This one doesn't smell as bad anymore

[birdog]

You might recall this.

There has been an official resolution (pdf warning)

Adverse Personnel Actions Announced for Two Civil Air Patrol Officers

February 19, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol Headquarters

Indianapolis, IN  --  Colonel Mark Reeves, Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol commander, received notification today that the Great Lakes Region commander, Colonel Charles Carr, finalized adverse membership actions against two Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol officers: Chris Curdes and John Bryan. 

Chris Curdes was reduced in grade to first lieutenant and suspended from all command appointments for no less than two years and his incident commander privileges were suspended for no less than two years.  John Bryan's status as an incident commander was revoked for no less than one year.  Neither officer will be able to independently lead Civil Air Patrol emergency services activities until their emergency services privileges are evaluated and endorsed by the Indiana Wing commander.

Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol consists of nearly 1200 adult and youth volunteers active in more than 30 communities across the state of Indiana.  Nationally, CAP performs 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 103 lives in 2007. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for almost 65 years.

Note that it doesn't actually state the two are reinstated, it merely implies it. Also note that it does not mention that Lt. Col Bryan retained his grade. As a matter of fact it doesn't name is grade anywhere. While I am happy that Col. Carr chose this course of action I feel that the press release could have been worded a little better and should have made mention of what brought about the whole mess in the first place.

[ThorntonOL]

From what I read of the article you posted they are still active members but can't perform those duties for the time named and for their actions what ever they may be caused his(their) demotion.

[TEAM SURGE]

What exactly happened?

[ThorntonOL]

My mistake, I just found the original article, now i'm just confused.

[John Bryan]

I will only speak for myself.....but here is my story:

I was the IC for a DR mission in September 2008. Our unit did sand bagging and ground damage assessment for over a week. These were the worst floods in NW Indiana in 100 years. We had 2 missions numbers since we had 2 customers...so I was officially the IC for 2 missions. Anyway during the mission 3 of the members who worked were new CAP members who had their applications sent to NHQ a month or more before the event. Everyone thought they were members , however they had not been entered into the national data base. I had a FASC trainee who was taking care of sign in and ID/101 checks. I assumed he had confirmed their membership and ES status....he did not.  I did not supervise my trainee as I should have. A week after the mission when I was preparing the request for DR ribbon with V device I learned the 3 were not members at the time of the mission. The Wing Command staff  learned of this at the same time around 01 Oct. On 11 Nov I was terminated for willful and serious violation of CAP regulations. On appeal my membership was retained and I was removed as an IC for no less then 1 year with additional training also being required.

So I renewed this week and am hoping the wing will give me my GENES and all my other certs other than IC back.

[RiverAux]

Assuming that there weren't some other political issues going on in the background, I don't recall CAP ever trying to be quite that harsh towards that sort of mistake. 

Reminds me of how in the Navy if you're the Captain you really can pay a high career price if a member of your crew makes a major blunder (on the assumption that you failed to train them properly).  In general, I'm okay with that sort of thing and wouldn't have a problem with the yanking of the IC quals, but membership termination for "willful" violation of regulations seems extreme.  The fact that a termination appeal was actually succssful (which seems to almost never happens) tells me that someone initially over-reacted.   

[heliodoc]

John

You do not know me but I want to commend you for the "admission."  Being a former EM Program Mgr from a Midwest EM agency and an Agency Rep for wildland fire and an Damage Assessment type for PA and IA, I have to commend you for steeping up as an IC.

CAP still continues to "bake " people for mistakes, albeit, yours was one, the termination afor "willful and serious violation of CAP regs......"  is really a slap in the face to people who step up to position that in many cases does not have anythin more than an SQTR and a checklist on how to go about things rather than a reaaaaaaal training syllabus that includes tabletops and scenario based training.  The units and some Wing personnel have to make it up on the fly

The CAP termination was a pretty extreme and pretty STUPID move to put one through all that and then run you through "additional training."  Being on a few disater drills and actual on the ground serious , on going disaster like wildland fire , I would like to see what that "retraining program " entails.  It appears that there was a problem and the and then the appeals process gets to take more time.  I

I think we all learned a lesson from this.... mistakes will and can be made and there have been many a mistake at MANY Wing levels and to hammer some one and run the "CAP gauntlet" ....makes one wonder why any of us want to take on thankless job as an IC during A REAL Disaster and not just some SAREX....

Granted, the members were not members, during the disaster, apparently,,,, but the retraining should have begun right there.   NOT termination.

Some Wings and Natl may never learn.......  but as a former EM agency type and a former IC on some wildland fires......Thanks for your service as an IC ........a very thankless job as proved by the Wing you reside in.  The Wing should done a very professionall AAR and handled your situation a in MORE PROFESSIONAL way...  There method was welll.......... no need to say.... let them go figure it out...

Thanks John for your IC service!!

[chiles]

I have to give you credit for sticking with the program. Would have been easier to just walk away. Hard lesson learned but definitely a model for our junior officers to look at and think that maybe taking our ball and going home isn't the best idea. Good luck with your career and earning those ratings back!

[ZigZag911]

Termination seems like an extreme penalty in this case.

There appears to have been some negligence (understandable in the stress of the situation, but still not acceptable); the final resolution seems more fair.

John is to be commended for admitting his mistake and sticking with CAP -- it must have been a trying experience getting reinstated.