Looking for the silver lining.

[Chica]

Or I could ask you....

[Майор Хаткевич]

That's not how forums work.

[Chica]

Why are you making things difficult?

[RogueLeader]

Why are you making things difficult?

The same could be asked of you.  Seriously.  Log off Captalk and study the regs.

[DesertRat]

I have been lucky I suppose with a good squadron, though small and remote (3 hours) from the center of gravity in NM. I am 2.5 years in CAP, and have been frustrated by wing, BC of distance and timing of wing-provided programs. However my squadron CO has been in a long time and is highly qualified and very supportive. I have been able to set up training schedules, plans, etc and have achieved MS and MO and almost GT1 qualifications. The aero stuff was fast because of our pilots, but the ground stuff has been, all "in house." I really expect no help from Wing. If you can find a "protector" who will approve your plans to pursue your goals, then you make it happen. If I had waited for Wing, I still wouldn't have GTM3.

And it is easier to get forgiveness than permission, but always read the regs first.

[Pump Scout]

I just realized I've been away from CAP for three years now. I'd like to go back, but I can say with great certainty that I wouldn't go back to the same unit I'd been with, even if it meant driving a good distance to be part of a better unit. Sadly, there were heavy leadership problems in my former unit. If a person didn't mesh with the personal politics of the senior leadership, they'd go nowhere. If a cadet didn't mesh with the religious leanings of the cadet leadership, they went nowhere. Activities were canned fare, fundraisers were weak at best, community involvement and relationships were non-existent.

Thing is, I know that's not all of the units. As my own kids (one of whom was a cadet while I was on the senior side) get older and want to become involved again, I wouldn't mind getting back into CAP... but it will certainly be with eyes open wider than I had five years ago when I started Involvement #2 with CAP in that particular unit - the leadership problems went back to the days of WIWAC, too.

[Jaison009]

Fully agree. Much of what I have been doing has been remote and I almost talked myself into just dropping and not renewing because I didn't have the time. The only reason is as a former cadet I still feel a debt to CAP for what it allowed me to become. I was at a leadership conference the other day where Coach Nick Saban was one of the guest speakers and he said "every thank you comes with an IOU. I owe you my best". That kind of stuck with me.

From my own 3 month hiatus, I found that it's a lot easier to stay away once you do it for a few meetings. After week 3-4, it's no big deal to keep on skipping.

And that's the risk for units that take long periods of time off, either in the summer, or at the end of the year.  This is especially a problem for cadets,
but members in general need the continuity of activity to stay involved and invested.

[KASSRCrashResearch]

When I heard the comment that once you put on the uniform you are no longer a volunteer I knew my days in CAP were numbered.

The answer to that sort of silliness is rather simple:

"You got a regulation to back up that theory?"

Hypothesis, not theory.  It's not a theory until you have something that is arguably substantial to back it up. 

[Pump Scout]

I was at a leadership conference the other day where Coach Nick Saban was one of the guest speakers and he said "every thank you comes with an IOU. I owe you my best". That kind of stuck with me

My wife was part of that same seminar. She had a lot of good things to say about Saban, and Rorke Denver. She said Wozniak was hard to follow, kind of scattered and random. 

My own IOU is to the nation as a whole. I figure I owe giving something back. It's what drove me to enlist at the tender/idiotic age of 17, it's what's driven me to become involved (briefly) in local politics, and it's what drove me to be part of CAP. And it's looking more and more like we're going to take a drive one of these weeks to a unit and feel it out again. Seems I've raised my kids right, because they feel that same pull to be involved and be giving back.

[Storm Chaser]

Some of us had the silver lining ripped away...I know that is not a popular view on CT, where most criticism of CAP is "frowned upon," nor is this poster, who has been told he should just "forget CAP and move on," but that is not easy to do when one has given multiple years (decades) to an organisation that he can no longer be a part of and hurts over it.

C'mon now. Half the posts from Eclipse are critical of CAP. No one frowns upon that.


Also, welcome back?!? Again? Eh? Maybe?

Who won a the pool?

[Storm Chaser]

I joined CAP shortly after my child took an interest in the program.  After being the "parent" for a time and noticing the local squadron could use some help (the program and all its components seemed to really need a lot of adult support to be successful) I joined as a parent sponsor and offered my help to all the senior members and helped out everywhere I could.  At the urging of the other Senior Members they asked me to join as a full Senior Member so, I could assist with things they needed help with that only members could do like admin, personnel, cadet, etc. This is where things became fullfilling and as you all stated working with the cadets is rewarding.  I have worked with Girl Scouts, 4H, baseball teams, hockey teams, basketball teams, youth ministry groups, and PTAs.  There are always personalities and poor leadership in every organization, but CAP seems to have some underlying group of individuals that do whatever they can to hide poor behavior rather than trying to call it into the light and correct it. Most other organizations I have volunteered with have discussed the issues, proposed solutions, discussed the best options, implemented one and moved on.  If it involved an individual, things were discussed with that person by the leadership and worked out in a positive way if at all possible. These organizations also had better systems than I have seen so far in CAP of checks and balances in place to ensure everything down to the local levels are being managed in compliance with the groups overall goals.  I haven't seen anything in CAP that ensures this type of oversight.  The SUI process doesn't seem to provide any continuity either. One squadron seems so much different than another. Perhaps, as suggested it might be a Wing or higher up issue.  If that is the case, how does this change? How does this large organization create some continuity from squadron to squadron across the states and nations.  In my short tenure, I have had the opportunity to work on Wing and Region projects and in one squadron people are educated and guided and at others left to their own devices. Some squadrons are private clubs where you are not welcomed and others open and welcoming to all. Leadership is also inconsistent.  Some squadrons have a commander appointed because thats the only person willing to take it to other squadrons who have a person who logically would have been placed in the position after being in the program long enough to understand the workings of the organization. The cadet programs differ a lot as well.  Some don't have much going on at all and others participate in aerospace activities, teach the emergency services, and work the customs and coutesies.  It seems National has done a great job of providing the curriculum, but rolling it out to the local levels in a way even a thinly staffed squadron can implement is non-existent.  I have seen the same things on the senior side. National announces guidances and activities and ecercises and rolling out those opportunities to the local squadrons is not happening. Without some basic consistentsies in the program it makes any persons experience something from great to horrible. Am I wrong?

Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk

I'm sorry your experience in CAP hasn't been entirely great. Unfortunately, as it has been stated already, CAP can differ greatly from squadron to squadron. CAP is also a very cyclical organization, meaning people come and go, which greatly affects the organization in one way or another.

My experience has been mostly positive. CAP is not perfect, but it's still a great organization. What I've come to realize is that you get from CAP what you put in. Of course, that doesn't work for everyone. But for the most part, it's true.

My recommendation is to, first, do what you can to improve your squadron. If you're unable, then consider joining a different unit, if possible. Sometimes taking on a different job or participating in activities outside your squadron can do wonders to reenergize you. If that doesn't work, then consider taking a break. Many of us have. I was gone for over a decade and have been full throttle since I rejoined a few years ago.

I hope your experience improves. But ultimately, you need to decide whether CAP is worth your time. I know it's worth mine. Good luck!

[Jaison009]

Rorke was one of my favorite too. Talked about leaders tend to focus on the spear and sword but if you look at the Spartans, the leaders carried the shield. If you didn't come back with your shield, it was a capital offense and meant the lives to the left and right were not as important as your own. His trident takeaways were great:
* Win the gunfight first- Figure out whatever your gun fight is and be victorious in that first
* Play without a safety net
* Balance your behaviors- 90% of the time your people should know how you are going to act/behave/respond. The other 10% throw them curveballs.

Sportscaster James Brown was probably my favorite his message was depth before height. "The depth is what determines the height of success in any undertaking". Without a proper foundation to support success, we cannot achieve or handle height.

Great stuff.

I was at a leadership conference the other day where Coach Nick Saban was one of the guest speakers and he said "every thank you comes with an IOU. I owe you my best". That kind of stuck with me

My wife was part of that same seminar. She had a lot of good things to say about Saban, and Rorke Denver. She said Wozniak was hard to follow, kind of scattered and random. 

My own IOU is to the nation as a whole. I figure I owe giving something back. It's what drove me to enlist at the tender/idiotic age of 17, it's what's driven me to become involved (briefly) in local politics, and it's what drove me to be part of CAP. And it's looking more and more like we're going to take a drive one of these weeks to a unit and feel it out again. Seems I've raised my kids right, because they feel that same pull to be involved and be giving back.