Did I make a mistake?

[star1151]

I've actually been tossing around and idea of joining CAP ever since I started flying, but for whatever reason, didn't actually cave in until a few weeks ago.

It took visits to two squadrons (the first one, no one even acknowledged me, ha).  I was pleasantly surprised the second time around to see everyone was very friendly and really seemed to want me to join.  Actually, that second bit was a little strange.

Of course, AFTER I signed the application form, I started doing research, and it just seems like there's a whole lot of politics.  I get enough of that at work...I don't really want to be a part of a controversial organization.  I don't get that feeling from the squadron, but definitely do from internet research and posts here. :-)

I guess what I'm asking is...is it possible to ignore all that and still have a good experience?  And why are they so nice to me?

[RiverAux]

Stick to working in your local unit and you won't need to worry about politics.  Also, immediately stop reading this and any other discussion board relating to CAP -- this is where the politics gets discussed and will just lower your morale...

[arajca]

I guess what I'm asking is...is it possible to ignore all that and still have a good experience?  And why are they so nice to me?

It is absolutely possible to have a good experience in CAP while ignoring politics. Most of the intrinsic rewards happen at the unit level.

People want new members. They are nice to you because you havent given them reason to not be nice. Besides, would stay in an organization if they weren't nice to you?

[Stonewall]

There is a thread on this site asking people how long they've been in CAP.  Last I looked, which was a month or two ago, the average years of experience was like 15 or something.  If the organization was that bad, and it seems that most people here are [censored]ing and whining, then why would so many people, myself included, have as many as 20 to 30 years time in service?

Truth is, CAP is no different than any job, branch of the military or volunteer organization.  Good times, boring times, better times, frustrating times, exciting times, great times, exhausting times, rewarding times, and bad times.  In 20 years, I've had ups and downs, but mostly ups. 

I've seen new members come in and eat it up and never look back.  Then I've seen new members come in motivated and eager to help out and get something back, only to be a ghost 2 months later.  Two squadrons just 20 minutes from each other can be like night and day.  It's your time, your money and your decision, so take your time and I hope you get 20 good years out of the program like me. 

[Pylon]

There is plenty of room in CAP to have an enjoyable and rewarding experience at the squadron-level without getting too much political mumbo-jumbo.  Certainly every organization has it's internal politics, some more than others.  CAP has been in a state of change for the last few years at a high-level and thus there seems to be a higher-than-normal level of politics floating around as a result.  Most of the senior members in my unit will never hear of half of this stuff, let alone be concerned over it.  

The intent of this discussion community is really supposed to be a professional resource where CAP officers and cadets can share ideas, best practices, get questions answered, and converse with other colleagues in CAP.  Unfortunately, because of its status as one of the few CAP-only discussion communities around, a lot of the rumors and politics inevitably also show up here.

I certainly hope you find your experience at your unit of choice enjoyable and rewarding (why would you volunteer if it wasn't in some way, right?).  Certainly, we welcome you here to our discussion community, too.  Just realize that many of these conversations will likely not impact what you do at the squadron-level in any significant way (at least not generally for the time being).  

Welcome to CAP and welcome to CAPTalk!  

[IceNine]

It's been said but I'll reiterate.  Stay at the local unit and don't allow those of us that have become cynical over time to create your opinion of the program for you.  

Membership in this program is what you make it.  You have the ability to choose your level of involvement and to a great extent you open the doors that lead to your desire for success

Congratulation! on joining, Have Fun with it and you will get enough rewards for a lifetime

[Major Carrales]

I guess what I'm asking is...is it possible to ignore all that and still have a good experience?  And why are they so nice to me?

The best experiences are at the local level.  Join a unit and make it yours. 

It has been my epxerience that those that have sights on the highest levels and "play the political game" end up burning up in the pyres of their own ambitions.

Odds are that that unit was so nice to you because they really want you to join.  The first unit likely was unprepared to accept new membership.

[pixelwonk]

Welcome to CAP. *Don't sweat the petty stuff.
I see the forums serving a purpose kind of like the "meeting after the meeting" at the local bar, Mickey-Dees, or even the parking lot outside the hangar:  Mostly a lot of bull interspersed with pearls of wisdom.
All the best!







*and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

[capchiro]

Welcome to the organization.  You can spend the next five years working on your own professional development in CAP and learing a whole lot.  You will probably enjoy it immensely.  Until you get in the command structure, you can totally ignore the politics and enjoy and succeed.  Don't try to change the policies until you fully understand the program.  The program is immense and fantastic.  There are many areas that you can participate in depending upon your desires and expertises.  Don't let someone push you into a job unless you think you will enjoy it or you may lose interest.  A good commander will inquire as to what your interests are and work from there.  You have joined one of the best volunteer organizations in the world, be proud.  And don't take anything you read/hear on this board too seriously, as we are sometimes controversial, but in good fellowship for the most part.  There is a lot of experience here and that is good and bad.  Some of us know it all, some of the time, some of us go off halfcocked some of the time, but we are all brothers all of the time for the betterment of CAP, at least that is our intention.  Welcome aboard..

[star1151]

To all:

I'm a cynic, so I really let all these little things get to me.  My brother has already started laughing at me, based solely on what his branch of the military (not AF) thinks of CAP.  It's a little disheartening.  Does everyone think like that?  I don't want to have to constantly justify my choice of volunteer work.

Anyway, I think I'm still pretty excited about the whole thing (you don't want to know how many volunteer groups turned me down because I work full time).  Just have to not convince myself I'm not.

[Stonewall]

My brother has already started laughing at me, based solely on what his branch of the military (not AF) thinks of CAP. 

Your brother has no clue what his branch of the military thinks of CAP.  Only opinion he can speak for is his own.

I'm sure you can find a veteran from each branch of service on this site alone, let alone among the ranks of the 60+ thousand members.  Heck, some are still serving on active duty, guard and reserves; officer, NCO, and enlisted ranks alike.  Many are combat veterans from every campaign going back to WWII through Vietnam, Somalia, and of course, right up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.  So please advise your brother that his opinion is but a drop in the bucket.  There are supporters of CAP who believe we do some good and there are those who think the opposite.  Heck, I'm somewhere in between but I will say this, I wouldn't have experienced the life I have if it weren't for CAP, both as a cadet and senior.

[RogueLeader]

All you can do is all you can do.  I believe that you made a good choice in joining CAP.  If you have any questions about policy/uniforms etc. this is a good source for information.  You will be given the:
a) information
b) reg where to find it
c)common interp. of reg.
d) combo of above.

One thing you will find out- it seems that you did already did- is that some in the military don't care for us or think poorly of us.  Give it time, and see what you think of the program.  Once you've been in the organization for a while, try to get your brother to see what is really going on.  I really understand what you are saying about it though, my brother is in the Army and hates to think that I "out-rank" him. Not that I actually do, but his boss apparently told him to treat all CAP Officers as Officers.  His boss is a Army/CAP Major.  My brother didn't know what CAP did until I told him what we did.

[ZigZag911]

Get involved in your squadron, find out the aspects of CAP that truly interest you, and seek out opportunities to pursue them.

There is a unique possibility in CAP to contribute to the nation and the community.

There is a special sense of satisfaction when you realize that you have helped one or more of your cadets achieve some personal goal in life -- education, flight training, whatever.

For all our grousing, you find so many of us around so long (in my case, more than 35 years, cadet & senior) because you meet some terrific people and get a real sense of fulfillment from much of what we do.

[CAP428]

I'm a cynic, so I really let all these little things get to me.  My brother has already started laughing at me, based solely on what his branch of the military (not AF) thinks of CAP.  It's a little disheartening.  Does everyone think like that?  I don't want to have to constantly justify my choice of volunteer work.

Anyway, I think I'm still pretty excited about the whole thing (you don't want to know how many volunteer groups turned me down because I work full time).  Just have to not convince myself I'm not.

First off, welcome to CAP. I hope your experience is rewarding and fun.

When it comes to the politics of CAP, I was a bit like you when I joined.  All I knew of CAP was what I saw at the air show and the front page of the cap.gov website.  I was excited.  I visited a unit, signed the papers and was gung ho all the way.

Then, I thought it a good idea to enhance my knowledge of CAP through internet boards like this one and others like it.

Through reading these boards and others, I, like you, was disheartened at the amount of bickering and "politics" associated with them.  At times, I myself got wrapped up into it and participated.

Since then, I have realized that most of the politics and bickering I have encountered in no way, shape, or form contribute to the success of CAP as a whole.  It is because of this that I have nearly stopped participating in internet conversations of CAP.

Granted, I still come on here to browse around and put my opinion in every once in awhile but in general, I keep to my squadron and focus on what I can do to make CAP better.

So therein lies my advice:  The squadron is where it's at.  Get involved, jump in, help out wherever needed, and for goodness' sake have fun!  Ignore the stupid conversations online and elsewhere that only serve to divide the membership and cause problems.

And when in doubt, think "Will the existence of one more uniform combination really make the world stop turning??"      The answer is no;  so keep on keepin' on and have fun in CAP!!!!  It is what you make of it so if you're not interested in the politics....ignore them!  If you are, well then, pleased to meet you b/c you are the first I know of!!!  But there are those who do, and so they can have fun at the top.....dealing with all that stuff.

But as for me, I will stick to what I love about CAP...the local unit!!  And you can too........

.......again, welcome, and have fun.

[Pumbaa]

I think you have received some really good advice already.

I will add this...

Last month I was at the NER SARCOMP at Westover ARB.  At the end of the event I had opportunity to sit down with the base commander with other PAO's.  We interviewed the Brig. Gen. (Thats REAL AF BTW)

One comment he made was that he really appreciated what he saw, he saw the capabilities and skills CAP brings to the table.  And "as someone who flys, it's good to know that you guys would be out there looking for me if need be."

One of the highlights was the Life Saving Award given to a cadet from NH, who on his way saved a woman's life.  She and her husband were in a motorcycle accident.  The Brig. Gen was there to see the award given.

Politics is Politics it'll always be with us.

Remember Rule #1: Don't Sweat the small stuff.
                  Rule #2: Everything is small stuff
                  Rule #3: Refer to Rule #1

[O-Rex]

the back-biting politics in CAP is not different than anywhere else, we just have mechanisms to keep us informed.

There's a name for the wackiness that goes on at the top levels of CAP: it's called "meeting minutes."

There's a name for the wackiness that goes on at the top levels of DoD: it's called "top secret."

If your average SrA or PFC was as informed as to the shenanigans of the upper echelons of their services as we were, we'd have a major problem defending our nation.

To quote Obi-Wan, "These are not the droids you're looking for. . . ."

Have fun at the local level, and twice a year stay tuned for episodes of our  favorite soap-opera " As the CAP turns."

[SARMedTech]

For 37 years my father worked as one of our county's deputy sheriffs. He took the Sergeants exam when he made detective back in 1980 or so, passed it and when he realized the politics of command, he promptly turned down the next available sergeants posting. He spent most of his career as a Detective 1st grade, doing what he loved, solving homicides. As a result his rank didnt go as high as it could of had he wanted to get involved in all of that political wheeling and deeling, but he had a long an distinguished career, was highly decorated (several time for valor) and retired proud of the job he had done and of his service. He always had it in the back of his head that he might liked to have made Lt, but he said the politics and what they can do to a person just made it not worth it.

That being said, I wouldnt want command in CAP. It just gets all too tangled and it seems that so many commanders lose track of why they were there in the first place and all the political crap kind of sours them. But if you go in with a clear picture of what you want to accomplish in your Civil Air Patrol career (for me its Emergency Services, which is also my non-CAP career field). Set your eyes on that, receive all of this great training that most people cannot get. I mean for me, I get emergency services training opportunities that just arent available to people that dont have some association with the military. Im getting some great SAR training, doing the things I need to do to be my units HSO. I really enjoy being at the squadron level. Perhaps a more "command ambitious" person would be willing to play politics, but theyre not for me, nor am I saying that they are bad. It can just drain alot out of you for what you really joined up to do. Like you, I did alot of research and almost didnt join because of other peoples opinions about things and then I realized that this was an organization that was will to help me get the training to not only serve my country, but to advance in my career field as well.

Thats my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.

[Al Sayre]

Welcome!  Lots of good advice here.  Yes there are politics in CAP, and some may or may not affect you at the local level.  However, once you have been in awhile, you may find certain things that you see as a problem in your Squadron, Group, Wing etc.  Unfortunately fixing these problems includes dealing with the politics of the issue.  If you want to fix a problem, you have to get close enough to turn the wrench...

[Capt M. Sherrod]

Welcome to CAP and CAP Talk.  As has been said before, you will be better served if you concentrate on your own development and the work of your squadron at first.  If, down the road, you get a desire to help affect change in the organization, then get ready to turn a wrench and take a command position.  You will find a lot of wonderful people and have many rewarding experiences.  Enjoy it.