Day to day life at NBB

[Toth]

Hey all,

I did my basic encampment last year at DHXII in Utah and now I want to attend NBB this summer. I have read a lot about it but I still fail to grasp what the day to day life is like. I understand that its very busy and different every day but is it like an encampment style environment, or is it more laid back? What is done for PT, how often, please just explain the day to day life for me. Thanks!

[Storm Chaser]

Didn't you start a similar thread back in January? There are several threads about this same topic if you search in CAP Talk. You may also be able to find some information here:

http://www.ncsas.com/?blue_beret&show=career_fair&careerFairID=18

By the way, what's a Cadet Commander's Adjutant? Or a Drill Team Medical?

[sandite190]

Wake up early in the morning and do no pt. then your flight rotates around throughout the different places guarding different areas like ultralights and warbirds. When you have free time you can walk around and check out the fly mart. You also do emergency services stuff like searching for ELT signals and tracking down missing planes throughout the airport. You also track and log every plane that lands. Your flight will go to the eaa museum and even have a flight night out. You get to watch a lot of the air show and even the night air shows. I typed this on my phone so excuse the grammar. Alpha flight nbb '14

[jeders]

[Y]our flight rotates around throughout the different places guarding doing crowd control indifferent areas like ultralights and warbirds.

FTFY.

Otherwise, pretty much what he said. AirVenture has on any year between 300,000 and 500,000 people walk through the gates and an excess of 10,000 aircraft landing, taxiing, and taking off. You will be on your feet pretty much from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

BITD, supposedly, you marched everywhere. Thankfully now, there are numerous vans which will shuttle you from station to station. This means that out of every hour you will have 5-10 minutes to sit, not too bad.

You get sufficient time in the morning to get up, get dressed, and eat breakfast. No one is yelling at you to take a 10 second shower. You should have ample time to sit down and enjoy every meal, provided that you don't dilly-dally. At the end of the day, you'll have time to relax and unwind and get to know your fellow cadets.

Is it laid back, absolutely not. Is it like encampment, absolutely not. It's incredibly fun, and you'll see a lot of awesome stuff, but you're there to do a job which must be taken seriously.

-India TAC-O NBB '08

[Luis R. Ramos]

Jeders-

You need to do more FTFY.

You added the word in but forgot to put a space after it.

So your corrections now read doing crowd control indifferent to the areas!

:angel:

[Toth]

Didn't you start a similar thread back in January?

Yes, well, kinda. The last thread was about basic encampment and briefly mentioned NBB as an activity I wanted to do in the future.

By the way, what's a Cadet Commander's Adjutant? Or a Drill Team Medical?

A cadet commander's adjutant is like a Command Chief but more of an assistant role and less command. My squadron has a drill team and each member has a specialty area, like public relations, communications, or in my case, medical.

-----------

Thanks to everyone for their replies, extremely helpful, hopefully I will be attending NBB this coming summer now that I have completed my basic encampment and will hopefully be C/2Lt. by then, although I understand that rank does not apply much at NBB. Wish me luck on the application process!

[Luis R. Ramos]

From Toth:

....has a drill team and each member has a specialty area, like public relations, communications, or in my case, medical.

First time I hear this of a drill team. Why? Public Relations can be handled by whomever handles squadron Public Relations. So with Communications. Medical? Why? Do you expect members knocking each other out with the rifles? Pinching others with the pointy ends of the flag staffs? In all event, Medical is very limited in CAP. Mostly prevention and education. Not treatment.

[LSThiker]

A cadet commander's adjutant is like a Command Chief but more of an assistant role and less command.

The Command Chief is not even command.  It is an advisor position to the commander all enlisted matters, issues affecting the mission and operations, readiness, training, morale, professional enlisted development, and quality of life of all enlisted members in the organization.  Similar to the 1SG position, but at group and higher level (not squadron).  An adjutant, historically, was the person that assisted the commander in administrative duties.  Now, it is called Administration.  Two completely different positions. 

I have read a lot about it but I still fail to grasp what the day to day life is like. I understand that its very busy and different every day but is it like an encampment style environment, or is it more laid back? What is done for PT, how often, please just explain the day to day life for me.

It is very simple:

Wake up
Go to assigned position
Get relieved by another flight
Go to assigned position
Get off-duty time
Go to sleep
Repeat

Most of the day is crowd control with some little ES mixed in to keep interest.  Do not think you will be doing ES 24/7, it does not happen. 

[jeders]

Jeders-

You need to do more FTFY.

You added the word in but forgot to put a space after it.

So your corrections now read doing crowd control indifferent to the areas!

:angel:

That's what I get for not using the preview button. Although, indifferent might work as well for some of the crowd control we did.

[Storm Chaser]

Didn't you start a similar thread back in January?

Yes, well, kinda. The last thread was about basic encampment and briefly mentioned NBB as an activity I wanted to do in the future.

The title of your January thread was NBB and PJOC Questions (emphasis mine).

By the way, what's a Cadet Commander's Adjutant? Or a Drill Team Medical?

A cadet commander's adjutant is like a Command Chief but more of an assistant role and less command.

Cadet Mendius, I'm not trying to pick on you, but there's no such thing as a Cadet Commander's Adjutant; not in CAPR 20-1, Organization of Civil Air Patrol, not in CAPP 52-15, Cadet Staff Handbook, and definitely not in eServices. An "Adjutant" is a ceremonial position usually used in group or wing formations during reviews or parades. The adjutant is usually an officer and reports to the formation group commander (cf. AFMAN 36-2203). To put things into perspective, the cadet commander in a squadron is the cadet equivalent of a squadron commander. Furthermore, Command Chief Master Sergeant, a position that doesn't exist in CAP and that is reserved for CMSgts in the Air Force, is only used at wing or higher.

My squadron has a drill team and each member has a specialty area, like public relations, communications, or in my case, medical.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the need for a drill team to have specialties within its members, but "medical" is completely beyond the scope of a drill team and most likely beyond your own qualifications.

Again, I'm not trying to pick on you. It's just that I see too often how squadrons like to just make things up when there's absolutely no need to do so. The program, as it is, provides a structure that meets 99% of the needs of most squadrons. And usually these "made-up" positions don't address the potential 1% need not covered by the regulations.

I wish you well with NBB and anything else you pursue with the Cadet Programs and CAP.