National News

(Left)
Lt. Col. Jayson A. Altieri at the Nancy airport before a joint French-U.S.  airborne operation.
 
(Right)
Lt. Col. Jayson A. Altieri (far left) and fellow U.S. and French paratroopers over France’s Gueblange Drop Zone. 

Photos by U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Stephen C. Madrid


Maj. Rob Mason
Commander
Fayetteville Composite Squadron
North Carolina Wing

FRANCE --U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jayson A. Altieri, who remains a member of the North Carolina Wing's Fayetteville Composite while deployed to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, recently participated as a Combined Joint Task Force-82 member in a joint French-U.S. airborne operation as part of a mission readiness exercise for a French brigade headed to Afghanistan.
 
Altieri and seven other officers from the task force deployed from Afghanistan to Mailly-le-Camp, France, to the Centre D'Entrainement Au Combat (Combat Training Center).  The U.S. team members worked with their French counterparts, conducting mission planning and command and control of the French 21st Mountain Brigade.

The brigade is composed of both regular French Army and French Foreign Legion soldiers. It is scheduled to be d for about six months to the Kapisa Province of Afghanistan. .
 
After the 10-day exercise ended, Altieri and the rest of the team moved on to Dieuze, near the city of Nancy, for pre-jump parachute training with the French 13th Dragoon Parachute Regiment, a cavalry unit that traces it linage to the late 1600s and which now conducts airborne reconnaissance  missions around the globe.

After a short flight from the Nancy airport the U.S. and French paratroopers exited their CASA 235 aircraft over the Gueblange Drop Zone, a few miles from 13th Dragoon Headquarters.
 
After a successful exit from 1,200 feet, both the team members and their French hosts rallied at the Dragoon's Officers Mess for a ceremonial lunch. The U.S. paratroopers were presented French Parachute Wings by the regimental commander of the dragoons. 

Stateside, Altieri is the Fayetteville squadron’s aerospace education officer. He holds the Civil Air Patrol rank of lieutenant colonel.

 
 

Are CAP regulations easy to read? Can you quickly scan them and find what you're looking for? I can't.

Dozens of members have told us that they like the layout that's been used for cadet publications over the past couple years. Therefore, we're considering taking publication design a step further by recommending a new layout template for CAP regulations. CAPR 52-16 is due for an update in light of the upcoming switch to online testing. Perhaps that next edition  will use a more reader-friendly layout like the one you can download at right.

Download the sample (at right) and tell us if you think we're on the right track. If enough members show their support, we'll present the idea to the leadership.

NEW JERSEY -- Air Force Capt. Nicholas Gigilio, a fallen fighter pilot with Civil Air Patrol connections, was remembered in a memorial service Sunday in his home state of New Jersey. Gigilio, a husband and father, died in October, when his F-16 collided with another jet during a training mission off the South Carolina coast. Five hundred people, many of them family and friends of the 32-year-old fighter pilot, turned out for his memorial service.

(1)
(Standing, from left) Cadet Staff Sgt. Andrew Gelbard, Cadet Airman Eddie Thompson and Cadet Airman 1st Class Ted Schroeders listen as Cadet Staff Sgt. Zackery Macdonald
practices his Patriot Pen speech.

 (2)
At the Republican Club’s Real Heroes Luncheon (from left) cadets Eddie Thompson, John Clark, Andrew Gelbard, Ted Schroeders and Zackery Macdonald pose for a photo with the guest of honor, retired Air Force Lt. Irwin Stovroff, a World War II Army Air Corps B-24 Bombardier, former prisoner of war and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient and founder of Vets Helping Returning Heroes, an organization providing service dogs to injured soldiers.

(3)
Cadet Staff Sgt. Zackery Macdonald speaks about honoring U.S. military heroes. Listening to the young cadet is retired Air Force Lt. Irwin Stovroff.

(4)
Cadet Staff Sgt. Andrew Gelbard delivers his Voice of Democracy speech.


1st Lt. Jackie Zarrilli
Public Affairs Officer
Cadet Programs
Florida Wing

FLORIDA – On the eve of Veterans Day, for Boca Raton Composite Squadron cadets the topic for discussion is heroes.

“Does America Still Have Heroes?” and “When Is The Right Time To Honor Our Military Heroes?” are the respective themes for this year’s Veterans of Foreign Wars high school Voice of Democracy and middle school Patriot Pen contests.

For the past seven years, cadets from the Boca Raton squadron have participated in these annual essay speech competitions. Each year cadets have taken first, second and or third place with local VFW Post 10556 and have moved up to the next level, where several have earned first, second and or third place awards. 
 
Squadron leaders sees this as a win-win opportunity for their cadets.  As they research their essays they learn American history. Senior members work with them to improve their writing and speaking skills. The cadets are given opportunities to delivery their speeches at Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies and local community events, such as the “Real Heroes” luncheon recently sponsored by the Boca Raton Republican Club.

At this event, eighth-grader Cadet Staff Sgt. Zackery Macdonald told the audience, “Personally I honor our heroes as much as possible, whether it’s thanking them for their service or striving for the best in school or Civil Air Patrol … I soon found out that honoring a hero tells them that they not only did their duty for their country, but that they also made an impact on the younger generation.”

“Heroes in America come in many different forms and are heroes for many reasons,” said sophomore Cadet Staff Sgt. Andrew Gelbard, also a featured speaker at the luncheon.
 
Cadet Airman Etan Vann said, “When a child thinks of heroes he thinks of Superman, Spider-Man, Fantastic 4, etc. … But a hero could be that fireman shooting the smoke-polluting monster of fire from destroying the structure, or that doctor that is saving a woman from the abominable black lump that affects one in eight women, called breast cancer, and, of course, the soldiers protecting the motherland from enemies.”

Cadet Airman Basic Diondre Noel said in his essay, “There are a few days that can be counted as a significant day for giving recognition to our patriots.”

Cadet Airman 1st Class Ted Schroeders wrote, “Does America still have heroes … in my eyes, the answer is: Absolutely! America has a long continuous line of heroes that dates back to its inception.”

For Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Judah Brown, “A hero is one who acts in the interest of others. They are constantly working and are oftentimes left unnoticed.”

As to why Americans should honor their veterans, Cadet Airman Austin Budney said, “When the time came that soldiers were needed, they stepped out of their lives and into a battlefield and fought bravely for our country.”
 
The squadron’s cadet commander, Chief Master Sgt. Zachary Weinbaum, said, “I believe that any human being that commits themselves to standing up and fighting for America and saving lives is a hero.”

Cadet Airman Eddie Thompson expressed a similar point: “In my opinion our military heroes are and should be important to us because of all the things they have done for us.”

Summing up the discussion, Cadet Staff Sgt. Alexander Falcone put into words the feelings of most of his Civil Air Patrol colleagues: “Those who have fought and died in combat have paid greatly for our freedoms today. Anyone who has ever taken an oath to protect this country is a hero to me.

“I thank them every day for my freedom of speech, my right to vote and my privilege to live in a democratic America. I thank them for what they have done, for what they do and what they will do in the future. I honor them for their courage, for their endurance and for the inspiration they give me as I prepare to serve my country.

“To me each and every serviceman and -woman is a hero.”


 

(1)
St. Cloud Composite Squadron cadets raise the flag for a program honoring U.S. veterans.

(2)
Cadets march in the local Veterans Day parade.


Maj. Richard J. Sprouse
Public Affairs Officer
Group 2
Minnesota Wing

MINNESOTA -- Cadets in the St. Cloud Composite Squadron marked celebrated Veterans Day three days early by participating in the annual Veterans Day parade Sunday.

The parade featured veterans, veterans groups and supporters of veterans and veteran issues. The procession’s route covered a half-mile from the St. Cloud VA Medical Center to Apollo High School, where a program and reception wrapped up the event.

More than 40 groups took part, many wearing uniforms, playing music and carrying American flags.

The St. Cloud Squadron has participated in the event since its inception three years ago.

(1)
Cadet Airman Basic Jessica Weimer and 1st Lt. William Hess inspect rockets before the first launch of the day.

Photo by Cadet Airman 1st Class Victor Valduvinos.

(2)
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Andres Rodriguez prepares his rocket for launch.

Photo by Cadet Airman 1st Class Victor Valduvinos

(3)
Orientation pilot 1st Lt. Allen Johnson of the Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron describes the preflight inspection process to Cadet Airmen 1st Class Andrew Konopka (center) and James Nelson.

Photo by 1st Lt. William Hess.


1st Lt. William Hess
Deputy Commander for Cadets
Tar River Composite Squadron
North Carolina Wing

NORTH CAROLINA -- Nine cadets and two senior members from the Tar River Composite Squadron more than made up for missing the North Carolina Wing’s Aerospace Education Day on Oct. 3 by enjoying an impromptu aerospace education day of their own Saturday.

The day got off to a great start at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport with a 9 a.m. cadet orientation flight out of piloted by 1st Lt. Allen Johnson of the Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron.  Other cadets worked on model rockets or practiced their flying skills on aerospace education officer 1st Lt. David Nelson’s flight simulator while waiting for the second orientation flight of the day.

Shortly after the second flight left, 1st Lt. William Hess, the unit’s deputy commander for cadets, and six cadets piled into the squadron van and drove into Wilson to see their rockets in action.  A misfire and a parachute failure provided plenty of excitement, allowing the cadets to successfully show off their range safety knowledge and line searching skills. 

After five successful flights -- the sixth launch was scrubbed -- the rocketeers returned to base for testing, more time on Nelson’s simulator and the day’s final orientation flight of the day.

By the end of the day, the following cadets had experienced the thrill of flight in the air or from the ground:

• Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Andres Rodriguez.
   
• Cadet Senior Airmen Sean Gettys and Emily Watson.
   
• Cadet Airmen 1st Class Lucero DeLaFuente, Andrew Konopka, James Nelson, Crystal Rodriguez and Victor Valduvinos.
   
• Cadet Airman Basic. Jessica Weimer.

Their smiles and enthusiasm provided more than enough incentive for Tar River Composite leaders to look for ways to make the event a regular part of the squadron calendar.




 
 

Participants in the memorial service.


Capt. Akeem Innis
Commander
St. Croix Composite Squadron
Puerto Rico Wing

VIRGIN ISLAND – The Puerto Rico Wing’s St. Croix Composite Squadron conducted a memorial service Oct. 31 in honor of three Civil Air Patrol members killed in a plane crash 13 years earlier. 

The three – Capt. Normando Ortero, pilot, and 14-year-old cadets Natasha Ayala and Dorence Isidore -- were killed when their plane crashed just after takeoff during an orientation flight Oct. 26, 1996, on St. Croix. The memorial service was held at the crash site.

Many dignitaries were among those in attendance, including U.S. Virgin Island Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis, Virgin Islands Police Commissioner Novelle Francis and Jonathan Smalls, chief executive officer of Sen. Sammuel Sanes’ office. Francis and Smalls are both former Civil Air Patrol members.

Also present were members of both cadets’ families, along with numerous former CAP members, family and friends of current members and well-wishers.

After the 1 ½-hour memorial service, the Virgin Islands Police Department Traffic Unit sent a police unit to escort about 20 cars in a silent motorcade from the memorial site to Kingshill Cemetery, where Isidore is buried.

The family and CAP members laid wreaths and flowers on his grave, and then the motorcade continued from to Frederiksted Cemetery, site of Ayala’s grave. Her family, friends and CAP members laid wreaths and many flowers. 

After the memorial Ayala's mother, Ema Ayala Miller, took the 20 St. Croix Composite members to lunch. 

The caring people of the Virgin Islands donated all of the floral arrangements and wreaths.



 

 
Pilot “Mr. Jack O'Lantern” is attended to by paramedics at base camp after being lowered down a mountain by a team of about 15 members using a belay line.


Capt. Alberic Bergeron
Public Affairs Officer
Virginia Wing

VIRGINIA – Nineteen members marked Halloween this year by participating in the appropriately named Operation Jack-O-Lantern multi-agency search and rescue exercise in the Jefferson National Forest near Blacksburg.

.The exercise scenario -- created by Col. Charlie Glass, Middle Eastern Region director of safety and a longtime Civil Air Patrol incident commander and pilot -- involved a missing charter aircraft with seven people aboardthat had disappeared from radar after declaring an emergency.

In all, 19 members from Middle East and Virginia Wing headquarters and the Danville, Montgomery and Roanoke composite squadrons joined with more than 150 participants from more than 10 organizations, including Commonwealth Search and Rescue, South Western Virginia Mountain Rescue, the American Red Cross, Angel Search and Rescue and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

The weekend began with a Friday night planning session, as CAP air operations and command staff worked closely with the other agencies to investigate clues and create tasks for the next day’s search and rescue operations. In addition, an airborne electronic locator transmitter search was launched Friday evening from Roanoke to provide real-time position information to the search planners.
 
Early Saturday morning, CAP established air operations at the Blacksburg and Roanoke airports, while ground search and rescue operations were established at Caldwell Fields in the Jefferson National Forest. Search and rescue teams from across Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee were involved. and participants included equestrian and dog teams, as well as mountain rescue and CAP direction-finding personnel.
 
Two high-birds radio relay flights were flown from Roanoke to ensure communications among the assorted ground teams.  The air operations staff had to improvise, however, when the high bird could not be in position because of fueling or pilot constraints and low visibility.

By substituting a CAP vehicle as a low bird relay when the aircraft was not available, the members were able to maintain communications throughout the 10-hour exercise period.
 
In all, 28 ground search tasks, one airborne ELT search, two high bird radio relay flights and two transport flights were completed. CAP flew 9.9 hours and four corporate vehicles providing ground support, all in poor weather conditions.
      
 

(1)
Showing off their CyberPatriot II T-shirts and challenge coin are (from left) Cadet Airmen Ephraim Mattos and Ben Sandlin (with coin), Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Jonathan Carballo and Cadet Master Sgt. Michael Sgt Leggett.

(2)
(Clockwise from left) Cadet Airmen Ben Sandlin and Ephraim Mattos, Cadet Chief Master Sgt.  Jonathan Carballo and Cadet Master Sgt. Michael Leggett.


Lt. Col. Jo Stys
Public Affairs Officer
Milwaukee Composite Squadron 5
Wisconsin Wing

WISCONSIN – Four Milwaukee Composite Squadron cadets pitted their online acumen against teams from across the U.S. and Japan on Nov. 7 in CyberPatriot II, a national high school cyber defense competition sponsored by the Air Force Association

The four -- Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Jonathan Carballo, Cadet Master Sgt. Michael Leggett and Cadet Airmen Ephraim Mattos and Ben Sandlin -- were coached by Lt. Col. Jo Stys, project officer..

Likely the largest live high school cyber defense competition ever staged, CyberPatriot II involved more than 100 Air Force Junior ROTC and Civil Air Patrol teams from American and Japan in simultaneous competition.

The cadets were racing against the clock and their opponents, with six hours to find and correct vulnerabilities in the virtual computer provided by the Science Applications International Corporation through a virtual network. 

The team was able to use only part of the six hours allotted, having marched in Milwaukee’s 46th Annual Veterans Day parade earlier in the day.

“The cadets really got involved as a team in solving each situation they faced,” Stys said. “I am proud of their optimism and enthusiasm for this new challenge.”

Asked if they had fun, the cadets’ reply was unanimous: “Yes!” 

The team is looking forward to Round 2 on Nov. 14, when they hope to take what they learned and apply it more quickly. A fifth team member, Cadet Senior Airman Morgan Murphy, will be present to add to the group’s technical knowledge. 

The cadets said they enjoyed the challenge of learning new skills in real time on the virtual computer. Online and PowerPoint instructions helped them prepare for the competition.

“Congratulations to all the competitors and continued good luck to all the teams over the next two Saturdays of competition,” said S. Sanford Schlitt, AFA vice chairman of the board for aerospace education. “CyberPatriot II is proving to be a fantastic hands-on learning experience. It’s a great way to encourage new interest in this crucial career path.”


 

PENNSYLVANIA -- A Civil Air Patrol World War II-era pilot who died last month at the age of 99 -- Ida Mae Hampton Wassell -- turned down a transatlantic flight in 1932, just four months after Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the ocean. Wassell rejected the transatlantic trip because she favored scientific research over "spectacular ocean flights." The flight to Rome, Italy, was unsuccessful, ending in the death of a pilot, a physician and a nurse. All were lost at sea. The doomed flight and Wassell's aviation career are chronicled in a recent article in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

ALABAMA -- Retired Army Col. Jack Jacobs kept Civil Air Patrol's 84 National Staff College students in stitches during a recent visit to Maxwell Air Force Base. The Medal of Honor recipient's address highlighted a full week of activity for the 84 students, who later graduated from CAP's National Staff College.

NEW JERSEY -- Air Force Capt. Nicholas Gigilio, a fallen fighter pilot with Civil Air Patrol connections, was remembered in a memorial service Sunday in his home state of New Jersey. Gigilio, a husband and father, died in October, when his F-16 collided with another jet during a training mission off the South Carolina coast. Five hundred people, many of them family and friends of the 32-year-old fighter pilot, turned out for his memorial service.

Dear CAP Volunteer:

For all Americans, especially Civil Air Patrol’s combat veterans, Veterans Day serves as an important reminder of the 25 million courageous men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who valiantly served their country. In other parts of the world, Veterans Day is celebrated as Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day.

Regardless of what you call it, Veterans Day is commonly celebrated on Nov. 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. The major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. By always observing Veterans Day on Nov. 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls, Americans preserve the historical significance of the date and the importance of the holiday.

Veterans Day is and should be a day of national celebration, set aside to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Let’s keep that in mind when we gather with family and friends on Nov. 11 to observe Veterans Day.

Embrace the opportunity afforded to us on this day. Make time to visit with CAP members who are veterans. Reflect with them on the freedoms we have in America and the sacrifices made by all our nation’s veterans to ensure those freedoms. Their devotion and dedication in defense of our country, in times of war and other military duties, must always be remembered – not just on Veterans Day but each and every day.

Veterans, we salute you! Thanks for your great service.

Always vigilant!
 
Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter
CAP National Commander

 

(1)
Cadet Airman Allen Ellis with his parents, Robb and Kristen Ellis, and his brothers.

(2)
Cadet Airman Allen Ellis with the Civil Air Patrol Lifesaving Award he received from Maj. Nic Goupil, Seacoast Composite Squadron commander.

Photos by Maj. Penny H. Hardy


Maj. Penny H. Hardy
Public Affairs Officer
Seacoast Composite Squadron
New Hampshire Wing

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Cadet Airman Allen Ellis of the Seacoast Composite Squadron has been recognized with the Civil Air Patrol Lifesaving Award for having helped save his 3-year-old brother’s life while on a summer camping trip.

Just a few weeks earlier the cadet, son of Robb and Kristen Ellis, had attended the New Hampshire Wing Cadet Summer Encampment, where he learned many first-aid skills – little knowing that he would need to put what he had learned into practice so soon.

His mother, who was carrying a pot of boiling water, told Allen’s younger brother to stay where he was while she carried the container into the family’s camper. Instead, though, the child ran after her, causing her to spill the hot liquid on him.

Allen immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and told his mother to take off the boy’s clothes and pour cool water on him, while having someone called 911. 

The youngster was taken to a nearby hospital and later to a Shriners   Hospital, as he had suffered second-degree burns over 10 percent of his body. 

Thanks to the cadet’s quick actions, his little brother has fully recovered from the injuries.

 

(Standing, below, from left) Cadet Airman Basic Jacob Waters, Cadet Master Sgt. Nicholas Miner, Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Hockman, Cadet Basic Rebecca Doud, Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Moriah Efries, Cadet Staff Sgt. Daniel Smith, Cadet Airmen 1st Class Cody Howell and  Nathan Crist, Cadet Airman Basic Jacob Chesbrough, Cadet Airman Senior Chris Ward, Cadet Airman Basic Jacob Waters, (standing on wing, from left) Cadet 2nd Lt., Trevor Baier, Cadet 1st Lt.  Jim Norton and Cadet Senior Airman Douglas Woischke.
 
Photo by Pam Ward


1st Lt. John Morgan
Public Affairs Officer
Group VIII
Ohio Wing

OHIO -- Cadets from two units recently visited former U.S. Air Force Capt. James Hagedorn – now the chief executive officer of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. – and his collection of aircraft in Marysville, where he told them about his experience as an F-16 pilot, his education and his background as head of the nation’s leading lawn and garden company. 

The cadets, members of the Columbus Composite Squadron and the Union County Flight, were especially intrigued by Hagedorn’s accounts of some of his close calls as a fighter pilot.

They were able to take a close look at some of his vintage aircraft, such as a 1947 T-6 Texan, a McDonnell Douglas helicopter, a 1940s Piper Cub and 1960s-era Cessna 185. 

The star of the night, however, was their host’s famed P-51 Mustang “Old Crow,” the original of which was flown by World War II fighter ace Col. Bud Anderson of the 357th Fighter Group.  Anderson, a good friend of Hagedorn’s, has flown this particular Mustang as well. 

Two years ago Hagedorn was instrumental in organizing the largest and most likely the last assembly of surviving P-51 Mustangs and their famed pilots, the “Gathering of Mustangs and Legends,” in central Ohio.  

“The cadets had a great time and learned a lot,” said 1st Lt. Jim Ward, Union County Flight commander/ “They were allowed to climb in the planes and ask as many questions as they wanted.”

Also on hand to answer questions from the eager cadets were some of  Scotts-Miracle Gro’s corporate pilots.

Along with the two units’ members, Marysville Mayor Chris Schmenk, Union County Sheriff Rocky Nelsom and Lt. Col. Jenny Baker, Group VIII commander, were in attendance as well.


 

(1)
Much of the learning at National Staff College took place in small seminars, where participants examined at length and in depth lectures they’d just heard.

(2)
National Staff College participants.

(3)
Lt. Col. Amos Plante, Louisiana Wing chief of staff and director of the National Staff College

 (4)
A Medal of Honor recipient, retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation secretary, retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Perry M. Smith delivered a powerful message on leadership to CAP volunteers attending National Staff College.

(5)
Medal of Honor recipient and retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs

(6)
Maj. Aaron Oliver, commander of the Virginia Wing’s Langley Composite Squadron.

(7)
Maj. Marie Rivera, commander of the Puerto Rico Wing’s Mayaguez Cadet Squadron.
 
(8)
Lt. Col. Carlos Fernandez, commander of Puerto Rico Wing Group 5


Photos by Susan Robertson, CAP National Headquarters


Kristi Carr
Staff Writer

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS -- Eighty-four came, and they were a diverse bunch. They represented 32 Civil Air Patrol wings. The youngest two were 26; the oldest two were in their 80s.

All were CAP volunteers. All attended the 2009 National Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. And all came looking for ways to become better leaders.

Working towards the next level
Maj. Aaron Oliver, commander of the Virginia Wing’s Langley Composite Squadron, took a leave from his regular job as an Air Force fighter pilot to attend, hoping to gain a better understanding of CAP and corporate leadership.

Maj. Marie A. Rivera traveled from Puerto Rico to attend. As commander of the Mayaguez Cadet Squadron, she said she was particularly interested in the programs on ethics and core values.

Her husband, Lt. Col. Carlos Fernandez, who oversees the Puerto Rico Wing’s Group 5,   was another 2009 National Staff College student. Professional development was at the top of his list as reason for attending.

Learning on the field of battle
For Lt. Col. Amos Plante, chief of staff for the Louisiana Wing and director of the 2009 National Staff College, the highlight of the week was the presentation on “Leadership Lessons from Combat” by retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Perry M. Smith, secretary for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, along with retired U.S. Army Col. Jack H. Jacobs, a Medal of Honor recipient and MSNBC military analyst.

By way of introduction, Smith explained why Jacobs was selected for the highest award given to military personnel. On his first tour of duty in Vietnam, Jacobs, then a first lieutenant, suffered severe injuries to his head and face, yet managed to pull 25 of his fellow soldiers off the battlefield. Thirteen of them survived.

Jacobs picked up the story, explaining what he faced, both in combat and later, as he fought to recover from his wounds. Often asked what led him to respond as he did, he cited a quote from Rabbi Hillel, one of the most influential scholars in Jewish history: “If not now, when?”

It was the Army, Jacobs said, where he learned lessons he’d need on the outside. Those lessons obviously served him well, because after 20 years in the military, Jacobs went on to successes as an investment banker, real estate developer, business entrepreneur, West Point professor, author and television military analyst.

Delivering the best course of study
Curriculum for the weeklong National Staff College is heavy on leadership, but it also includes lessons in ethics, finances and communications, as well as an in-depth look at CAP’s national-level operations. 

CAP regulations, Plante explained, spell out what students are expected to accomplish so the program’s format remains similar from year to year. Lectures by experts are interlaced with more intimate seminars, each with its own adviser, where students dissect the lectures and examine case studies.

A large pool of highly qualified lecturers, many with backgrounds in the military or with federal and state agencies, provide a rich mixture of information about strategic planning, policymaking and all aspects of governance.

Because it provides CAP with its very top leaders, National Staff College is one way to advance toward senior membership’s highest honor, the Gill Robb Wilson Award. Although there are alternatives, such as attending War College or other armed forces schooling, Plante estimates that 90 percent-95 percent of CAP volunteers achieving Level 5 — CAP’s top level of achievement for senior members — have used National Staff College as their preferred method for advancement.

Because of its graduate-level design, those attending National Staff College must hold the rank of major or above, must have completed CAP’s Region Staff College or its equivalent and must have the endorsement of their wing commanders.

Achieving ‘above and beyond’
“We call National Staff College the capstone in CAP’s professional development courses,” said Plante. “We’re leading leaders, and anyone who’d dedicated himself enough to get here has CAP in his heart and is the kind of person we want to train.”

As testament to the caliber and quality of CAP members attending National Staff College, even before they arrived some had taken to heart the lessons of the battlefield about which Jacobs spoke.

Step up
Oliver, who joined CAP as a cadet in Baton Rouge, La., was an experienced pilot in his twenties. He had always flirted with the idea of serving his country by flying fighter jets for the Air Force. Candidates for fighter jet pilots must be in the program, however, by the time they reach 30 – then fast approaching for Oliver.

Then America was attacked Sept. 11, 2001. Oliver joined the Air Force and now flies F-15s out of Langley Air Force Base, Va. Often assigned to presidential support, he flies over Camp David and other places where the president is.

In March, he will be training to fly the Air Force’s new F-22. At the same time, he remains active with CAP as Langley Composite commander, in which capacity he said he is particularly interested in setting the tone and pace for cadets.

“I could have been the guy who ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda,’” Oliver said. Instead, in the mode of Jacobs’ response on the field of battle, Oliver stepped up.

Choose your battles
At National Staff College, Jacobs spoke of the utmost importance of teaching and mentoring America’s youth, who will one day inherit the reins of the country.

Rivera has already made her choice. “Cadets are the most important thing I can do in CAP,” she said.

In addition to establishing both short- and long-term goals for her cadets, Rivera wants to advance in CAP herself.

“Only a few from Puerto Rico attain Level 5,” she said. She is anxious to become an example for other Puerto Ricans.

She found the perspective of CAP’s national commander, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, who addressed those attending National Staff College, of particular interest.

“It’s an honor to serve her as a CAP volunteer,” Rivera said.

Don’t sweat the small stuff
Jacobs warned the students not to make everything a crisis.

Native Spanish-speaker Fernandez could easily have let language be a barrier to his full participation in CAP. Instead, he took the long view, attended National Staff College and put himself in the hands of other CAP volunteers, whom he described as courteous and kind as they helped him absorb material presented in English.

His experience underscored the value of teamwork as members of his seminar group went above and beyond — CAP-style — to help him understand the discussions.

While Oliver, Rivera and Fernandez each attended National Staff College to sharpen their skills, each is already a leader in CAP.
 

Good reading for good leaders

• “If not now, when? Duty and Sacrifice in America,” by retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jacobs, recounts how he came to be chosen to receive the Medal of Honor. The book is laced with Jacobs’ observations about how today’s citizens handle, or fail to handle, the demands their country makes on them. 
   
• “Rules & Tools for Leaders,” by retired U.S. Air Force  Maj. Gen. Perry M. Smith, gives advice on how to run an organization.
   
• “Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty,” by Peter Collier, portrays the stories of living Medal of Honor recipients, who today number 93.

(1)
Cadet Airman Allen Ellis with his parents, Robb and Kristen Ellis, and his brothers.

(2)
Cadet Airman Allen Ellis with the Civil Air Patrol Lifesaving Award he received from Maj. Nic Goupil, Seacoast Composite Squadron commander.

Photos by Maj. Penny H. Hardy


Maj. Penny H. Hardy
Public Affairs Officer
Seacoast Composite Squadron
New Hampshire Wing

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Cadet Airman Allen Ellis of the Seacoast Composite Squadron has been recognized with the Civil Air Patrol Lifesaving Award for having helped save his 3-year-old brother’s life while on a summer camping trip.

Just a few weeks earlier the cadet, son of Robb and Kristen Ellis, had attended the New Hampshire Wing Cadet Summer Encampment, where he learned many first-aid skills – little knowing that he would need to put what he had learned into practice so soon.

His mother, who was carrying a pot of boiling water, told Allen’s younger brother to stay where he was while she carried the container into the family’s camper. Instead, though, the child ran after her, causing her to spill the hot liquid on him.

Allen immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and told his mother to take off the boy’s clothes and pour cool water on him, while having someone called 911. 

The youngster was taken to a nearby hospital and later to a Shriners   Hospital, as he had suffered second-degree burns over 10 percent of his body. 

Thanks to the cadet’s quick actions, his little brother has fully recovered from the injuries.

 

Phoenix Composite cadets take a look at one of the Blue Angels’ Boeing F/A 18 Hornets between performances.

Photo by John Clark


Cadet 2nd Lt. Mary C. Clark
Phoenix Composite Squadron
Texas Wing

TEXAS – Cadets from the Phoenix Composite Squadron spent a memorable weekend Oct. 24-25 at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport, helping out as assistant at the 2009 Alliance Air Show.

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels staged the final performances both days, and the cadets got an up-close look at what it takes to be a Blue Angel.

Throughout the weekend the cadets had a chance to tour many different planes and ride in simulators. After the Blue Angels landed their Boeing F/A 18 Hornets, the cadets were able to get autographs, talk to the pilots and have their photographs taken with them.

The weekend ended with a grand tour of an active U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry.
 

Lt. Col. Evelyn Johnson

TENNESSEE -- Legendary Civil Air Patrol aviator Lt. Col. Evelyn Johnson celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this week. Johnson, known as "Mama Bird" to senior members and cadets in CAP's Tennessee Wing, turned 100 on Wednesday, Nov. 4. A pioneer among women aviators, Johnson has been inducted into six hall of fames, including the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio. She was recognized this week, in celebration of her 100th birthday, with a story in her hometown newspaper, the Citizen Tribune of Morristown, Tenn. A video of the celebration can be seen at citizentribune.com. Just click on the second video, "Mama Bird hits 100."