Cadet Recruit in BDUs- "Issue" or "Non-issues"?

[Hawk200]

Or excited and unclear on the procedures we have in place.... she is new after all..

Good point, and well worth considering.

[Al Sayre]

It's also likely that the only phone number she (or her parents) could find online quickly was the Wing HQ# and the WA handed the phone to the SD...

[johnnyb47]

Wait... there's a teenager excited about getting started in the program? Oh... my... god.....
Must be a sign of the apocalypse.

Excited about getting started in the uniform isn't an issue. One showing up looking the part, without having the part is a worrisome situation. Where else might this potential cadet be wearing the uniform?

Second, jumping the chain of command so quickly indicates some potential (notice the potential, not necessarily actual) troubles down the road. How do we know the next question won't be asked of the National commander? How did this not even a member yet individual find the number for a wing level office so quickly.

I'm with Eclipse on this one, there seems to be a history here. Then again, it may just be a highly motivated individual. The person bears watching though.

I'm thinking that in the mind of a 16 year old once you sign the paper and hand it over you're in. In that recruit's mind it was a done deal. It's up to mentors at the squadron level to set her straight to keep an incident like this from happening. I like what was posted earlier. She was probably told "you'll need these uniforms" without being told "and you can start wearing them after you're membership goes live in our computer system."
Most likely that is NEVER said to new recruits because most of us can't put a uniform together that fast.

It's also possible that this recruit made 9 phone calls in one day "following the chain of command" right up until someone finally answered at the wing level.

I don't know our National Commander.... i hope to go far enough in CAP to warrant an introduction one day; but I would like to hope that if this cadet were to ever make that call it would be treated as a mentoring moment (back down through the chain of command) as opposed to being met with great vengance and furious anger.
I do get your point about it but we seem to be foccussed on the failure of the NEW RECRUIT.

Basically I'm saying that I'm not sure being too eager and lacking a proper mentor should add up to being put on double secret probation. Just my $.02

[pilot97]

A 16-year old who already has BDUs with tapes would raise my eyebrows. 

Why?

It's not normal.

It's very normal for the females in my squadron.

[Eclipse]

^ It shouldn't be.  No one should be equipping uniforms until they are members.

[nesagsar]

A 16-year old who already has BDUs with tapes would raise my eyebrows. 

Why?

It's not normal.

Exactly, it opens several possibilities:

Positive -
Excited cadet who lives near an MCSS, has parents in the military, or a Type A+ mom who ordered the uniform and tapes the day they came back from
their first meeting.  The fact that parents have some sort of DoD base access points to this.

Negative -
A troubled adolescent who may well have already been impersonating a CAP member, was terminated from a previous squadron, or has been transient to CAP because of parents DoD affiliation.

Either way it indicates a predilection of putting the cart before the horse, which will likely need to be tempered and observed.
I would have the same "interest" with a senior who showed up in uniform the day he hands in his application.

For my first uniform I used tapes from my father's old uniform because the ones I ordered were going to be too late for my next meeting.

Blue and white?

Yeah, when both of your parents are former senior members and one was a former cadet it's like having a personal supply officer.

[MSG Mac]

How many problems can you help me see with this picture...

I realize this is a "High class" problem- Over eager enthusiastic teenager (age 16) has applied to CAP, but not processed yet by National and thus does not have CAP ID yet.  She already has BDUs, with names tapes.

The week before our conference, being held on military facilities base education center, this recruit called Wing Administrator for permission to attend conference and get on base secuity authorization list.  I got a call at 6AM on day of conference that recruit was at the gate but was not being admitted, not on the list.  Her parent had DOD card, but not to admit any others-her daughter.  Other CAP Cadet Sponsor members did not have "escort" privileges on base but found another senior member that was retiree-who could escort others, but sent her son with recruit and retiree to avoid 1-1 senior cadet contact situation.

So "recruit" is at conference, on Military base, in uniform, without parent, without CAP Membership.
  Is Okay for her to wear uniform?  No, membership pending
  Is it Okay for her to be at CAP activity without parent? Yes
  How much can she participate?
  My first guess is no flying, no cap vehicles, no drill, no pt--but aerospace activity project in classroom setting? Yes
  Should she have to remove over blouse and just wear t-shirt? No
  Should anyone say anything to young lady (not cadet)?  Or not! Or just to her commander? Commander
  I am certain that she will be an outstanding cadet- not wanting to quash any of her initiative or enthusiasm at all.
  Commander still thought cadet required female senior member, vs. male senior member for being driver.
  No requirement for same sex senior member. It's impossible to initiate sex while driving
Please comment! Or PM.

This is not a cadet problem, it's a command problem.
All attendees should have known  that the base was closed and required being on a pass list.
Commander should have told cadet that no outside activities until membership was processed at National (You can actually check membership through the New Member report on e- service, saves  time waiting for mailed card, and you can than enter E-services to print a temporary card)
why wasn't the cadet traveling with  her unit?
Why chastize an avid cadet for trying to participate?

[lordmonar]

^ It shouldn't be.  No one should be equipping uniforms until they are members.

When do you become a member?

I mean.....I visit my squadron (meeting one) and they give me a shopping list and a application.  I fill out the application and order my stuff the next day.
I drop of my application the next week.  The squdron sleeps on the the application for reason (they wait until the end of the month, they wait until all the current new members submit their applications, they are just too busy to do it right away)

My stuff comes the following week....I sew it on right away.

I am "technically" not a member....but I as far as I am concerned (unless told othewise) I am a member the day I dropped off my paper work and hand over my check.

You and I know that they are not members until they show up in E-services.....but the new member is NOT going to know that unless we specifically tell them....and unless you specifically tell them not to wear their uniform until they show up in e-services they will probably think that it is okay to do so.

I think this whole "issue" is much ado about nothing.

Special event, in a special location with a new person........this sort of thing is going to happen......Adapt and Overcome, then move on to the next problem.

[BillB]

This used to be not a problem. When the cadet turned in the application, he/she was issued a temporary membership card, Actually a form on pink paper, think it was CAPForm 19. The reason being if the person was injured at a meeting or activity before they received the membership card they ere covered by CAP insurance.

[Ron1319]

Am I the only one who thinks that the liability problem should still be solved when they sign the form?  Also, how could they not be on the roster already?  How many days between application and activity?

[Eclipse]

You become a full member when approved by NHQ, you have some limited rights to participation until that time.