new york wing - mar 2010

8/8/2019 New York Wing - Mar 2010

1/16

1 Wheels Up!

Vol. 8, No.1 SPRING 2010

CAP CADETS

GET TO SEE

AVIATION

UP CLOSE


2/16

Wheels Up! 2

Wheels Up!SPRING 2010

New York WingCivil Air Patrol

U.S. Air Force Auxiliary

Commander

Col. Kenneth Andreu

Vice Commander

Lt. Col. Mark CaielloChief of Staff

Lt. Col. Tom Carello

Editor/PAO

1st Lt. Robert Stronach

[email protected]

Wing PA DirectorCapt. James A. Ridley Sr.

Wing Headquarters

Westchester County Airport

24 Loop Road, Bldg 1

White Plains, NY 10604-1218

Phone: 914-683-1000

Fax: 914-683-10056www.nywg.cap.gov

4 Wing Launches Ops Center 5 NY Senate Honors Color Guard Champs 6 Sussey Squadron Helps Thank Vets, Military 7 Owego Cadet Solos on Alaska Trek

Units Assist Albany Model Plane Show

8 LI Group Partners with Maritime MuseumGabreski Color Guard at Ball Games

9 9 Graduate from National Staff CollegeSyracuse Cadets Present at PC Users Group

10

LI Squadrons Place 1,500 Wreaths

11 State Senator Urges Cadets to Excel12 Finger Lakes Members Visit Congress

LI Units Compete for Field Day Honors

13 Broome-Tioga Cadet Earns EakerNiagara Is WNYs Squadron of Year

14 Long Island Gives Awards at Ball90 Cadets Complete 3-Day Leader School

15 LIG Taps Color Guard Champs

16 2009 at a Glance: Wing Rated Outstanding

Contents

COVER: Aviation Up Close

NY Wing cadets get to experience aviation up close and per-

sonal, thanks to orientation flights, involvement in search-

and-rescue exercises, and the opportunity to assist at air

shows around the state. Here Cadet Dennis Drake of Rome

City School District Squadron got to check out a host of newand vintage aircraft at the 2009 Fort Drum Air Show.

Photo by 1st Lt. Robert Stronach


3/16

3 Wheels Up!

Col. KENNETH ANDREU

In the Left SeatWING LEAPS FORWARD!

This is my last column in

Wheels Up! and my last

Wing Conference at FortWilliam Henry as New York

Wing Commander. It has been

a fast four years, and working

gether, NY Wing has bounded

forward. As of this writing, the

Wing has hit the 2500 member

mark and is the largest Wing in

the North East Region. Since

June of 2006, you have added

11 new Squadrons.

The NY Color Guard is

CAPs best, winning the

national competition out in Or-

egon last August and present-

ing the colors at the opening

session of the NYS Legislature

in Albany this January.

We have consistently been

the top flying Wing in the Re-

gion and our Counter Drug andPublic Affairs programs are

nationally recognized for en-

ergy and effectiveness. Our IG

received a Benchmark grade in

our Compliance Inspection and

the Region looks to NYWg for

the standard by which its otherWings are measured.

We have created a NY

State funding stream through

Member Item grants and laidgroundwork for eventually

being included as a line in the

NYS budget. Fundraising has

been infectious with smaller

unit fundraising keeping up

with our Annual Wing Raffle

of a Harley Davidson Motor-

cycle.

We have a MOU with the

NYS Emergency Management

Office, which includes other

state agencies, like the NYS

Dept. of Transportation.

We converted to the Wing

Banker system in Finance. In

Communications, we com-

pletely refitted NYS with new

Repeaters and reprogrammed

all CAP radios.

Logistics has completedits first Annual Inventory in

ORMS on top of a USAF

Survey Audit and our timely

vehicle reporting is the bench-

mark of the Region.

We said goodbye to the ro-

dent infested Garden City HQwithout penalty.

We now have a Headquar-

ters (at an Airport) we can

enter with pride and two

paid employees running itsmoothly. It is wireless and

outfitted with video conferenc-

ing, SmartBoards for briefings

and an envious array of radios

in a dedicated Comm room.

The HQ is also home to the

NY Wing Operations Centerwhich will play a central role

in area coordination of major

events anywhere in NYS and

is capable of tracking multiple

NER missions. Weve created

training initiatives such as the

Group Commanders Course

and founded the NYWg CAP

Academy which will generate

future training programs.

Groups, particularly LIG,

have made strides in improv-

ing the infrastructure of their

HQs. Every Group has Video

Conferencing capabilities.

NY Wing is now on the

forefront of CAP advanced

technologies, with new tech

like the Pictometry/RAMS

Live Feed Video link beingtrialed this upcoming season.

I am very proud of what

we have achieved together

and look forward to support-

ing new and loftier endeavors

from the next Wing Com-

mander and NY Wing.Excelsior.


4/16

Wheels Up! 4

By Capt. JAMES RIDLEY

WESTCHESTER -- New

York Wing Commander Col.

Ken Andreu in October cut

the ribbon to the entrance

of the wings newest asset, a

state-of-the-art Wing Opera-

tions Center.Its all about how we bring

whats going on out there, in

here, said Maj. Tom Vree-

land, the wings director of

information technology and

the centers chief architect.

The Operations Center is

based at wing headquarters at


(HPN).

In dedicating the new

center, Andreu commented

that, following 9/11/01, NYWing ran daily sorties out of


in support of the New York

City DEP/CAP program.

The airport was the perfect

location as it was just outside

of the affected area of New

York City, but close enough

to easily and quickly launch

aerial surveillance flights, he

said.

Colonel Andreu believes

that wing headquarters is inan ideal location to support

operations on Long Island

if there is significant coastal

hurricane or flood damage,

or at Indian Point NuclearReactor Facility in case of a

radiological event.

It is the ideal Area Com-

mand Center to coordinate

wing-wide efforts in the event

of a significant New York

State event, he said. It is

only the beginning in what

we envision as the state of

the art in centralized com-

mand over a large span of

control.

The Wing OperationsCenter, or WOC, will pro-

vide operational space and

situational awareness for be-

tween 7 and 20 mission staff

personnel and will functionas the Wing Academy for

advanced technology train-

ing, simulations, tabletop

exercises and other training

when not in use for missions

and operations.

The WOC boasts advanced

communications components

as well as geographical infor-

mation systems and weather

information systems, and

high speed internet access

for the purpose of access-ing WMIRS and other CAP

resource data.

WING LAUNCHES OPERATIONS CENTER

Maj. Tom Vreeland discusses Op Center capabilities.


5/16

5 Wheels Up!

SENATE H0NORS COLOR GUARD CHAMPS

The CAP National Champion Color Guard presents the colors

on the floor of the New York State Senate. From left: c/2d Lt

Zin Han, c/2d Lt Thomas Macrini, c/SSgt Jason Chan and

c/CMSgt Albaro Pillco.

ALBANY New York

Wings national color guard

champs got to present the colors

on the floor of the New York

State Senate on Jan 12. The

Senate also honored the team of

cadets, who began a journey of

triumph a year earlier, first win-

ning the NY Wing and North-

east Region titles before going

on to claim victory at the Civil

Air Patrols National Color

Guard Competition in McMin-

nville, Oregon.State Sen. James L. Seward

of Oneonta, who also is com-

mander of NY Wings Legisla-

tive Squadron, presented the

team with a Senate resolution,

later placed into the State Legis-

lative Record, in front of familymembers, senators, and North-

east Region and NY Wing staff.

This group of young people

represent a shining example

of what can be accomplished

through dedication and hard

work, said Senator Seward.All New Yorkers should be

proud of their fine achievement

on the national stage.

The days events were or-

ganized by Lt. Col. Andrew

Liddle, the region and wing

government relations advi-

sor, and sponsored by Senator

Seward. The session began with

the pledge of allegiance led by

the teams escort, Maj. Mac

Brice, while the cadets pre-

sented the colors. Then Senator

Seward read the resolution hesponsored, which in part stated:

It is the sense of this Legisla-

tive Body that when young

people of such noble aims and

accomplishments are brought

to our attention, they should be

celebrated and recognized...The cadets, who got to view

democracy up close while meet-

ing many of the states political

leaders, drew praise from many

quarters, including the two

commanders whose competi-

tions propelled them on their

journey.

Col. Ken Andreu, New York

Wing commander, said the

awards and accolades recognize

their dedication and prowess

and that the cadets represent our

best hopes for what New Yorkcan and will achieve.

Northeast Region Commander

Col. Christopher Hayden said: I

wish to extend my gratitude and

thanks to the NY Wing Cadet

Color Guard and to Lt. Col. Lid-

dle for this demonstration of pro-fessionalism before the members

of the New York legislature.

The champion color guard

team hails from New York City

Group and includes: C/2nd Lt.

Zin Han, C/2nd Lt. Thomas

Macrini, C/SSgt. Jason Chan,

C/CMSgt. Albaro Pillco.

By CAPT. JAMES RIDLEY SR.


6/16

Wheels Up! 6

UNIT HELPS THANK SERVICE MEMBERS

Sussey Squadron Plays Key Role in Oswego Event

OSWEGO -- Whenthis community de-

cided to host a Thank

a Service Member

(TASM) event, the

Civil Air Patrol got in-

volved in the planning

and had the privilegeof playing various sup-

porting roles, noted

F.R. Sussey Composite

Squadron Commander

Jennifer Holdren.

Ten squadron mem-

bers participated,as servicemen and

women, along with

veterans, were honored

Sunday, July 26, at Ft.

Ontario State Historic

Site. They supplied the

color guard, escorted

honorees and guests to

seats, and assisted in

set-up, directing pedes-

trian traffic, fielding

questions and greeting

military personnel.The color guard

team, led by C/SMSgt

Christian Williams,

included C/SMSgt

Austin Zappala, C/A1C

Sarah Lamb and Cadet

Alex Shannon. C/TSgtJosh Davidson and Ca-

det Elliot Mills directed

honorees and guests

to their seats. Senior

members participating

included Capt. Earl

Holdren, Capt. Mike

Kieloch, and 1st Lt.

Kerland Ritchie.

Squadron Com-

mander 1st Lt. Holdren,

who had been asked to

serve on the six-person

TASM Planning Com-

mittee, assisted Col.

Kurt Carver, vice dean

for education at the

U.S. Military Academy

at West Point, in pre-

senting special TASMCampaign Coins to

honorees. She handed

him the coins to present

to honorees as he ex-

pressed deep apprecia-

tion for their service.

It was a profound

and moving experi-

ence, said Holdren.

I felt so privileged to

shake hands with the

men and women that

are currently serving

and have served and

fought for our free-

doms. It especially was

emotional to meet and

hear the stories from

those who were there

for their deceased lovedones. It is something I

will never forget.

TASM Chair Peter

Allen said the event

was a great success,

with about 350 hon-

ored. He and others

voiced appreciation

for the color guard and

F.R. Susseys participa-

tion.

Lieutenant Holdren

noted: I was especially

pleased to see one of

our own, Lt. Kerland

Ritchie, receive an hon-

or coin from Colonel

Carver. He served as a

Marine until he retired.

I am proud to have himas a member of F.R.

Sussey.

CAP 1st Lt. Jennifer Holdren assists West Points Col. Kurt Carver in pre-senting honor coins to service members and veterans during Thank aService Member Day in Oswego, NY. Photo by Capt. Earl Holdren.


7/16

7 Wheels Up!

OWEGO CADET SOLOES ON ALASKA TREKLYDIA FAIRCHILD AIMS TO BECOME MISSIONARY PILOT

By 1st Lt. RICHARD FAIRCHILD

Even before becoming le-

gal to drive on the roads, then

16-year-old Lydia Fairchild of

West Endicott, NY was pursu-

ing another type of license

one for the sky. On June 26,Lydia took to the sky in a Cess-

na 152 for her first solo flight.

Fairchild, who turned 17 in

the fall and is now a home-

schooled high school senior, is

a master sergeant in the Owego

NY Squadron (414). Her ulti-mate goal is to become a mis-

sionary pilot.

For the second summer in a

row, Lydia spent 10 weeks at a

missionary Airbase, Kingdom

Air Corps in Sutton, Alaska,

which is north east of Anchor-

age. In addition to learning

how to become a pilot, Lydia

learned what it takes to be-

come a missionary -- chopping

down trees to create a runway,

mowing grass landing strips,

cooking meals for 40 people,

preparing teaching materials

and so much more. Lydia also

learned how to maintain air-

craft in the field where there

may not be handy aircraft re-

pair facilities including takingapart and putting aircraft back

together, and then have it fly!

Lydia didnt mind being the

only teenage pilot at Kingdom

Air Corps. It is what I want to

do with my life; besides its fun

to do, she said.During the school year, Lydia

had worked hard to complete

ground school with the help of

flight instructor Neil Lawton.

She also did a little flying out

of the local Tri-Cities airport.

Cadet Lydia Fairchild

UNITS ASSIST AT ALBANY MODEL PLANE SHOW

By Capt. SUSAN NEAL

ALBANY Thirty-two

members of the Vanguard and

Kaydeross composite squad-rons teamed up July 11-12 to

help out at the Capitol Jets III

Airshow at South Albany Air-

port, featuring 1/8-scale radio-

controlled model jets reaching

speeds above 150 mph.

More than 300 people fromfive states and Canada came

to watch the show. The Civil

Air Patrol members provided

parking assistance, crowd

control, flight line patrol and

aircraft recovery support.

When two of the planes col-

lided in midair July 12, cadets

immediately went into action,

with several performing crowdcontrol while others formed

a skirmish line to remove all

debris from the runway.

When the task was com-

pleted, the impressed crowd

applauded the cadets actions

as the air show announcerspoke highly of CAP and its

members.

Cadet Airman Mounir Rahal of the

Kaydeross Composite Squadron

on flight line patrol at South Albany

Airport. Photo by 1st Lt. Garry Palmer.


8/16

Wheels Up! 8


MEDFORD, NY -- On

Saturday, Aug. 1, the Col

Francis S. Gabreski Color

Guard presented the colors at

the Patchogue/Medford Youth

Soccer League Complex. They

were invited by Legislator JackEddington to open the Play for

Peace Soccer Tournament.

GABRESKI COLOR GUARD AT SOCCER, LI DUCKS GAMES

The Play for Peace Tour-

nament was a unique opportu-

nity for eight teams to play in a

World Cup-styled tournament

on full regulation size soccer

fields in Medford.

This was the second of two

recent events that the Gabres-

ki Color Guard attended. OnTuesday July 28,they present-

ed the Colors in front of over

6400 fans at the Long Island

Ducks minor league baseball

game in Islip NY.

It was a great feeling to

stand in front of so many

people said C/CMSgt Naomi

Warshauer, the teams com-

mander. We were a little

nervous at first, but our train-ing took over and the team did

great.

By Capt. JAMES RIDLEY, SR.

NEW YORK On August15, New York State Senator

Brian Foley cut the ribbon

on the Long Island Maritime

museums latest exhibit, en-

titled The History of Civil Air

Patrol During World War II.

The display is in honor of

CAPs Coastal Patrol Base

17, which was located in

the town of Riverhead, NY

from 1942 to 1943. The ex-

hibit features several vintage

CAP uniforms. There are

also numerous CAP insig-

nia, patches and manuals as

well as photographs of CAP

members, aircraft and activi-

ties conducted during the war

such as patrolling the wa-

ters off Long Island search-ing for German submarines

and ships in distress.

LIG PARTNERS WITH LONG ISLAND MARITIME MUSEUM

The grand opening event

began with the presentation

of the Colors by the Col

Francis S. Gabreski Squad-

rons Color Guard followed

by speeches made by the

Gabreski Squadrons Com-

mander, Maj Lou Fenech,

the Long Island Group Com-

mander, Lt Col Jack Ozer,the museums Director, Na-

tasha Alexenko, its Registrar

Arlene Balcewicz and finally

Senator Foley.

Were here to celebrate

the new partnership between

the museum and the Civil Air

Patrol, Senator Foley said,

and to honor those who

have served and sacrificed for

their fellow citizens; our wa-

ters and air space are muchsafer because of them and all

of you.

NYS Senator Brian Foley poses with Gabreski Squadron Cadets.


9/16

9 Wheels Up!


MAXWELL AFB, Mont-

gomery, AL, Oct. 24, 2009 --

Nine senior members from the

New York Wing completed the

weeklong National Staff Col-

lege held at Maxwell Air Force

Base. It was the largest con-

tingent from the wing to ever

participate in this course.

9 NY OFFICERS GRADUATE NATIONAL STAFF COLLEGE

The college is the Civil Air

Patrols senior-level, capstone

course in professional develop-

ment. It is designed to give ac-

complished field-grade officers

(majors and above) the execu-

tive leadership experiences

necessary to develop national-

level policy and effectively

manage programs at the wing,

region, and national levels.

The nine senior members

are:

Lt Col William S. Bernfeld

Lt Col Anita E. Martin

Lt Col Ellen G. Hirsch

Lt Col George L. Fillgrove

Maj Michael P. Mooney

Maj Darren J. Cioffi

Maj Mac T. Brice

Chap (Maj) Edwin R. Kopp

Maj James R. Strickland.

SYRACUSE -- Members of

Central New York PC Users

Group were treated to a displayof Air Force blue at their Sep-

tember meeting as a contingent

from Syracuse Cadet Squadron

marched in to be the featured

presentation.

The adult leader and five ca-dets reviewed the history of the

Civil Air Patrol (CAP), activi-

ties of the local squadron, their

equipment and procedures. For

example, Cadet Nathan Porceng

demonstrated an Emergency

Locator Transmitter (ELT) andthe radio direction finder (DF)

used to find downed aircraft.

The cadet explained that CAP is

a vital adjunct to civil and mili-

tary search-and-rescue services.

Led by the squadrons infor-mation technologies officer, 2nd

Lt. Matt Mallory, the contingent

also included cadets Bill Coons,

Steve Cusumano, Liz Diamond

and Tylor Mallory.

These young people were all

dressed in crisp US Air Force-style blue uniforms and stood

at parade rest during their entire

presentation, noted Paul Fli-

eschmann, vice president of the

PC Users Group.

What an inspiring sight...They got a rousing round of ap-

plause... Many of our members

spoke glowingly of their show

as they left.

SYRACUSE CADETS FEATURED AT PC USERS GROUP

Syracuse Cadet Squadron contingent poses for a photo at Central NY PC Users Group meeting. From left:

Cadets Nathan Porceng, Liz Diamond, Steve Cusumano, Bill Coons, Tylor Mallory, and 2nd Lt. Matt Mallory.


10/16

Wheels Up! 10

By 2d Lt. ROBERTCALVIELLO

CALVERTON

Over 20 members

from Suffolk Cadet

Squadron 10 and

Long Island Senior

Squadron met at

CalvertonNational

Cemetery on Dec. 12

to pay tribute to our

countrys servicemen

and women.The group repre-

sented the Civil Air

Patrol in just one of

the more than 400

national and overseas

memorial ceremonies

organized as part

of Wreaths Across

America.

Suffolk Cadet

Squadron 10s honor

guard presented the

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICALONG ISLAND SQUADRONS PLACE 1,500 WREATHS

colors as cadets laid

wreaths at memorials

for each of the service

branches. A special

presentation was also

made in honor of

POW-MIAs.

State Assem-

Cadets salute after placing wreaths at CalvertonNational Cemetery. Photos by 2nd Lt. Rob Calviello

blyman Marc S.Alessi, (D-NY 1st

AD) joined Messrs.

Edward M. Lee and

Joseph Themann Jr.,

executive board mem-

bers of Calvertons

Support Committee,

in brief remarks. Each

speaker stressed the

need to remember,

honor and teach

about the courage

and sacrifices of ournations veterans.

At the conclusion

of the public ceremo-

ny, volunteers from

the Patriot Guard,

Gold Star Families

and U.S. Department

of Veterans Affairs

joined CAP members

as they placed 1500

wreaths upon grave

sites.


11/16

11 Wheels Up!

STATE SENATOR CHALLENGES CADETS TO EXCEL

By Capt. CAROLYNN FILLGROVE

JAMESTOWN The nexttime you see me, I want a

progress report on how youre

doing, New York State Sen.

Catharine M. Young (R,C,I-

Olean), challenged Civil Air

Patrol cadets.

Senator Young was guest

speaker at the annual James-

town Composite Squadron

(NER-NY-402) awards banquet

on October 29 at Jamestown

Airport.

Senator Young reminded thecadets about the importance of

the CAPs three missions and

how they should strive to excel

in all their endeavors and as

good citizens. She joked with

the cadets about her own expe-

rience flying to Greenland with

the New York Air National

Guards 109th Airlift Wing. The

ski-equipped C-130 she was

on, had to orbit the Greenlandbase for several hours due to

bad weather. The crew was sur-

prised at how well she and the

other state lawmakers handled

the delay. To them it was just

something they had to do.

She also spoke to the cadets

about service to their nation

and local communities, and en-

couraged them to be involved

and to help others.

The senator presented an

Amelia Earhart Award toC/Capt. Rachel Campbell of

Russell, PA and a Billy Mitch-

ell Award to C/2Lt. Bronson E.

McGee of Angola, NY.

The Senator also joined

Maj. Larry Skerker, Western

New York Group commander,

with the presentation of model

rocketry badges and patches to

22 cadets from Jamestown and

TAK Composite Squadrons.The 2009 Model Rocketry

Class represented the third

mass graduation of cadets in

ten years in a program taught

by Lt. Col. George Fillgrove,

NY Wing Assistant Director of

Aerospace Education. Lt. Col.

Fillgrove was joined this year

by James Cole, a CAP Aero-

space Education member, who

serves as the squadron AEO for

cadets.

Senator Young, a formerCattaraugus County legislator,

was elected to the NY State

Senate in 2005 after serving

three terms as a State Assem-

blywoman. She is a member of

New York Wings Legislative

Squadron and holds the rank of

major.

State Sen. Catharine Young, center, poses with Jamestown Composite Squadron.


12/16

Wheels Up! 12

By Maj. SCOTT GARDNER

WARSAW, NY-- On Thursday, Feb.

25, 2010, members of

Finger Lakes Group

traveled to our nations

capital to meet with

members of Congress

and staffers who repre-

sent Western and Cen-

tral New York. The lo-

cal CAP members were

joined by New York

Wing Commander Col.

Kenneth Andreu todiscuss CAPs mission

and funding priori-

ties for the upcoming

budget year.

Attending were

Cadet Lt. Col. JacobMiller from War-

saw and Cadet Maj.

Stephanie Hyatt from

Batavia. They were ac-

companied by officers

Lt. Col. Diane Wojtow-icz from Perry and 1st

Lt. Diana Hyatt from

Batavia.

The CAP delegation

met with Rep. Chris

FINGER LAKES MEMBERS VISIT CONGRESS

Cadet Lt. Col Jacob Miller and Cadet Maj. Stepha-

nie Hyatt pose with Congressman Chris Lee dur-

ing a visit to Capitol Hill.

LI SQUADRONS COMPETE FOR AFA FIELD DAY HONORS

Lee (CD 26), and with

staff from US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrandsoffice. Follow up meet-

ings were planned in

the district offices of

Reps. Dan Maffei (CD

25) and Louise Slaugh-

ter (CD 28).CAP members went

to Capitol Hill to dis-

cuss the restoration of

CAPs FY 2011 O&M

funding; the passing of

CAPs Homeland Se-

curity Bill (S704); andthe cosponsoring of the

Congressional Gold

Medal in recognition

of CAPs World War II

service.

By 2nd Lt. ROBERT

CALVIELLO

WEST HAMP-

TON Over 55 ca-

dets from Long Island

Group met at Gabres-

ki Airport on Oct. 25

to participate in the Air

Force Associations 5th

Annual Civil Air Patrol

Field Day Competition.

Suffolk CadetSquadrons 7, 9, 10 and

the Gabreski and Brian

M. Mooney Squadrons

squared-off in team

events that included aknowledge quiz, drill,

ELT search and tug-of-

war. The New York Air

National Guards 106th

Rescue Wing onceagain hosted this years

CAP-AFA event.

After a tie-breaker

run-off, AFA New

York State President

Al Parise and Secretary

Cathy Ward (see photo)

presented SuffolkCadet Squadron 9s

Maj. Daniel Rogers

and C/2nd Lt. Andrew

LHommedieu with

2009 Field Day Tro-

phy. The award marksconsecutive victories

for the squadron.


13/16

13 Wheels Up!

BROOME-TIOGA

CADET EARNS

EAKER AWARD

By c/MSgt BEVERLY MARTIN

BINGHAMTON - At the

Autumn Promotions and

Awards Ceremony, cadets of

the Broome-Tioga Composite

Squadron witnessed a rareCivil Air Patrol promotion.

Cadet Major Marc Ghiron was

presented the General Ira C.

Eaker Award by U.S.Navy Cap-

tain Robert Wuestner (Retired)

and promoted to the rank of

Cadet Lieutenant Colonel.

This award was earned after

completing all of the achieve-

ments in the Civil Air Patrol

cadet program. Nationwide,

only about 200 cadets per year

receive this award.Captakin Wuestner presented

the Billy Mitchell award to Ca-

det Chief Master Sergeant Dan-

iel Hecktor, who was promoted

to Cadet Second Lieutenant.

The Mitchell award is the sec-

ond of three major milestones inthe cadet program.

Four cadets, Kristi Aksay,

Sidney Borne, James Pietrosanti

and Evan Shelp were presented

the first milestone award, the

Wright Brothers Award. Theywere promoted to Cadet Staff

Sergeant.

DEPEW -- Niagara Falls

Composite Squadron 1 took

Squadron of the Year honors at

the annual Western New York

Group Military Ball, held Jan.9 at Salvatores Italian Gardens

in Depew. Commanded by Maj.

John J. Risio, the squadron was

cited for excellence in activi-

ties, training, accomplishments,

and cadet and senior achieve-

ments for 2009.The Military Ball featured,

distinguished guests, and 1st Lt

David Wharton as the emcee.

Following dinner, Lt. Col.

Charles Jones presented the

2009 Year in Review and laterGroup Commander Maj. Larry

Skerker and staff presented

notable awards to members for

service and achievements.

C/A1C Devin Sampson was

recognized for earning the Solo

Flight Badge. Cadet Sampsonearned the WNY Group Solo

Flight Scholarship last year.

Other award winners included:

Senior Member of the Year:

Capt Aaron Conley, Niagara

Frontier Senior Squadron;

Cadet of the Year: C/1st LtTimothy Anger, TAK Squad-

ron;

Solo Flight Scholarship

recipient: C/1st Lt Bronson Mc-

Gee, Jamestown Squadron;

Cadet NCO of the Year:C/2nd Lt Megan MacDonald,

Jamestown Squadron.

NIAGARA IS WESTERN NYSSQUADRON OF THE YEAR

Niagara Falls Composite Squadron Commander Maj. John Risio

(center) receives Squadron of Year Plaque from Wing Command-

er Col. Kenneth Andreu and WNY Commander Maj. Larry Skerker.


14/16

Wheels Up! 14

By 1st Lt. MICHELE WUESTMAN

HOLBROOK, NY, January

16 -- It was an enchanting

night at Villa Lombardis for

Long Island Groups annual

Military Ball. Senior members

and cadets alike came togetherfor good food, dancing,

promotions and awards.

This years guest speaker

was Lt. Col Lance Jolly,

USAF, assigned to CAP-

USAF for the Civil Air Patrols

Northeast region.

Among honored guests were

Jasan Kaatz of the Jewish War

Veterans Association, who

presented a Patriotism Medal

to c/Maj Zeki Ozylimaz; and

William Wagner, chairmanof the Pershing Rifles Q-

8 Alumni Association,

who presented the Group

with a scholarship for one

cadet to attend the Wing

Leadership Encampment.

The night was filled withmilitary traditions such as the

posting and retrieving of colors

by the 2009 group champion

color guard team from the Col

Francis S. Gabreski Squadron.

Capt Susan Hartman, grouplegal officer, sang the National

Anthem.

Awards were given to c/

CMSgt Joshua Millings for

Group Cadet NCO of the

Year, Maj. Lou Fenech for

Group Officer of the Year,1st Lt. Wayne Smith for Staff

Member of the Year, Suffolk

Cadet Squadron 10 for

Squadron of the Year.

Achievement Awards went

to Maj. Daniels Rogers for

GSar (Ground Search andRescue), and Capt John

Corcacas for maintenance.

Certificates of Appreciation

were given to 2nd Lt Harris

Stein, 1st Lt Rich Merlino,

and 1

st

Lt Adam Ozer for theCommunications Room and

changing the antennas.

LONG ISLAND GROUP GIVESAWARDS AT MILITARY BALL

90 WING CADETS

COMPLETE 3-DAY

LEADER SCHOOL

NIAGARA FALLS AIR

RESERVE STATION Some

90 cadets graduated from a

three-day Cadet Leadership

School held here in February.

The weekend school was com-

manded by Maj. Randy Anger.Cadet commander was c/Maj.

Caitlin Sippel, 16, of Rochester.

The hardest part for me

was to delegate responsibility

to my cadet staff, she said in

a Buffalo News story about the

Leadership School. I had to

learn to let go and to let the staff

do the work . . . and I noticed a

change in the cadets during the

weekend; they came away with

improved attitudes and stronger

motivation.Among honors awarded

during graduation was Honor

Cadet, which went to Cadet

Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Diamond,

17, of Syracuse.

Major Anger told the Buffalo

News that the cadets wouldreturn to their hometowns

throughout upstate New York

to apply the leadership and

mentoring skills. Higher-rank-

ing cadets occupied staff posi-

tions and operated the weekend

program, while being mentoredby adult members.

Wing Commander Col. Ken An-

dreu and LIG Commander Lt. Col.

Jack Ozer listen to guest speaker.Photo by 2nd Lt William Schecker.


15/16

15 Wheels Up!

By Capt. JAMES RIDLEY, SR.

PATCHOGUE, NY, Feb. 13-- After a day filled with color

guard events, the score was

dead even between the reign-

ing 2009 Long Island Group

color guard championship

team from the Col Frances S.

Gabreski Squadron and the

2008 Group champions from

Suffolk County Cadet Squad-

ron 10. All that remained was

the mile run, and winner take

all.

Because snow and ice coveredthe Patchogue-Medford High

School track, the teams were

forced to run the mile indoors

and complete 19 trips around

the large gym floor. In the end

the Team from Squadron 10 ran

a total of 71 seconds faster than

the Gabreski team and took back

the championship title.

Individual Awards were pre-

sented to c/CMSgt Jonathan

Millings of Squadron 10 who

received the Outstanding CadetAward and also the Highest

Written Exam. The Male Fleet

Foot Award went to c/CMS-

gt Nicholas Chiarelli, also from

Squadron 10, and the Female

Fleet Foot Award was presented

to c/Amn Rivky Warshauer of

the Gabreski Squadron, who

followed her sister Naomi, last

years Female Fleet Foot.

The judges for this years

event, as well as the last four

competitions, were college

Army ROTC Pershing Rifles ca-

dets from Hofstra University.

The Pershing Rifles and Hof-

stra ROTC have supported this

competition for several years

now and they do a great job,

said Major Lou Fenech who

organized the competition for

the Group and is the commander

of the Col Francis S. Gabres-

ki Squadron.

LI GROUP NAMES CHAMPION COLOR GUARD TEAM

Judges from the Pershing Rifles unit at Hofstra University inspect the

Gabreski team in one of the first events of the day.

BELOW: Squadron 10 cadets Joshua and Jonathan Millings and Nich-

olas Chiarcelli prepare for the mile run, the final and deciding event.


16/16

Wheels Up! 16

With some 2,500 members,New York is the largest wing

in the Northeast Region (NER)

and continues to provide valu-

able service to the community,

state and nation. With a strong

emphasis on Emergency Ser-

vices, Disaster Relief and Ca-

det Programs as well as Coun-

ter Drug and Homeland Secu-

rity, New York Wing continues

to raise the bar for itself, and

recently unveiled a state-of-the

art Operations Center at WingHeadquarters in White Plains.

With 14 aircraft at their dis-

posal, Wing aircrews accumu-

lated over 3,305 flying hours

in 2009. They included Search

and Rescue missions and exer-

cises, homeland security tasks

such as fighter intercept mis-

sions and military support with

the NY Air National Guard,

weather damage assessment in

cooperation with state agen-

cies, and Operation VigilantGuard, a multi-agency exercise

that simulated an earthquake

in Buffalo. The wing also flew

over 550 Counter Drug mission

hours, which assisted law en-

forcement agencies with reduc-

ing the amount of illegal drugson the streets.

The U.S. Air Force evaluated

the wing on its emergency ser-

vices capabilities and prepared-

ness, rating NY as Outstand-

ing and as a benchmark for

other wings. NY also placed

3rd overall in the Northeast

Regions Search and RescueCompetition.

Cadet Programs excelled

in 2009. The wing once again

held a successful cadet leader-

ship encampment and flight

academy at Stratton Air Na-

tional Guard Base in Scotia.Its Championship Color

Guard team won the National

Color Guard Competition held

in Oregon and was invited to

present the colors on the floor

of the NY State Senate. A Sen-

ate resolution honored the ca-

dets achievement.

In addition, New York Wingconducted an aerospace educa-

tion program in schools, fos-

tered aerospace excellence and

provided orientation flights for

its cadets, conducted Air Force

ROTC orientation flights, and

took teachers to the skies in itsFly-A-Teacher program.

2009 AT A GLANCE

NY WING RATED OUTSTANDING

With wing staffers looking on, Col. Ken Andreu cuts ribbon at the

opening of a new Operations Center at wing headquarters.

new york wing - mar 2010

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