INWG has the biggest....

[PA Guy]

^^^

Why the reluctance to attend encampment in one of the surrounding wings?  They all can't be that far away and it's not that uncommon for cadets to attend encampment out of their home wing.

[davidsinn]

^^^

Why the reluctance to attend encampment in one of the surrounding wings?  They all can't be that far away and it's not that uncommon for cadets to attend encampment out of their home wing.

Are you talking about my unit or the wing? For '07 the "official" encampment was in KY which is 8 hours from where I am my cadet and I went. In '08 and '09 it was IL. I was unable to attend either one do to work and the cadets I have now were not ready last year nor able to afford it this year.

[Spike]

I'd love to post the entire breakdown as it's pretty in depth but I was told it's operational data and not for public consumption.

Wow.  Secret membership numbers not for public release.  The Air Fore loves that.  CAP National HQ loves to hear that too.  That is bad program management.

You along with everyone else should know the capabilities.  You may have 300 Cadets who are not even attending meetings anymore.  You boost numbers and show off, but it really means nothing now. 

[davidsinn]

I'd love to post the entire breakdown as it's pretty in depth but I was told it's operational data and not for public consumption.

Wow.  Secret membership numbers not for public release.  The Air Fore loves that.  CAP National HQ loves to hear that too.  That is bad program management.

You along with everyone else should know the capabilities.  You may have 300 Cadets who are not even attending meetings anymore.  You boost numbers and show off, but it really means nothing now.

I don't like it either but when I asked permission to post the whole sheet I was told no and that future sheets would be marked FOUO. I don't make the rules I just follow them. Honestly I think by not allowing me to post them is just somebody (I honestly don't know who) playing secret squirrel.

Really all it is is a breakdown by unit and membership class with a comparison to last year on 1 Dec. Can anyone tell me how we track attendance as an organization? As far as I know we don't.

[PA Guy]

^^^

Why the reluctance to attend encampment in one of the surrounding wings?  They all can't be that far away and it's not that uncommon for cadets to attend encampment out of their home wing.

Are you talking about my unit or the wing? For '07 the "official" encampment was in KY which is 8 hours from where I am my cadet and I went. In '08 and '09 it was IL. I was unable to attend either one do to work and the cadets I have now were not ready last year nor able to afford it this year.

No, it was just  a question about the Wing in general.  While an 8 hr drive is a drag it isn't a big deal in many of the Western wings.  I just think it would behoove the Wing/CP to be creative and facilitate getting cadets to an encampment, any encampment.  Without an encampment they are behind the power curve when it comes to promotion, NCSAs and retention.  Van pools, scholarships anything to get those cadets to an encampment.

[davidsinn]

^^^

Why the reluctance to attend encampment in one of the surrounding wings?  They all can't be that far away and it's not that uncommon for cadets to attend encampment out of their home wing.

Are you talking about my unit or the wing? For '07 the "official" encampment was in KY which is 8 hours from where I am my cadet and I went. In '08 and '09 it was IL. I was unable to attend either one do to work and the cadets I have now were not ready last year nor able to afford it this year.

No, it was just  a question about the Wing in general.  While an 8 hr drive is a drag it isn't a big deal in many of the Western wings.  I just think it would behoove the Wing/CP to be creative and facilitate getting cadets to an encampment, any encampment.  Without an encampment they are behind the power curve when it comes to promotion, NCSAs and retention.  Van pools, scholarships anything to get those cadets to an encampment.

The 300+:2 was in reference to Anderson which grows at a rate of 150 per year and is only 2 years old.

Look at is this way in Sept 08 you had 150 brand new cadets. In Sept 09 you had those 150 plus a new 150 and only had one chance for encampment in the middle of that. Still 150:2 is not a good ratio. I have no clue how fast they are actually promoting so they could still be airmen potentially.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Doesn't really matter does it. If you have only had one cadet go to an encampment in 3 years, then am I to assume you have had no Mitchell Awards in that time as well?

Besides, cadets who don't get an encampment in 2 years are already past the minimum time it takes (18 months) to get to the Mitchell, so you are either looking at a C/CMSgt bottleneck, or 300 under-performing cadets, which just reflects a lack of substance in the program.

I've seen few good cadets get through the ranks up to C/2d Lt in less than two years, but it would still concern me that only 2 cadets out of half the wing's cadet members went to an encampment. Who is leading these kids? Are there any C/Officers involved, or are they just going over the Curry for about the fifth time now?

[Dracosbane]

I know not all of the cadets at APA are airmen.  But two months ago, most of the cadets I interacted with there were.  I do know the program is definitely different at a school than it is in a normal unit, but I'm not certain how exactly it's run.  I want to learn more personally, but I'd suggest that you consider the fact that with a relatively new program like this, it's going to take some time to get the cadets running through the program. 

Plus, you're going to have cadets who're not running through the normal CAP program at the same pace, especially this way, because you'd be promoting everybody all at once, and there'd be no leaders at one point, and there'd be no followers later.

[indygreg]

Thought I'd chime in on this since it is my daughter's school,  and I may be joining  as well. 
APA is a 2 year old charter school,  with currently grades 6-9.  Next year, they will add a 10th grade, and a grade a year until the school is 6-12. Each grade is limited to 80 students, broken into 4 20 student flights.  Last year, with the school just getting started, there wasn't a huge emphasis on outside CAP activities, mainly just getting the cadets up to speed.  This year, outside activities are getting more attention. There is an encampment scheduled in April which up to 80 cadets have been invited too attend, in order to increase the number of cadets in leadership positions.  They also participated in the INWG Cadet Olympics last fall.  I believe there is also an ES training weekend scheduled for the spring. As the school grows, the emphasis on outside activitoes will grow also, I'm sure   As far as grade, there are a few  2 year cadets that have reached T/Sgt, but most first year cadets are still airmen.  Overall, I have been very happy with the school.  Not only is my daughter getting an outstanding education, the experiences that she is getting in CAP will be invaluable in the years to come.

[flyboy53]

Boy, have things changed since I was a member of the Indiana Wing, 1972 to 77. I remember when the group structure there was abandoned due to lack of units/members. Anyway, you guys are mincing hairs. If a school program/squadron has that many members who cares whether they limit their program to certain areas.

AF JROTC used to be mostly academic and less on the operational side.

The bottom line here is think of the impact state wide that this unit has. They should be commended, not slammed.

[Майор Хаткевич]

What impact?

2 year cadets as C/TSgt when they can be working on their Earhart Awards?

2 cadets in 2 years that went to encampment?

Numbers mean NOTHING. CAP CP should have substance and growth to actually benefit the cadets.

[RedFox24]

^^^

Why the reluctance to attend encampment in one of the surrounding wings?  They all can't be that far away and it's not that uncommon for cadets to attend encampment out of their home wing.

Are you talking about my unit or the wing? For '07 the "official" encampment was in KY which is 8 hours from where I am my cadet and I went. In '08 and '09 it was IL. I was unable to attend either one do to work and the cadets I have now were not ready last year nor able to afford it this year.

We had scholarships in 08 and very few in 09 because of the economy.  2 cadets from IN did get assistance when they applied for it.  About 1/3 of the 172 cadets each year were from IN.  Price this year is the same as last two years $145.  Don't know about scholarships yet http://www.illinoiswingsummerencampment.com/  everyone is welcome!

Have been in contact with Capt Merrill about the IN Spring and Summer, Looks like they are planning a good one!