The Texas Thread

[AlphaSigOU]

Hey Dennis, not to change the subject but do you know who got selected for Texas Wing Commander? I believe whoever it is takes over from Col. Eldridge in April?

Col. Joe Smith, formerly OK Wing CC

[DrJbdm]

 What do we know of Col. Joe Smith? any thoughts?

[DNall]

Hey Dennis, not to change the subject but do you know who got selected for Texas Wing Commander? I believe whoever it is takes over from Col. Eldridge in April?

Current Ok Wg CC Joe Smith. He's an AF Acad grad & retired KC135 IP, works as an AF contractor/prgm mgr in Witchita Falls. Think there's a bio on the OKWG website. Don't worry, no one else knew who he was either. Sounds qual'd though. Just have to see how it works out. Meanwhile the new LAWG CC lives & works in West Houston, so we were specultaing OKWG can pick someone from Arkansas & we can really get this merry-go-round going.

[AlphaSigOU]

What do we know of Col. Joe Smith? any thoughts?

From what I've heard from those who have worked with him, he's very much a hands-on commander. Very well liked in OK Wing.

[Major Carrales]

What do we know of Col. Joe Smith? any thoughts?

From what I've heard from those who have worked with him, he's very much a hands-on commander. Very well liked in OK Wing.

I hope he is such, Col Eldridge is a great guy.  I meet him at the 2005 Wing Conference in Corpus Christi.

Just think of the challenges the Wing Commander of the Texas Wing has.

Just look a the geographical logisitic and climate/terrain.  Yikes, yo ucan look at some parts of South Texas and think you are in some Dessert nation then move up to parts that are more Louisiana than Louisiana is.  There are some actual mountains in the west and complete brush country and hill country within driving distance of the same trip.

Then some areas suffer from a huge "CAP GAP."  Where deployments on ELT missions can take three hours to get there.

[CFI_Ed]

What do we know of Col. Joe Smith? any thoughts?

From what I've heard from those who have worked with him, he's very much a hands-on commander. Very well liked in OK Wing.

You guys will like Col. Joe.  I've worked with him here in the OK Wing for years.  He's been:

First - CFI/Stan Eval/,
then - Enid (Vance AFB) Composite Squadron Commander,
onto - Wing Chief of Staff, and also the Wing Chief Checkpilot while the other guy was deployed to Iraq,
finally - Wing CC

I hate to see him go, but since he was running the OK Wing while living at Wichita Falls, it makes sense for him to belong to the dreaded Evil Empire to the South. 

He's ALWAYS been supporter for a strong cadet program.  And you guys will also be getting Major Harriet Smith (the Mrs.), another good person.  I personally can't say enough good things about Joe and Harriet, and that the TX Wing is gaining a super overall good guy and a very capable Wing Commander. 


Ed Angala, Lt Col, CAP
OK008/OK Wing Stan Eval

[AlphaSigOU]

I hate to see him go, but since he was running the OK Wing while living at Wichita Falls, it makes sense for him to belong to the dreaded Evil Empire to the South. 

He'll keep 'em rowdy Texicans in line... after all, Oklahoma's still on top! (BOOMER SOONER!) 

[DNall]

Thats's good to know. I think the chief concern is that Texas wing is a massively larger & more complex operation. Our groups are bigger (numbers, resources, money, units, operations, etc) than all but a handful of wings, & geographically bigger than quite a few. I'm sure he'll do fine, but people are naturally apprehensive of someone they don't know. Personnaly I worry a little bit when you say he's a stong supporter of cadet programs, because they usually means they come with their own ideas & programs, when we're quite well established here & don't need a wrench in the works. I'm gone a couple months after he gets here, but curious to see how it works out.

[CFI_Ed]

Thats's good to know. I think the chief concern is that Texas wing is a massively larger & more complex operation. Our groups are bigger (numbers, resources, money, units, operations, etc) than all but a handful of wings, & geographically bigger than quite a few. I'm sure he'll do fine, but people are naturally apprehensive of someone they don't know. Personnaly I worry a little bit when you say he's a stong supporter of cadet programs, because they usually means they come with their own ideas & programs, when we're quite well established here & don't need a wrench in the works. I'm gone a couple months after he gets here, but curious to see how it works out.

I don't think you need have any worries about Col. Smith tossing a wrench in the works... Other than if he sees something that he feels/knows is wrong.  But in my experience he will work with the Groups and Squadrons before he drops a hammer on something or someone.

Ed Angala, Lt Col, CAP
OK008/OK Wing Stan Eval

[drcomm]

I think Col. Smith will be great for Texas Wing.  I hate to see him go. I have only been involved with CAP in Oklahoma for a couple of years (I'm a former Ellington Composite Squadron, TX-098 member 1978-1986) but my experiences with Col. Smith and his wife have all been good.  He seems to be fair about things and is easy to talk to.  You folks are getting a good guy.  I only hope we can replace his with someone as good.

[DrJbdm]

well, I'm happy to hear all the positives about Col. Smith, he seems pretty qualified. I'm looking forward to meeting him.

[carnold1836]

Heads up on up coming dates for activities,

Feb 16-18 - Cadet Competition (Camp Mabry, Austin)
Mar 2-4 - Cadet Navigation Competition also known as NAVCOM (Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo)
Mar 9-11 - Airman Leadership School (Camp Mabry, Austin) We have room for about 100 cadets 
Mar 23-25 - Cadet Training & Education Program CTEP / Senior Training & Education Program STEP (Camp Mabry, Austin)
Mar 30- Apr 1 - Ground Team Challenge (Camp Bullis, San Antonio)

[Spogden]

TX444 just got a new commander! Time for a revival!

[carnold1836]

Event: Group III ALS hosted by Pegasus Squadron

When: March 9-11

Cost: $30.00
Who should attend: Cadet Basic through Cadet Senior Airman. This is a great course for cadets who have just stated in CAP and need their Curry. This course will also prepare cadets to attend and get the most out of CTEP.

Where: Camp Mabry, Austin Texas
Report to Building 14 for check-in starting at 6:30 on March 9th.

Classes will be held in the Audie Murphy building.

Who to contact: 2Lt Chris Arnold, Project Officer

How to apply: APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECIEVED BY MARCH 1ST. PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 3 DAYS FOR MAIL DELIVERY.
Fill out TXWG Form 31A http://www.txwgcap.org/wing_publications/FormsTXWG/TXWGF31A.doc
Mail the form and Check for $30 made out to Pegasus Squadron Civil Air Patrol to
Chris Arnold
9307 Brents Elm Drive
Austin, Texas 78744
512-484-6379

Or BY MARCH 1ST YOU CAN EMAIL
Fill out TXWG Form 31A http://www.txwgcap.org/wing_publications/FormsTXWG/TXWGF31A.doc
Email it to carnold1@mac.com Bring a printed and signed copy of your 31A and a Check for $30 with you to check-in.


Senior and Cadet staff applications: Please email your resume of previous experience (ALS, CTEP, Encampment, and position in squadron) to carnold1@mac.com

Daren Jaeger, 1st Lt, CAP
Pegasus Squadron Commander

[Spogden]

So i paid a visit to a fellow Houston squadron yesterday. It was wonderful to meet some more seniors dedicated to CAP and its missions. It was also nice to finally put a face to a cyber name. 

[Major Carrales]

So i paid a visit to a fellow Houston squadron yesterday. It was wonderful to meet some more seniors dedicated to CAP and its missions. It was also nice to finally put a face to a cyber name. 

Yes, visiting neighboring squadrons gives one a unique opportunity to look at things from a different perspective.   In 2005, myself and a few other unit members made a "Fact finding" trip down to Brownsville Comp Squadron.   The resulting data on thier procedures was the basis for our unit's growth.

We would also be much diminished without contact with our Sister Squadron, Victoria Comp Squadron.

[DNall]

So i paid a visit to a fellow Houston squadron yesterday. It was wonderful to meet some more seniors dedicated to CAP and its missions. It was also nice to finally put a face to a cyber name. 

Happy to have you both out, though I think we were pretty much just sitting around most of the time. Still working on rebuilding the senior program. I think we might now just have enough to get going with that. I need to get my CC dedicated to that programming the same way I'm running cadets.

Just underway getting the facility fixed up. We're also working with the city on another building, they supply what we currently got for free. There's the old police station about a mile away from the airport that's perfect for our needs. The fire chief has been using it, but they have a nice big building for Fire Admin that he's moving over to & it's going to be open again. Talked to the AF Recruiting Serv Sq in San Antonio about moving an office into one quarter of the building for free rent if they'll just pay the light bill & I think they'll go for that. Facility is a big deal though cause that's one of the big hold ups on bringing in some of the adults we want to recruit & getting back some of the previous ones.

Anyway, I'll be at CAC at your place a week from saturday. And I got your C/CC working for me on development of C/Sq Mgmt Academy for Apr & the Recruiting & retention deal he's doing around town, hopefully he learns some things working with me & my different style. Also, we're working to de-conflict some of those phase IV cadet leaders & push some of that work down on more junior cadets, so we'll try to free him up some more.

[dogden]

Those pesky CC's, what can you do with them. Seems that in my time as a CAP member the senior program is a flying club, support for the cadet program/admin/hangar flying or have a separate healthy program. The healthy program is a site to behold, we had opening and closing together but two separate completely programs. When the cadets needed something, a senior would slide to the next classroom at the request of the deputy commander for cadets, but the senior program continued.  There were a few times that we would get together as a squadron for events and training. Overall it worked pretty well, the unit is the 2006 squadron of the year.

I would love to get TX444 to that point but we have a long road to get us there. With our squadron meeting less than a mile from KIAH I would think we would have quite a few aviation oriented seniors at the squadron but we don't. I think the deficiency is getting the name out to the public.

[Major Carrales]

Those pesky CC's, what can you do with them. Seems that in my time as a CAP member the senior program is a flying club, support for the cadet program/admin/hangar flying or have a separate healthy program. The healthy program is a site to behold, we had opening and closing together but two separate completely programs. When the cadets needed something, a senior would slide to the next classroom at the request of the deputy commander for cadets, but the senior program continued.  There were a few times that we would get together as a squadron for events and training. Overall it worked pretty well, the unit is the 2006 squadron of the year.

I would love to get TX444 to that point but we have a long road to get us there. With our squadron meeting less than a mile from KIAH I would think we would have quite a few aviation oriented seniors at the squadron but we don't. I think the deficiency is getting the name out to the public.

Running a composite squadron is precarious at time, sort of like fighting a forest fire...one has to concentrate on all elements of CAP.  I call it the WHOLE CAP APPROACH, where people work toward all elements of CAP instead of focusing on one small part of it.  For a unit to fucntion, it must have all its elements running.  I have noted in my neighboring units that all is things CAP are linked, if one does not subscribe to that...they are enclaved and risk stagnation.

I look forward to seeing your efforts in PAO from Houston.

[dogden]

PAO? ummm thats the other Ogden.....
My wife is my PAO, Jack of All trades, etc.