RE: Pineda - Should I be concerned as a new senior member?

Started by Walkman, August 06, 2007, 08:47:14 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Walkman

First off - I'm savvy enough to know that I can't believe everything I read online. That being said...

I just joined with my son (wants to be an AF pilot). I'm one of those that always wanted to serve in the Military, but did not, so when I found out that I could be a part of the AF AUX, I was really excited. I've been pokin' around the net reading whatever I can on CAP while I wait for my TempID. Most of my time has been spent reading posts here, but I've also looking at cap.gov, CAP Insight and the CAP forum at military.com, as well a bunch of Wing/Squadron sites.

So, with all this that I'm reading about politics and whatever else & with the news of MG Pineda's suspension, there's a little voice in my head going "what are you getting into?".

I own an ad agency and I've talked with my Squadron leaders about going into the PAO track. From that standpoint, the Pineda thing has me wondering how I would handle this from a PA standpoint.

I'm a pretty gung-ho kinda' guy, so I'll admit to having some aspirations to doing PA work at the Wing level or above. Are the politics really that bad at that level? I see a lot of long-term CAP members with high rankings posting here, what is your experience?

All this along with all the disagreements on uniforms and such I read about in threads here has gotten me a bit...concerned about what I'm about to get myself into.

I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that I'm not about to embark on a journey filled with the stuff that caused me to run away from the corporate scene and start working for myself.

Thanks-
Walkman

Stonewall

Don't worry about a thing.

In the end, some dude may or may not get fired and CAP will live on.  Chances are, your squadron will not feel an ounce of what happens with Pineda.

Heck, as a squadron commander, I never let the stuff at wing headquarters bother me, let alone something at National HQ.  Until something changes policy and is in writing, I ignore it.  Drive on and enjoy.
Serving since 1987.

NEBoom

I don't think you should be overly concerned.  As you have seen, the politics at the National level gets pretty carried away, but IMHO you can operate at the wing level and pretty much stay out of it if you choose.  The local levels of the organization (Squadrons and Wings) are where the missions of CAP are really done anyway, and are where a person such as yourself can flourish.

We get worked up on here over various issues (like uniforms) because we care about our organization and want the best for it.  Understand that those who participate here and on other forums represent a small portion of CAP's overall membership.  Don't let the rantings and personal agendas of a few put you off of CAP.  It's a great organization and you will enjoy being a part of it.

Welcome!
Lt Col Dan Kirwan, CAP
Nebraska Wing

JC004

Quote from: Stonewall on August 06, 2007, 08:54:37 PM
Don't worry about a thing.

In the end, some dude may or may not get fired and CAP will live on.  Chances are, your squadron will not feel an ounce of what happens with Pineda.

Heck, as a squadron commander, I never let the stuff at wing headquarters bother me, let alone something at National HQ.  Until something changes policy and is in writing, I ignore it.  Drive on and enjoy.

Ditto.

ELTHunter

Because the Wing CC's are voted on by the other Wing CC's, the politics pretty much starts at that level.  You can serve at squadron and group command and staff levels and even in a wing staff position without see too much politics.  As for fall out for PAO's over this thing, most, if not all, of that will be handled at the national level.

Even with all it's faults, CAP is a great way to serve your community, state and nation.  Like any bureaucracy, it has it's share of BS, but if you roll with the punches and drive on, you will be fine, just concentrate of whatever job(s) you get and do them the best you can.

Maj. Tim Waddell, CAP
SER-TN-170
Deputy Commander of Cadets
Emergency Services Officer

MidwaySix

Quote from: Walkman on August 06, 2007, 08:47:14 PM
I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that I'm not about to embark on a journey filled with the stuff that caused me to run away from the corporate scene and start working for myself.

Walkman,

You can find links to posts about the TESTINGATE sillyness online here:

http://capblog.typepad.com/capblog/2007/08/cap-national-co.html


Any organization has politics... (I work in advertising too, and boy-howdy, I've seen it there!) Maybe the volunteer nature of CAP amplifies this a bit... but ultimately... the politics that get the most calories expended, matter the least.

I've found this to be a good primer to CAP, and to avoiding getting caught up in politics:

http://capblog.typepad.com/capblog/2004/04/the_ten_suggest.html


CAP needs professional people with skills that can help us better execute our missions.

The saving grace is, in a organization that execute missions everyday, (sometimes in spite of ourselves!) politics don't matter once the prop meets the chop.

Welcome aboard!

-M6

JohnKachenmeister

Walkman:

I was in CAP when the FBI executed a search warrant at NHQ, investigating theft and misuse of government property.  The circumstance was embarrassing, but it did not have any effect on us at the squadron level.

This won't either.
Another former CAP officer

Pylon

Hey Walkman,

As was mentioned by countless others, the politics of CAP and the endless discussions on what uniforms should be or shouldn't be are things that are limited to specific worlds, like higher headquarters and online discussion boards.  Less than 1% of these discussions really come up at my squadron level, and likely most of the members at my squadron are unaware of most of this as well.

Every national organization or corporation has internal politics.  Resources like CAPTalk just make it more transparent to the new-comer who otherwise wouldn't be exposed to internal politicking until they reached the highest levels of the organization.  There's no equivalent for this type of public discussion about internal issues from within major corporations.

As was said, as a new member, you'll likely see little fall-out or result of most of the discussions here for some time.  Occasionally you may find yourself adding or removing a patch, or making a small modification in the way you do things, but operational changes and changes that affect our squadron-level missions are far and few between compared to the hundreds of "what if" discussions held here and on other CAP discussion boards.

I hope CAPTalk can be more of a professional resource to you as you learn the ropes of CAP.  I'd love to see more professional-oriented discussion rather than topics of the other types, but it seems to be the prevailing hot topic so often.

Welcome to CAP.  Enjoy your membership.  I've had over 10 years of enjoyable membership, and look forward to many more.
Michael F. Kieloch, Maj, CAP

BlackKnight

Quote from: ELTHunter on August 06, 2007, 11:59:53 PM
Because the Wing CC's are voted on by the other Wing CC's, the politics pretty much starts at that level. 

Just a minor clarification- wing CC's are appointed by the respective region commander.  The National Board (which consists of the wing and region commanders) elects the national commander and national vice commander.
Phil Boylan, Maj, CAP
DCS, Rome Composite Sqdn - GA043
http://www.romecap.org/

Jolt

I'll echo what everyone else has said, but from a cadet's perspective.  I find that there's rarely anything national does that effects cadets, except maybe uniform changes.  There are a few times that I've wondered, "Why am I still in this program," but it doesn't usually take a whole lot of reflection to remember why.  I also came into CAP with aspirations to become an Air Force pilot, but after being exposed to everything else the program had to offer, I realized that there was a lot more than just flying.  I really latched on to the leadership studies, the ES, and, of course, the AE.

The opportunities the program has given me and the doors it has opened up are almost endless.  Just last week I completed my first solo flight.  How many 16 year olds get the opportunity to solo an airplane?  This past June the Air Force flew me down to Montgomery, AL for free to attend COS (just a $200 activity fee for 10 days).  High ranking Air Force officers took their time to teach a bunch of teenagers leadership.  Where else are you going to find that?

I've also met a lot of different people in CAP that have opened me up to different interests.  A good friend of mine is really into EMS and he told me a lot about it.  As a result, I'm currently enrolled in an EMT-B class and I'm doing better than some of my 30 year old peers (actually, I'm doing better than all of my 30 year old peers).  And, as of today, I hope to be an Air Force doctor of some sort (okay, maybe I'll attribute that to a good AP biology teacher).

So... CAP is cool!  But really, it lets me do things that other 16 year olds don't, and that's why I like it.

Fifinella

^^Thanks for your input.  It's nice to hear the cadet perspective too.  Best of luck to you in your endeavors.
Judy LaValley, Maj, CAP
Asst. DCP, LAWG
SWR-LA-001
GRW #2753

SAR-EMT1

Quote from: Fifinella on August 07, 2007, 04:21:48 AM
^^Thanks for your input.  It's nice to hear the cadet perspective too.  Best of luck to you in your endeavors.

^ DITTO
Wish we had more cadets here.
C. A. Edgar
AUX USCG Flotilla 8-8
Former CC / GLR-IL-328
Firefighter, Paramedic, Grad Student

dwb

The Internet can sometimes give you a skewed view of reality.  Sure, message boards are abuzz with talk about the CAP/CC's suspension, but go to a local squadron meeting and see how much has changed because of it.  Absolutely nothing is different.

Welcome to CAP, it's a great organization.  Let the politicians do their politician thing, and you can ignore them and still be a great volunteer and help your son with his goal of being a pilot.

ELTHunter

Quote from: BlackKnight on August 07, 2007, 03:30:22 AM
Quote from: ELTHunter on August 06, 2007, 11:59:53 PM
Because the Wing CC's are voted on by the other Wing CC's, the politics pretty much starts at that level. 

Just a minor clarification- wing CC's are appointed by the respective region commander.  The National Board (which consists of the wing and region commanders) elects the national commander and national vice commander.

I stand corrected.  Weren't Wing CC's voted on by all the other Wing CC's at one time?
Maj. Tim Waddell, CAP
SER-TN-170
Deputy Commander of Cadets
Emergency Services Officer

tribalelder

Nat'l politics is not a worry in the field.  Ask yourself, how much REAL support comes down to the local unit ?

A lot of our problems at the top come from members who are too caught up in the military trappings of CAP membership.

I remember when Illinois Wing had a long-term state civil servant in the wing hq office fulltime. (Not the guy indicted and convicted in the insurance scheme during the Governor George Ryan era.) He was the wing executive officer, and viewed himself as an association executive, rather than a field-grade officer in the Air Force's auxiliary.  The military trappings really did not interest him.  He only wore the 'blue suit' (but always properly) when he needed to. He thought we should be like the Jaycees, but with airplanes.  While I think that is a very NARROW view, he kept some balance (that I wasn't sure I always appreciated THEN) by serving as the reminder that we really are civilians.

We don't need a Nat'l CC who will rewrite the uniform manual to literally and figuratively 'suit himself'.
WE ARE HERE ON CAPTALK BECAUSE WE ALL CARE ABOUT THE PROGRAM. We may not always agree and we should not always agree.  One of our strengths as an organization is that we didn't all go to the same school, so we all know how to do something different and differently. 
Since we all care about CAP, its members and our missions, sometimes our discussions will be animated, but they should always civil -- after all, it's in our name.

Walkman

Thanks for the reassurance everyone. It was just kind of a shock as a new guy to see it all go down before I had a chance to get some perspective. I'm looking forward to this.