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Encampment stories

Started by Kal, March 28, 2008, 12:24:31 AM

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High Speed Low Drag

My first encampment was in 1983 at Grand Forks AFB; I was a very scared 12-yoa C/Amn.   :o   Remember, these were back in the days that you could be dropped for push-ups.  We had about 200 cadets and had to march about a 1.5 miles to chow everyday.  One of the funniest things I remember was that I was walking down the hall towards the bathroom when I saw the C/CC (a full Spaatz) headed for me in a hurry.  I hit the wall so hard that my head bounced off of it and then I hit the ground.  The colonel stopped and squatted beside me to see if I was OK.  I was still so scared of him that I tried to go to ATTENTION while I was lying on the ground.  He had to order me to relax and told me that I wasn't in trouble, he was just concerned.
It was that day that I learned that he was human too.  The rest of the encampment was a lot more fun.  We flew on a KC-135 over the Artic Circle on an overnight mission and a Huey (SAR bird). 

A lot of NCSAs and encampments later, I was the C/CC of an encampment when I had a basic trip and fall trying to get out of my way.  Remembering my own experience, I helped that cadet to his feet.   After a 20 + year hiatus from CAP, I went to an encampment as a TAC this year.  To me it looked like the cadets were not having as near as much fun as we had WIWAC.  I just hope that they got some good stories from the encampment. 
G. St. Pierre                             

"WIWAC, we marched 5 miles every meeting, uphill both ways!!"

RicL

Quote from: JoeTomasone on October 31, 2009, 05:06:13 AM
What happened to the USAF guy who sold it?????

I honestly don't know. All I know is that he was removed as our bus driver and dragged away by the MP's. His final disposition was up to them. I'm sure he didn't remain in the military as he had very little rank left for them to take, but that's conjecture.


PHall

#62
Quote from: High Speed Low Drag on October 31, 2009, 07:26:00 PM
My first encampment was in 1983 at Grand Forks AFB; I was a very scared 12-yoa C/Amn.   :o   Remember, these were back in the days that you could be dropped for push-ups.  We had about 200 cadets and had to march about a 1.5 miles to chow everyday.  One of the funniest things I remember was that I was walking down the hall towards the bathroom when I saw the C/CC (a full Spaatz) headed for me in a hurry.  I hit the wall so hard that my head bounced off of it and then I hit the ground.  The colonel stopped and squatted beside me to see if I was OK.  I was still so scared of him that I tried to go to ATTENTION while I was lying on the ground.  He had to order me to relax and told me that I wasn't in trouble, he was just concerned.
It was that day that I learned that he was human too.  The rest of the encampment was a lot more fun.  We flew on a KC-135 over the Artic Circle on an overnight mission and a Huey (SAR bird). 

A lot of NCSAs and encampments later, I was the C/CC of an encampment when I had a basic trip and fall trying to get out of my way.  Remembering my own experience, I helped that cadet to his feet.   After a 20 + year hiatus from CAP, I went to an encampment as a TAC this year.  To me it looked like the cadets were not having as near as much fun as we had WIWAC.  I just hope that they got some good stories from the encampment.


You couldn't be dropped for push-ups even in 1983. But some traditions die very, very slowly.

Heck, the Air Force couldn't drop me for push-ups in Basic Training when I went through Lackland in Sept-Oct 1974.

SarDragon

In NJ Wing, you weren't supposed to be dropped for pushups even as far back as 1964. Nome of the NoJer folks weren't very compliant with that prohibition, but us folks in SoJer sure complied.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

C/MSgt Lunsford

This was last years Encampment (West Virginia Wing Encampment 2009)

I'll let the video do the talking. Hooah.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=136094263168&subj=1514811734

Wright Brothers #13915

Eclipse


"That Others May Zoom"

C/MSgt Lunsford


Wright Brothers #13915

Eclipse


"That Others May Zoom"

C/MSgt Lunsford

Quote from: Eclipse on December 21, 2009, 03:15:46 AM
Quote from: Eclipse on December 21, 2009, 03:05:09 AM
Requires login.

Not everyone does Facebook.
Thing is, it is only on Facebook. I'll see if I can get it on a video hosting website, it is pretty funny.

Wright Brothers #13915

Eclipse

Quote from: Lunsford on December 21, 2009, 03:17:07 AM
Quote from: Eclipse on December 21, 2009, 03:15:46 AM
Quote from: Eclipse on December 21, 2009, 03:05:09 AM
Requires login.

Not everyone does Facebook.
Thing is, it is only on Facebook. I'll see if I can get it on a video hosting website, it is pretty funny.

I wouldn't suggest posting a video you don't own on public sites, especially if its "funny".

"That Others May Zoom"

jimmydeanno

If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law. - Winston Churchill

Eclipse


"That Others May Zoom"

jimmydeanno

If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law. - Winston Churchill

Dracosbane

Here are a few encampment stories I can tell.  There are a lot that I won't.

Encampment no. 1, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, AL:  Flight commander is named Pyle.  Cadet staff decide that he's Gomer Pyle, not of Andy Griffith fame, but FMJ fame.  One afternoon, they swiped a jelly donut from the mess and brought it to his room and placed it into his locker.  Que FMJ "jelly donut" scene.  Being a raw C/Amn I'd never heard of FMJ.  The part where Gunny calls for the payment of the jelly donut, the staff calls for everyone on the floor to drop.  In blues.  They immediately sent someone in to the other rooms to correct this.  Funny now. 

I bunked with the only Spaatz cadet at the encampment.  He wasn't staff, he just was there.  He had a lovely collection of vitamins he was taking in his locker.  During another inspection, the staff were warned that it was his locker.  They commented about all the bottles.  When we told him that they'd taken a peek, he started leaving vitamins out for the staff to take during the inspections.  Several did.

Got to see the ISS before it was launched into orbit.  Had a tornado rip through the base in the middle of the week. 

Encampment no. 2  Smyrna TN:  Got to watch 84 Charlie MoPic one afternoon.  Got to shoot AR-15s at the range.  Someone ended up shooting a table while clearing a jammed round.  Had some cadets in my flight from the same home squadron tell us that during fire watch one night that week, they saw the ghost of a cadet from their squadron who'd recently committed suicide appear.  He was scheduled to attend that encampment.   One male, one female, two separate barracks, two separate fire watch shifts. 

The cadet PAO spent an hour having a conversation with a canteen, alone.  How do I know?  He video taped it.

Encampment no 3 Camp Atterbury, IN:  Ended up being OotD by default for most of the week, because the command staff didn't rotate the position.  Our bivouac was "assaulted" by some Army guys bivouacing across the street.  Would have been better if they hadn't launched flares over the camp site and hadn't stopped well short of the tents. 

Somehow, the subject of dog biscuits came up during chow one day.  The TAC officer in charge of the mess was actually an Army CSM, and coincidentally one of my boss' bosses in my civilian job.  He decided the next day as a joke to bring in a box of Milkbone.  By the third day of this, there were cadets voluntarily eating the biscuits.

During my inprocessing, I was informed that the room I was staying in was for myself and my flight sgt.  I quickly had to remind my C/CC that unless the rules and regs about fraternization had changed, my female flight sgt. would probably be better staying in her room in the female barracks.  I had a room to myself that week.  Because of this, I got to implement the "house mouse/house rat" position in my flight.  I needed a senior male airman to act as my assistant when my sgt. was unavailable.  Glorified gophers, they were.

I'm looking forward to attending as a TAC officer at some point. 

pthorburn42@gmail.com

Well the last time i went i had to flights under me and i was the 1st squadron 1st shirt! and throughout the week the squaron commander worked with one flight i worked with the other and in the end my flight that i had been working with BRavo flight got honor flight. Then about a month later we had National Honor Guard Acadmey. Same thing there we took honor flight our first year there `08`.



C/Chief Thorburn
First Sergeant

Rotorhead

Quote from: JoeTomasone on October 19, 2009, 08:54:21 AM
Quote from: Chief2009 on October 18, 2009, 10:49:47 PM
Then I hear "Chief, get back here!"

So she starts chewing me out, the Maj and the Col are both silent until she asks me why I didn't salute the Col.



Being the smart-butt that I can be, I would have countered with, "Why did you address me as Chief?"   >:D


(CAPP 151 requires SMs to address Cadets as "Cadet".)

Nope,

It says, "Senior members may address cadets by grade or simply by the noble title, 'cadet.'"
Capt. Scott Orr, CAP
Deputy Commander/Cadets
Prescott Composite Sqdn. 206
Prescott, AZ

Irishrenegade

After reading some of these (some i was laughing pretty hard others i was rolling my eyes) I can't wait to go to an encampment haha
SWR-OK-113
Assistant Deputy Commander of Cadets|Information Technology Officer
Is laige ag imeacht as an gcorp í an phian


NY Bred and now in OK

JoeTomasone

Quote from: Rotorhead on February 23, 2010, 03:10:25 PM
Quote from: JoeTomasone on October 19, 2009, 08:54:21 AM
Quote from: Chief2009 on October 18, 2009, 10:49:47 PM
Then I hear "Chief, get back here!"

So she starts chewing me out, the Maj and the Col are both silent until she asks me why I didn't salute the Col.



Being the smart-butt that I can be, I would have countered with, "Why did you address me as Chief?"   >:D


(CAPP 151 requires SMs to address Cadets as "Cadet".)

Nope,

It says, "Senior members may address cadets by grade or simply by the noble title, 'cadet.'"


I stand corrected; I was looking at the old CAPP 151 which stated "NOTE Cadets are addressed as `Cadet` by CAP senior members, USAF officers, and enlisted personnel. Within the cadet structure, cadets will address other cadets by the appropriate term."


Kerrbie

Hahaha encampment stories. I have a good one from my basic.

Basic Encampment, Tri-Wing Encampment(MD, DE, Nat Cap, Camp Frettered, 2005

Our flight commander was actutally an ex cadet and now was in the navy. The Whole week shes wearing her navy uniforms. She also brought both her whites, tans, and blacks so she didn't have a cap blues uniform and had to put one together for our end of the week banqute. She's running down the barreckks cussing cause she has to wear the blues. xD

My second story from Basic comes from the end of the week last morning. We all donate white blues shirts until we have 3. We write all over them notes and what not like students do at school end of the year. So in pairs of two were each deployed to the boys barrecks before wake up. So it's this other flight member and myself run over to the squadron that we competed with the most during that week, We open the door forcfully and of course the cq sees us. We throw the shirt in and scream "GOOD MORNING BOYS" and run back. It was soo funny >< I have a million more stories from basic and my 3 years on staff haha. 
C/2nd Lt Katheryn Kerr, CAP
Cadet Deputy Commander, Group 2
Carroll Composite Squadron, MD Wing, MER

Eclipse

Quote from: Kerbie on March 25, 2010, 11:48:57 PM
Our flight commander was actutally an ex cadet and now was in the navy.

How is an "ex-cadet" in ranks?

"That Others May Zoom"