maj Jerry Rosendahl. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30

The views expressed, either written or implied, are not necessarily

those of the U.S. Air Force, Civil Air Patrol or Minnesota Wing.
Submissions should be sent to the above email address.
Wing Commander: Colonel Stephen G. Miller Wingtips Editor: Major Conrad Peterson