Wyoming Wings

Wyoming Wings

February 2012

Wreaths Across America

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Wyoming WingsThe Wyoming Wings is an autho-rized magazine published three times a year in the interest of the members of Wyoming Wing, Civil Air Patrol. The printers are a private firm in no way con-nected with the Department of the Air Force or Civil Air Patrol. Opinions expressed by the pub-lishers and writers are their own and not to be considered official expression by Civil Air Patrol or the Air Force. The appearance of advertisements in this publica-tion, including supplements and inserts, does not constitute an endorsement by Civil Air Patrol or the Department of the Air Force of products and services advertised.

H HEADQUARTERS H Wyoming WingCivil Air Patrol

Bldg. 233Warren AFB

(307) 773-4519Fax (303) 302-1530

H MAiling ADDRESS HWyoming WingCivil Air PatrolP. O. Box 9507

Cheyenne, WY 82003-9507

Wing CommanderColonel John E. mitchell

EditorDiane Walbeck

For information onadvertising rates and space,

please call1-800-635-6036

Continued on page 10 . . .

Commander’s CornerCol. John E. mitchell, CAP, Wyoming Wing Commander

Col. John E. Mitchell, Wyoming Wing CC

Wing commanders have lots of stuff listed under “My Favorites” on the right (restricted) side of their eSer-vices home page. There are gateways to monitor safety education, approve promotions, make duty assignments, generate all kinds of reports about members, manage equipment and other resources, look at and approve Ops Quals, approve specialty tracks, and to give subordinate officers approvals to access their own restricted applications. One of the icons listed in a Wing commander’s restricted column is called “Commander’s Dashboard.”

Clicking on “Commander’s Dashboard” brings up a single page that evaluates �0 primary functions of every Wing: membership, pro-fessional development, cadet achievements, operations, aerospace education, IG, logistics, finance, ORMS, and the annual inventory. Let’s go through each of these categories to see what they entail and how the Wyoming Wing is doing with respect to standards built into the report. If you were to look at the Commander’s Dashboard page, you would note that the results of the evaluation of the Wing’s �0 primary functions are depicted in a color-coded manner; blue for

What’s on My

Dashboard?

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In �0�0, major flooding on the Wind Rivers and other Wyoming rivers caused the National Guard and Civil Air Patrol to support emergency management efforts in several counties around the state. This past year, �0��, saw the Wyoming snow pack again building to record levels, starting as early as February. By June �0th, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation estimated the snowpack in the North Platte River basin to be ��5 percent above average! The levels were so high that no records or mod-

Wyoming Wing Supports Flood Relief for Second Straight Year

els existed to judge the flooding potential. Snowpacks in other river basins, especially the Laramie, Little Snake, and Wind Rivers, were similarly high as early summer �0�� approached.

Under Gov. Matt Mead’s direction, the Director of the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, Guy Cameron, and the Adjutant General, MG Luke Reiner, prepared an integrated plan (Operation Big Drink) to support flooded counties and communities; one that used the Civil Air Patrol to provide

critical reconnaissance photos for incident commanders and the National Guard. The Wing was included during the entire preparation process, and a CAP incident commander was part of the State Joint Operations Center during the height of the flooding.

Between �6 May and �9 July �0��, Wing aircraft flew �� sor-ties, totaling 6�.5 flight hours, in support of Operation Big Drink. More than 750 photos were taken along the North Platte, Wind, Little Wind, Popo Agie, Little Snake, Laramie, and Medicine

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down, Governor Matt Mead held a victory celebration to recognize the numerous organizations and individuals that had contributed much to mitigating the flood’s effects. At that event, Wyoming Wing received the first-ever State of Wyoming “Honorary Cowboy Heroes” Award, signed by Gov. Mead, MG Reiner, and Director Cameron, recognizing its par-ticipation in this effort. Later, at the CAP Summer Conference in Louisville, KY, Wyoming Wing received the Rocky Mountain Region Award for emergency

Bow Rivers – particularly focus-ing upon the communities of Riverton, Lander, Saratoga, Baggs, and Laramie. In addition, two ARCHER sorties collected more than � hours of imagery along the North Platte and Little Snake Rivers. All told, Wyoming Wing CAP members contrib-uted �00 man-hours of volunteer service to the flood relief effort – amounting to more than an hour for every senior member and cadet in the Wing.

On �� July, when the flood relief work was beginning to wind

service contributions over the past year.

As a footnote to Operation Big Drink, Fremont County emergency management offi-cials asked Civil Air Patrol to record ARCHER imagery for the Wind River between Dubois and Boysen Reservoir. The project was completed by a crew that included a Wyoming Wing pilot during the week of �0 October �0��. Hopefully, this ARCHER imagery will assist Fremont County in pre-paring for future flood events.

The Wyoming Wing i s proud to be part of the Wyoming Military Department, and it con-tinues to prepare to be ready to support the citizens of our great state and country in the emer-gency service areas of disaster relief, search-and-rescue, and homeland security.

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Wyoming Floods 2011On May 27, 2011, Governor Matt Mead, by executive order, activated the Wyoming National Guard to help

protect Wyoming communities from devastating flood damage. As part of the Wyoming Military Department orga-nization, the Wyoming Wing Civil Air Patrol assisted the Wyoming National Guard by flying 38 reconnaissance and transportation missions to assist and evaluate the 2011 flood. By proactively deploying over 251 WYNG Soldiers and Airmen, 173,350 sandbags were filled and placed, 5,000 feet of berm constructed, 22,000 feet of reinforcing material laid, 350 feet of sandbag berm repaired, and 7 cisterns with pumps placed. Hats off to the professional and dedicated members of the Wyoming CAP and the Wyoming National Guard who helped protect the Wyoming people and com-munities that were in the path of this damaging flood.

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The Rocky Mountain Region Conference was held October �6, �0�0 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Those in attendance were from Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. The guest speaker

was Robert H. Guiller, for-mally of the British Royal Navy where he served for �� years. He had many good things to say about CAP. There was a wonderful dis-play of DDR (Drug Demand Reduction) by the Region DDR Officer Lt. Col. Bill Colson.

Many c lasses were held such as

Lt. Col. Donna Todd’s finance class (#076), Public Affairs (#0�7), and Aerospace Education by Region Asst. AEO

Maj. Dorothy Chr i s t enson (#09�).

O ld t ime f r i e n d s a n d AE Directors past and present Lt. Col. Lynn Colson and Maj. Dorothy Christenson got together discuss the new AE while Idaho con-ferees Lt. Col. Bill Colson, Chief of Staff and Interim Region DDR Officer, Idaho Wing Commander Col. Dave Guzman, and Vice Commander, Captain Dean Blanton of Nampa, Idaho’s Nampa

Composite Squadron discussed the conference agenda.The highlight of the conference was Mr. Robert

Gui l le r , the gues t speaker, asking the audience to raise their hands; he asked who had been in CAP less than �0 years to please sit down; then more than �5 years and those with less to sit down; then, more than �0 years; more than �5 years, etc. to more than 50 years, finally, only one member was still standing and that was Col. Jackie (Floyd) Stonebreaker (#��7). She has been a CAP member for 56 years having started as a cadet. She was congratulated for her service to Civil Air Patrol.

Rocky Mountain Region Conference 2010

Reprinted from idaho Wing CAP “idaho HighBird”, summer 2011

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excellent, green for satisfac-tory, yellow for marginal, and red for unsatisfactory.

Membership - There are six individual measures for membership in a Wing, three long-term and three short-term. Long-term refers to current enrollment compared to enrollment one year ago. Short-term compares current enrollment to enroll-ment at the end of the previous quarter. The three measures are for senior members, cadets, and overall. Wyoming shows two different trends for cadets and senior members—cadets are blue and seniors are red. In the long term, cadet membership has increased by �6 percent, while senior members have declined by �0 percent. Overall, the Wing has the same membership as a year ago, but has declined by � percent over the last quarter. The lesson here is to commend the great work by some squadrons in signing up new cadets, while acknowledging the need to pursue every opportunity to recruit new senior members. Wing headquarters has ample access to recruiting materials, and if your squadron would like any of these materials, please contact me or the Wing Administrator.

Professional Development - The metric for professional development is the percentage of all senior members in the Wing who have achieved at least Level �. For Wyoming, that is 9� percent, which is blue. In fact, the Wing would be blue if we only had 5� percent of our members through Level �! For your information, here is our breakdown by level: Level �, ���; Level �, �9; Level �, �9; Level �, �0; Level 5, ��. The table shows the relationship between attainment in professional development and rank. Higher ranking officers who have only achieved Levels � or � received their grades on the basis of prior military service. Those of you in that category are still encouraged to progress through professional development as a way to multiply your service opportunities to CAP.

The bottom line is our outstanding Director of Professional Development, Col. Skrabut, deserves a pat on the back and a big Cowboy thanks for all his hard work!

Cadet Achievements - This metric is deter-mined by dividing the total number of cadet mile-stone awards (Wright Brothers, Mitchell, Earhart, Eaker, and Spaatz) received by our cadets by the total number of cadets in the Wing. For those who aren’t familiar with the cadet program, the Wright Brothers Award culminates Phase � (Learning Phase), the Mitchell Award concludes Phase II (Leadership Phase), the Earhart Award is given at the end of Phase III (Command Phase), the Eaker Award culminates Phase IV (Executive Phase), and the Spaatz Award, the Cadet Program’s high-est honor, is presented after completing Phase IV and passing comprehensive examinations on aerospace, leadership, character development, and physical fitness. Presently, Wyoming Wing cadets have received �9 Wright Brothers Awards, � Mitchell Awards, � Earhart Awards, and � Eaker Award (C/Lt. Col. Heather Gould). No active cadet has received the Spaatz Award, but I expect at least one of our cadets to achieve this high honor sometime soon. These �� milestone awards consti-tute �7 percent of our �6 cadet members, which is coded blue for excellent. Kudos is due to Lt. Col. BJ Carlson and all those who work so hard to sup-port our cadet program.

Operations - The Operations function of Commander’s Dashboard is divided into four separate categories: aircraft utilization, mission

Commander’s CornerContinued from page 1. . .

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pilots per aircraft, cadet orientation rides, and pro-ficiency flying. Unlike the others, these categories are graded into three color levels, not four (green, yellow, and red). Let’s look at them, one at a time:

Aircraft utilization measures how many hours our five corporate airplanes are flying compared to the national standard of �6.7 hours/month per aircraft. Thanks to significant Wyoming State funding support, our Wing has had no trouble fulfilling this requirement in recent years. In FY-��, for example, we flew a total of �,��� hours, an average of ��� hours/aircraft. During the winter months, however, our flying hours suffer because of bad weather, short day-light hours, and busy holiday seasons. For FY-��, our airplanes have only flown �6 hours, or 5� percent of the desired utilization rate (red); however, Wyoming is still ranked ��th out of 5� Wings. One way to increase our utilization is to fly more cadet o-rides.Cadet Orientation Rides. This metric is simple; it’s the percentage of Wing cadets who have flown on at least one o-ride. To obtain a green rating, �0 percent of our cadets must have been up one time. As of mid-December, only 6� per-cent of Wyoming Wing cadets have flown one or more o-rides (yellow). As you can see, fly-ing cadets benefits two parts of the Operations function of Commander’s Dashboard, so let’s make doing so a priority.Mission Pilots per Aircraft. Like o-rides, the number of mission pilots per corporate aircraft is easy to understand. Presently, we have �.� current and qualified mission pilots for each of our five airplanes (yellow). To achieve green status, we need 5 mission pilots/airplane. If you go into “My Ops Quals” in eServices, go to “Reports,” and download a list of Wing MP’s, �� pilots are shown, or 5.6 per airplane. However, this number is misleading because it includes pilots who lack FAA or CAP cur-rency, or who are not safety current; therefore, if all our MP’s stayed current, this metric would be green. The lesson here is that mission pilots have a responsibility to remain current – including being safety current.Proficiency Flying. In this category, Wyoming

Wing really shines, thanks again to our State support. The indicator is measured by taking the percentage of all B-�� mission hours to C-�7 mission hours. Green is 90 percent or higher. In Wyoming, we have flown 5� B-�� mission hours and �.7 C-�7 hours, for a ratio of nearly �,500 percent – or nearly �0 times the “green” standard— Hooah!Aerospace Education - Another easy measure.

The Aerospace Education score is the percentage of senior members who have achieved the Yeager Award. For new members, the Charles E. “Chuck” Yaeger Aerospace Education Achievement Award is given to those who pass a test, based upon a self-paced study of the CAP book, Aerospace: The Journey of Flight. The test may be taken closed book, open book, or on-line, with the on-line version being the preferred method. Our Director of Aerospace Education, Major Robert Giese, has actively encouraged all those who haven’t yet taken the Yaeger test to obtain a book from their squadron, read through it, and take the test. Members may also download an electronic version of the book from eServices https://www.capnhq.gov/CAP.AEDownloads.Web/AEDownloads.aspx. Furthermore, thanks in part to leadership pro-vided by our Wing and unit AE officers, Wyoming Wing has a score of 55 percent for Aerospace Education (blue). This is nearly five times more than the minimum score to achieve a blue rating!

inspector general - NHQ has not provided any input to the IG indicator, so I cannot say anything about it. I do know that we have an excellent IG program under the direction of Lt. Col. Ken Johnston.

logistics/Vehicle Reports - As the title states, the Logistics metric is the percentage of vehi-cle reports entered into eServices, Operational Resource Management System (ORMS), each month. The reports are due by the 5th of the month. Blue is �00 percent, which we always accomplish. Entering the information is the responsibility of squadron commanders having vehicles assigned to them.

Finance/ Risk Assessment - This indica-tor reflects a risk score calculated by the Wing Financial Analyst (WFA) as a result of our Wing

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WFA review. The score is based upon apprais-als of finance internal controls, the work of the Finance Committee, quarterly financial reviews, command involvement, and contributions made by the Director of Finance and Wing Administrator. Our score is green, thanks to the hard work of our Finance Committee, especially Col. Jackie Floyd, Diane Walbeck, and Capt. Jeanne Stone-Hunter.

ORMS – Reports of Survey - This box has no color; rather, it lists the status of any ongoing Reports of Survey. We have none occurring at this time, so all the entries are zero.

On-Time Annual inventory by Unit - Like ORMS, this box has no color. It lists the number of units that completed their inventories of aircraft, vehicles, communications gear, and supplies and equipment by the deadline. Counting our WY-000 and WY-999 (legislative) squadrons, we have �� squadrons in the Wing. All four scores read, ��/��. This is a fortuitous time to mention the annual inventory because the FY-�� inventory will be done in January. It’s always best to complete it right away.

So there you have it, an overview of the Wing Commander’s Dashboard. As is clearly evident, we are doing lots of things very well, particularly in the areas of cadet achievements, professional development, aerospace education, logistics, and cadet membership. Areas that need improvement include senior membership, cadet orientation rides, and recruiting and training more mission pilots. Working on these latter items should be our goal for the coming year. H

Commander’s Corner Continued . . .

“At encampment you have a chance to change. Take that chance.” These were Colonel Ventriglia’s opening words to the cadets and staff attending the New Mexico Winter Encampment at Kirtland AFB. An opportunity to change and be a part of something bigger than themselves was what C/SSgt Stanfill, C/A�C Troutman, and C/CMSgt Hubenthal experienced during the New Mexico Winter Encampment. This encampment would be the first for cadets Stanfill and Troutman, and it was also Cadet Hubenthal’s first experience as part of the encampment’s staff. These three Laramie Valley Composite Squadron cadets learned many valuable lessons that they hope will enhance their peers experience in CAP.

As the week at encampment progressed, these adventurous cadets discovered that this unique opportunity would not just expand their CAP education but also offer them many new expe-riences that would make this encampment a memorable personal experience. All three cadets participated in taking a tour of the Distributed Missions Operations Center (DMOC) and visit the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Museum. By the end of the week, the cadets were exhausted from the non-stop activities, but they were also happy for the experience. According to Cadet Hubenthal, “It was a fantastic first experience as a Flight Commander. Many of the things were new to me, and I received a lot of help from my fellow cadet staff.” When Cadet Troutman was asked if he would return and experience it again, he said, “I’d go back to it, and I plan to go to the Wyoming Wing Summer Encampment.”

Each of these fine cadets was able to participate in the positive experience provided by the New Mexico’s Winter Encampment with the support from the WYWG Commander, Col. John Mitchell and the Laramie Squadron Commander, Col. Stan Skrabut. Encampment is a chance to change, and cadets Stanfill, Troutman, and Hubenthal took this opportunity and successfully met the challenge.

Laramie Cadets Attend the New Mexico Winter

EncampmentBy C/Cmsgt isaac ‘sharpie’ Hubenthal, CAP

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Why get the Yeager Award?

Aerospace: The Journey of Flight 2nd Edition is the best book that I have ever read on the his-tory of flight, because it covers attempts at flight going back nearly �000 years. This second edi-tion is published jointly by the United States Air Force and the Civil Air Patrol, and I guarantee you will learn a lot by reading this text. Not only is Aerospace: The Journey of Flight an excellent text, it is required reading to prepare CAP mem-bers for completing the Yeager Award. While you may not want an additional paper award to hang on your wall, by completing the test and earning the Yeager Award, you will improve your Squadron’s and Wing’s ability to achieve and maintain the goals in aerospace education set by CAP National Headquarters. The Yeager Award is just one of many ways to increase the professional proficiency that CAP members demonstrate every day.

Most Unit and Wing Commanders, the Wing Director of Professional Development, and the Wing Director of Aerospace Education will ask that you to get your Yeager Award. Completing the Yeager Award Test will help you acheive the five stages of Professional Development (I, II, III, IV and V). While the Yeager Award is not required to proceed through these different levels, I have not seen any people reach stage III without getting the Yeager Award. I think CAP members who are motivated to pursue the different professional development avenues available to them should also have the motoviation to get the Yeager Award.

Pursuing the Yeager Award will also enable you to meet the CAP Core Values (Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence, and Respect). These Core Values establish a common set of behaviors and expectations that direct member conduct and set standards that all CAP mem-bers work to uphold during their service to the American public. Unfortunately, if you have been

Yeager Award – The How and WhyBy maj. Robert P. giese, CAP

Director of Aerospace Education Wyoming Wing

a CAP member for several years and not gotten your Yeager Award, other CAP members might question your dedication to upholding CAP Core Values. Your dedication to CAP Core Values are most likely not in question, and most members will claim completing the Yeager Award Test is a long and daunting task, but I have found that no mem-ber should be discouraged by this �00 question test. By following my suggestions, studying and completing the test is easier than you might think.

First, the text, Aerospace: The journey of Flight, is downloadable at no cost to the member on eServices. To download the text, look for “AE Downloads and Resources” in the eServices

Continued on page 37 . . .

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One of the most important aspects of vehicle safety is your tires because everything is riding on them. At the August �0�� Wyoming Wing Compliance Inspection (CI), the most glaring deficiency noted by the CI inspection team was vehicle tires. Furthermore, the Wyoming Wing has also experienced other situations when one of the Corporate Vehicles has had a tire malfunc-tion; therefore, a brief refresher on vehicle tire safety is in order.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, everyone should check their vehicle tires regularly, at least once a month and including the spare, to ensure the tires are road ready. Most CAP drivers will check tire inflation, but sometimes they forget to check the spare tire. Checking the spare tire is critical, especially if you should unfortunately experience a tire blowout (usually in the middle of nowhere). If your spare tire is underinflated or damaged, you could find yourself between a rock and a hard place real quick, but proper tire inflation is not the only aspect of a complete tire inspection.

Always inspect your tires for uneven wear patterns on the treads, cracks, foreign objects (such as embedded rocks), or other signs of wear or trauma. Remove any bits of glass and other encountered foreign objects wedged in the tread (such as rocks), and make sure the tire valves all have caps (including the spare). Be sure to check tire pressure before going on a long trip and be careful not to over-inflate your vehicle tires. If you are uncertain of your vehicle’s proper tire pressure, this information can be found in your vehicle’s owner’s manual, but remember, the tire inflation

Don’t Forget the Importance of Tire Safety

By Lt. Col. mike Wilkinson, CAPWyWg/LgT

information the vehicle manufacturer provides reflects the proper per square inch (psi) when the tire is cold. In order to obtain an accurate pressure reading, always measure tire pressure when the vehicle has been unused for at least three hours. When you drive, tires get warmer and cause the air pressure within to increase. If you read the psi on a warm tire, you’ll get a much different reading than you would from a tire that is cold. Proper tire inflation is key to maintaining the road readiness and safety of your vehicle.

Studies of tire safety show that maintaining proper tire pressure, observing tire and vehicle load limits (not carrying more weight in your vehicle than it can safely handle), avoiding road hazards, and inspecting tires for cuts, slashes, and other irregularities are some of the most important things you can do to avoid tire failure, such as tread separation, flat tires, or blowouts. Always remember that it is the vehicle manufacturer not the tire manufacturer who determines the correct tire pressure for the tires on the particular make and model of your vehicle. Also, keep in mind that the time you spend in inspecting your tires (including the spare) is minimal compared to the inconvenience and safety consequences associated with tire failure.

Remember, tire safety – everything rides on it.

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CAP Chaplains continue a long tradition of service to both God and country. Military chaplaincy goes back beyond the fourth century. One specific story that comes to mind is the story of Saint Martin of Tours as the beginning of the Christian chaplain corps. Saint Martin was born in ��6 and later joined the Roman army. Eventually, he became a monk and was appointed the Bishop of Tours in Gaul, which is known as modern day France. According to the story, Saint Martin was walking back to Tours one winter’s night when he met ill-clad beggar freezing in the night. Martin took his sword, cut his cape into two parts, and handed one half to the beggar to keep him warm. That night in a dream, Martin saw Jesus wearing that same por-tion of the cape he had given to the beggar. Over the years, this cape, the chapella, was kept in the place where Martin served, now called a chapel. This story is important because Martin also served as the spiritual advisor to the leaders of the Roman army, or Chaplain meaning the keeper of the cape. Since then and even before, most armies have had chaplains whose duties were to advise the commander of the moralities of his deci-sions, report on the morale of the soldiers, and minister to the

Civil Air Patrol’s Chaplains - A Long History of ServiceBy Lt. Col. Jeff Johnson, CAP

spiritual needs of both.Today, chaplains serve our

modern military and the CAP. These faithful men and women have been found in the trenches of WWI, the battlefields of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and all the other subsequent battles. Chaplains are prominent in gar-rison activities offering chapel services, classes, family sup-port, and crisis intervention, but their service is not limited to only those duties. While CAP chaplains are never called to active military duty, they serve in similar ways; however, given today’s multifaceted spiritual environment, they provide a balanced and subtle service that enables them to meet the needs of all faiths present in the battlefield. CAP Chaplains first responsibility is to their wing commander providing that frontline leader with moral and spiritual guidance, reporting on cadet and senior morale, and supporting the spiritual needs of the general membership. While CAP Chaplains do not proselytize, their presence of ministry is a strong and appreci-ated influence. CAP chaplains also provide a monthly character development lesson. In their absence, a character develop-ment instructor provides that service, and a wing or squadron commander may approve the

presenting of the lesson by an experienced and trusted member. CDI’s, however, do not provide any of the other services a chap-lain would be empowered to do. CAP chaplains, while being true to the convictions of their own faith tradition, must operate in a pluralistic environment, giv-ing respect to all religions and beliefs. In rare instances, some CAP chaplains are able to sup-port local military units, but that also requires a seminary degree and the ability to wear a regula-tion military uniform.

Chaplains may also be quali-fied in the emergency services track as mission chaplains with one or more additional qualifica-tions. Among the most common are mission staff assistant and mission radio operator. Many Chaplains also fly. At the mis-sion base they are serving, they support the mission commander and the command staff. Because Chaplains are faith based, they are often asked to open an exer-cise with an invocation, but their position does not mean they are asked to be the “bearer of bad news” in announcing the loss of a loved one, that responsibility

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He maintains a small counseling practice, as well.

Chapla in Capt . Marvin Owen, a relatively new chaplain, serves as deputy Wyoming Wing chaplain and squadron chap-lain for the �9�nd Emergency Services Composite Squadron in Casper, Wyoming. He and his wife, Sue, have two sons—both grown and married. Their older son is a military pilot, currently deployed, and the younger one is an optometrist. They also have three grandchildren, with two more expected soon. Chaplain Owen is a private pilot and serves on the staff of the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention. He is qualified as a mission chaplain and has tech-nician ratings in professional development, cadet programs, and chaplaincy.

Both Chaplain Johnson and Owen have enjoyed working with cadets at summer cadet encampments (Ch. Johnson in Colorado and Kansas and C h . O w e n i n W y o m i n g ) . Encampment chaplains serve in many of the same roles as a mission chaplain counseling cadets who are homesick or hav-ing problems adjusting to living with others and obeying CAP rules and regulations.

No matter what the indi-vidual CAP chaplain’s religious background, be it Christian, Jewish, or another faith, those who bear the name Chaplain serve with honor knowing that they were called to serve God and country; by giving of them-selves, they work for the better-ment of others. H

falls with the county sheriff or the mission commander. With mov-ing to the ICS System, chaplains are now considered a mission specialist as opposed to being part of the command staff as has been the previous practice. In CAP, chaplains are always part of the command staff regardless of the ICS designation. Both Wyoming chaplains are mission qualified. Regardless of being mission qualified or not, chap-lains promote the same way reg-ular members do, and they have certain duties to perform in order to meet their professional track advancement. CAP Chaplains must take SLS, CLC, and meet other requirements, such as time in grade to promote.

The history of CAP chap-lains begins in early �9�9, when Gill Robb Wilson, Major General Lucas V. Beau, and Br igad ie r Genera l Haro ld Byrd urged the US Air Force Chief of Chaplains to establish CAP Chaplaincy and organize the CAP Chaplain Service. Unfortunately, their request was turned down. Undaunted by this initial rejection, they tried again in �950 and were successful. On January 5, �950, the CAP Chaplaincy came into being. Chaplains were to be civilian qualified clergymen meeting the same requirements as active duty chaplains. These CAP Chaplains would conduct services and counseling with individuals on search and res-cue missions, summer encamp-ments, International Air Cadet Exchange, drill competitions, and regular meetings. The first CAP national chaplain was

Chaplain Taylor, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, and he would go on to become the USAF Chief of Chaplains. From such humble beginnings, the CAP now has chaplains in every wing.

How one becomes a CAP chaplain is similar to the process potential candidates go through to enter any of the US Armed Forces. This application process includes college, often times seminary, filling out an applica-tion, and a commission. In some cases a waiver is granted in the Civil Air Patrol for those who haven’t been to seminary, but an endorsement from one’s faith group is required. Those who desire to serve and are qualified can contact their wing’s chaplain for further information.

Currently Wyoming Wing has two chaplains, Lt. Col Jeff Johnson (Wing Chaplain) , currently living in Arvada, Colorado, and Capt. Marvin Owen (Deputy Wing Chaplain), who lives in Casper, Wyoming. Chaplain Johnson, a Montana native, holds a master’s degree in counseling and undergraduate work in special education, and he currently teaches sixth grade at a special education school in Lakewood, CO. He and his wife, Jan, have been married for �� years and have two chil-dren and two grandsons who live in West Lafayette, Indiana. Chaplain Johnson’s religious tradition is of the LDS faith, and he served his church mission in Indiana. He is certified in CISD, a branch of CISM and has had many opportunities to practice his skills both in and out of CAP.

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It has been a busy year for the cadet program in Wyoming and we accomplished several of the objectives we set forth to complete this year. In February, the Wing held a successful joint Training Leaders of Cadets (TLC) and Cadet NCO Academy at the Casper Armory. Twelve Senior Members attended to learn how to better manage the cadet program in their squad-rons. The cadets learned how to teach other cadets and fulfill the responsibilities of a non-com-missioned officer (NCO).

The Wyoming Wing June Encampment, under the direc-tion of Col. Stan Skrabut and C/Capt. Ezekiel House, success-fully graduated �� cadets, some as far away as South Carolina. The highlights of the encampment were the Huey helicopter flights and participation in the Fire Arms Training Simulator (FATS). Because encampment attendance was down from previous years, the WYWG changed the �0�� encampment

Wyoming Wing Cadet Program - A Busy and Exciting Year

By Lt. Col. BJ Carlson, CAP, Wing DCP

date to August �nd through the ��th. Encampment staff will report for training and setup on August �nd at Camp Guernsey. The selection of cadet and senior member staff will begin soon after the start of the New Year.

In a coordinated effort with the Glider pilots and support staff in Colorado, the WYWG was able to provide over �0 cadets with up to two glider f l ights each . Some cadets received an additional pow-ered flight during the glider weekend. We stayed out at the Wheatland airport and really lucked out with the weather.

In September, during the Wing conference, the Cadet Advisory Council (CAC) had Huey helicopter flights during the 2011 WYWg Encampment.

Attendees of the WYWg Joint Training leaders of Cadets and Cadet nCO Academy. Back row from left: Col. Stan Skrabut, 2nd lt. Jim Feiler, lt. Col. Rick Fawcett, Capt. Marvin Owen, 2nd lt. Adrian nunekamp, lt. Col. BJ Carlson, Capt. DJ Sadler, lt. Col. Mike Carlson, and lt. Col. Dennis Cornell. Middle row from left: Cadet Jason Steed, Cadet Heather gould, lt. Col. Susan McDonald, 1st lt. george Schilreff, Cadet Brittni Duran, and Maj. gary Chizever. Bottom row from left: Cadets - gavin Poor, isaac Hubenthal, Joshua Kirkman, Brent Miller, Tyler Stovall and Jonathan Chizever.

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right track with their preparation for the competi-tion. At this time, we are looking at having a Wing competition sometime in February to determine which of the four teams competing will represent the WYWG at the Region Competition in April.

with the placing of purchased wreaths on various veterans’ gravesites. All squadrons are encouraged to participate in this event. Even though squadrons do not have to sell wreaths to participate, selling wreaths for this program can be a fundraiser for your unit, with individual squadrons being able to earn $5 for each wreath sold.

Upcoming events include a Basic Instructors Course to be held in March. This course will help prepare participants to teach courses, both at the squadron level and also at Encampment. While this event is geared mainly for cadets, interested senior members are also invited to attend.

Glider flights were a huge success this year, so they are on the schedule for May, depending on the availability of the gliders and staff. Also, a GSAR school will take place in coordination with the SAREX in Douglas at the end of June. Ground team training at all levels will be given, and any interested cadets and senior members should plan to attend.

The Wing Conference, which traditionally has been in the fall, will be held on June 9-�0 as a joint conference with the Rocky Mountain Region. The CAC is busy planning a cadet training track for the conference, which is sure to be an exciting and educational event.

This next year brings various Search and Rescue exercises and many other opportunities for cadets to participate in Wyoming Wing activities. These activities provide a great forum to meet new people and renew friendships. I hope that cadets will take advantage of the opportunities to network and learn new information and techniques by attending as many of the events as possible.

Airman Basic Dallas Williams places a wreath at the Riverside Cemetery in Cody during the December 10th Wreaths Across America ceremony.

glider flights offered the WYWg cadets a new and exciting experience.

On December �0, �0��, several WYWG squadrons participated in the Wreaths Across America project. Wheatland, Laramie, and Cody squadrons held commemorative ceremonies at �000 in order to coordinate with the Arlington Ceremony at ��00. Ceremonial wreaths honoring all branches of the military were presented along

an intense work session. Under the direction of C/�nd Lt. Joshua Kirkman, the CAC came up with a comprehensive calendar for the entire �0�� fiscal year. After coordinating with the emergency services staff a draft calendar was ready for distribution.

Currently, the WYWG has held a Color Guard training ses-sion, and C/Capt. Ezekiel House was gracious enough to help train 5 cadets from Sheridan and Cody in order to get them on the

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Wheatland Composite Squadron Learns About Helicopters

I have a good friend and fellow pilot who I was talking to about the G�000 once. He told me “I’m 77 years old and never have used a computer; what do I need with one now?!” He was one of the best stick and rudder men I know, a veteran of over 60 SAR missions and responsible for saving quite a few lives over many years. I could not argue with his successes, and there was proven iron in his words. Fortunately for my G�000 case, his SAR training had made him a believer in GPS, and once he saw the “bird’s eye overview” in the G�000 cockpit, with realtime wind arrows and NEXRAD weather, he was interested. As the instructor, I promised to “cut to the chase,” “no fluff,” and focus on the basics, yet more than enough informa-tion to be safe and effective as a Mission Pilot. To his credit, he eventually checked out in the G�000, and both he and CAP benefited from his training that day.

As pilots, we have come to know through the years what it takes to keep our collective bacon safe when we fly. We have our familiar individual “minimums and standards,” and we know where to look quickly and effectively on our instruments for the information we need to feel and operate safely. We feel more comfortable and safe when we are ahead of and leading the airplane instead of behind and following along in the airplane, trying to find the information we want. A fair amount of change does happen with the G�000 displays,

Gray Hair vs. the G1000By Al LaPointe

and for those of us with gray hair, we are prone to minimizing changes and even bet against our-selves and our ability to learn. In reality, most of our Legacy/Round Dial aircraft expertise remains intact. If one covered over the two G�000 screens with a towel, we would find the same workhorse Skylane with the same performance and abilities we are used to. If you then only uncovered the Primary Flight Display (PDF), within �0 minutes on your own, you would intuitively and accurately fly the airspeed, attitude, heading, and altitude. So now, pull off the towel all together. All you have yet to learn is how is to navigate, use an autopilot, tune the radios, and gather information on the remaining Multi Function Display (MFD). This is a bit over simplified, but basically true, and reminds you it is still a Skylane.

So why check out in the G�000 then? What does it offer over the Legacy/Round Dial aircraft besides being brand new and smelling that way? Here’s a few of my favorites:

• Wind vector arrow, direction and velocity (a big help flying in the mountains)

• NEXRAD radar on your moving map, show-ing your courseline

• Terrain proximity on your moving map –help-ful backup at night or low visibility

• Situational awareness – bird’s eye overview on your moving map display

• Precise fuel monitoring and leaning, fuel injected-no carb heat

• VOR, ILS, NDB, GPS, VNAV, approaches from a preloaded database

• Auto-identify navaids

• A trustworthy autopilot that can fly any of these approaches far better than I

• Constant groundspeed readout, with distance and time to go

• Automatic transponder on/off (about �0 knots)

Wyoming Wing’s g1000 equipped n353CP stationed at Teton Squadron in Jackson, WY.

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airplane plugged in at the hangar. The DVD is good, but does not develop the necessary muscle memory or provide the tactile “clicks” for feed-back. You will quickly develop a fair amount intuitively sitting by yourself, with another Pilot/Scanner/Observer, or Instructor. Furthermore, what if I gave you a list of the things I thought were most important on this airplane to study, information that would allow you to focus on the basics and provide more than enough to guidance to be safe and effective as a Mission Pilot? What if I then used those same items to make up a com-mon sense, real-time scenario summary that could be used as a CAP Form 5 G�000 Checkride and gave you a copy of it now, to study ahead, so there are no surprises? In the WYWG, we have already done that, and it is called “Training G�000 C���T Pilots,” with “G�000 Form 5 Checkride C���T” on the flip side. This information will give you good guidance on how to best apply your efforts. The G�000 does offer a lot more, but it can be learned later as you feel you need or want to. You can get a copy of this from any WYWG Instructor, or I can email you your own by contacting me at adlapointe@hotmail.com.

Lastly, once you complete your G�000 check-out, you need to stay current. If you don’t have a G�000 aircraft at your Squadron, maybe you and a crew can fly to a G�000 aircraft and borrow it now and then for an afternoon’s flight before you return home. Your knobology and muscle memory is a perishable product, and without refresher reviews (especially at first), much will become lost, your hard work questioned, and your comfort in flying the aircraft could be more challenged and frustrat-ing. On the other hand, with periodic flights (and don’t forget to include Scanners and Observers too for their practice), you just might make good comfortable friends with your new G�000 Skylane and appreciate its precision. You might even go home and tell your spouse that you look pretty good flying that aircraft and even though you have some gray hair (which might now feel like it is get-ting darker), you will be looking for a little more respect around the house now than you have been getting in the past!

Hope this scenario works in your house………. Have Fun and Fly Safe!

• Database for all airports-elevation, frequen-cies, runways, FSS, navaids, all with autoload (keeps the paper maps folded and glasses in your pocket)

To be fair and honest, the G�000 does have a few negative points as well. Most importantly, we just don’t look outside as much as we used to (boys and their toys), and it remains a big safety and training point. Also, the additional black boxes in these air-craft cut the useful load some. Our G�000 equipped aircraft sets in the hangar with 50 gallons onboard, allowing us to carry three �00 pound crewmembers and little gear. Scanners (well rested types) also find the fixed rear seat backs too reclined.

The FAA makes no distinction between Skylanes C���T (G�000) or a C���Q/R, except acknowledging the G�000 equipped aircraft are Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA). Furthermore, CAP requires a separate checkout (probably because of our gray hair again). At Cessna, all new owner pilots and CAP Instructors go through the FAA Industry Training Standards (FITS) courses. The minimum Cessna/FITS course consists of VFR Flight �, IFR Flight �, and VFR Flight �, with Flight Instructors again doing the same three flights from the right seat. These courses are available for review online in eSer-vices. CAP instructors minimally require all of our pilots to do these same FITS flights, sometimes eliminating IFR Flight � if the pilot will only fly VFR. Realistically, it seems to take pilots about �-� hours of exposure to feel comfortable with the G�000 and complete checkout.

The G�000 has a big training plus because you can plug it in on the ground (��V) and play as much as you want to for free— in complete safety and free from the distractions of actual flying. This applies to observers and scanners as well. One can quickly get good at where things are located, develop muscle memory, and hone their knobology. Subsequent flights will go a lot smoother with G�000 exposure and periodic review. In short, you can re-establish your comfort zone in finding information quickly on your own time schedule and pace.

“So what do I study? It seems to take � pages to describe how to turn a knob!” You can review the FITS lessons online and even use the DVD Simulator, but your best simulator is the actual H

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Elden M. Carpenter, 83, of Cheyenne, passed away December 18, 2011 at the Life Care Center of Cheyenne, earning his final wings to fly away to his heavenly home.

Elden was born March 3, 1928 in Manti, Utah. He grew up in Scipio, Utah and at an early age became fascinated by airplanes. He pursued his love of flying, earning his private pilot’s license in his teens. His family later relocated to Ogden, Utah where he met the love of his life, Mae Favero at Weber High School.

Elden joined the Army Air Corps and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska as a mechanic and aerial spotter. He was involved with a variety of aircraft that flew search and rescue missions. He experienced many grand adventures in Alaska deepening his lifelong appreciation of the outdoors.

He left the military returning to Ogden in 1949 and married Mae in 1951. He worked assorted jobs there and in Idaho. In 1954, they moved to Cheyenne where he worked as a Fabrication Specialist with the Wyoming Air National Guard. During his time with the Air Guard he progressed, ending his 32 year military career as the supervisor of the Fabrication Shop. For all the high’s and low’s, the Wyoming Air Guard was like family and he spoke of them often.

His involvement in the community included Cheyenne Community Christmas, Post Commander of American Legion Post 6 from 1975-1977 and as a Major in the Civil Air Patrol.

Elden also cast a mean flyrod, enjoyed shooting and firearms, hunted many years and simply enjoyed camping and the outdoors. One of his favorite sayings as the family sat around the campfire in the evening was “I’m wondering what the poor people are doing right now?” feeling he was indeed the richest man on earth.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Mae; two sons, Mark Carpenter (Diane) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Tom Carpenter (Dianne) of Cheyenne; a sister, Juanita Frase of Spanaway, Washington; a brother, Kent Carpenter of Red Bluff, California; and five grandchildren, Ronnie, Ryan, Rachel, Kevin, and Brian.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Erma (Robison) Carpenter.

Memorial services were held Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 2:00 p.m., at Family Harvest Church with Pastor David Kibben offi-ciating. Cremation has taken place at Cheyenne Memorial Gardens under the direction of Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel.

Reprinted from http://wrcfuneral.com.

Elden CarpenterHigh Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,

I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew -

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untresspassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee No 412 squadron, RCAF

Killed 11 December 1941

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My last hard landing occurred a few years ago during a com-mercial checkride with a normal engine off approach with the intention of landing in the first �000 feet. The �00 foot runway extension appeared to be clear on the base turn and the approach was normal with end of runway decent below the PAPI glide slope as expected within the �000 feet landing mark. The pilot felt the runway sight picture was slightly low, but the runway was “made.” Crossing the end runway lights at about 5 feet AGL, a hard impact was felt that set off the ELT and knocked my headset onto the pilot yoke. The pilot completed the landing touchdown and rollout gently, but upon completion of taxiing to the FBO ramp, inspec-tion found snow and ice on the Becker beacon and belly antennas on the tail section. The landing gear fairings were wrinkled, the landing gear base plate was bent backwards, and the skin was found wrinkled on the fuselage and underbelly. While the instinctive reaction during the impact and landing phase prevented further destruction and

Adapted by Lt. Col. Ed Binkley, CAP, from a PowerPoint Presentation by Col. Bobby Picker, CAP, iDWg

The Last Five Seconds

personal injury during this landing, the embarrass-ment, misery, and damage caused by this accident stresses the importance of the last five seconds of a flight where the rubber meets the runway; this is when an uneventful flight can develop into a damaging hard landing.

The last five seconds are important because this is when the pilot and aircraft are most vulnerable to landing problems. According to David J. Kenny in the June �0�� issue of Flight Training Magazine, “Almost a third of the past decade’s landing acci-dents were stalls, while hard landings not involv-ing stalls accounted for fifteen percent. Long and short landings were almost equally rare, making up barely � percent of the total—slightly less than the number blamed on wet, soft, or contaminated run-ways.” Fortunately, hard landings are not usually fatal, but injuries and substantial damage to the aircraft can still occur. Furthermore, unseen dam-age may not be evident for days, weeks, months, or years as stresses from hard landings accumulate in aircraft components resulting in reaching in an eventual dangerous breaking point for these com-

Hard landing in the grass.

Rock Springs landing.

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ponents that can result in personal injury. Hard landings can be pre-vented through proper pilot train-ing and proficiency. According to Col. Bobby Picker, instructors routinely request a student pilot do a ‘go around’ due to a poor approach, and a ‘go around’ is always an option unless there is something making this landing absolutely necessary (i.e. engine failure or other urgent need to land the aircraft). Instructors should teach a go around more, thus the student will rec-ognize when they should do one more rather than pushing to get their aircraft on the ground.

Those crucial last five seconds require all pilots to have a greater appreciation for the aircraft’s transition between air and ground. The limited time to evaluate and react during this time highlights the need for proficiency training and consistent applica-tion of training to reduce the threat of stalling and errors that result in hard landings. Un-stabilized approaches contribute to hard landings and training students and seasoned pilots in a stabilized approach can minimize the variables that result in aircraft damage and personal injury. Col. Picker’s stabilized approach focuses on consistent application of practices rather than constants because some cases require small variations within specific parameters for a successful landing. The stabilized approach involves consistent power settings, flap deployment points, rate of descent, distance from runway, sight picture on final approach, and touchdown point. These are only a few suggestions according to Picker, and individual pilots may have other ideas on what they feel needs to be considered consistent applications that will result in a good landing based upon flying conditions and area.

Mitigating hard landings is an imperative that involves not only pre-flight planning and training but applying those crucial training techniques every time one enters the cockpit. By looking out ahead during a landing and shifting the focus at the appropriate time from the aim point to further and further down the runway allows the main and peripheral visions to see the runway moving up as the aircraft gently settles to the surface. Loss of perspective (improper scanning) will limit the

pilot’s ability to adjust for variables resulting in an increased risk for a hard landing. Don’t fix-ate on any one point (i.e. the runway surface) and remember to verify proper use of controls to ensure a smooth transition from air to ground. Like driving a car, potential distractions (conversations and radio chatter) should be minimized to ensure a sterile cockpit. Maintain appropriate height according to ATC guidance, with high being better than down low in many situations. Airspeed is cru-cial to mitigating hard landings, and inexperienced pilots will keep it high that will result in a lot of energy that will need to be dissipated or slowed making the landing abrupt and increasing the risk of aircraft damage. Sometime, even with the most skilled pilots, touchdown results in a bounce, with one bounce being recoverable, but a second bounce generally leads to a hard, nose-first landing that one will never forget. Take time to pursue a “go around,” adjust power if needed, re-establish glide in order to produce the desired smooth land-ing without permitting a porpoise to develop.

Hard landings are events that all pilots, regard-less of experience, want to avoid. Consistent application of training techniques as a method to mitigate distractions and/or complacency will enable the continued professionalism and accident free flying. These crucial last five seconds as the aircraft transitions from air to ground requires special consideration, because the results of hard landings are not always as evident upon initial inspection. Repeated damage to the aircraft will eventually result in expensive repairs and replace-ment. In my experience, the misery caused by the hard landing, both financial and emotional, rein-forced the need for enhanced safety and increased diligence in competency training in order to avoid the danger associated with hard landings.

Hard landing closes runway.

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CAP restored to IRS nonprofit list Continued . . .

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search box. Once you get to the correct web page you will see “Aerospace: The Journey of Flight �nd Edition.” Download the book chapter by chapter and include the book cover and the Table of Contents. Read and study the book. This will enable you to gain valuable information on the history of flight that you might have never known. You don’t need to memorize all of the details since the exam is open book and open notes, but take the time to mentally process the information, this will benefit your personal and professional education and experience. Once you complete your read-ing of the text, you need to take the exam. What would an award be worth without a testing of your knowledge on the topic?

Wow, one hundred questions can seem like an eternity, but don’t let this discourage you; you have come too far to let a few questions stand in your way to increasing your professional develop-ment. You can take the exam of �00 questions a few questions at a time or all at once, this is your choice. Completing the test took me about an hour

Yeager Award Continued from page 15 . . .

for the whole exam in one sitting. If you choose to only answer a few questions, your next test session will begin at the next question to be answered. It is really this simple. There are two separate exams (#� and #�), but you only need to take one of these tests to complete the Yeager Award. Once you have completed the exam, you should see credit posted on eServices within a few days. Your Wing Headquarters will distribute the �� by �7 inches Yeager Award, usually at a Wing event. Earning the Yeager Award exemplifies your commitment to CAP Core Values and enables you to uphold the professionalism CAP has been known for during the past 70 years. If I have not made the process of completing the Yeager Award clear enough, or you encounter problems, please contact me by email, telephone or Skype.

https://www.capnhq.gov/CAP.AEDownloads.Web/AEDownloads.aspx

Email: wywg.ae@capwyhq.org Telephone: �07-���-�0�7

Skype: w7uyrobert

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Las t summer , L t . Co l . McDonald began researching ideas for a long term cadet proj-ect for the coming year. In the past, Wheatland cadets built and launched rockets through the CAP rocketry program and learned about the International Space Station by building a foam model of the ISS, but this year they wanted to participate in

Wheatland Cadets Wild for Robotics By Lt. Col. susan mcDonald, CAP

something different. The deci-sion to have cadet teams build their own robotics module would soon become a reality, but first the cadets and the Wheatland Composite Squadron needed to raise enough money to purchase the equipment. In September �0��, Wheatland Composite Squadron held a fundraiser at the local Arby’s to help raise

money for the cadets’ robot-ics project. Besides the Arby’s fundraiser, the squadron sent out letters to a few local businesses asking for help in funding this educational opportunity for the cadets. The first to respond was Safeway, and they sent us a check for $�50. A total of $��0 was raised, including another $75 from the 50/50 raffle and

Tying shoes with Popsicle sticks is hard.

Cadets constructed foam hands that could move. Cadets attempt to tie shoes with heavy gloves.

Using pliers might sound easier, but they are not!

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a generous $�50 contribution from senior member, Major Jim Hawley, MD.

The f i rs t few act ivi t ies required the cadets to learn some background information about robotics. The cadets par-ticipated in research concerning daily items people use with-out thinking of these items as being robots. These daily items include ATMs, microwaves, and vending machines. The next lesson was to attempt to recre-ate problems robots have with mobility. One class focused on tying shoes with pliers, heavy gloves, and Popsicle sticks; this turned out to be an extremely funny activity. Another lesson was to have the cadets build their own foam model of their hand with meat trays, string, rubber bands, straws, tape, and glue. By the end of this activity, each cadet made their own hand model complete with moveable fingers.

The most recent lesson required the cadets to construct a robotic arm out of cardboard and basic office supplies that would eventually be attached to a Radio Controlled Bulldozer. The

next lesson after constructing the arm is to attach the hydrau-lic arm with the purchased T-Bot II kits. Finally, each cadet team will then race their robot through the maze while manu-ally working the arm to pick up objects set out for them to place in a basket. Each team will race the opposing team to complete the maze and retrieve all the objects. While this final faze has not been completed, watch-ing the cadets build their robots was a hoot!

Team Mongoose includes Cadets Trujillo, nelson, Machacek, and Jones.

The RC bulldozer that will be used in the next lesson with the cardboard arm.

Team Monster includes Cadets Stovall (Bowen), Stoval (Tyler), Bennett, and Colson.

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On December �0th at �0 a.m., cadets from the Laramie Valley Composite Squadron formed up with members

o f t h e L a r a m i e Veterans Honor Guard to lay green and red wreaths at the tombstones of veterans buried in the Green Hill Cemete ry . Th i s c e r e m o n y w a s in support of the national Wreaths Across America event. This is

the first year that the Laramie Valley Composite Squadron participated. �nd Lt. Trish Penny planned and ran the squadron’s participation in this important event. With the

support of the cadets, the unit was able to sell ��6 wreaths. Wreaths were so ld in on l ine campaigns as well as manning a booth at the

local Hastings store. While the unit fell short of the intended goal of �00 wreaths, next

Laramie Squadron Participates in

Wreaths Across AmericaHonoring Those Who Served Our Country

By Col. stan skrabut, CAP

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year’s event will be even more successful once we implement lessons learned from this year’s experience. H

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On November ��, the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Wheatland hosted a chili dinner complete with dessert for veterans and their families at the �H

building in Wheatland. Veterans of all ages from the different military services were honored, including some who served during World War II and in recent conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, those from all branches of military

service who are missing in action were honored that night, with a special and symbolic table set just for them to honor the ultimate sacrifice these brave men and women gave in the service of their country. The ceremony was complete with an honor guard hosted by the VFW. The Wheatland Composite Squadron was invited to attend and helped attend to the many service members who have honorably served our dear country at one time or another. Furthermore, the Wheatland Composite Squadron cadets showed great respect to the

veterans and their families as the cadets served water, tea, and coffee, and they assisted those who had difficulties helping themselves. The cadets felt honored to participate at this special occasion honoring veterans on Veterans’ Day, and the cadets received a kind let-ter thanking them for their professional appearance and service at the event. Hopefully, the cadets will be asked back again next year.

Wheatland Composite Squadron Honors Veterans

Captain Patricia young, CAP

POW/MiA table

Cadet Machacek

Cadet Captain Stovall

Cadets ready to serve. Front row: Cadet Bowen Stovall. Second row: Theo Machacek, Cadet nick Trujillo, Cadet Alex Machacek, Cadet Tyler Stovall, & lt. Col. McDonald. Third row: Capt. Tricia Young, nash Trujillo, Mrs Machacek, & lt. Col. Cornell. Back row: lt. Schilreff.

Cadet Trujillo