NEWS: Annual conference provides valuable training to members
March 25, 2008
FAIRFAX, Va. — Civil Air Patrol’s Fairfax Composite Squadron hosted the 2008 National Capital Wing annual conference at the Fairfax County Government Center March 15. The agenda was designed to accommodate the interests of cadets, officers and parents, which was attended by 70 people, including 20 cadets and eight non-members.
Five U.S. military academies provided representatives to speak on behalf of their respective service branches. Cadets learned what is required of them to request and receive a nomination for admission into an academy, as well as setting an achievable goal. There was an opportunity to discern which academy will best suite the individual by allowing the academy representatives one-on-one time with the cadets. They spent a considerable amount of time visiting with cadets and parents to answer questions and describe the processes involved in requesting admission. This addition added a great deal of substance to the conference for both the cadets and parents. The cadets hailed this motivating experience, and they appeared to learn a great deal.
CAP officers and senior members attended instructional seminars to better enable them to operate in their respective squadrons. One seminar equipped members with the information to run specific software that makes information management easier. The Squadron Information Management System (SIMS) seminar was such a success that Maj. Christopher Triana, the instructor, was held over in his time slot to better answer questions from those present. The information provided will enable the squadrons in the wing – with their recent growth – to function at a higher caliber in the future.
Other sessions included a membership seminar with respect to recruiting, marketing and fundraising and a logistics seminar, which were presented by Lt Col John Davies, wing director of logistics and retired Army colonel. A wing communications meeting was presented by Maj. Darrell Ballenger, wing communication training officer, and a Member Information Management System (MIMS) and eServices seminar was presented by Maj. Roger Cox, Fairfax Composite Squadron commander.
Guest speakers during the general assembly included Maj. Gen. William B. Chambers, Air Force director of communications; Mont B. Smith, safety officer for the Air Transport Association; and Jeff Montgomery, CAP chief of aerospace education, who provided the national commander and executive director update on Civil Air Patrol.
Col. Jane Davies, wing commander, provided the state of the wing address. Lt. Col. Richard Cooper, wing vice commander, provided an update on a new memorandum of agreement between CAP and the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Maj. Paul Cianciolo, wing director of public affairs, showed several media highlights from 2007 and provided an update about the wing Web site and the Combined Federal Campaign. Lt. Col. J.D. Ellis, wing director of cadet programs, provided an update about the wing’s cadet programs. And Cadet Maj. James Flanagan, wing cadet advisory council chairman, talked about new CAC initiatives.
Also, a free breakfast and lunch was provided to all attendees, which included coffee, water, many varieties of soda, doughnuts, fruit, Papa John’s pizza, Chic-fil-A chicken nuggets and pull-a-part bread. There was more than enough for everyone!
The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the Air Force, was founded Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into World War II. CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 55,000 members nationwide. The organization’s members perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 58 lives in 2006. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program.
For “more than meets the skies” in the national capital area, go to www.natcapwg.cap.gov.
By Maj. Roger A. Cox, Fairfax Composite Squadron commander
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| Members of Civil Air Patrol’s National Capital Wing pose for a picture in the atrium of the Fairfax County Government Center during the wing’s annual conference March 15. Photo courtesy of Fairfax Composite Squadron | |
CAP officers and senior members attended instructional seminars to better enable them to operate in their respective squadrons. One seminar equipped members with the information to run specific software that makes information management easier. The Squadron Information Management System (SIMS) seminar was such a success that Maj. Christopher Triana, the instructor, was held over in his time slot to better answer questions from those present. The information provided will enable the squadrons in the wing – with their recent growth – to function at a higher caliber in the future.
Other sessions included a membership seminar with respect to recruiting, marketing and fundraising and a logistics seminar, which were presented by Lt Col John Davies, wing director of logistics and retired Army colonel. A wing communications meeting was presented by Maj. Darrell Ballenger, wing communication training officer, and a Member Information Management System (MIMS) and eServices seminar was presented by Maj. Roger Cox, Fairfax Composite Squadron commander.
Guest speakers during the general assembly included Maj. Gen. William B. Chambers, Air Force director of communications; Mont B. Smith, safety officer for the Air Transport Association; and Jeff Montgomery, CAP chief of aerospace education, who provided the national commander and executive director update on Civil Air Patrol.
Col. Jane Davies, wing commander, provided the state of the wing address. Lt. Col. Richard Cooper, wing vice commander, provided an update on a new memorandum of agreement between CAP and the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Maj. Paul Cianciolo, wing director of public affairs, showed several media highlights from 2007 and provided an update about the wing Web site and the Combined Federal Campaign. Lt. Col. J.D. Ellis, wing director of cadet programs, provided an update about the wing’s cadet programs. And Cadet Maj. James Flanagan, wing cadet advisory council chairman, talked about new CAC initiatives.
Also, a free breakfast and lunch was provided to all attendees, which included coffee, water, many varieties of soda, doughnuts, fruit, Papa John’s pizza, Chic-fil-A chicken nuggets and pull-a-part bread. There was more than enough for everyone!
The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the Air Force, was founded Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into World War II. CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 55,000 members nationwide. The organization’s members perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 58 lives in 2006. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program.
For “more than meets the skies” in the national capital area, go to www.natcapwg.cap.gov.
By Maj. Roger A. Cox, Fairfax Composite Squadron commander