Embarassing CAP moments!

[James Shaw]

What is your most embarassing CAP moment. I know people have had them. I know I have. I will offer up two of them.

2006 National Board. I was doing a presentation to the members during the NB about the dedication of the CAP Memorial for those who have died in the line of duty. IWhen I got up to the microphone to talk I did most of my presentation flawlessly. Then I went to thank my boss Col. Len Blascovich and pronounced his name Blasco"[censored]" and immediately saw the faces in the room. Len smiled and gave me a sheepish grin but never really said anything about it. Some in the room were chuckling and others started outright laughing. After realizing what I had done I told the audience I was still being medicated from a surgery justa few weeks earlier. Vicodin was the culprit!

2007 National Board. I was being presented my SMV. When I went up to the stage Gen Courter put the medal on my uniform and I saluted. Instead of standing there for the reading of the citation I immediately turned around and walked off the stage. I was also presented with the 2007 National Historian of the Year. When I went on the stage Gen Courter told me to stay put this time and let them finish reading before I walked off. Yes Mam!

[Stonewall]

I can remember one major one from my cadet daze days.  We were on a mission near Gainesville and we used those old Radio Shack "walkie talkies" programmed to 26.620 and thought it was "secure", and since it was a short range piece of kit, no one would know.  Me and my fellow cadets started talking like we were in a fire fight calling for air support.  Our SMIC was inside using the bathroom so we thought we were good to go.

Some scary looking dude in a conversion van with antennas all over it pulls up and starts chewing us out.  Not sure who he was, where he was from, but he was big and scary.  We were so scared we reported ourselves to the SMIC with us.  Later we found out it was a friend of our Major's who he put up to setting us straight.

Circa 1989.

[ColonelJack]

I'm not sure if this qualifies as an embarrassing moment for me, but it's one I treasure:

Back in the mid 80s, I was attending a Georgia Wing conference at Robins AFB.  The National CC at the time, General Cass, was there as well for some presentations, etc.  The first evening of the conference, I and several from my squadron were in the Robins Officer's Club when General Cass entered the room.  As he was entering, a lovely young waitress was leaving the club, and I saw the general -- never breaking stride toward the bar -- turn and admire her shapely backside as she left the room, then turn around and, upon seeing me, smiling sheepishly.  I said something like, "It's no problem, sir.  I was watching too."  We enjoyed a brief chat and a drink and he went on his way.

No, it's not embarrassing for me ... but it's a story I've always wanted to share here.

Jack

[Duke Dillio]

I got one that Kirt might already know...

I was on a SAREX or bivouac with the Mt. Vernon Composite Squadron.  This was probably 1991.  While we were moving around, a bird flew over and unloaded on my uniform.  Lt. Col. McIntosh saw me and said, "Son, I've been in the field for some time now and I have never had a bird *censored* on me."  BDU wash $0.50.  Look on my face.  PRICELESS.

So on another SAREX, the person who set the beacon decided to place it inside a 55 gallon drum.  When my team found the beacon, we asked for permission to deactivate it.  Permission was granted and I reached in to grab the beacon.  The lesson learned is to remove you equipment.  I ended up inverted inside the drum and couldn't get out.  This drum was a trashcan in the local park and so it was welded onto rebar sticking into concrete.  It took three members of my team to pull me out of it...

[Sleepwalker]

 
   I was leaving our local Town Hall (our Squadron received a Proclamation of Honor from the Mayor) and I saw a Major standing just outside of the door (I was a Captain then).  I would be holding up dozens of people behind me waiting to get out if I hesitated, so I quickly put on my flight cap and saluted and hurried out of the way.  well, I had put my cap on backwards, and of course, one of the Cadets managed to get a snapshot of it (which was widely circulated) and made me feel very foolish. 

   As they say: "Your ebarrassment is someone else's entertainment".     

[Hill CAP]

Most embarrassing CAP moment was NB 2004 I was going to get something from the HG Directors car not watching where I was going and infront of everyone one in the lobby I missed the door and ran right in to the plate glass window beside the door. it got a laugh from all

[NIN]

I think it was the MI Wing Conference in either the fall of 1989 or the spring of 1990.  

I just gotten done showing the recently finished encampment video that I'd put together to a huge SRO crowd, and my Wing Commander at the time, the late Bud Payton, was in the back of the room trying to make his way up to the front to say some "wing commander-ly" things.

Without thinking too hard ("thinking too hard" is not something I'm even accused of), in an effort to be helpful, I borrowed the line from "Gardens of Stone" and barked "Make a hole, make it -wide-!"   The room got deadly silent, and several people go "oooohhh.." under their breaths. My face went 7 shades of red.

Bud was good natured about it. The crowd parted, Bud walked up to the front of the room where I was standing, reached up and unbuttoned both epaulets and slid my 1Lt shoulder marks off.

"I'll just take these for a little while.." he grinned.

The whole room erupted in laughter and he handed them back to me.  I was a little embarrassed.

[Trung Si Ma]

1980 AKWG Summer Encampment at Eielson AFB, AK.

The guy scheduled to run it got thrown out of CAP two months before the encampment and I got "nominated" to run it.  With a lot of help from some of my former cadets and other friends, we had a very successful encampment.  During the graduation dinner, I thanked everyone in attendance and those not even there, by name, for all of the great things that they had done to support us.

Except for my Commandant of Cadets...

My wife.

[Fifinella]

Ok, the LAWG/CC was paying a visit to Encampment, and I had babysitting duty for the day.  As I was escorting him from one activity to the next, he makes a detour to the "biological facilities".  As I'm waiting in the foyer at a respectful distance, I hear his voice come booming out of the Men's room, "Have you met Judy?"  Not really wanting to know why my name came up in the men's room, or to whom, all I could do was stand there and wait.  The WG/CC came out with an active duty airman in tow, and proceeded to make introductions.  I hope they washed their hands. 

To make matters worse, there were, of course, witnesses.  From time to time, some subversive will anonymously ask in a crowd/public area, "Have you met Judy?", and those who know will snicker.

[Phil Hirons, Jr.]

At the 2007 NER Conference I saw a NJWG Cadet I knew from our encampments talking to an officer in BDUs. I went up to congratulate her on being named NJWG's Cadet of the Year. After I started talking I noticed the single star on Gen Courter's collar 

[DC]

1980 AKWG Summer Encampment at Eielson AFB, AK.

The guy scheduled to run it got thrown out of CAP two months before the encampment and I got "nominated" to run it.  With a lot of help from some of my former cadets and other friends, we had a very successful encampment.  During the graduation dinner, I thanked everyone in attendance and those not even there, by name, for all of the great things that they had done to support us.

Except for my Commandant of Cadets...

My wife.

Oops... I bet you caught [hades] for that one...

I've never done anything too embarassing, though one night, just after I joined I was sitting down and missed the chair, (Thankfully the floor was there to catch me...) earning the nickname 'Bullseye' for a few weeks..

[ol'fido]

I had an experience kind of like Colonel Jack's. At an ILWG conference in the late 70's('78?), I was a very new, very young, very rural cadet in Chicagoland for the first time. At the hotel, there was a coctail lounge where the waitresses wore very short outfits kind of like Lt. Uhura's uniform on Star Trek only shorter. As myself and another cadet were walking by I said rather loudly, "Did you see how short her dress was?". He looked at me and pointed to the senior member going  by us. It was the ILWG Chaplain. He had heard my outburst but all he did was grin and go about his way.

[Pingree1492]

I was a member of the cadet command staff for an Encampment, and at the time, it was a tradition that all 3 members of the command staff wear wheel caps instead of the flight caps.  I was wearing the cap with the visor low, so my vision was a little bit impaired (if you've ever worn one, you know what I'm talking about). 

So, one miraculously bright and sunny day, the three of us were walking to the Dining Hall, and I was mid-sentence when I smacked dead-center into a light pole.  Fortunately, I was talking and had my head turned, otherwise my nose would have been the first thing that struck the pole.  Needless to say, in the pole vs. C/Col competition, the pole won.  Also, VERY fortunately, there were no other staff or basics present.  Still, I didn't quite live that down the rest of the week.... 

Ah, memories...

[EMT-83]

With a group of cadets at McGuire AFB air show. We walked around the end of a hanger just in time to hear the beginning of the National Anthem being played at Retreat.

As we had thoroughly discussed customs and courtesies, the group stopped to face the flag and salute... the row of porta-potties lined up in front of the hanger.

[SarDragon]

Do not, under any circumstances, initiate a salute while grasping a cup of orange soda in your saluting hand. I managed during my first trip to McGuire as a really new cadet. Didn't get any on me, but the folks behind me were not so fortunate.

[tarheel gumby]

Had a cadet walk up to the MER Vice Commander and ask him to help him with the sleeves on his BDU's. This cadet did this infront of the Deputy for Seniors, and the Squadron Chaplin. Lucky for the cadet in question the MER Vice Commander had a great sense of humor, and helped the cadet with his sleeves. As if that wasn't enough the cadet involved is the son of a member of the squadron ......... Yes he's mine, I wanted to crawl away and hide.

[addo1]

Had a cadet walk up to the MER Vice Commander and ask him to help him with the sleeves on his BDU's. This cadet did this infront of the Deputy for Seniors, and the Squadron Chaplin. Lucky for the cadet in question the MER Vice Commander had a great sense of humor, and helped the cadet with his sleeves. As if that wasn't enough the cadet involved is the son of a member of the squadron ......... Yes he's mine, I wanted to crawl away and hide.

Wow.. I can only imagine.... 

[tarheel gumby]

He hasn't made that mistake again.

[Pumbaa]

If I was a Vice Commander I would be tickled to have a cadet ask me to help him or her.

I don't see why higher ups always have to be insulated.

[addo1]

If I was a Vice Commander I would be tickled to have a cadet ask me to help him or her.

I don't see why higher ups always have to be insulated.

True, but either way that is pretty funny.

He hasn't made that mistake again.

I'll bet not...