Monroe Squadron - Feb 2008

7/31/2019 Monroe Squadron - Feb 2008

1/9

Edition # 1

1 Jan 2008

MonroeComposite

Squadron

MonroeComposite

Squadron

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LETTER

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In This Issue

Wreathes Ceremony

Commanders Notes

Wreathes Ceremony

Cadet Page

Squadron Activities

ES Article

Schedules

Wreath Pictures

A Monroe Squadron inspi-ration became a reality whena Wreathes Across Amer-ica ceremony was broughtto Monroe. Without a na-tional military cemetery inthe county it appeared that

our homegrown heroswould never receive theirjustified recognition, ofcourse that was soon tochange in a big way.

Months before the De-cember ceremony a meetingwith the Mayor was held toinform him of our inten-tions. With his support aformal request package was

presented to the city for per-mission to hold the cere-mony. This request waspassed through every citydepartment head for ap-proval. The final approvalwas presented to SquadronCommander Lt Col Wood-ruff and Deputy Com-mander 1Lt Jondro at anOctober city council meet-

ing. The next day a presen-tation was made to theVFW asking for their sup-port. The presentation letterincluded We would appre-ciate your participation inthis observance, your pres-ence will certainly add anaura to the ceremony. RTCommander Howard Burtimmediate committed a fullRitual Team to the service.They would conduct a 21

Wreathes Across America Comes to Monroe !Wreathes Across America Comes to Monroe !

gun salute followed by Taps.Shortly there after Lt ColWoodward and LieutenantJondro attended a VietnamVeterans Association meetingand gathered the support oftheir Ritual Team including

Taps. The VVA was VERYhappy we included them!

Now that all the playerswere in place the 9 wreathesneeded to be purchased.Many thanks go out toGroup Commander MajorJames Feil, and 2Lt DougThoma, for assisting in thissearch. With kind donationsfrom the Monroe Council

#1266 Knights of Columbus,the VFW, and Crafts 2000the 9 three foot wreatheswith bows and tripod standswere all set.

Finally our squadron cere-mony need to be set. Theentire command staff met togame plan the ceremony.Four of the memorial siteswere located individually in

the city. These presentationswere simpler and could bepracticed in the squadronheadquarters. However, theVeterans Memorial Park hasfive Memorials each with itsown unique walkways andchallenges. The Squadronwas very fortunate to gain thewilling direction of CaptainJason Bylow USAF to train

the cadets Honor Guard.Our Squadron Deputy Com-

mander of Cadets 1LtWalters, Capt Bylow, the cadets spent mfrigid evenings practfor this observance. Aall they would performlions share of the

mony. 13 Dec final prasession completed MIis ready to shine!

15 Dec. 2007 at 10:00wreathes were simultously presented at the tle Field of the Wa1812, the Civil War Merial at Soldiers and SaPark, and the SpaAmerican War at the J

Gutmann Memorial locon the corner of Moand Elm Ave At 11:00squadron reunited joined the VVA RTeam for a formal pretation at Vietnam Memthat included Taps.

Continued Page Three


2/9

From Our Squadron CommanderFrom Our Squadron Commander

Lt. Colonel Mark WoodruffLt. Colonel Mark WoodruffAs we enter into another year I would like to take the time to remind everyone that while wehave our units assignments, our civilian jobs and responsibilities and our family obligations, our

primary responsibility is to perform our duties SAFELY.Each of us mustALWAYS be safety-conscious or we risk forfeiture of all the things that we hold dear, not the

least of which is our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Furthermore, if you are injured and not here , you cannot support CAP and its missions.

If it is not safe dont do it! If you are not sure ask someone else for advice. Remember,ANY person can haltany activityAT ANY TIME if that person sees something they deem as UNSAFE.Also keep in mind that :

Safety is Job #1 No job is worth doing if it can not be done safely .

2008 !Where did the time go? I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a SAFE and Happy New Year. Iam always amazed when we start to compose a report and record all the events the squadron was involved in dur-ing that particular time frame. What did we accomplish? Sometime in the rush we only remember the majorevents. Please take the time to read this newsletter and review the past issues. You will be surprised when you

recall just how much has been accomplished this year. Every morning is the dawn of a new error. When I opened my e-mail a few days ago I read several jokes

sent by some friends. In a mailing containing a short list of humorous statements I read this one. After the usualchuckle I thought more about what I had just read.

Whether we are at home, at the squadron for meetings or events, at a training exercise or an actual mission orschool and work we all make misteaks. Even I make them.

As an example, during the Wreath Across America ceremony several mistakes were made. And mistakes are notalways a bad thing, as long as we learn something from them and correct what we have learned. Correcting thesemistakes will serve to make the ceremony even more impressive. Dont be afraid to make mistakes. Thomas Edi-son made over 2,000 mistakes before he finally got it right and we now have light bulbs. To make mistakes, learnfrom our mistakes and move on is what make us grow into a better person.

Being that it is another year, I would like to review my Goals and Expectations for the squadron.

Goals Expectations

Become benchmark squadron for the Group *All regulations will be followed

All forms to Group/Wing must be on time. *All Customs & Courtesies will be fallowed

All records kept properly *All members report if they cannot attend a

Become Wing Squadron of Distinction meeting

Promote Senior and Cadet Training *All inquires must be answered, all forms

Cadets will excel in school complete by next meeting

Cadets will continue on Promotional Track, * Meetings and formations, to be started at pub -Cadets will promote twice a year lished time so officers can complete the duties

Weekend training to be more structured and of their office.

Make better use of time

All squadron Members train together and

Obtain some type of ES qualification

Increase Squadron Exposure in public and

Emergency Services Communities

Decrease idle time in the Senior Program

Please read the article from Cadet Commander Ryan Graczyk addressed to all Members

Page 2EDIT ION # 1


3/9

Page 3EDIT ION # 1

He then introduced Reverend John Shinkle to lead all in prayer. Reverend Shinkle served 20years as a Navy Chaplain. He is currently serving as the chaplain at the Monroe LutheranHouse for seniors.

On queue Guide On C/A Magoon joined the Cadet Honor Guard and slowly, reverentlyeach memorial site was presented a wreath. All present joined the cadet presenting the

wreathes in a slow salute of tribute.Deputy Commander Jondro then presented the Ceremony Devotion which included Ly-

ing in cemeteries and unknown graves throughout the world are men and women of our na-tion who gave their lives for our freedom. We can not forget, We must be sure the genera-tions following us do not forget. On the command from Lt Jondro Sergeant salute ourfallen comrades the VFW Ritual Team fired off their salute then Taps slowly permeated theair.

The ceremony was concluded with a commitment from Colonel Woodruff that we, MI-063,intend to make this a continuing tradition for our squadron.

The Wreath Ceremony, Its Impact on Monroe and CAP

Wreathes Across America in Monroe

Continued Cover Story From Page One :

The CAP motorcade then did an about faced and traveled back across town to the VeteransMemorial Park for the largest ceremonial of the day. All Time pieces were synchronized toensure the ceremony would commence exactly at 12:Noon.

Commander Woodruff opened the ceremony with At this precise moment in every na-tional cemetery in our homeland we join many in honoring those who gave their lives for ourfreedom.

The wreath ceremony is paying dividends in ways never intended or anticipated.Every meeting, every story, has raised the publics awareness of Civil Air Patrol. Thisstarted with the City Council meeting which was televised. The VFW could not doenough to help our effort. They even proposed a donation to offset our expenses. Itwas helpful that an article about CAP and the Wreathes Ceremony appeared in theDecember VFW monthly magazine. The VVA Ritual Team Leader could not havebeen more thankful that we included the Vietnam Memorial as a formal setting.Colonel Woodruff recently was contacted by the Matt Urban Post 40 American Le-gion. They are requested a representative from our squadron attend their meetings.

The news coverage has been outstanding. The Monroe Evening News helped usimmensely with the preview stories in Thursday and Saturdays paper. The frontpage coverage 16 Dec. could not be missed. The only disappointing part of the cov-erage was their lack of detail on the fantastic effort the cadets put in. This was recti-fied when they published Colonel Woodruff letter to the editor pointing out theirfaux pas. Finally an unexpected editorial titled Wreathes Across America right forMonroe County appeared the following week. In the article a paragraph startsThere are no national cemeteries in Monroe but several local residents did somecreative thinking this year on how to bring the tradition to this community - inspiredin part by Civil Air Patrol then continuing on Wreathes Across America is ex-pected to become an annual tradition in Monroe County. We applaud those who

wanted to share it with local residents


4/9

Page 4EDIT ION # 1

The Cadets Page

An Open Note to the Seniors From Squadron Cadet Commander Ryan Graczyk

Thank you Seniors for your help, and support to each and every cadet through their program. It means alot to them and me when I see seniors and cadets joining together to serve one cause. I am sure you areaware the Cadets open and close each meeting in a formation. All announcements and instructions are pre-sented to the cadets while in formation.

I am requesting that all seniors who do not wish to join the formation to please go to classroom #1.This will help to cut down confusion, distraction, and promote a proper working environment at the start

and end of each meeting. I have been informed that part of the problem is seniors are entering headquar-ters or leaving their classroom and are unaware a formation has been assembled. I will try to inform youwhen a formation is about to be come together.

As Cadet Commander I would be overjoyed if any senior Member would join us in formation. Wecould start a Senior Flight to join in the ceremonies. When ceremonies are held inside due to weather thereis not much space so the ceremony is very limited. However, when we are outside we have a full flag rais-ing and lower ceremony. I am only suggesting this but please discuss the possibility. Once again thank youfor everything you do to make the cadet program a success. I look forward to working with you more aswe continue our CAP journeys together. Leading Each Other to New Heights.

Cadet Promotions :

* Cadet Commander Ryan Graczyk

Promoted to C/CMSgt

* Cadet Admin Officer CamilleWalters Promoted to C/CMSgt

* Alpha Flight Commander DaveLawrence Promoted to C/SMSgt

* Cadet Executive Officer AlexChavis Promoted To C/TSgt

* Cadet Cody McGehee

Promoted to C/SrA

* Cadet Gordon Magoon

Promoted to C/A

* Cadet Jason Gulley

Promoted to C/A

Squadron Cadet to Make

Presentation to Congress

Welcome New Cadets

To the Squadron :

C/AB George Bellman

C/BA Brit Nicholson

Completing a Wing wide e-mail application has turned out veryrewarding for Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Camille Walters. Shewill travel to Washington DC with 6 other Wing cadets to presentCAPs Annual Report to Michigan members of the House ofRepresentative and the Senate. They will be in our capital from 27Feb. to 2 March. The selection committee narrowed the statewide search down to 11 finalist. They were interviewed in Pontiacand the final 6 were selected.

Congratulation C/CMSgt Walters !

Thank You CadetHonor Guard

C/A Gordon Magoon

C/CMSgt Camille Walters

C/SAJosh Bolla

C/TSgt Alex Chavis

C/SMSgt DaveLawrence

C/CMSgt Kevin Perfetti


5/9

In an effort to improvecommunity understanding

of CAP and its Missionsin America the MonroeComposi te Squadronhosted an open house thispast 25th. of October.

The turn out was veryimpressive so much so thatthe formation area was el-bow to elbow. SeniorMembers prepared to dis-cuss search and rescue ca-

pabilities of or air crews,

ground search teams, and radiocommunications. Quest could

actually visit department headsto answer any particular ques-tions they had.

We had a large contingent ofpast USAF personnel. They allwere aware of CAP from theiractive days in the service butwere not sure what we actuallydo. They all stayed for quitesome time and left with recruit-ment brochures.

The cadets were prepared to

share information on theirtraining and study pro-

grams. The new potentialcadets got to witness ascheduled promotion cere-mony.

Much of the thanks forthe success of this eveninghas to go to the local newspaper who gave us a greatpreview story of the event.

Cadet Ribbons Earned

Rank Bolla = Mary Feik

C/TSgt Chavis = Eddie Rickenbacker

C/CMSgt Graczyk = Dr. Robert H. GoddardC/A Magoon = Gen. J. F. Curry

C/SA McGehee = Mary Feik

C/CMSgt Walters = Dr. Robert h. Goddard

Monroe Squadron Host Open House

Page 5EDIT ION # 1

MonroeSquadrons

Tech Ratings Soar

Senior Ribbons Earned

1Lt Coolman = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon

Capt Dauer = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon

1Lt Harmon = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon1Lt Howard = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon

1Lt Jondro = Gen Chuck Yeager, Leadership,

& Red Service Ribbon

1Lt Jones = Red Service Ribbon

1Lt Lane = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon

2Lt Low = Red Service Ribbon

1Lt Roberty = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon

1Lt Sweeney = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon

1Lt Walters = A. Scott Crossfield, Membership,Leadership, & Red Service Ribbon

Squadron Seniors Meet for Christmas Dinner Party22 Senior members and their significant others met at McGeadys Town Pub for a Christmas Party of good

food and friendship. This was the first time for most members to meet their comrades wife or husband. ( Ofcourse one member let it slip, how did we really know if this was his wife ? ) The pub did a great job allowing usthe entire second floor just for our squadron. There were many entrees to pick from but the all you can eat ribsseemed to be the pick of the night. Those who could not attend this year make plans for next season we havestarted a new tradition in Monroe.

Congratulation to :

1Lt Jay Jondro on Achiev-ing your Yeager Award.

6 Dec 2007


6/9

A couple of newsworthyitems for aircrews : First,as some might already

know, Michigan Wing isreceiving two new glasscockpit C-182T NAV3aircraft! One will be basedat TVC and the other atPTK! With our relativeproximity to PTK, theMonroe Squadron pilotswould do well to get certi-fied in the Garmin G1000system with the KAP 140

autopilot.The current G1000 inte-grated flight deck has asearch and rescue modethat will program, plan andfly a parallel search pattern,a sector search pattern, oran expanding square.Three CFIIs from theMichigan Wing will be fly-

ing to Independence Kan-sas, to the Cessna factoryfor a week of training on

the system. One of theCFIIs will be former Mon-roe Squadron member Ma-jor William Dumont. Theywill be bringing the newaircraft with them whenthey return on 27, Jan.2008.

Upon returning, these keyinstructors will train othersand give CAPF5 check

rides to the rest of the pi-lots interested. A groundschool, which will be a re-quirement before trainingin the aircraft, is scheduledfor 19 Jan. Everyone flyingNAV3 systems will have tohave a CAPF5 in a NAV3aircraft plus CAPF5 in asteam gage C-182 or C-

172. I would encourage allinterested to go to :http//cap.gov/visitors/

members/opera t ions/i n d e x . c f m ?n o d e -lID=6304&audienceID=4

And download the infor-mation ahead of time tobecome familiar with it.Because of the complexityof the audio panel, observ-ers and scanners will needto train as well.

We have the dates for ourevaluated mission for2008 , 17/18 June at Cadil-lac. Wing is asking all thatcan participate to make aneffort to get there. Wewillbe making plans to attend.Make sure your squirterand 101 card are up todate!

course our plane had zero deduc-tions! Livonia and Pontiac tied forfirst. The flying contest included aSpot Landing Contest, an ELTSearch, and a Cross Country Timeand Fuel Burn Competition. Beforeeach event the Pilot and Observerstook written exams with questionsfrom PTS, FAR/AIM and CAPcrew manuals. Interesting modifica-tions to normal missions made thecompetition out of the ordinary.Each event had to have a differentpilot at the controls. The ELTsearch was made without assistanceof electronic equipment. The CrossCountry time and fuel burn calcula-tions were all done by using a E6Bwhizwheel. The spot landing was avirtual tie between Livonia and Bat-tle Creek. Both landed less than 10

from the target mark. Every pilot

An invitation was sent to allsquadrons in the Wing, Makeplans to attend the 1st annualAircrew Competition. Wasthis really an invitation or acamouflaged challenge? Nev-ertheless seven air crews com-mitted to the event that wouldprove to be a great training ex-perience.

Sunday morning all crews as-sembled early at the New Hud-son Airport. The competitionstarted with aircraft inspec-tions. The final results showedthe special interest each squad-ron have given to these air-planes. At first five teams tiedfor first, after a reexaminationthe ties were broken with itemslike a finger print smudge onthe GPS coming into play. Of

that competed was well within thePTS standard for a commercial pi-lot ! The Monroe crew without anairplane of their own rotated to what-ever craft was setting idle. Lt Sweeneyflew the spot landing in a 182 andwith only one practice run still landedin the PTS standard. What if he hadtwo runs? The ELT search went toPontiac whom located the ELTwithin 3/10s of a mile. Capt Daeurflew the ELT run. The Monroe crewincluding Lt Jondro did an out-standing job on the Cross CountryCompetition landing within 40 sec-onds of the estimated time. The over-all team award went to the Pontiaccrew, they will host next years event.The word out of Pontiac is Bring ItOn.

CAP Pilots Compete in New Hudson

The Pilots CornerBy 1Lt Carl Sweeney

Page 6EDIT ION # 1


7/9

Unit Personnel 2007

Command

Commander CC Lt Col Mark Woodruff

Deputy Com. Seniors CDS 1 Lt Jay Jondro Sr.

Deputy Com. Cadets CDC 1 Lt Jeff Wlaters

Historian HI 2d Lt Doug Thoma

Safety SE 1 Lt Greg Lane

Aerospace Education ET Capt John Dauer

Cadet Programs

Cadet Development CPP 1 Lt Nathan Harmon

Cadet Leadership CPL 1 Lt Nathan Harmon

Cadet Activities CPS 1 Lt Jeff Walters

Communications DOK 2d Lt George Low

Finance FM 1 Lt Nathan Harmon

Logistics

Supply LGS 1 Lt Nicholas Roberty

Logistics LG 1 Lt Philip Howard

Management Information

Management Information MIS 1 Lt Nathan Harmon

Web Master WMM 1 Lt Nathan Harmon

WMU Coordinator WMUC Lt Col Mark Woodruff

Public Affairs PA 1 Lt Jay Jondro

Operations

Operation DO 1 Lt Greg Lane

Emergency Services DOS Capt. John Dauer

Search and Rescue DOSS 1 Lt Carl SweeneyAlerting DOSA Lt Col. Mark Woodruff

Flight Release DOOR Lt Col Mark Woodruff

Aircraft Maintenance LGMA 1 Lt Carl Sweeney

SAR/DR Mission Pilot DOVS 1 Lt Carl Sweeney

Professional Development

Programs ETS 1 Lt Greg Lane

Test Control ETST 1 Lt Nick Roberty

EDITI ON # 1 Page 7

Welcome New Member Mike Kraus

The Monroe Squadron officially received a new meber this month in SM Mike Kraus. SM Kraus is a 20 year veran of the USAF and came to visit after reading of CAP in tpapers. SM Kraus joined in immediately assisting public affaby taking pictures at three events. He has requested and ceived the Squadron Commanders OK to be presented as onew Admin Officer. Welcome SM Mike Kraus !

EmergencyEmergencyEmergencyEmergency

ServicesServicesServicesServices

Are you familiar with the phrase leading asheep to slaughter ? Wonder if something likethat was going through the minds of the CAPaircrews selected to be intercepted by USAF F-116s from Selfridge AFRB ?

On 2 Oct. 1Lt Carl Sweeney received a mis-sion request from Lt Col Leo Burke to join aflight of 3CAP planes on a mission to test theterrorist prevention skills of our Air Forcefighter pilots. The other squadrons participating

in this exercise came from Livonia, and PontiacAs Lt Sweeney returned home he downloadedthe mission plan a short 40 page document de-signed to insure the seriousness and the signifi-cance of this mission. Lt Sweeney was assistedon this mission by 1Lt Jay Jondro.

The mission scenario was that a high schoolstudent upset with his father decided to take thefamily airplane with out permission to make astatement to his friends. That statement hewanted to make was at the Detroit Edison FermiPower Plant. The jets were scrambled as theCAP planes crossed into Lansing air space. Twoplanes would act as the intruder circling past theairport at different altitudes and directions. Thethird plane would act as a high bird to insure100% safety in communication. The CAP planesreached Lansing in perfect unison not knowingwhen but positive they would be intercepted.One by one our Cessnas were picked up by theAir Force and given specific orders to follow.

Although the mission sounds like pure fun itwas a few weeks later at an MERRT meetingthat Lt Col Marc Batway USAF met the groupand discussed the serious ramifications of thismission from a their point of view. The relativesmall size and the slow speeds make our aircraftmakes us very hard to intercept. They were veryappreciative of our effort. He assured us of fur-ther USAF funding for these much needed mis-sions. Lts Sweeney and Jondro received specialmission patches for their part in the mission.


8/9

Jan. 2008

5 CUL Hosted by Group 702 Macomb Com Col Macomb

5/6 SLS Hosted by Group 702 Macomb Com Col Macomb

12 GLLR SAV Mi Wing Headquarters Selfridge

26 Special Activities Screening Lt Col Mark Pheeger

29 SUI Oakland Comp. Squadron Lt Col Terri Couls

Feb. 2007

9 Wing Staff Meeting Capitol City Airport Lt Col Terri Couls Lansing

27/28 NLD Lt James Matthews Wash. DC

23/1 Civic Leadership Academy Wash. DC

March 2008

1/2 CLC Hosted by Group 702 Pontiac

1 Aircrew Training Pontiac

1/2 NLD Wash. DC

8 Wing Staff Meeting Capital City Airport Lt Col Pam Saile Lansing

28/29 MIWH Cadet Comp. Maj Larry Bailey

Wing Schedule Jan.Wing Schedule Jan. -- March .March .

Page 8EDITION # 1

Monroe Squadron MIMonroe Squadron MI--063 Important Dates:063 Important Dates:Plan to attend January Planning Meetings to plot winter quarter.Plan to attend January Planning Meetings to plot winter quarter.

We will schedule 2 Communication DrillsWe will schedule 2 Communication Drills1) Distance drill to 4 corners of Monroe County1) Distance drill to 4 corners of Monroe County

2) Com. Room2) Com. Room -- to Airto Air -- to Ground Teamto Ground Team

Set air crews for this seasons SAREXSet air crews for this seasons SAREX

* Let show Monroe in every SAREX this season !* Let show Monroe in every SAREX this season !

We need to set a date to reorganize upper storage level.We need to set a date to reorganize upper storage level.

Plan ES training for seniors.Plan ES training for seniors.

Senior sign up for those wishing to instruct a cadet class.Senior sign up for those wishing to instruct a cadet class.

Set Saturday Training Dates for Seniors & CadetsSet Saturday Training Dates for Seniors & Cadets


9/9

Remember Wreathes Across America 2007

Cadet Honor Guard Marches up Path to Vietnam Memorial

As Vietnam Ritual Team Stands GuardGuide On with Honor Guard

Sq dr n Pr nt Arm

Capt Jason Bylow USAFwith Honor Guard

Documents

Monroe Squadron - Feb 2008