Iowa Wing CAP

CadetProgramGuy · April 30, 2007, 02:52:09 AM

Quote from: flapsUP on April 30, 2007, 02:07:59 AM
A $20K raise to the $100K you already get. You must be doing something right over there. What's your secret.

Congrats.

Making our "Customers" happy.
Providing top notch training.
Responding to all missions with the same fortitude and vigor.
Timly After Action Reports.
Excellent Officers and Cadets

Just to name a few....

Major_Chuck · May 01, 2007, 12:08:01 AM

I go away for a little bit and the posting starts to get heated.

CadetProgramGuy · May 01, 2007, 04:59:43 AM

Just a little note on our cadets, the cadets of the Des Moines Metro Cadet Squadon just took 2nd place at Region Color Guard Comp!!

Good work!!

cyclone · May 01, 2007, 03:03:25 PM

We are getting called on the front end of many missions in Iowa. At 0600 on the Saturday of our April WTA we were alerted for ANOTHER missing ISU student. As we mobilized to move teams and equipment to Ames the subject was found (at approximately 0800 hours).

This past week on Friday we were alerted for two missing boaters in Brushy Creek State Park. They had been out all night and reported missing that morning. We had crews ready to leave and the subjects were located down stream from the spillway.

So Iowa CAP is getting a lot of missions and the State appreciates how quickly and professionally we respond (i.e. the recent Abel Bolanos search in Ames).

mikeylikey · May 01, 2007, 08:02:38 PM

Props to IOWA! Taking a broken and downright crappy program and turning it around takes alot of hard work. I fully suspect the "Iowa Wing Plan" to come down the wire in an Interim Change Letter. Just like the VA Banker Program.

ZigZag911 · May 02, 2007, 04:12:35 AM

Quote from: CadetProgramGuy on May 01, 2007, 04:59:43 AM
Just a little note on our cadets, the cadets of the Des Moines Metro Cadet Squadon just took 2nd place at Region Color Guard Comp!!

Good work!!

Congratulations!!

Chief Chiafos · May 02, 2007, 10:17:12 PM

Hello,

One of the 'secrets' to Iowa's success, and I am sure LTC Cretilli will agree, was the resurrection of the NCO cadre. Their skill in organization and management made all the difference.

NIN · May 02, 2007, 10:43:41 PM

Quote from: Chief Chiafos on May 02, 2007, 10:17:12 PM
Hello,

One of the 'secrets' to Iowa's success, and I am sure LTC Cretilli will agree, was the resurrection of the NCO cadre. Their skill in organization and management made all the difference.

Chief, how many professional adult NCOs do you have in the NCO corps there in Iowa?

cyclone · May 07, 2007, 10:50:25 PM

Flooding has occurred in SW Iowa along with some tornadoes over the weekend and Iowa CAP has been tasked for photo recon of the affected area.

Iowa CAP supported the Montgomery Counthy EMA today with air recon and flying officials to survey the damage. The Governor has declared the county a disaster area and operations are continuing with regards to photo recon.

flapsUP · May 08, 2007, 04:41:31 AM

I envy some of the things you guys are doing over there. As I remember you've been working on this for a few years. How many more years is it going to take until you are through with your program? How have you been doing? How is your dropout rate? What about your recruitment, are more people joining. Can you give us some data?

CadetProgramGuy · May 08, 2007, 04:59:24 AM

Quote from: flapsUP on May 08, 2007, 04:41:31 AM
I envy some of the things you guys are doing over there. As I remember you've been working on this for a few years. How many more years is it going to take until you are through with your program? How have you been doing? How is your dropout rate? What about your recruitment, are more people joining. Can you give us some data?

Critelli will have to give details, but here are a few basic answers.....

The main transition is now complete. We are now in the training phase. Training new officers, training ES work, and becoming NIMS compliant. Drop out rate is negligible, and every 6 months we have a new OTS starting with about 15-30 new officers each time.

cyclone · May 09, 2007, 12:03:55 PM

It has been a busy week. 17 flight hours in a day and a half in SW Iowa looking at flooding and damage. Even though the rain has stopped the rivers are still rising in some areas. We have flown several local and state officials to survey the damage, including representatives from Congressman Steve King's office to report back to Washington D.C. on the extent of the damage.

We have put the Red Oak Base to the test and a few airports have runways underwater. The helicopter traffic are calling their traffic at "Shenandoah Seaplane Base." Perhaps Alaska could loan us some of those floats they have?

Anyway, we are warming up and drying out so hopefully the rivers will go back into their banks by the weekend.

As always it is good to be a part of Iowa CAP.

Dragoon · May 09, 2007, 04:27:16 PM

Quote from: NIN on May 02, 2007, 10:43:41 PM
Quote from: Chief Chiafos on May 02, 2007, 10:17:12 PM
Hello,

One of the 'secrets' to Iowa's success, and I am sure LTC Cretilli will agree, was the resurrection of the NCO cadre. Their skill in organization and management made all the difference.

Chief, how many professional adult NCOs do you have in the NCO corps there in Iowa?

Can we get an answer to this? How many active NCOs does Iowa have?

Al Sayre · May 09, 2007, 04:55:09 PM

Its going to be hard to tell since NCO grade is not recorded on eServices as far as I know.

RogueLeader · May 09, 2007, 04:58:30 PM

There are four that I can recall, not exactly precise, but as best as I can do at the moment. And the Chief is correct, they do make a very good resource, and they make a huge difference at the WTA.

MIKE · May 09, 2007, 05:50:31 PM

Quote from: Al Sayre on May 09, 2007, 04:55:09 PM
Its going to be hard to tell since NCO grade is not recorded on eServices as far as I know.

It was recorded for a MSgt who was in my previous unit. I suppose it has to do with whether or not you are sending the appropriate documentation to NHQ with the CAPF 12 or CAPF 2.

ddelaney103 · May 09, 2007, 10:33:41 PM

Quote from: RogueLeader on May 09, 2007, 04:58:30 PM
There are four that I can recall, not exactly precise, but as best as I can do at the moment. And the Chief is correct, they do make a very good resource, and they make a huge difference at the WTA.

How, exactly?

Now, I know I'm just an E-8 that doesn't get this "new CAP" stuff, but I can't figure out how NCO/SNCO training is the silver bullet that fixes CAP.

As I have said before, NCO's translate the officers "what to do" into the Airmen's "how to do it." How is IAWG grafting Chiefs between one layer of officers and another? Unofficial authority only goes so far.

DNall · May 09, 2007, 11:32:30 PM

Quote from: ddelaney103 on May 09, 2007, 10:33:41 PMAs I have said before, NCO's translate the officers "what to do" into the Airmen's "how to do it."

That's one function, then there is a nother one similiar to what staff officers do, which is to take the theory the officers are trying to get done & make it executable reatity, and then spit it back from underneath. Plus that guide/mentor thing you do with junior officers.

lordmonar · May 10, 2007, 05:36:02 AM

Quote from: DNall on May 09, 2007, 11:32:30 PM
Quote from: ddelaney103 on May 09, 2007, 10:33:41 PMAs I have said before, NCO's translate the officers "what to do" into the Airmen's "how to do it."
That's one function, then there is a nother one similiar to what staff officers do, which is to take the theory the officers are trying to get done & make it executable reatity, and then spit it back from underneath. Plus that guide/mentor thing you do with junior officers.

Yes....but that guide/mentor thing only works if you have some sort of moral/experience/age/skill advantage over the junior officers. In CAP that is simply just not the case.

Take me for example.

I am a 41 year old MSgt with 21 years in...I've been there and done that. So when I am mentoring the young Lt's and Capts, I have the advantages of being a technical expert in my field, 21 years experience of doing that job and 41 years of living.

Now let's look at my CAP profile. I got about 4 years in. I am almost one of the youngest officers in my squadron (I am in a senior squadron), the professional pilots, ham radio expert class license holders, professional school teachers, doctors, nurses and business men who join my squadron are already technical experts in their fields. The only advantage I have would be my 4 years working with CAP compared to their 1 year or less.

As for NCO's doing staff officer work....well....what would the staff officers then do?

The question is not whether these IOWA NCO's were instrumental in making the IOWA Experiment work or not....the question is could they have NOT gotten the same results if they were Lts, Capts, or Majs.

NIN · May 10, 2007, 01:48:51 PM

Quote from: ddelaney103 on May 09, 2007, 10:33:41 PM
As I have said before, NCO's translate the officers "what to do" into the Airmen's "how to do it." How is IAWG grafting Chiefs between one layer of officers and another? Unofficial authority only goes so far.

Particularly when there is very little (read as: next to none) "NCO culture" in CAP. CAP Officers who are not prior military generally have zero clue how adult NCOs fit into the "big picture," and the rub there is usually that they do not use the NCO in the proper manner, or the NCO is seen as "supernumerary" or "meddlesome" or something else. And its not because the NCO doesn't know how to manage "NCO business," its that we have too many 2nd Lts, 1st Lts & Captains who already fullfill that niche in CAP, and "NCO business" gets done by junior company grade officers instead.

It will take more than 4 NCOs to change that nationwide.

It will take a massive paradigm shift and a cultural change to the organization. As anybody will tell you, cultural change in an organization the size of CAP, with the level of entrenchment that we have, does not take place overnight. We're talking 3-5 years....