Via direct email I sent the contact info from my member being transferred out your way.

I think there's a very good chance he will be able to help you get things moving.

I was the commander of the unit from 80 - 85, yes a long time ago.  Once you are up and running, I will you provide you with the unit history from its beginning through 85.  I have the original unit patch along with the redisigned patch we did around 1983.  You do relize that the OCS was the first chartered overseas unit.

At one time we had about 50 active cadets and 17 active seniors.  We had two buildings on Kadena.  One we used for our meetings and one for supplies.  We had great support from the 313th AD and the 18 FW,  The AFA was a big supporter of ours.

We held our own encampments, even had cadets come down from Yakota AB.  Held the first CLC and SLS overseas.  Several cadets attended national cadet activities and seniors attended RSC at Hickum.  The first and only overseas cadet to recieve the Spaatz award, Jeff Morris,  was from the OCS.

It was a great unit, we did a lot for the unit, the base and the members. 

I wish you luck getting it back up and running.  If there is anything that I can do from here, let me know...


JEFFREY C WANDELL, Lt Colonel, CAP

Please get in contact with me. I am a current member of the civil air patrol and willing to help out anywhere needed. I am hoping when my children get older they can join as well. My DSN # is [redacted] on Camp Foster. Give me a call and let's together get the Kadena CAP back in operation.

edit: removed phone number at original poster's request - mod

Quote from: swanson on August 21, 2009, 02:42:44 PM
Please get in contact with me. I am a current member of the civil air patrol and willing to help out anywhere needed. I am hoping when my children get older they can join as well. My DSN # is 645-5798 on Camp Foster. Give me a call and let's together get the Kadena CAP back in operation.

I'll pass this info to the member - I presented his son a Mitchell about two weeks ago as a going away present and they are off to the Far East.

I'm a few hundred miles away in Taiwan but I'd be willing to help out where I can.
BTW, I have an Army Chaplain brother-in-law living on Kadena now.

Update:
I obtained approval from Kadena Air Base and processed it last night. I'm not the proud new commander of a two member squadron (one was on the books from years ago). We'll be up six by next week and recruiting will continue after that.

I look forward to rebuilding and becoming the largest overseas squadron. I will keep posting.

JB

I've never been to Okinawa but here's some hits I got from Googl'ing "Okinawa Cadet Squadron"

http://www.virtualginza.com/okinawa.htm?crubs.htm
Civil Air Patrol, Okinawa Cadet Squadron Meets every Tues at 6pm in Bldg 4084, KAB. For more info call 634-3688

2009 US Forces Okinawa Phone Directory
http://www.okinawa.pac.dodea.edu/ContactUS/Telephone%20Director%200910.pdf

CIVIL AIR PATROL
Unit 5133 Box 10, APO AP 96368-5133
Bldg 326 Kadena AB
Okinawa Cadet Squadron
Squadron Commander...18 MSG/CAP...634-4301
24 Hour Answering Machine.........634-3688
FAX...............................634-5698

Quote from: 321EOD on October 27, 2009, 02:17:33 AM
I've never been to Okinawa but here's some hits I got from Googl'ing "Okinawa Cadet Squadron"

http://www.virtualginza.com/okinawa.htm?crubs.htm
Civil Air Patrol, Okinawa Cadet Squadron Meets every Tues at 6pm in Bldg 4084, KAB. For more info call 634-3688

2009 US Forces Okinawa Phone Directory
http://www.okinawa.pac.dodea.edu/ContactUS/Telephone%20Director%200910.pdf

CIVIL AIR PATROL
Unit 5133 Box 10, APO AP 96368-5133
Bldg 326 Kadena AB
Okinawa Cadet Squadron
Squadron Commander...18 MSG/CAP...634-4301
24 Hour Answering Machine.........634-3688
FAX...............................634-5698

OOPS! - note to self - read whole post before adding content! - Congrats JB3 on a successful outcome - and not giving up.
Good luck with the "new" squadron!

Quote from: JB3 on October 26, 2009, 10:06:20 PM
I look forward to rebuilding and becoming the largest overseas squadron. I will keep posting.

What a fun way to give back to the program.

The perseverance.. though I hope you're there long enough to get a good footing going at least. Seems like you have spent a lot of time already just playing wait and seek.

I probably won't be here to see the squadron once again in all it's greatness but that's okay. I'm looking for a replacement already and will make sure it's one that will be here for a while and will make sure he or she is trained for this job.

Quote from: JB3 on October 28, 2009, 08:52:31 AM
I'm looking for a replacement already ...

The most important part of most positions. Your replacement. One spends so much time building up a working program, you can't run it forever. Someone has to carry on. Perhaps one of the reasons the unit fizzled...

Any luck finding any left over stuff there? (supplies, color guard materials, guidon's, etc)

I actually was able to locate all the squadron's equipment. I'll spare you the year long saga by offering the quick version. Basically I tracked down the building where the offices where and the NCOIC of the building used a master key to let me in. He said that he has not seen any one go into the offices in the year that he's been there. I was looking around and discovered the keys which were simply placed on a sofa and left. I took the keys and now use the offices. The squadron has files, equipment, uniforms, and a pile of bank statements for an account that is still active. The previous commander is no longer a member of CAP for reasons unknown to me but I still wonder what happened to cause someone to leave without properly deactivating the unit. On the other hand we're lucky in some aspects because now we don't have to start from scratch.

The squadron had one member (inactive) on the MML when I took over this week and now has three active in addition as well as transfers pending for two patron members.

Hopefully people reading this will use the story as "what not to do". Realize that in a regular squadron any one of the issues presented (financial statements not filed in over a year, only one member, no commander appointed, etc.) would likely result in the squadron losing it's charter. Overseas squadrons lack group, wing, and region level oversight and are mostly overlooked as is evidenced with this case.

More to follow...

On a related issue, I've been asked why haven't I started a CAP overseas squadron in Kwajalein yet. The answer is CAPR 35-4. Kwaj is an Army installation (even though the inmates - ahem, civilians - largely run the asylum  ); while the potential exists for a strong cadet program with the junior and senior high school kids here, the current regs restrict CAP overseas squadrons to USAF installations and commanders to AD E-6 or higher. Not to mention the possible legal minefield that is also known as the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement).

I don't recall if there was ever a Kwajalein squadron under Hawaii Wing (there was one squadron in Guam under HI wing control in the 80s). Parents have asked for a JROTC or similar cadet program for the kids at Kwaj Junior-Senior High, but I don't think it's gone past the talking stages.

You have an interesting situation. The regulation makes it pretty tough. I agree with limiting unit's to AF bases although I'm an Army officer myself because the AF has their own AF Instructions that outline support for CAP whereas other branches do not. But like everything else I believe that exceptions should be made if a potential unit can prove that they will get  the support needed.

I don't really believe that the commander should be and active duty member though for a couple reasons. The first is because civilians typically are able to stay in one overseas location for longer time. An active duty has no more competence, experience, or skills than a civilian. It comes down to the person. Finally the base commander doesn't necessarily have and more control of the squadron by virtue of the commander. For example, I am an Army officer working on a different post. The AF general here has absolutely no influence on my life whatsoever. On the other hand he "owns" thousands of civilians. Plus the last commander here was an active duty AF TSgt and he simply left his keys and PCSd.

If you really have a base for a potential unit I would contact NHQ and start working on a change to the regulation. I'd be willing to send a memo outlining my experience.

I am on the fence with the AD vs. Civilian Commander.  Both sides has merits. 

I think what everyone can agree on was the previous leadership at that unit failed in a few areas. Take your pick of the unit's deactivation once it went below 15, The Unit Commander's PCS without telling anyone, or the lack of presence/oversight/assistance by the LNO that is required to be assigned...

Anyways, I am glad there is a unit there now.  I have been looking a little bit here and there but am at least one year from getting there.  I have been blessed with a one year stop in Korea first.  But, having been a member of two OS units, I am looking forward to getting back into it.  OS-100 will gain two members (my son and I) when we get there.  He is excited! 

Good Luck OS-100!

Dan Kirby

Thought you might like to see the overseas CAP patches:

http://www.incountry.us/cappatches/OS/index.html

Check this one out for current overseas units:

http://creports.capnhq.gov/unitlocator/ULProcess.asp?wing=NHQ&os=yes

Here is the latest and greatest:

Our squadron now has several active members and we are doing a variety of activities. It has been a long hard road but well worth it. The Air Force is now supporting us more than I have seen in nearly two decades of CAP service. We are communicating with the other overseas squadrons and have some great activities planned including an encampment here on Okinawa for all the Asia/Pacific members.

I just wanted all to know that it is worth it to stick with an endeavor like this.

Lt Col Bauer

Congrats.

Do you ever hear from the Misawa unit? There are some people on here who have either been members or commanders of that unit.

Quote from: JB3 on August 31, 2010, 07:01:05 AM
Here is the latest and greatest:

Our squadron now has several active members and we are doing a variety of activities. It has been a long hard road but well worth it. The Air Force is now supporting us more than I have seen in nearly two decades of CAP service. We are communicating with the other overseas squadrons and have some great activities planned including an encampment here on Okinawa for all the Asia/Pacific members.

I just wanted all to know that it is worth it to stick with an endeavor like this.

Lt Col Bauer

I started my SM career in the Misawa Squadron and it was one of the best expereinces I have had in the CAP. Gave me a real sesnes of belonging. I think that any work that you do to carry on and support cadets and SM alike is beneficial. There were only 10 cadets in my squadron but they were great cadets.

The biggest help for me getting in touch with the other squadrons has been the creation of an Overseas Team Leader position. Although not in the chain of command, the person coordinates the efforts of all the overseas units and solves a lot of the common problems that we all face. The current one is Lt Col Shirley Timm and she has done a great job getting us all talking and has also updated the overseas squadron regulation. Although the squadrons in Asia (Okinawa, Missawa, Yokota in Japan, and Osan in Korea) are still small, we are planning some activities together which should help. I only have about a year left here but expect to see some great things before I leave.

JB