Being a Senior Member in a Composite Squadron

[ShoreDude]

Hi Everyone,

I am in my late 30's and interested in joining CAP.  I have never served in the military, and I do not have any flying experience.  However, I have always been interested in the military and in aviation.  I expressed interest in joining the military as a young man but was DQ'ed because of a minor medical issue. 

Fast forward to today, I am looking to get involved with a good volunteer organization and the CAP caught my eye.  There are a couple of a composite squadrons within 30 miles of my location that I plan on checking out in the coming weeks.

With that being said, I am a little confused as to what exact a senior member's duties would consist of in a composite squadron.  Judging from the squadron websites I viewed, although they are composite squadrons, their activities seem to mostly revolve around the cadets.   

So what is there to do as a Senior member?  I realize the importance of the cadet program, but i'm not really interested in teaching or supervising cadet activities.   What interests me is the Emergency services, Disaster preparations, SAR, etc. type stuff.  Not necessarily flying missions but support related stuff like radio, logistics, training, etc. 

In my day job I repair electronics, is there any sort of need for the type of thing (equipment maintenance/repair) in the CAP? 

Basically I just would like to know what to expect when I show up for a meeting for the first time.  I would hate to show up expecting a bunch of opportunities but then come to find out the only role of the senior member in a composite squadron is to simply instruct/supervise the cadets.

If anyone can clarify further I would appreciate it.   Thank you for your time. 

[Eclipse]

So what is there to do as a Senior member?

BLUF: The opportunities in a composite squadron are essentially the entire CAP portfolio, depending on the scale of the unit,
its proximity to resources such as aircraft, and the emphasis a respective commander has decided for his unit. 

Senior Squadron or flight:  Adults only, generally focused on ES and flying as those are the primary operational
roles for adults outside running a squadron.  May well interact regularly with cadets during orientation rides,
ES training, encampments, etc.

Composite Squadron / flight:  Adults and cadets.  Expectation is that all facets of the program are run during the
year, though emphasis may shift at times depending on opportunities or time of year.  Some composite squadrons
may look from the outside like they are cadet-emphasized because of the nature of the more structured / regimented
cadet program, but the CC should be running a full training and professional development program for all members.

Cadet Squadron / flight: Adults and cadets.  Expectation is that the focus is on the cadet experience and training, however
adult members still participate in their own progression and professional development, ES, etc., however there is no "senior program"
per se.  Seniors often participate with other units or echelons for their own experience.

Inspection requirements and staff opportunities are the same for all of the above, with the caveat that scale often dictates
what roles are needed / filled. A small Senior Flight with no equipment may not have a Commo, LG, etc.

There is no internal repair of corporate communications equipment or other electronics in CAP, especially at the unit level.
Most if any of that would occur at the Wing (state) level and be unusual at best.

Your best best is to visit some units and ask lots of questions.  CAP isn't' for everyone, and every unit is a little different (to say the least).

[GaryVC]

The important thing is to visit squadrons and talk to the commander. I suggest looking at their websites (if they have one, they should). As the fairly new commander of a composite squadron I would welcome more help. Our cadet program is solid and we are doing fine with flying activities. But we would benefit from having senior members who are interested in other areas of the program including in emergency services: ground teams, communications, and mission base support. We would also benefit from individuals who are interested in transportation, logistics, IT and planning our senior training program. We have a number of active duty air force personnel in our squadron but they seem to have very short tours of duty at a location and aren't around for very long.

[etodd]

Great advice from Eclipse.

Visit a couple Squadrons and talk with the Emergency Services members and see what they tell you about opportunities. As Eclipse stated, we do not service hear, but you might enjoy getting involved with the Communications part. They are often looking for people.

You don't have to be a pilot to fly. Mission Scanners, Observers, and Photography are all posititions you could train for.

Getting started soon as a Mission Staff Assitant at SAREXs would Open up lots of doors at Mission Base as you see what others do and find your interests.

CAP is full of people that join thinking they might do one thing and then finding other areas of interest. Join and get involved.

[Vegas1972]

Great info in all the above answers.   Also, don't judge any units by their public facing websites.  I know in our composite squadron, content and pictures are very easy to generate from cadet events. Cadets "doing stuff" makes for better website material than seniors sitting at a table planning a SAREX.

It also can depend on who maintains the website.  For example, as CDC (Deputy Commander for Cadets) and maintainer of the website, I'm at all or most of the cadet events and have many pictures and such.  I try to add as much senior side (ES) content as possible to the site but I'm at the mercy of those at the events to send me the content/pics.  Best advice, as those have already said, is to visit a couple of squadrons, some may be very involved in ES but just not show it on their websites. 

[ShoreDude]

Thank you all for the replies.   

I will be attending a meeting this week at a nearby squadron.  If I am not impressed with that one, there are another 2 squadrons within reasonable distance I can try later this month. 

Any tips on how to evaluate if its a decent squadron?  (Stuff to look out for, etc.)

Also, any examples of questions I should ask the Commander that would give me some insight to see if its the right squadron for me?   

Thanks again.

[OldGuy]

Thank you all for the replies.   

I will be attending a meeting this week at a nearby squadron.  If I am not impressed with that one, there are another 2 squadrons within reasonable distance I can try later this month. 

Any tips on how to evaluate if its a decent squadron?  (Stuff to look out for, etc.)

Also, any examples of questions I should ask the Commander that would give me some insight to see if its the right squadron for me?   

Thanks again.

Ask about the history of the unit, the current status and the CO's vision (in the military they call it the commanders intent) for the future and where you might fit.

[Fubar]

Any tips on how to evaluate if its a decent squadron?  (Stuff to look out for, etc.)

Great question. I visited three squadrons before finding one I felt like I had found a good fit. CAP has a lot of things it does (sometimes I think too much), so I asked about the specific things I like to do (such as flying, ground SAR, communications work, etc). How often to do they train in those areas? What equipment do they have that supports those missions (aircraft, base radios, hand held radios, vehicle for GT, etc). I also asked to see the squadron's schedule for the past couple of months (sometimes this is on the website, but I found not everything found its way to the website). One squadron I visited did the bare minimum meetings and occasional training, the squadron I ended up with, even though it's a bit further to drive, is very active with stuff going on darn near every day.

Reading your list of interests, I'd ask if they have an aircraft (flying is easier when your squadron has a plane, technically you can fly in any CAP plane but scheduling gets harder). Some wings have squadrons that serve as mission bases for training and real missions, they typically have comm gear and towers that are setup and maintained, you might be able to glean that from the wing and squadron websites.

In addition to the stuff you are interested in, most squadrons need help in the day-to-day running of the squadron administrative requirements. You'll need to be open to serve is some sort of "Duty Position" within the squadron, such as admin, personnel, finance, public affairs, logistics, cadet programs, IT, or radio communications (to name a few).

All of the squadrons I visited had great people, that was requirement #1 for me. I didn't want to dread attending activities due to "that guy" being central to the operation. You'll probably figure that one out 5 minutes into your visit.

[SarDragon]

I have participated with four composite squadrons in three different wings. Each had its own uniqueness.

Two were primarily cadet oriented and probably should have been reclassified as cadet squadrons, but there were just enough seniors that did ES with other units that it never happened. I did mostly did cadet program stuff with them.
The other two were pretty well split between ES and cadet programs, and there was a fair amount of crossover.
As an electronics guy, you might make a decent fit into the communications area, even if you can't actually maintain radios. Knowledge of radio operation, station setup, antennas, etc. can be of great benefit. I did avionics in the Navy, and ended up getting shanghaied into comm early on in my last two squadrons.
In addition to the "fun stuff", all squadrons have staff positions that make the unit run. Many people end up with a position on staff as well as something in the cadet or ES areas.

[ShoreDude]

Thanks again for all the great input.

Im starting to notice that some squadrons don't have much of an online presence.  (No facebook page, or a rudimentary website that doesn't seem to have been updated in a long time).   

Should I take this as a sign that it isn't a very active squadron?  Or is maintaining an online presence simply not a priority for some squadrons, despite them being pretty active? 

[NIN]

Sometimes it's just a sign that folks aren't web-savvy, or that the commander hasn't placed a high emphasis on that new fangled internet thing.

It can be a sign that a unit isn't forward-thinking or understanding the landscape, or it could be that the last guy who had a clue about the website quit and nobody renewed the domain.

Since CAP is run by volunteers with varying skills and available time, it can be hard to tell.

[Eclipse]

It could also be that the unit CC simply has no interest in the minefield of Social Media, nor need for it.

[NIN]

It could also be that the unit CC simply has no interest in the minefield of Social Media, nor need for it.

Yeah, CAP also had a serious problem when commmanders didn't eschew the telegraph for the telephone.....

[JohhnyD]

Thanks again for all the great input.

Im starting to notice that some squadrons don't have much of an online presence.  (No facebook page, or a rudimentary website that doesn't seem to have been updated in a long time).   

Should I take this as a sign that it isn't a very active squadron?  Or is maintaining an online presence simply not a priority for some squadrons, despite them being pretty active?

In CAP the unit commander has a great deal of influence on the tone and culture of the unit. Some are all pilots who just want to fly, others are retired law enforcement who enjoy the interaction with local agencies that emergency services bring. Some are tech and marketing savvy, some are not. It maybe from neglect, lack of people or policy, but I would ask about that.

[Eclipse]

It could also be that the unit CC simply has no interest in the minefield of Social Media, nor need for it.

Yeah, CAP also had a serious problem when commmanders didn't eschew the telegraph for the telephone.....

Old road - website with contact info - necessary.

Facebook? 

Not.

Many Commanders actually understand and appreciate not turning their
members into a commodity.  Somehow the unit(s) are able to survive
despite this.

Considering the happenstance mess that is the non-existent national marketing
and social media strategic plan , a unit CC making a conscious decision
to stay out of the dirty river would seem prudent.

[JohhnyD]

Considering the happenstance mess that is the non-existent national marketing
and social media strategic plan , a unit CC making a conscious decision
to stay out of the dirty river would seem prudent.

That is how it looks to me - but, that said, I have seen units that do a great job with social media. To ignore the benefits and denigrate effective use of social media as "turning members into commodities" is just a little disrespectful, don't you think?

[Eclipse]

That is how it looks to me - but, that said, I have seen units that do a great job with social media. To ignore the benefits and denigrate effective use of social media as "turning members into commodities" is just a little disrespectful, don't you think?

Disrespectful to what? Facebook?  Yes, I'll have two helping.
That's literally what Facebook does, the user is the product.

Units use it, yes.  "great job" is in the eye of the beholder. If a Unit CC can't get his job done
without that nonsense, he's failed.

[jeders]

This topic has been locked because people can't stay on topic. ShoreDude, if you need more assistance or want to see your topic reopened, PM one of the mods and we can do so after we prune the irrelevant posts.