New CAP Uniform

[Major Carrales]

So, the "Admiral" had a story that people "jumped the gun on" before knowing all the facts.  How so typically "CAPTALK." 

Some of you are so used to jumping on the "bandwagon" that you have all the "songs" memorized.  That effect (the roasting, "behind the back" talk and busy-bodying) is one of the major failings of CAP oriented forums.

So, will the next posting on something similar show a tempered/objective response?  Will facts be presented before jumping off the cliff with both feet?  Probably not.  Someone will call for it and be told to bugger off, be labeled and unprofessional trash talking will ensue.

[Cecil DP]

OK, so was he a Spaatz Cadet?  Possibly explaining how he went from Senior Member to LTC in 5 years.  Surely someone in TX wing has heard of him right?

The join date is the last time he joined without a break. If he took more than a 90 day break his join date will change. For instance I joined in 1965, enlisted in 68, rejoined in 71, left for a year in 81 and rejoined in 83. I would have My join date is 1/83 but National will show 38 years when I retire in January.

SURELY!!! Someone remembers the explosion and the fireball?  The Bronze Star being awarded?   Something

Bronze Stars can only be earned in a combat zone. Do I smell fish???

[Major Carrales]

http://www.airportjournals.com/display.cfm?


"After high school, he joined the United States Air Force. During his three years in the service, Ellison did learn to fly, but he also used his burgeoning artistic skills to illustrate the nose cones of F-111 Aardvarks. A colonel took the young serviceman under his wing and encouraged him to go to college. That facilitated Ellison's early discharge from the military. Ellison went on to pursue his dream by completing a visual arts degree at the University of Texas, winning national art awards in the process."

So why is he wearing Observer Wings?


"I was in special operations and emergency services," he recalled. "I was one of the few CAP officers sent to attend the first Air Force Academy program for CAP officers. We performed a lot of missions at the Air Force's behest, including search and rescue and recovery efforts."

Over the course of his service, Ellison accumulated more than 1,000 hours of mission time and trained more than 3,000 officers and cadets. He twice received the CAP's Life Saving Award, as well as the Bronze Star for a profoundly brave act of heroism.

In the early 1980s, Ellison went on a rescue mission in a Helio Courier, to assess the condition of a crashed aircraft.

"A plane went down, but no one wanted to get near it because of the ordinance it was carrying," he remembered. "It was going to blow. I flew past everyone. I didn't think about my life at the time; I was young and dumb. I pulled the pilot out anyway. The fireball burned right through my flight suit, but I saved this guy."

SURELY!!! Someone remembers the explosion and the fireball?  The Bronze Star being awarded?   Something? 

You know, it think it is way past time to stop.  

[Flying Pig]

This guy is/was one of CAP's greatest heros.  I want to know who he is.  I mean, come on, he pulled a fighter pilot out of a military plane that was full of ordinance AS IT EXPLODED!  I dont think its to much to ask to want the details.  There have to be people here who remember that mission?

[pixelwonk]

Someone will call for it and be told to bugger off, be labeled and unprofessional trash talking will ensue.

bugger off. Seriously.

You've got a bunch o' folks with prior or current service who are challenging the bona-fides of someone who is wearing the bling of the USAF and your treasured Civil Air Patrol because some of his dogs just won't hunt.  Did you read what's been presented? Are you knowledgeable in the content? Do you possess the bona-fides to judge your peers that are right here in this forum?   If not, take a seat.

Some of you are so used to jumping on the "bandwagon" that you have all the "songs" memorized.  That effect (the roasting, "behind the back" talk and busy-bodying) is one of the major failings of CAP oriented forums.

There's always the if things get too heavy for you.  Every forum, blog, etc on the Web that is even remotely involving the military is the same in this respect.

There's something about a guy who must ensure everyone knows he's taking the moral high ground on every controversial topic. Sounds like AGENDISM! Oy!
Learn when to lay low, dude.

[SoCalCAPOfficer]

So can all you guys that are Admirals in the Nebraska Navy wear a Uniform like the one Ellison is wearing, with the stars?

[DNall]

Okay, so the guy was given some honorary grade & made up his own uniform to look cool? CAP & mil decs/badges should not be on that type of arrangement.

[Flying Pig]

Ill say this right now. I have been confronted by so many inflated and fake heros in my time in the military, CAP and in police work, starting with a Plt. Sgt. who everyone believed was a SEAL and even wore the Trident and Gold Jump Wings.  Come to find out, the dude had doctored his ENTIRE record book and had even gained promotions up to MSgt. based on his "accomplishments".  Somehow he managed to walk around for 15 years in the Army Reserves with a SEAL trident and never got called on it.  He later received a Dishonorable.  
I have seen highly respected CAP members walk away in shame when its discovered that they were PURE phonies.   I have dealt with, in law enforcement, a couple of "community leaders" who had so over inflated themselves to gain notoriety and influence, and who's first reaction was to call you names the first time something didnt add up with their stories.  Later on, the story comes out and people ask, "Why didnt we know?"
When I was in High School, a "SEAL" came by our JROTC unit once per week to talk to the cadets and just help out.  Guess what..... after I joined the Marines, I later learned that the dude got escorted off campus by the police.  The guy was never even in the Navy.

Admiral Ellison has had some wild and amazing experiences in CAP that dwarf any Silver Medal of Valor citation I have ever had the pleasure of reading, was on Wing Staff in TX, and by his own account was a very influential member of CAP. I mean for crying out loud...he saved a crashed military pilot from a burning plane loaded with bombs, on a CAP search mission, a second before it exploded, in front of onlookers who were to afraid to do anything, and nobody remembers? 
He trained thousands of members, however, nobody has ever heard of him and he just let his membership expire?  Why not stay in CAP and at least wear a uniform that is official?  Now, he creates his own uniform for an honorary position, that by his own admission, when he was "commissioned", the certificate meant so little that it ended up in a pile of papers on the floor in his office until a kid starting calling him "Admiral".

So when someone like this comes along, please, spare me the guilt trip when people question.  Because in real life, believe me, there are very few people like this who actually exist.  I would love for nothing else more than to be able to point at this guy and say, "You know what?  That dude right there is the S$%^!   That guy right there is what Civil Air Patrol means"  

And believe me, people who are the real deal, dont mind when people ask.

[SJFedor]

Okay, so the guy was given some honorary grade & made up his own uniform to look cool? CAP & mil decs/badges should not be on that type of arrangement.

So... I'm trying to stay well clear of this one, since this is one of my major pet peeves.

But, just to add another stick to the pile. It says he was given a special commission by then Gov. Bush as an Admiral...

...Why's he only wearing RADM(Upper) stars then, and not the true 4 stars that an Admiral would wear?

[sandman]

You know, it think it is way past time to stop.  

I understand what you're saying but I have to disagree. We have found out who he is but there are some unanswered questions. Where is the bronze star ribbon? Is it possible to wear two AFOUA ribbons (other than having 26 or more of the same award)?

At least we have some uniform "violations" we can kick around, at worst we have a guy claiming some fairly tall tails that need to fleshed out!

[SJFedor]

* NIN looks around nonchalantly, drops this on the ground for the jackals to pick up on...

http://goldenheartfoundation.com/

And, of note, the quality of the website absolutely sucks. Everything except, of course, the donations page, which seems to work very well.  


And NIN, I'm submitting a F2A for a find for you buddy  

[sandman]

So can all you guys that are Admirals in the Nebraska Navy wear a Uniform like the one Ellison is wearing, with the stars?

By golly, I think I will!

I'm thinking three stars, maybe four. Three stars I could use the CG Aux NACO bling so somebody couldn't mistake me for a poser

[Flying Pig]

You know, I dont have really any issues with any of the uniforms, ribbons, whatever.  If the guy earned them, and he later got a wild hair to come up with some sort of made up uniform, who cares.  I look at it like he created a work uniform for his company.

What I take issue with, is if the guy is telling these wild stories, then using it to further a cause where kids are looking to him as an example.  I dont care what "good" his organization is or what it has done. (Actually I do) but if its foundation is based off of things that dont add up, thats where it needs to stop.  If kids need a hero, you don't make one up.

[SilverEagle2]

I could be speculating, but perhaps his NCSA ribbon is supposed to be a Senior Recruiter Ribbon. Then they would be in order aside from it being the wrong one.

However, his AF awards are out of order as well.

At the least, he needs a regulation refresh and a good uniform inspection what ever the organization he claims to be part of is.

[Major Carrales]

Someone will call for it and be told to bugger off, be labeled and unprofessional trash talking will ensue.

bugger off. Seriously.

You've got a bunch o' folks with prior or current service who are challenging the bona-fides of someone who is wearing the bling of the USAF and your treasured Civil Air Patrol because some of his dogs just won't hunt.  Did you read what's been presented? Are you knowledgeable in the content? Do you possess the bona-fides to judge your peers that are right here in this forum?   If not, take a seat.

Some of you are so used to jumping on the "bandwagon" that you have all the "songs" memorized.  That effect (the roasting, "behind the back" talk and busy-bodying) is one of the major failings of CAP oriented forums.

There's always the if things get too heavy for you.  Every forum, blog, etc on the Web that is even remotely involving the military is the same in this respect.

There's something about a guy who must ensure everyone knows he's taking the moral high ground on every controversial topic. Sounds like AGENDISM! Oy!
Learn when to lay low, dude.

You should try taking the "moral high ground" sometime, it only involves the core values of CAP.

Really, I come on here are try to stave off uninformed/half informed comments from people who are without the full gamut of facts and warn against specuations that might make CAP officers look "unprofessional" and I get this sort of reaction from you.  WOW!!!

I can see that CAP "blogging" and the effective use of a discussion forum has taken a slide down to a place I don't think is beneficial to the greater CAP.

If people have a problem with the fellow in the photo, they should contact the fellow in private and make their concerns known to him...not post all sorts "comments."  If you think the fellow is a fraud, why not alert the authorities and then report the findings?  Or is it easier to make flippant, underinformed and ungrounded comments?

And you bet I'm gonna scold people for not "taking the morale highground," we should refrain from doing the opposite.

[Flying Pig]

I did email him. 

Admiral Ellison,

I am interested in your act of valor where you rescued the military pilot seconds before his aircraft, laden with ordinance exploded.  What type of aircraft was it?  As a 20 year member of CAP, I had never heard of that incident, and it far dwarfs any Silver of Medal citation I have ever witnessed or read.  When was it?  Additionally, what Airborne Class were you in and what was your military occupational specialty that allowed you to attend jump school as an air force airman?  Its a shame you allowed your CAP membership to expire.  You seem to be the type of member we so desperately need these days.

Robert Steht
Sq. Commander
Sq. 112-Fresno



Standing by

[sandman]

You should try taking the "moral high ground" sometime, it only involves the core values of CAP.

Really, I come on here are try to stave off uninformed/half informed comments from people who are without the full gamut of facts and warn against specuations that might make CAP officers look "unprofessional" and I get this sort of reaction from you.  WOW!!!

I can see that CAP "blogging" and the effective use of a discussion forum has taken a slide down to a place I don't think is beneficial to the greater CAP.

If people have a problem with the fellow in the photo, they should contact the fellow in private and make their concerns known to him...not post all sorts "comments."  If you think the fellow is a fraud, why not alert the authorities and then report the findings?  Or is it easier to make flippant, underinformed and ungrounded comments?

And you bet I'm gonna scold people for not "taking the morale highground," we should refrain from doing the opposite.

I hear what you're saying Joe. I wonder if you're missing the point here though. My understanding of this forum is to sit back and "shoot the bull" with people of like interests (CAP).

As is with human nature, members tend to critique or criticize things of which we have not a full understanding. Such is the fun.

Had I known who this person was, maybe the opening presentation would have taken a different tack along with the whole discussion. But I enjoy stirring the pot sometimes.....

[Flying Pig]

The guy is claiming to have been one of our biggest heros. And (WE) have never heard of him. I see no problem with us wanting him to jog our memory.  Hopefully, his email will straighten this out.

[sandman]

The guy is claiming to have been one of our biggest heros. And (WE) have never heard of him. I see no problem with us wanting him to jog our memory.  Hopefully, his email will straighten this out.

Maybe invite him to CAPTalk for an open discussion. If his street cred (CAP cred) checks out, it would be excellent to have such a person broadcast to this forum!

[LtCol White]

I do believe there are some folks on here who owe an equally public apology for the comments they made here after making assumptions and jumping to conclusions.