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Started by ol'fido, November 17, 2011, 12:41:12 AM

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ol'fido

It's just not the same as the blue though.
Lt. Col. Randy L. Mitchell
Historian, Group 1, IL-006

FARRIER

Quote from: Garibaldi on July 12, 2012, 05:00:55 AM...and running around the woods with ... and camouflage makeup...

As a cadet (early/mid 1980's) we met in the local National Guard Armory. We used to do a lot of the community service projects they did, like the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Since they were an artillery unit, they had to train in basic infantry tactics at least once a year. The battery asked if they could take us along one year. Our unit commander, a retired USAF MSGT approved it. We didn't fire/carry any weapons. The E-7's and E-6's running the training were Vietnam Combat Vets. We enjoyed ourselves and picked up some leadership tips. And we learned a few of them disliked John Wayne because he didn't serve a day in uniform but had the candy bar in the C-rations named after him.
Photographer/Photojournalist
IT Professional
Licensed Aircraft Dispatcher

http://www.commercialtechimagery.com/stem-and-aerospace

N7MOG

My first fatigue uniform in 1968 was an old set of USMC utilities. Complete with the metal buttons with 13 stars. Little did I know that I'd end up in the USMC in 5 years time! The comment made when I got the uniform was "we don't use them but their free and you can work in your garage at home in them".
Our chevrons were a blue cloth rectangle with white chevrons on them.
Cadets becoming Seniors under 21 years of age became Warrent Officers.
Bill Collister
SDWG DC
Cadet in 1968-1973 (Mitchell Award)
Collecter of knowledge since then, finding out my parents got real smart about the time I turned 18....
Improvise, Adapt and Overcome - Semper Fidelis

The original content of this post is Copyright (c) 2014 by William Collister.  The right to reproduce the content of this post within CAP-Talk only for the purposes of providing a quoted reply, by CAP-Talk users only, is specifically granted. All other rights, including "Fair Use," are specifically reserved.

ColonelJack

Quote from: FARRIER on February 12, 2013, 11:04:12 PM
Quote from: Stonewall on July 12, 2012, 05:05:15 PM

One final picture, I promise.  The same C/Lt Col that led the survival training and is an SF officer now is in this picture with me. The two of us  are talking to then CAP/CC BGen Rich Anderson.  Crappy pic, it was a polaroid.


Burgundy shoulder slides, they were not ugly :)

No ... they were beyond ugly.  Light-years beyond ugly.  To say they were hideous is to pay them a compliment.

;)

Jack
Jack Bagley, Ed. D.
Lt. Col., CAP (now inactive)
Gill Robb Wilson Award No. 1366, 29 Nov 1991
Admiral, Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
Honorary Admiral, Navy of the Republic of Molossia

Stonewall

Here's a former cadet (now a PJ) during TAC COMEX XXV in early 2000s at Ft. AP Hill, VA.  He's signaling an overhead A/C via mirror and smoke grenade.  Yes, that's my dog, Scout, with her orange vest.  One side had a CIVIL AIR PATROL name tape and DCWG patch and the other side had a SCOUT name tape and revers American flag.

Ahhh, those were the days.

And then one of my cadets teaching at MER SAR College in late 90s.
Serving since 1987.

bosshawk

ah, yes, AP Hill(it was sometimes known as Arm Pit Hill).  I was stationed there in the early 60s as an Army Lt.
Paul M. Reed
Col, USA(ret)
Former CAP Lt Col
Wilson #2777

Stonewall

I'm a writer.  Not by trade, but I enjoy writing my feelings down on paper (really, electronically).  I'm not the best writer, but it is very therapeutic and helps me collect my thoughts about things.

Back in 2002, it was my 15 year mark in CAP and I was 30 years old.  So naturally, I had to write about it....

Half My Life in Civil Air Patrol
(Am I Crazy?)

February 2, 2002

One of the people I've looked up to for ten years said this to me about CAP, "there are some very odd people in this world; it just so happens that most of them join CAP."  I think that about sums it up. In 15 years I have come across some of the most extraordinary people I've ever met. Both jobs that I've had in my adult life were offered to me by fellow senior members, working for the US Government and now at The World Bank. Yes, I have been very fortunate to be a part of this incredible organization.

As you can imagine, in a volunteer organization such as CAP things often go wrong. Right from the start I experienced this, and it never seemed to cease as time went on. I joined CAP in February 1987. However, it wasn't until August 1987 that I got my membership card. That's right, I had graduated the 8 week Training Flight program where I earned my first stripe, had been to encampment, and still, I didn't have an ID card. I later found out that the application was never submitted. My commander had to write a letter to the encampment commander saying that I was a member and somehow it worked. But every morning at inspection while everyone else had their CAP ID, I held up a letter that was slowly disintegrating due to the heat and humidity. Before encampment I ordered my uniform items only to find my name spelled wrong on the nameplate. I mean, my fatigues said "STONEWALL", but my nameplate said "STONWALL". So there I was, drawing attention from the start.

For the most part my experiences in CAP made my life more enjoyable than I could have imagined. It helped me in more ways than getting me a couple of jobs too. A few months into my membership my parents were in a terrible car accident. My mom was okay, but my dad's life was hanging by a thread. At one point we all went in to say our "goodbyes". Somehow, my dad beat the odds and lived, but not without complication. He had brain damage and was paralyzed on one side. Even that couldn't stop him though. He progressed so well that he later gained the ability to drive again. CAP gave me something positive to focus on. My squadron commander who was the same age as my dad and also a retired military officer and Vietnam veteran soon showed me everything I needed to know in order to evolve into a man. But don't think my dad didn't help too. At 14 I had to be there for my mom and dad. Days in and out of rehab, and quickly I became responsible for taking care of my dad while mom worked and finished college. It was a growing experience for both of us. My dad showed me that no matter what the circumstances, you can accomplish anything, like walking again. My dad demonstrated more strength and determination than I had ever witnessed. From that, I soon became a man before my time, as I had no choice.

Back to CAP. All of my friends through junior and senior high school were cadets. We were from different schools and lived in different parts of the city, but somehow we all managed to spend almost every weekend doing something that involved CAP, officially or unofficially. We'd go camping, or what we liked to call "going to the field", visit military units, and go to movies, hit the beach, or "run ops" around town. Running operations (ops) was our forte. We did everything from mock reconnaissance missions on the Mayo Clinic to waterborne operations along the Inner Coastal Water Way. It was all about having fun and seeing how much we could get away with. At least once a month we had a weekend squadron activity. Orientation flights, practice missions, tours, air shows, color guard missions, and model rocketry. We did it all and we loved it. We didn't have a squadron van so it was somewhat of a challenge to get where we were going. Some cadets had vehicles and parents were very helpful as well. We rarely had more than one senior involved in what we were doing so that made it tough too. We became very independent from seniors. The gang and I would come up with any reason to wear our uniforms.

Florida Wing is huge, and it was then, too. More than just area, there were a ton of CAP members spread throughout the state. At the time I think there were like 12 Groups. I was in Group 2 in Northeast Florida. For CAC meetings we'd have to drive as far as 2 to 3 hours for a meeting, a meeting that often ended without resolve. But nonetheless, CAC was another reason to wear my uniform and hang out with other cadets, something I loved doing.

My squadron never once did a joint meeting, activity, or mission with another unit. I couldn't tell you one name of a nearby squadron, unlike today in National Capital Wing where I know almost every squadron commander and half the cadets in each unit. Here, we do joint everything, from air shows to orientation flights; a far cry from 10 years ago in Florida.

As a cadet, rank and testing were not very important to my cohorts and me. The goal was earning the Mitchell Award before graduating high school. We were basically allowed to test once a month and each promotion required a review board. Review boards in my day were tough and taken seriously. It wasn't odd to fail a review board and have to do it again the following month. But I am grateful for that because it showed me that you couldn't get away with the minimums. You can guess on a written test when there are multiple choices, but when you're face to face with the Commander or his deputy, it's all or nothing. For this, I feel like we were all a higher caliber cadet. My squadron numbers varied from about 15 to 30 active cadets. I couldn't compare our squadron to another squadron in my day, because we never did anything together except for encampment and there we were all split up so you still couldn't tell. Another example of Florida's size has to do with encampment. In 1989 or 90, there were three different encampments in Florida. There were simply too many cadets for one encampment. Two years in a row my application was denied because I had already attended and there were too many other first-time applications.

Today, cadets go to multiple National Cadet Special Activities (NCSA) each year. I know one cadet who has been to five encampments and at least ten special activities. I applied for PJOC two years in a row and didn't get it. Review boards for NCSA's was held at the wing level and lasted an entire weekend. Hundreds of cadets showed up and you competed against all of them. Out of 100 cadets applying for PJOC only two or three could go, and as a sergeant or tech sergeant, I wasn't going to be one of them. Finally in 1990 I got a letter asking me if I'd be willing to go to Homestead AFB for an "unofficial" special activity called Aviator Water Survival School. I was there a week later. We parasailed, swam every day, learned egress skills for getting out of a downed plane, and learned other basic water survival skills. It was awesome, but no NCSA ribbon for us, it was "unofficial". I then realized that learning skills and having fun meant a lot more than wearing ribbons or special patches.

Through my first year in the Army I maintained my membership as a cadet. Then when I joined National Capital Wing I changed over to senior status and became very involved with the local squadron. It was tough being on active duty and showing up to meetings, but somehow I managed to make at least ¾ of them throughout the year. As a young senior I found it very difficult to be taken seriously. I was basically a cadet who had a job and an ugly high n' tight haircut, as required my unit. I was 20 years old and was trying to re-live my days as a cadet. I quickly realized that the ES training and experiences I had from Florida were nothing compared to National Capital Wing (DCWG). DCWG was very serious about their ES and was very capable with their assets and ground team members. I was running around trying to be hooah and they were finding ELTs before I could get my gear out of the truck. They also had corporate vans; something I didn't know existed at the squadron level. I quickly got caught up to speed and jumped into ground operations. I got EMT qualified, GTM, and GTL. Then later I was Ground Search Coordinator and Ground Operations Director. I even got Observer qualified because all the cool GTL's had observer wings already and I had to fit in. Now of course that's all changed but I am still qualified as an Observer, GTL, and Ground Branch Director. I even served as Commandant of NGSAR's Advanced School in 1999 at Camp Atterbury, IN. That was a blast but I have to admit that it wasn't very organized that year. I had no clue what my duties or responsibilities were and no one ever gave me a syllabus of what was supposed to be taught to these "advanced" ground team members. It was a fun experience though, and the people were great.

Along with ES I became heavily involved with the Cadet Program (CP). I chose this as my specialty track and earned a master rating in record time, which wasn't very hard to be honest with you. I memorized the cadet programs manuals and everything relating to cadets. I grew up pretty quick after not being taken serious as a younger senior. I got tired of no one listening to me so I started doing things on my own; however, I was still limited in my involvement. When the DCC left, I expected to be put in the position but I was wrong. Instead, the commander felt that a former army officer new to CAP with no experience working with cadets made for a better DCC. At the same time I was offered a DCC position at another local squadron, a squadron that was struggling with about every part of the program. There were about 5 or 6 active cadets from the "good old days" who were all considered staff but had no subordinates. Luckily that gang was leaving for college soon so I could start from scratch. I brought over 3 highly motivated cadets from my former squadron and started from there. I put together a Training Flight (T-Flight) program and began a huge recruiting campaign. My recruiting style was much different however. I was critical of who I let in. I wanted quality, not quantity. My goal was to build a solid corps of sharp cadets, not a group of kids looking to have fun and fly in planes. I was upfront with the parents and perspective cadets during orientation briefings where I advised them that is was tough and we expected a lot, but the rewards were great. That got rid of some of the potential crybabies and "attention stealers". An attention stealer is a cadet that requires far more attention than he or she is worth. In 6 months our numbers rose from 3 or 4, to almost 30. We had two T-Flight graduations and everyone was in complete uniforms. T-Flight was by far the best creation to come about in my time as DCC. T-Flight just has to be done right, by keeping it very simple and to the point while maintaining strict discipline and military structure; it will produce top quality cadets.

For about three years the squadron soared above the rest. We soon had 15 to 20 squadron members checking in on the weekly radio net and we made up about 70% of the total cadets who attended encampments and NCSA's in that 3-year time frame. Retention was at 100% for 2 straight years while our recruiting efforts were no longer needed. By now we had enough people that the word was getting out. It was cool to be in CAP! In that time 4 of my cadets went to academies and all others either went in the military or off to college. None of them just hung around milking their parents for money. It was great, I couldn't ask for more.

Through my time as a senior I was sort of known as a troublemaker, mostly at the wing level. I refuse to stand for being belittled or treated as a second-class citizen. And I definitely don't stand for incompetence or stupidity. I once had the wing commander so mad that he stormed out of his wing headquarters and went home. He was mad because none of my cadets took part in the annual report to congress, where DCWG cadets distribute the annual report throughout congress. I told him that of the 5 that were able to take off from school none of them had service dress uniforms that met the standard so I told them no. He said send them anyway. My argument was that they would only embarrass our organization and I didn't want to be responsible for that. On another occasion I stopped a squadron commander from "hooking up his son" with a Mitchell award before going off to college. It was a total farce, he was a staff sergeant and it was June. No way for him to make lieutenant before August. His argument was that he had been in CAP for two years so he met the time requirement. I stopped that and managed to get blacklisted from the squadron from that day forward. My feelings are that we are an auxiliary of the United States Air Force and while we do have young kids in the program, these kids have a desire to be better than their peers and want to live a certain lifestyle. If they can't hang with the program they can go elsewhere. It's okay to not want to be in CAP, just like the military, it's not for everyone.

Progressing through the program as a senior is a little bit harder than when I was a cadet. As a cadet you could test for your rank and wait two months between promotions. As a senior I found myself attending weekend courses, taking a correspondence course and waiting years between promotions. It's a good program though and I have enjoyed the ride. It was cool being a 26-year-old Major when half the people thought I was still a cadet. The toughest thing is trying to get into a Region Staff College. It seems to happen when I'm not available or cancels due to lack of participation. I think I'll try for another region next year.

Perhaps one of my biggest complaints in CAP is other seniors that just can't seem to comprehend the right mindset for leading and managing cadets or being involved with emergency services. Maybe it's the fact that I was a cadet, or that I served in a very strict unit in the army, but I just can't stand the lack of military bearing, discipline, or ability to make decisions. We wear a military uniform, why not wear it right? We have grooming standards, why not meet them? It's not okay to wear your uniform if you didn't shave. It's not okay to show up wearing a wrinkled blues shirt. For ES, I find far too many members acting more than doing. Acting like they're something they aren't. We're not Marine Recon, nor are we the local-yokel SAR group made up of tree hugging environmentalist. We are a separate organization that operates as the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. We wear their uniform, follow their same rank structure, and use their exact customs and courtesies. Just like the Air Force has Pararescuemen, we have Ground Team Members. They are professionals of their own accord, as we should strive to be, albeit as volunteers. We don't need to act like anyone but ourselves. We have a lot of different equipment to choose from but we all conform to the same national standard, and our uniform is prescribed and should be worn as outlined in our uniform manual; nothing more, nothing less. There is no need for knives strapped to your leg, and the boonie cap doesn't really do much more than the authorized BDU soft cap. Why be different? Why detract from our goal of uniformity? It's not what we're about. Join the Scouts if you want to wear what you want. And to those seniors who join with your kids, stay away from command or leadership positions if you can. No matter how hard people try, if they even attempt to try, there always seems to be problems. I can't stand watching a parent who is a senior hold their cadet's hand and walk them through the program. Half the time the cadet doesn't even want to be in the program but mommy and daddy thinks it'll give them discipline and help them mature. Yeah, well, they're not going to learn a darn thing if you give them everything or hold their hand.

Encampments are definitely the most important experience a cadet will ever have. Even as a senior member I attended two encampments. However, as a senior, it's more work than fun and the celebration doesn't happen until it's over. I recommend all senior members to take the time to experience an encampment. You will be a far better senior if you do. As a senior, I learned a lot about cadets that I didn't know. You learn that they mess up a lot, but after enough mess-ups they'll eventually get it. You can't hold their hand and you certainly shouldn't bubble wrap them.  Falling down, getting bruised, and making mistakes is an important part of life.

I often look back on my cadet days and compare it to the cadets today. I find so many differences and think that while cadets definitely have a better program and more opportunities, I can't possibly think they are having as much fun as I did as a cadet. Cadets today seem to depend on leadership and instruction from their seniors, whereas a cadet, everything required lots of tracking down, phone calls, initiative, and going out of your way to make things happen. Granted, the Internet has been a huge asset by reducing the need for a lot of work, but still, it's like cadets are afraid to go out and try to do something extra. Who knows, but I have one heck of a photo album that illustrates all the fun we had as cadets.

A personal obstacle I've found myself struggling with is being comfortable in my uniform outside of a group of other members. Like there is safety in numbers, but what am I afraid of? Here in the Washington DC area there are a ton of military, and pretty much everyone knows what uniform is what. So, when you walk around in BDUs with oddly colored nametapes and patches, you get stared at a lot, and I'm not one for drawing attention to myself. One wish that I have always had is for the entire nation to know about CAP; to look at us and see something familiar, as if they were looking at a Boy Scout or police officer. I'm not embarrassed at all; I just feel like people haven't a clue about CAP. It also gets old having to explain who we are. I don't mind recruiting, but most people can't really comprehend what and who we are by hearing "oh, we're the air force auxiliary". That's why I tell everyone not to recruit, just make us known and people will come. This is another reason I don't agree with the CAP race car. Not enough people watch racing to really make an impact. Heck, as far as I can tell there aren't even any races on the West coast. I think the sum was $11 Million. I have no idea what it costs, but I'm sure a commercial costs a lot less than that. A 30-second commercial showing some images of cadets at encampment, doing ES, shooting off a rocket, and flying would do more for spreading the word than a race car. No offense to Ashton Lewis, I'd take the gig too if they offered it to me, but the wizards at National really should have thought this one through a little better.

Well, that's about it with the stories and thoughts of the last 15 years of my life. CAP has been one of the best ongoing things in my life. I love wearing the uniform and I love the people. I have learned so much about being a leader and manager. I've had my pride bruised on many occasions but I've walked away a better person each time. I've managed to tick a lot of people off but only by doing what I feel is right. I never let my standards drop for any reason. I carry myself as a professional volunteer and as a mentor at all times. I've learned that no matter what, cadets will take advantage of any chance they can to exploit your deficiencies or shortcomings. For this very reason I feel it's imperative to maintain my military bearing at all times. This doesn't mean I'm mean or that I don't have fun. Trust me, I live to make light of almost every situation. I feel that life is way too short to not have fun or to not take chances. I've failed at a few things in life and even in CAP, but it's no big deal. At least I tried and I know that I learned something from trying and failing. I often think that cadets aren't allowed to fail, as if it's a bad thing. No one wants to mess up, get hurt, or fail a test or mission, but some of the best lessons are learned from this and I'm living proof of this theory.

I will close by saying this; CAP is a unique organization with all the pieces of a huge puzzle. Some pieces are more difficult than others, and just when you think you found a home for a piece, you find that it doesn't fit. We are all pieces of that puzzle, and some people are pieces of a different puzzle. And that's okay, too. I love being a part of this small group of American volunteers. I truly believe that we are doing something good for the youth of our country and for our country itself. It has often been said that we are more secret than the CIA and sometimes I think it's true. My goal as a CAP member is to do my best to make it cool to be a part of CAP. As a cadet, people made fun of me and the gang for playing GI Joe. I want members of the military to realize that we're more than a bunch of wannabe military officers and that our cadets are not just kids. They're young adults who want to do more than just go to school and play video games. They want to be a part of something real and that they are willing to offer their time and energy to learn special skills, live a certain lifestyle, and be a part of something that requires them to work with others to reach a common goal.
Serving since 1987.

Stonewall

WIWAC, I looked like this....

Unauthorized beret, unauthorized subdued CAP insignia and patches, Kay-Bar knife strapped to LBE....

Circa 1990.
Serving since 1987.

AlphaSigOU

I can vouch for Garibaldi's 'war stories'; we were cadets in the same unit but in different time periods (1977-1979). Practically everything we used to do in our days when we were snot-nosed cadinks you can't get away with anymore. Bottle rocket combat, rappelling off Whiteside Mountain (I never got to rappel off the 750, plenty of times down the 250), week-long FTXs at a miserable place in far northeast Alabama called 'Arm Pit' and a tough wing encampment called a 'cadet leadership school'.
Lt Col Charles E. (Chuck) Corway, CAP
Gill Robb Wilson Award (#2901 - 2011)
Amelia Earhart Award (#1257 - 1982) - C/Major (retired)
Billy Mitchell Award (#2375 - 1981)
Administrative/Personnel/Professional Development Officer
Nellis Composite Squadron (PCR-NV-069)
KJ6GHO - NAR 45040

Walkman

I graduated in '89, so I would have been a cadet in MIWG during the times discussed. If I had know about CAP during HS, I would have been out-of-my-mind ate up about it. I remember me and a neighbor talking about forming our own Red Dawn unit as we each had some martial arts training.  ;)

One thing that occurs to me is that while there are some safety regs that prohibit some of the crazy experiences you gray beards had, it doesn't mean that we can't make the cadet experience just as awesome today. It just requires creativity, passion and a little fore-thought. I've been inspired to try to make some of my unit ES training better just from reading this.

Walkman

Some things I got to thinking about after digesting many of comments about "kids today".

I've had discussions with my youth at church (I'm a youth minister) about the challenges they face today and how they are different than what I had to deal with. While kids today face may not have to deal with the same kinds of trouble many of us faced, their challenges are still pretty tough. Different, but still challenges.

When I was a teen, I wasn't faced with a barrage of easily accessible pr0n all day long. Growing up, if you heard a "four letter word" on TV, it was shocking. Try resisting that kind of temptation as a 14 year old.

Yeah, there were bullies in school that called me names, but now not only are the taunts out there for all the world to see, but if you spend any time online, you'll meet a horde of anonymous trolls that will eviscerate you mercilessly if crossed.

I played football in HS. My 1st year playing the sport was 8th grade. Now, if you want to even think about making the team in HS, you had better start playing in elementary school, and get on a traveling team and go to every workshop and training camp you can afford, basically turn your life over to the sport like you're going to the Olympics. I'm watching my nieces & nephews go through this right now. They have no other life but hockey & softball.

I didn't have a police officer at the door to my school, nor did I have metal detectors. None of my friends were suspended because of some Zero Tolerance policy because they wore a t-shirt that supported the troops. We had random fire drills, not active shooter lock-downs.

It's a different world, for sure. Just like it was between our parents and us. But before we go dissing "kids today", it would be good to acknowledge that growing up in the 21st century isn't easy. In fact, I have to give props to the ones that make it out of adolescence with their wits and character intact. I don't think I would have.

And really when you think about it, those kids that are glued to their Xboxes and iPhones are the result of parents who have dropped the ball. Kudos to those parents that make boundaries, say no and actually expect discipline and respect.

ol'fido

First, thanks to Whatevah for unlocking this old thread.

I thought about this thread today while driving home. Sometimes when I am out on the road, I will see an old building or tin shed that reminds me of some of the old hangars and CAP buildings we used to meet in and work missions out of. Today, nearly all of our activities are run out buildings constructed in the last 20 years. They have internet, kitchenettes, and one cup gourmet coffee makers. WIWAC, our buildings were often WW2 era surplus and we felt lucky if we had indoor plumbing. Our coffee came out of silver "bullet" coffee pots and a phone was a luxury.

These old buildings are getting fewer and more far between. However, every once in a while I will see one and I will get that old familiar, nostalgic feeling. It is a good feeling.
Lt. Col. Randy L. Mitchell
Historian, Group 1, IL-006

ol'fido

Also, WIWAC, this is what one of the "old breed" looked like....

Lt. Col. Randy L. Mitchell
Historian, Group 1, IL-006

Huey Driver

Quote from: ol'fido on February 13, 2014, 04:34:37 AM
I thought about this thread today while driving home. Sometimes when I am out on the road, I will see an old building or tin shed that reminds me of some of the old hangars and CAP buildings we used to meet in and work missions out of. Today, nearly all of our activities are run out buildings constructed in the last 20 years. They have internet, kitchenettes, and one cup gourmet coffee makers. WIWAC, our buildings were often WW2 era surplus and we felt lucky if we had indoor plumbing. Our coffee came out of silver "bullet" coffee pots and a phone was a luxury.

These old buildings are getting fewer and more far between. However, every once in a while I will see one and I will get that old familiar, nostalgic feeling. It is a good feeling.

We meet in the renovated terminal leftover from WWII, when our airport was known as NAS Wildwood. Still, we don't have running water up on our occupied floor, and often don't even have heat! But we also get to keep our planes in the original 92,000 square foot WWII hangar  :D

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right...

AlphaSigOU

#194
Bringing out the old photos - the few that survived from my years as a cadink...

The first picture was of the Florida Wing contingent that attended the Air Training Command Familiarization Course (ATCFC - now Specialized Undergraduate Flying Training Familiarization Course) at Laughlin AFB in the hot summer of 1979. I'm the 'hardkewl' cadet sergeant in the front row, left squinting in the bright Texas sun.

The second picture was taken shortly after my promotion to cadet warrant officer and appointment to the Florida Wing Cadet Advisory Council as the chairman and representative for Group 15. The person next to me is a family friend.

The third picture is the earliest picture of me as a cadink in 1978... we're posing at the desk of Georgia congressman Larry McDonald (he would later die in the shootdown of Korean Air 007 in 1983) during the 'victory tour' of Washington DC by the 1977 National Cadet Competition champions. I wasn't on the team but a few cadets were included.
Lt Col Charles E. (Chuck) Corway, CAP
Gill Robb Wilson Award (#2901 - 2011)
Amelia Earhart Award (#1257 - 1982) - C/Major (retired)
Billy Mitchell Award (#2375 - 1981)
Administrative/Personnel/Professional Development Officer
Nellis Composite Squadron (PCR-NV-069)
KJ6GHO - NAR 45040

ol'fido

Lt. Col. Randy L. Mitchell
Historian, Group 1, IL-006

FW

Here is a picture of me and "the guys" back in 1969 during a group SAREX. The picture was taken behind our WW2 surplus "temporary buildings" (which lasted till 1997) at the NE Philadelphia Airport.  I'm the c/msgt looking really young! ;D

Pulsar

Quote from: FW on February 13, 2014, 03:35:22 PM
Here is a picture of me and "the guys" back in 1969 during a group SAREX. The picture was taken behind our WW2 surplus "temporary buildings" (which lasted till 1997) at the NE Philadelphia Airport.  I'm the c/msgt looking really young! ;D

wow...that's ancient...

(this makes me respect you even more)
C/LtCol Neutron Star
PAWG ENC 2013/ AMMA 2014/ NER W RCLS 2014-5 [Salutatorian] / NER Powered Flight Academy 2015

"A fiery strength inspires their lives, An essence that from heaven
derives,..." - Vergil, The Aeneid

(C) Copyright 2013: Readers who choose to hardcopy my comments are entitled to specific rights, namely: you may print them off and read them repeatedly until you have memorized them and then rattle them off as if you had thought them up yourself; However if asked, you must say they were signaled to you from a neutron star.

a2capt

Quote from: AlphaSigOU on February 13, 2014, 12:18:00 PMBringing out the old photos - the few that survived from my years as a cadink...
Here, fixed it for you.. ;)

ol'fido

OK, informal poll.

How many of you BITD carried a light green and loam GI camo stick in your LBE as cadet?

How many of you ever owned an GI angle head flashlight?

I still love the smell of canvas and sweat you got off of the old Vietnam-era web gear.
Lt. Col. Randy L. Mitchell
Historian, Group 1, IL-006