Interesting Challenges of Your Wing

[JeffDG]

Every Wing has a unique set of circumstances, and a unique personality.

What is one thing that makes your Wing unique?

I'll start with TNWG.

TNWG directly borders more other wings (AR,MO,KY,VA,NC,GA,AL,MS) and more other Regions (In SER, borders with SWR, NCR, GLR and MER) than any other wing in CAP.

[Garibaldi]

GAWG has everything from mountains to swamps. So training between areas is a fairly onerous task. Up nort', where I am, we gots hills and mountains. Down sout' dey got swamps and lowlands, so we do a lot of cross training.

[lordmonar]

NVWG has a lot of empty space right in the middle......make the us vs them problem all that more pronounced.

Any wing level get together automatically mean 2/3 of the state will be driving 6-8 hours one way.

[Garibaldi]

Sorta like Arkansas. Where I was, the next unit was either 50 miles south, or 110 miles north in Missouri. Lots of spread, lots of empty space.

[JeffDG]

Sorta like Arkansas. Where I was, the next unit was either 50 miles south, or 110 miles north in Missouri. Lots of spread, lots of empty space.

As someone who has lived most of his life in the rural west, those distances represent practically next door.

Where I grew up, we were 70 miles from the nearest paved runway, 200 from the nearest airport that had commercial carriers, and 60 from the nearest ambulance.

[Майор Хаткевич]

ILWG is pretty much like IL. South of 80 it might as well be a separate wing.

[Garibaldi]

ILWG is pretty much like IL. South of 80 it might as well be a separate wing.

There is NOTHING in Illinois between Springfield and Chicago. Lots and lots of nothing.

[JeffDG]

ILWG is pretty much like IL. South of 80 it might as well be a separate wing.

There is NOTHING in Illinois between Springfield and Chicago. Lots and lots of nothing.

I take it you've never driven the road between Billings and Malta in Montana then.  God, that one goes on forever.

[Eclipse]

ILWG is pretty much like IL. South of 80 it might as well be a separate wing.

There is NOTHING in Illinois between Springfield and Chicago. Lots and lots of nothing.

Philosophically or physically? 

Actually, there's a lot of >dinner< between those cities (not that I enjoy watching it for hours in
its raw form).

[winterg]

I'm in Florida, Group 3. My group has more squadrons than some Wings! (This may or may not be true, but it feels like it and paints an accurate picture)  Coming from an area where my squadron was the only active one for at least and hour, hour and a half drive, was an adjustment. There is always so much going on here and took some adjusting. I'm used to 10 members being a good meeting to now being in a squadron with 87 members.  It seems Florida has many more supplements to learn to deal with the increased tempo of operations.  But I think I am growing as a member here better.

[Майор Хаткевич]

RIWG has 4 units and my group has 6.

[sardak]

TNWG directly borders more other wings (AR,MO,KY,VA,NC,GA,AL,MS) and more other Regions (In SER, borders with SWR, NCR, GLR and MER) than any other wing in CAP.

MOWG also borders eight other wings (AR, TN, KY, IL, IA, NE, KS, OK) but only 4 regions.

Mike

[LTCinSWR]

I take it you've never driven the road between Billings and Malta in Montana then.  God, that one goes on forever.

Tell me about it! In New Mexico, we have miles and miles of miles and miles - some so desolate that they make adults say 'Are we there yet?'.

[Garibaldi]

ILWG is pretty much like IL. South of 80 it might as well be a separate wing.

There is NOTHING in Illinois between Springfield and Chicago. Lots and lots of nothing.

Philosophically or physically? 

Actually, there's a lot of >dinner< between those cities (not that I enjoy watching it for hours in
its raw form).

Both. I thought time was moving backwards at times. Trees became nuts, people regressed to babies, cars devolved into their separate components. So boring I lost IQ points I could barely afford to.

[Spaceman3750]

Grew up near Springfield, live near Peoria. I wouldn't want to live in Chicagoland - too expensive, too many people. Lots to do there, so I can visit for a weekend, but living there wouldn't be my thing. Lots of nice motorcycle riding here I think. If you have the type of personality that has to be entertained all the time by shiny blinky things I can see why it would be boring (there's my jab at the 'city folk', made in jest), but I look forward to corn coming up every year because it brings color back to the landscape and millions of dollars to local economies.

That said, I don't understand the hatred of people and places on the opposite side of 80 from you. I know some of it in jest, but some of it isn't. Get over yourself. I hear lots of people complain about 'Chicagoers' and vice versa - it has no place in CAP or modern society.

Then again, maybe I'm just the only person who can be civil and respectful about these things.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Chicagoers? That's a new one.

[Spaceman3750]

Chicagoers? That's a new one.

I pulled an all night last night at work for an outage, I was grasping for a term that sounded like what some people I know down here would say .

[Eclipse]

Chicagoers? That's a new one.

At least it has more then 4 letters.

That said, I don't understand the hatred of people and places on the opposite side of 80 from you. I know some of it in jest, but some of it isn't. Get over yourself. I hear lots of people complain about 'Chicagoers' and vice versa - it has no place in CAP or modern society.

It's primarily a South thing.  The people North really don't care about anything South, which
is part and parcel of the issue, but not related (directly) to CAP.  It's more of a rural vs. city cultural
issue, tinged with plenty of politics because the people and the tax-base is rooted on the North.

It usually boils down to members wanting equal attention and resources, even though there aren't
an equal number of people involved.  That just doesn't work mathematically, especially in a volunteer
organization where people are allowed to do "pretty much whatever they want".

If you're some place that needs help to get things moving, then it's understandable to be frustrated that
no one wants to take the drive, but by the same token, a lot of people have made efforts to take the
drive, lots of times, only to find no one waiting to help.

It's an issue that NHQ should address directly, either with a more appropriate structure or command imperative
regarding growth, but it doesn't appear to even be on the radar.

[JeffDG]

It's an issue that NHQ should address directly, either with a more appropriate structure or command imperative
regarding growth, but it doesn't appear to even be on the radar.

You know what?

You don't have to wait for NHQ to change things.  Fix your problems locally.

[Eclipse]

It's an issue that NHQ should address directly, either with a more appropriate structure or command imperative
regarding growth, but it doesn't appear to even be on the radar.

You know what?

You don't have to wait for NHQ to change things.  Fix your problems locally.

Please Grandpa, tell us how that works, exactly...

You can't fix systemic problems "locally".  You can brute force them in your own AOR.  BTDT.
That may provide some circumstantial, one-time successful activities, but it doesn't "fix" anything,
and those circumstantial successes evaporate with the calendar.

In fact, your response to your own question frames the situation quite nicely.

TNWG directly borders more other wings (AR,MO,KY,VA,NC,GA,AL,MS) and more other Regions (In SER, borders with SWR, NCR, GLR and MER) than any other wing in CAP.

Why should bordering on more wings or regions be anything more then dinner conversation?
Because every one of those Commanders brings their own "spin" to what is supposed to be a
nationally standardized organization, and the whims and fancies of the members and staff
(or non-participation of same) can throw a wrench into even the most careful plan - the fact
that you bring it up means it almost certainly has on a regular basis.