Northeast Region - Mar 2009

8/8/2019 Northeast Region - Mar 2009

1/16spring 2009 NI NER magazine 1

CIVIL AIR PATROL

NINER magazineerving NERs nine wings

SPRING 2009

Training with K-9s

Boxing for Charity


2/162 NI NER magazine spring 2009

NINER Magazine is a publi-cation of the Civil Air Patrols

NorthEast Region ( NER ).It is by, for and about the

nine wings that the regionencampasses:

Maine, New Hampshire,Vermont, Massachusetts,

Connecticut, Rhode Island,New York, New Jersey, and

Pennsylvania.

SPRING 2009Published March 2009

Send stories and photos to:Bob Stronach

[email protected]

Col. Robert DiduchCommander

Col. Austyn Granville Jr.Vice Commander/North

Col. David MullVice Commander/South

Lt. Col. Joe SiroisChief of Staff

Capt. James Ridley Sr.Public Affairs Ofcer

and Editor

1st Lt. Robert StronachEditor

www.ner.cap.gov

3 PA Is Home to CAPs First K-9 Unit4 NJ Members Train with Rescue Dogs

PA Unit Packs Christmas Boxes

5 NY Cadets Tend to Troops Being Deployed6 NY Member Honored for Role in FL Search7 Connecticut Members...

Help Out at Fly-InParticipate in Festival

MA Members Assist in Tribute to Fallen

8 Conn. Members Assist EAAPA Cadet Receives Belated Cadet of Year

9Long Island Groups Military Ball a Big HitNJ Member Published in Network World

10 NYs Hurricane Horn Fights for Charity

NY Cadet Wins Academy Appointment

11 NH Trains for Forest Fire PatrolNH Cadets Teach ANG Dependents

12 MA Cadets Get Special PT LessonPA Unit Wins United Way Grant

PA Squadron Retires FlagsPresident Obama Surprises Spaatz Cadet

13 NY Spaatz Cadet Inspired by Commander

14 PA Members Assist Battle Re-Enactors

15 NY Cadet Follows Family TraditionSpecial Recognitions at MA Squadron

16 Rural NY Squadron Celebrates First Year

ACROSS THE REGION

5

8

12

COVER: K-9 CAP New Jersey Wings 1st Lt Diana Akeret, with her

search-and-rescue dog Chaos, coordinated joint training with CAP membersand K-9 searchers (Page 4).Meanwhile, PennsylvaniaWing boasts CAPs rst K-9

squadron (Page 3).

INSET: New York WingsHurricane Horn boxes for charity (Page 10). 14



By Greg V. Renninger,Clarion News writer

PENNSYLVANIA - Clar-ion is home to the nationsfirst K-9 search and rescueunit under the direction of the Civil Air Patrol, the aux-iliary to the Air Force.

Major Ralph Timblin Sr.of Clarion is commander of Clarion Composite Squad-ron, and works with oneof the dogs, Timblins ownNewfoundland , Sea Cur (pronounced seeker).

Some members of the for-mer Allegheny Valley Searchand Rescue group wanted tocontinue with their activitiesafter that group closed, andTimblin told them to join upwith him under the CAP.

Timblin said one member of the team has five yearsof search and rescue experi-ence, and one couple hasthree years of experience,

but all in all, the group ispretty new to the search andrescue scene.

The teams five dogs andten handlers are in variousstages of National Associa-tion of Search and Rescue(NASAR) training.

Timblin said the NASARsare good standards andwill likely be mandated by

over the country by FEMAor Homeland Security, or across the commonwealth

by Pennsylvania EmergencyManagement Agency.

According to their website,Civil Air Patrol handles 90percent of inland search andrescue missions, with ap-proximately 75 lives savedeach year.

CAP members are gener-ally the first on the sceneand also provide disaster re-lief and emergency servicesfollowing natural and man-made disasters, including

such phenomena as Sept.11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina,Texas and Oklahoma wild-fires, tornadoes in the southand central U.S., North Da-kota flash flooding, and theOctober 2006 earthquake inHawaii, as well as humani-tarian missions along theU.S. and Mexico border.

The CAP is dedicated tothree missions, Timblin said:aerospace education, cadetprograms for youths ages 12to 21, and emergency ser-vices.

We are ready when athree-year-old or an Al-zheimers patient wandersoff, Timblin said. We alsosearch for missing planesand work with groups likethe Red Cross and SalvationArmy.

(From left) Second Lieutenants Roger Parker and Erik Strohmfrom the Clarion Composite Squadron, and First Lieutenant

Scott Brown and Cadet Brown from the Franklin Squadronreturn from a successful search with bloodhound, Billie, and

golden retriever, Savannah. The Clarion Composite Squadron504 K9 search and rescue unit is the rst of its kind in the na-tion organized under the Civil Air Patrol.

CLARION, PA IS HOME TO CAPS FIRST K-9 UNIT5 Dogs, 10 Handlers in Various Stages of Search-and-Rescue Training

Homeland Security and theFederal Emergency Manage-ment Agency.

In the meantime, the dogsand their handlers practicethroughout Clarion andneighboring counties, locat-ing and rescuing volunteer victims almost every Sun-day afternoon.

We are always look-ing for volunteer victims,Timblin told the C LARION N EWS . You dont get to tellpeople to get lost too muchanymore, but we do it every

Sunday. It feels kind of goodsometimes.

Timblin said all the dogsare gentle creatures. In fact,Timblin said, its requiredand the dogs undergo goodcitizen training weekly.

The dogs include a blood-hound, a golden retriever,two Shiloh shepherds, andTimblins Newfoundland .

The K-9 Search and Res-cue Unit is the first of itskind under the Civil Air Patrol, and Timblin said itcould be called to service all

Courtesy of The Clarion, PA News

20-22 March 2009MAWG ConferenceClarion Hotel & Conference Ctr, W. Springfield, MA

24-26 April 2009NYWG ConferenceFt. William Henry Conference & Resort Center,Lake George, NY

22-24 May 2009NER SARCOMPWestover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, MA

22-24 May 2009NER Cadet CompetitionWestover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, MA

16-17 October 2009CTWG ConferenceNathan Hale Inn, UCONN Campus, CT

SCHEDULED EVENTS



NJ CADETS, SENIOR MEMBERS TRAIN WITH K-9 SEARCHERSby 1st Lt. Sandra Kooker

NEW JERSEY -- It was

a cold, brisk Sunday at Bel-leplain State Park on Jan.25, when members of CapeMay County CompositeSquadron of Cape May re-ceived some valuable train-ing in K-9 search and rescue.

Partnered with PalisadesSearch and Rescue Dogs As-sociation, and New JerseyState Park Police, the CAPmembers included C/MSgtCraig Coughlin, C/AmnRyan Fontaine, C/AmnJohn Edwards, 2nd Lt EvanKooker, 1stLt Sandra Kook-er, Capt. Tony Simon andsquadron commander Capt.Kevin Barstow.

Another squadron member, 1st Lt Diana Akeret, isalso a member of PalisadesSAR Dogs Association.She brought her two Border Collies and coordinated thetraining day.

Pat Pittore, Spring Pittore,John Campbell and AndreaDente of the Palisades dog

association brought their air-scent dogs to train that day,which included Golden andLabrador Retrievers. StatePark Police Officers Doreand Robeson each brought

bloodhounds.Full of enthusiasm, CAP

members played a vital rolein the training that day. CAPmembers were eager to vol-unteer as the victims and

subjects of the searches, butalso served as valuable mem-

bers of the ground team con-ducting the searches. As partof the search teams, CAPmembers learned how differ-ent types of search dogs con-duct their searches, the kindof support dog handlersneed, as well as how impor-tant good compass and mapreading skills are to a suc-

cessful search and rescue.Every CAP member in-

volved in the training thatday went home with a greater understanding of K-9 searchand rescue, and dog handlerslearned how valuable CAPmembers can be when part-nered with search teams. Itwas a rewarding day for all,with the promise of more

joint training to come.

C/MSgt Coughlinassists C/Amn

John Edwardswith his compassduring a grid

search conduct-

ed with rescuedogs.

by Lt. Bea Gernert

PENNSYLVANIA --Lebanon VFW CompositeSquadron 307 drove to Lan-caster, Pa. Catholic HighSchool on Dec. 6, 2008where they helped the Mili-tary Mothers and Friendspack over 300 Christmas

boxes to send stateside andoverseas to our deployedmilitary service men andwomen.

The boxes contained per-sonal items, candy, soup,pretzels and homemadecookies as well as other items too numerous to men-tion.

Two of the squadronsformer CAP cadets had box-es shipped to them. Senior members and cadets signedthe boxes and also enclosednotes to the former cadetswishing them a safe MerryChristmas and to let themknow they all were prayingfor them.

PA UNIT HELPS PACK CHRISTMAS BOXES FOR SERVICE MEN & WOMEN

Squadron membershelp pack boxes going

to military servicemen and women.

Photo by Lt. Wilson Ballester



NY MIDDLE SCHOOL CADETS TEND TO TROOPSSoldiers Being Deployed Find Warm Welcome in Rome, NY

Central New Yorks Rome City School District Squadron Cadet Wyatt Frazier, 11, servespound cake to Sgt. Ulysses Cullars, of New Hartford, NY, right, during a layover at the New York State Armory on Black River Blvd. in Rome on January 29. The soldiers were being deployed to Thailand. Private James Alsheimer, of Poland, NY, is at center. The community turned out the give the soldiers a warm send-off, including members of Rome SchoolSquadron and Mohawk Grifss Senior Squadron.

Photo by MICHAEL LAPOLLA/ Utica Observer-Dispatch

C/Airman Collin LaRochebrings a tray of beverages to

soldiers.

C/Airman Tyler Lemieux and C/SrAi-rman Camilla Corum mingle among the crowd with snacks.

C/SrAirman Patrick Haugen, CSSgt Wyatt Frazier and C/Airman Marcus Vasquez bring snacks to soldiers being deployed. The community turned out to give thetroops a warm send-off during a layover at the NY National Guard Armory in Rome.

P h o t o s b y K e n H a u g e n

P h o t o b y

K e n H a u

g e n



NY MEMBER HONORED FOR ROLE IN FLORIDA RESCUERadar Operator Helps Guide CAP Crew to Downed Helicopterby 1st Lt. Bob Stronach

NEW YORK Whena Civil Air Patrol aircrewfound a downed helicopter with four survivors in Floridain September, the successfulmission reflected the search-ers considerable training andskills and a lot of behind-the-scenes coordination -- includ-ing key activity some 1,300miles away in Rome, N.Y.,involving an Air NationalGuard radar analyst who isalso active in CAP.

The Air Force Rescue Co-

ordination Center contactedthe Northeast Air DefenseSector (NEADS), whichmonitors air traffic over theeastern half of the country,for assistance when a helicop-ter failed to arrive at its desti-nation in Marathon, Florida,after flying out of Tamiami,Fla.

Even though the FloridaWing aircrew was looking

for the missing chopper, thesearch involved a huge area

and time was of the essence.NEADS has the technologyto conduct a real time look

back at any aircraft at anygiven time, explained Air Na-tional Guard Tech. Sgt. PaulKulesa, who was on duty atthe time.

This gives us the abil-ity to spot where an aircraftmay stop, but not necessarilyland, said Kulesa, a first

lieutenant in CAP and dep-uty commander of the Utica

Cadet Squadron.We are able to view air-

craft data from specific pe-riods in certain areas of thecountry, given we can insertthe specific data information.In our case, we had to use a

broad range of information.Master Sgt. Eugene DeHartand I began the process andkept our eyes on the multi-tude of aircraft flying duringthe wide time frame we hadto deal with.

He noted that about 20minutes into our playbacks,Lt. Guy Loughridge of the

Civil Air Patrol called in.Loughridge is CAPs radar data expert. We began our information-sharing processand passed back and forthsome key points of interest.Lt. Loughridge and I agreedon a certain track of data thatrequired a physical search.

That key bit of informationput the copters last knownposition near the edge of

the Everglades and FloridaBays open waters. And it led

Paul Kulesa, cited for hisradar work in a scucessful2008 CAP search-and-res-cue, was honored before

by the Northeast Air De-fense Sector (NEADS). In2004 he was named senior airman of the quarter, andas a reward, the Air Forcegave him a ride in an F-15fighter jet - twice. He flewout to Kingsley Air NationalGuard Base in KlamathFalls, Oregon, where heattended a pilot briefing ona training mission involvingcombat maneuvers, evasiontechniques and bombingruns; took life-support train-ing, learning how to eject

the air crew to the downedhelicopter, flipped over andpartially submerged with thefour men standing on it andwaving frantically.

Since the water had shortedout the choppers radio andemergency locator transmit-ter, and none of the menscell phones worked, thetracking of radar data be-came all the more critical.

Air Force Col. John P.Bartholf, commander of NEADS, recently recognizedKulesas time-critical roleand presented him with a

Commanders Commenda-tion Award.

Kulesas diligent, me-ticulous manipulation of thearchived raw radar data andclose coordination directlywith the Civil Air Patrol re-sulted in the expeditious andsuccessful rescue of all four civilian passengers, the com-mendation states.

Kulesa has assisted in

several CAP searches fromNEADS.

Paul Kulesa, 1st Lt CAP

a smooth ride, not bumpy.It was smoother than ridingin a car, he noted, addingthat he didnt feel turbulenceuntil the pilot put on theair brakes to slow downto land.

After two hours in the air,they learned that snow andlow clouds forced Kingsleyto close the runways, andso they were diverted to theNaval Air Station at Fallon,Nevada a Navy Top Gunschool where they dined atthe Officers Club and spentthe night. They went up inthe F15s again the next dayas soon as the bad weather

broke in Klamath Falls.

NOT FIRST TIME NY MEMBER HONORED BY AIR FORCE

Paul Kulesa in cockpit of F-15 ghter jet.

and guide a parachute; spenttime in a flight simulator,and then boarded the F-15.

It was fantastic, herecalled. I still love talking

about it. He said they spenta lot of time in the cloudsat 18,000 feet, flying byinstruments and practicingcombat maneuvers. It was



CONNECTICUT UNITS PARTICIPATE IN FLY-INby C/SSgt Mario Robles

CONNECTICUT -- TheRoyal Charter CompositeSquadron, along with the169th Squadron from Man-chester and the 103rd Squad-ron from Bradley Interna-tional, took part in the 23rdAnnual Simsbury Fly-In lastSeptember 21.

Arriving at the airfieldaround 0800 hrs, beforedoors opened to the public,Royal and the other Squad-rons worked together andsplit into three integratedteams to knock out tasks as-

signed for the day. The over-all job that Civil Air PatrolCadets had to take on all daywas wing walking aircraftto designated parking spots,which is basically walkingalongside the plane mak-ing sure no one or no thingposed as a serious obstacle.As simple a task as thatseems, cadets were up anddown the field pacing (andmost of the time jogging)from one end to another constantly.

Despite keeping up withthe work, everyone was fedand given free time every 30

minutes for an hour to relax.The workers at the airfieldalso made sure that all thecadets kept hydrated. Thanksto the Buddy system, cadetsmonitored each other tomake sure everyone was in astable condition.

At 1530 or so, pilots beganto make their way out andheaded home just in timeto hit rush hour. By the endof the day, all three teamsended up working together instead of in shifts.

Royal arrived at home base by 1730 and everyone wenthome for well deserved rest.

CONNECTICUT -- TheThames River CompositeSquadron in Groton setup a CAP display and re-cruiting booth at the GalesFerry Aerospace Festival atthe Juliet Long School onFriday, Jan. 9.

The event was hosted by Aerospace Education

Member Stuart Sharack.Numerous booths involvedstudents in hands-on activi-ties from the constructionof gliders to aerospace art.

Lt Col Lawrence Kinch,Capt Rocketto, LexieWojtcuk, Abi Wojtcuk, andMichael Molinari set up adisplay highlighting CAPsrocketry program and SAR mission. Lt Robin Wojtcuk

and SM Adam Wojtcuk assisted in setting up andtaking down the displays.

CT SQUADRON HAS DISPLAYS AT AEROSPACE FESTIVAL

C/TSgt Abi Wojtcuk explains program to elementary school students.

C/CMSgtMichael Molinari discusses rocket

launching with student

MASSACHUSETTS -- Ca-dets from the Hanscom Com-posite Squadron took part Jan.30 in the launch of OperationHome Ties at American Le-gion Post 273 in Burlington,marking the first viewing andpresentation of Faces of Re-membrance: Memory Portraitsof Our Hometown Heroes.

The program features localartist Gina Johnsons pencildrawings of 44 local service-men and -women who died

in the line of duty during thewars in Iraq and Afghanistan.This is just the beginning, asshe has promised to honor allof the local heroes by creat-ing a portrait for each of thefamilies.

The Hansom squadroncadets opened the evening byposting the colors and wererecognized by being asked tostand honor guard while the

pictures were unveiled to fam-ily members and guests. Oncethe formalities were com-pleted, the cadets were able tospend some time talking withthe artist.

Maj. John Flaherty, Mas-sachusetts Wing director of cadet programs, was so taken

by the formality and simplic-ity of the event that he spokewith Johnson about one young

soldier killed in Afghanistanin August Army Pfc. PaulConlon, a former cadet withthe Cape Cod CompositeSquadron.

Johnson agreed to presentConlons picture to his mother at the Massachusetts WingConference in March. Shehas also agreed to display her drawings at the conference asa tribute to the fallen soldiers.

MA CADETSASSIST INTRIBUTE TOFALLEN



CONNECTICUT -- Dan- bury EAA Chapter 130 dhosted its annual Fly-In lastJuly at Danbury MunicipalAirport, home of the 399thComposite Squadron.

Chapter President JamesGalvin, who is also a 399thmember, was one of the eventorganizers.

Senior members and cadetsfrom the 399th CompositeSquadron assisted in the daysactivities, by marshaling air-craft and maintaining safety.This was a unique opportu-nity to meet the pilots of light

CONNECTICUTUNIT ASSISTSEXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFT ASSN

C/2d Lt Peter Foshi marshaling replica Sopwith World War I ghter

sport and replica aircraft.The Experimental Aircraft

Association is a nationwideorganization with more than

1,000 chapters and over 170,000 members.

by 1st Lt. Bea Gernert

PENNSYLVANIA -- Ca-det Col. Tommy Carr of

Lebanon VFW CompositeSquadron 307 officially re-ceived his recognition as thePennsylvania Wings Cadetof the Year for 2007 whilehome for Christmas vaca-tion Dec. 30 from the U.S.Military Academy at WestPoint, where he is a fresh-man and a member of therifle team.

The presentation delayedfrom September, when Carr was unable to attend thewings annual conference

because he had just begunhis first year at West Point-- was made at Biddle Hallat Fort Indiantown Gap inAnnville.

Lt. Col. Robert Meinert,executive director of thePennsylvania Wing, pre-sented Carr with the Edwin

Lt. Col. Robert Meinert, Pennsylvania Wing executive director; Cadet Col. Tommy Carr; andState Rep. RoseMarie Swanger.

G. Holl Wing Cadet of theYear plaque and a $1,000scholarship. He also receiveda proclamation from stateRep. RoseMarie Swanger.

Friends, family and digni-taries gathered at the hall tocongratulate Carr, as did theLebanon squadrons com-mander, Capt. Hal Roach;

deputy commander, Maj.Warren Parks; and a number of cadets.

The squadrons deputycommander for cadets, 1stLt. Thomas Carr, is the ca-dets father, and his mother,Belinda Carr, has also heldthe rank of first lieutenant asa member of the unit.

The ceremony was fea-tured on the front page of the Lebanon Daily Newson New Years Day.

Carr received the Gen.Carl A. Spaatz Award -- Civ-il Air Patrols highest honor for cadets, achieved by lessthan one-half of 1 percent-- in December 2007.

PENNSYLVANIACADET RECEIVESBELATED CADETOF YEAR AWARD



by Capt. James Ridley, Sr.

NEW YORK Long Island Group held its 4th AnnualMilitary Ball at Villa Lombardis in Holbrook. The MilitaryBall, or MilBall, as it is known, has grown into a grand eventeagerly looked forward to by cadets and senior membersalike; in fact, it has become so well known that members fromother New York Wing groups have found their way downto Long Island in order to participate. Also attending werecadets from Hofstra Universitys National Society of PershingRifles, Company Q-8, who volunteer each year to act as judg-es in the Long Island Group Color Guard competition. Inall over 230 CAP members and friends arrived at the elegantcatering hall in the heart of Suffolk County, NY to enjoy anevening of ceremony, dinner and dancing.

This years Guest of Honor was New York Wing Com-

mander Col Ken Andreu who attended with his wife andseveral members of his staff. The events project officer wasMaj Lou Fenech, Jr., and was presided over by the LI GroupCommander, Lt Col Jack Ozer. The evening began with theposting and retrieving of colors by the 2008 LI Group Cham-pion color guard team. Then after a sumptuous dinner buffetit was time for several promotions as well as presentation of the LI Groups Annual Awards including those given out for members who participated in the recent Long Island GroupSAR School. Dancing rounded off the evenings festivities.

The Mil Ball has definitely become the highlight of theyear for us, said Major Fenech. It shows what great cama-

raderie LIG has developed within the Group and the willing-ness of our members to come together. Furthering that end,Col Ozer announced that there will be a LI Group-sponsoredcruise aboard the Emerald Princess Nov. 1-8, 2009. Detailscan be found on the LIG website.

Next years Ball has been already scheduled for January 16,2010.

Awards given out at the Mil Ball included:

CAP Achievement Award: Capt Andean Pisano, Suffolk Cadet Squadron 9.

Cadet of the Year: C/Lt Col James Ridley II, Col Francis

S. Gabreski Squadron.

LONG ISLAND GROUP HOLDS4TH ANNUAL MILITARY BALL

Cadets enjoy the nights activities by participating in what hasbecome an annual ritual, the conga line.

Cadet NCO of the Year: C/CMSgt Kory Gatley, Col Fran-cis S. Gabreski Squadron.

Senior of Distinction: Capt Paul Zuckerberg, and CaptJames Ridley, LIG.

Senior of Year: Capt John Corcacas, LI Senior Squadron.

Squadron of Distinction: Suffolk Cadet Squadron 10.

Squadron of the Year: Col Francis S. Gabreski Squadron.

White Scarf Award: Lt Col Jacques Heinrich, LIG.

NEW JERSEY -- ViceCommander Lt Col RobertJennings recently had anarticle entitled InformationSecurity and the Outsiderpublished in Network

World.The article looks at how

the US Government isworking with semi-officialvolunteer organizations,like the Civil Air Patrol,

NJ VICE COMMANDER WRITES ABOUT CAP IN NETWORK WORLD

Lt Col Robert Jennings

and provides a casestudy about how CAPadapted to provide better information security for newassignments.



NEW YORKS HURRICANE HORN STRIKESWing Legal Ofcer Dons Gloves for Local Charities

By Neil Probst Courtesy of CAP National HQ

Hes a lawyer by trade, but when the opportunityarises, Hurricane Horngives Long Island, NY, threerounds of excitement andthousands of dollars for lo-cal charities. Capt. Spencer Horns first fight was memo-rable, to say the least.

It was a battle of Davidand Goliath. Im about 5-foot-7 and he was over 6 feet.I just kept going out there

swinging, said Horn, whodefeated a Golden Glove boxer in the three-roundfight. In the debut bout for the Long Island Fight for Charity, Horn helped raisean impressive $10,000 for charities that fight cancer and protect battered women.

Now 26 years old, Horncame to Civil Air Patrolwhen he was 12 after his

father, Stu, encouraged himto join.Stepping up to be legal

officer came naturally withhis background, but ever since he could walk and talk,

he was enamored with air-planes. Once he was in CAP,he was hooked.

In his early days, he servedas a cadet commander, par-ticipating heavily in searchand rescue and soloing in aglider.

Since his father is chief executive officer of AviatAircraft Inc., Horn alreadyknew a thing or two aboutplanes in and out of CAP. Itwasnt long before he soughta private pilots license andstarted flying Huskies.

What really sparked myinterest in CAP was searchand rescue and emergencyservices, said Horn, wholoves an exciting groundteam search as well.

Familiar with the benefitsof volunteering throughCAP, Horn jumped at thechance to help his com-munity through boxing. Heknew a law partners wife

who was battling breastcancer, and members of hisown family were waging per-sonal struggles with similar diseases. He also was greatlyconcerned for women strug-

gling with domestic violenceand residents of Long Islandsuffering with illnesses, in-cluding multiple sclerosisand autism.

Even though he was bumped around a good bit,Horn said the benefits of fighting for charity are awe-some.

Raising thousands of dollars for charity is very re-warding, said Horn.

I definitely got hit in thehead pretty hard and mynose was swollen for a cou-

ple of months, he added.Im not sure if it was ever broken because it wasnt bleeding, but it definitelyhurt and it was definitelyswollen.

Horn doesnt know whenhis next bout will be. Per-haps if an interested boxer inHorns weight class signs up,he may be persuaded to dukeit out again for charity.

Until then, hes content tofight legal battles in court-rooms and to embrace thechallenges and rewards thatcome with his CAP member-ship.Capt. Spencer Horn

NEW YORK JustenD. Fazekas, a cadet staff sergeant with Central New

York Groups Utica CadetSquadron, has been offeredan appointment to the U.S.Air Force Academy, Con-gressman Michael Arcuri,D-Utica, announced Jan. 26.

Capt. Chuck Hereth,squadron commander, saidCadet Fazekas has shownmaturity and competenceduring his time with thesquadron. The Air Force

Academy will continue tochallenge, motivate, and al-low him to realize his full

potential. Hell make a fineUnited States Air Force of-ficer.

Fazekas, son of David andMelissa Fazekas of Verona,is a senior at WesmorelandCentral High School. In ad-dition to the Civil Air Patrol,his extracurricular activitiesinclude National Honor So-ciety, SADD, Drama Club,and serving as student gov-

ernment Secretary of Trea-sury. Fazekas also is involvedin ice hockey, cross country,

and martial arts.It is clear that Justin willserve our country well andrepresent his communitywith honor and distinction,Arcuri said in a press release.Speaking with Justin lastweek, I offered my sincerecongratulations on his ap-pointment and wished himthe best of luck.

NY CADET WINS APPOINTMENT TO AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Cadet Fazekas during arecent promotion ceremony.



NH WING TRAINS FOR AERIAL FOREST FIRE PATROLby Maj. Penny H. Hardy

New Hampshire Winghas begun training flights toorient pilots and aircrewsto support the state De-partment of Forestry withsurveillance of the northcountry during highest firedanger days -- Class 3 or higher.

The flights will be flownout of Lebanon or Laconiaairports by qualified missionpilots with observer/scan-

ner crew members. Aircrewswill be asked to commit toa one week period on alertstatus. Aircrews will bealerted by 1000 hours tolaunch by 1300 hours.

Routes are preplanned andwill be flown either clock-wise or counter-clockwise.Each flight will take approx-imately 2 hours of surveil-lance from either Lebanonor Laconia and over Con-way, Berlin, Errol, Littleton,Haverhill and Woodstock.

Position reports are re-quired every 30 minutesfrom the aircraft to a CAPground control station.

Reports are also to be giv-en to the forest service firetowers at preplanned GPSturning points and uponsighting smoke or fire.

Pilots may be asked to tryto pinpoint GPS coordinatesof smoke/fire once sighted.Winds aloft and cloud cover will be critical factors inplanning these flights.

This is a new missionfor New Hampshire Wingand should help put hourson its aircraft while provid-ing assistance to the NewHampshire Department of Forestry.

The first training flightwas flown in late January

by Col Dale Hardy, mis-sion pilot; Lt Col Mary AnnCroker, scanner, and CaptRobert Martens, observer.More training flights arescheduled.

by Maj. Penny Hardy

Members of the SeacoastComposite Squadron of the New Hampshire Wingtaught dependents of

NH CADETS TEACH ROCKET-MAKING TO ANG DEPENDENTS

P

h o t o b y 1

s t L

t . C h

er y l P i az z

a

the New Hampshire Air National Guard how to makefoam rockets at the annualWinter Carnival held atPease Air National GuardBase, Portsmouth, NH in

December.The squadron has been

helping out with this Winter Carnival for four years.

It has been a big hit to thedependents who have fun

Seacoast Composite Squadron cadets assist youngsters in rocket making.

learning about rockets.The rockets are made with

heat pipe insulating foam,styrofoam meat trays and anelastic.



MASS. CADETS GET EXPERT LESSON ON PHYSICAL TRAININGPhysical Therapists Teach Proper Warm-ups, Stretching by Lt. Col. Bill Duffey

MASSACHUSETTS --Cadets from the HanscomComposite Squadron wererecently treated to an eve-ning of professional physicaltraining when two volun-teers conducted a free classon the proper ways to per-form stretching and muscle-conditioning exercises beforestrenuous physical activity.

Maj. Lynne Putney, the

squadrons nurse officer, andMaster Sgt. Shane Lietzke,deputy commander for ca-dets, arranged for physicaltherapists Paula Bresnahanand Melanie Maguire toconduct the evening-longclass at the Hanscom Air Force Base Fitness Center.

Bresnahan and Maguire both hold masters degreesin physical therapy and arenationally accredited. Theyare therapists and trainers

with the Sports and Physi-cal Therapy Associates,which provides the officialtherapists and trainers for the Boston Red Sox, Bos-ton Bruins and the NewEngland Revolution soccer team.

The instruction was in-tended to help the units ca-dets learn to prevent injuryduring physical training ses-sions and while participatingin school athletics. For about

2 hours the cadets wereguided through a series of

bends, stretches and lifts thatgave them a far better ap-preciation of the importanceof proper warm-ups andstretching before strenuousphysical activity.

At the end of the evening,Bresnahan and Maguirewere presented with Certifi-cates of Appreciation andwarmly applauded by thegrateful cadets.

by 1st Lt. William J. Wagner

PENNSYLVANIA -- Members of Wayne Composite Squadron 201 werepresented with a $500 grant check re-cently from the United Way of Lacka-wana County.

Because there is no United Way

branch in Wayne County, the squadronapplied to the branch in LackawanaCounty and was awarded the grant.The presentation occurred at the WayneCounty Chamber of Commerce.

PA. SQUADRONWINS $500 GRANTFROM UNITED WAY

Receving the United Way grant check are, fromleft, Maj. Michael A. Huffstutler, Wayne Compos-ite Squadron 201 commander; 2nd Lt. William

J. Wagner, deputy commander; Cadet Airman Aaron C. Keating; 2nd Lt. Kenneth M. Houston,who applied for the grant; and Cadet Master Sgt. Billy J. Kroptavich. UW ofcials are at leftand at right.

by Lt. Bea Gernert

PENNSYLVANIA -- Leba-non VFW Squadron 307 helda formal flag retirement atthe Lickdale, Pa. AmericanLegion Post 910 on Novem-

ber 22. They retired flagsthat were gathered from thegravesites of veterans buriedin Lebanon County.

Even though it was a bit-ter cold and snowy day, thesquadron performed theceremony to show respectand honor for the flag of theUnited States of America.

PA SQUADRONRETIRES FLAGS

WASHINGTON, D.C. One week after he took the oath of office, newly-elected U.S. PresidentBarack Obama was on Capitol Hill congratulat-ing one of the Civil Air Patrols most accomplishedcadets.

Much to the total surprise of Cadet Col. David F.Hill IV and 14 members of West Virginia WingsMartinsburg Composite Squadron accompanyinghim, Obama left a Jan. 27 luncheon in the U.S.Capitol to personally meet and greet each of the ca-dets and senior members gathered for Hills officialGen. Carl A. Spaatz Award presentation.

Hill is a senior at Pennsylvanias MercersburgAcademy

OBAMA SURPRISES CADET AT HIS SPAATZ AWARD PRESENTATION



NY SQUADRON COMMANDER INSPIRES CADETCadet Cohen Earns Spaatz to Honor Lt. Col. Pantanelli

C/Col. Natasha Cohen receives Spaatz Challenge Coin at

the Spaatz Association Dinner in Alexandria, VA Feb. 28from Association President and former National Command-er Brig. Gen. Richard L. Anderson. Behind them is a portraitof the awards namesake, Gen. Carl A. Spaatz.

by Capt. James Ridley, Sr.

NEW YORK -- For manycadets, earning the covetedSpaatz Award is a lofty goal-- difficult to achieve, butequally rewarding with pro-motion to the highest cadetrank.

For Cadet Colonel Na-tasha Cohen, the drivingforce behind her achievingthe Spaatz Award ran muchdeeper.

The fact is I never planned to test beyond cadetmajor, said Cohen, a fresh-man at Boston Universitymajoring in InternationalRelations with a minor inRussian. I did it becauseNew York Wing hadnt had aSpaatz cadet since 2005 andI did it to honor my squad-ron and its commander, LtCol Johnnie Pantanelli who

joined CAP in December of 1944 and in all her years assquadron commander hasnever had a cadet achievetheir Spaatz.

Lt Colonel Pantanelli has been a positive mentor toCohen ever since she joinedthe North Castle CompositeSquadron in April of 2003.Cohen, an aviation enthusi-ast who once wanted to bea pilot and astronaut, joinedafter her father showed her an article about CAP. After visiting several squadronsshe chose the North CastleComposite Squadron, which,in its long history, has never known any commander other than Pantanelli.

In fact, the current NYWing Commander, Col KenAndreu, was a former cadetof Pantanellis when she wasthe squadron commander of the former White Plains Ca-

det Squadron.Lt Col Johnnie Pantanelli

is a life member who hasdedicated her adulthood tosquadron command, saidColonel Andreu. I was acadet in that Squadron andremember the night thatJohnnie was told she would

be going to the North CastleSquadron to be their com-mander...Over 40 years later,Johnnie is still the squadroncommander of North CastleComposite Squadron. Shehas been offered a multitudeof accolades and higher ech-elon positions, but has never given in to the temptation

or ever thought of leaving behind her squadron. John-nie has become a pillar of theCAP program in New York Wing.

Of all the CAP core val-ues, integrity is the one thatshe values above all else, saidC/Colonel Cohen, who took and passed her Spaatz examJanuary 12 on her first at-tempt. Currently she servesas her squadrons staff advi-sor whenever she is homefrom school and she plansto remain a cadet until sheis 21 and hopes to nurtureand mentor the younger ca-dets and help them achieve

everything they can from thecadet program -- as she hadover her six years in the pro-gram. During that time shehas attended four NY Wingencampments (three as staff),Space Camp in 2003, theAviation Challenge in 2004,the U.S. Space CommandFamiliarization Course atPatrick Air Force Base in2005, and the National Hon-or Guard Academy in 2006.For the past two summersCadet Cohen has worked asa research assistant in theU.S. Military AcademysCombating Terrorism Center at West Point which is partof the colleges social sci-ence department, somethingshe will continue to do thissummer as well. Natasha hasrecently been named as anAide de Camp to Lt Col JoeAbegg for the 2009 North-East Region Search and Res-cue Competition being heldon Memorial Day weekend.

She officially will receiveher Spaatz Award at a cere-mony at NY Wing headquar-ters on May 29, 2009.

Lt. Col. Johnnie Pantanelli,Cadet Cohens commander,

joined CAP in 1944.



THE BATTLE OF THE BULGEPennsylvania Members Assist with Re-Enactment

by 1st Lt. Bea Gernert

PENNSYLVANIA Mem- bers of Lebanon VFW Cadet

Squadron 307 joined withother squadrons from allover the Pennsylvania Wingfrom Jan. 27-31 to helpmake sure the World War IIFederations re-enactment of the Battle of the Bulge wentsmoothly.

In all, 1,545 re-enactorsfrom 37 states and at leastthree countries participatedin the event, held at Fort In-diantown Gap in Annville.

Cadets assisted with se-curity, registration, parking,communications and as roadguards. They posted colorsfor the laying of the wreath atthe memorial, retired flags infront of the veterans buildingand assisted veterans of the

battle.The weather was similar to

that prevailing during the his-toric campaign in Belgium.About 5 inches of snow layon the ground, topped witha thick layer of ice. Snow fellseveral times, but the cadetswere not deterred from their duties.

Along with the re-enact-ment, veterans who fought inthe actual Battle of the Bulge64 years ago were invited tostay in the veteran barracks atthe site. The veterans whowere informed that Germanprisoners had been held atFort Indiantown Gap duringWorld War II -- were takenon a bus tour of the facility,with Maj. Warren Parks, Leb-anon squadron commander,serving as their guide.

A busload of the combatveterans and re-enactors vis-

Cadets assisted with registration. Photos by 1st Lt. Wilson Ballester

ited the Lebanon VA MedicalCenter, where they spokewith the patients. They wereescorted by a Lebanon squad-ron senior member who is avolunteer at the hospital.

The evening of Jan. 27,the cadets were greeted bya re-enactor who portrayedGen. George S. Patton andwas accompanied by re-enac-tors portraying his guards.He delivered one of Pattonsfamous speeches, then an-swered the cadets questionsabout the general, the war,

uniforms and other aspects of history.He also gave outautographed pic-

tures of himself and was availablefor photographswith cadets.

The Lebanonsquadron alsomanaged to findtime for aerospacelessons. The unitsaerospace educa-tion officer, 2nd Lt.Art Lyon, broughta huge model air-plane to be coveredin a special plastic

ironed on to the wood. Dur-ing downtime, he instructedthe cadets on how to cover the model plane. Lyon also

brought a disk and laptop touse for lessons on flying.

In addition, Park gave a briefing on the Battle of theBulge to cadets. The squad-rons photographer, 1st Lt.Wilson Ballester, gave a brief-ing on communication.

Ballester took more than800 photographs for thesquadron during the five-dayevent.

Battle of the Bulge re-enactors, including Gen. George Patton (center rear) , pose with Lebanon VFW Cadet Squadron.



NEW YORK CADET HAS HIS EYES SET ON THE SKIESHereth Continues Family Tradition and Joins Air National Guardby 1st Lt. Bob Stronach

NEW YORK Cadet 2ndLt. Dan Hereth, cadet com-mander of the Utica Cadet

Squadron, has his eyes set onthe sky.He has taken orientation

rides in Cessna aircraft, ben-efited from leadership train-ing and earned the Gen. Bil-ly Mitchell Award to becomea cadet second lieutenant.

Now he has become thethird generation to join theAir National Guard.

His grandfather, Dr. Ar-

thur Brodsky, joined the Del-aware Air National Guardin the 1950s and retired as alieutenant colonel. His moth-er, Lt. Col. Elise Hereth, isan Air National Guard of-ficer with the Northeast Air Defense Sector in Rome,NY. His father, Capt. Chuck Hereth, is a pilot and com-mander of the Utica squad-ron.

He was sworn in by his

mother during a ceremonyFeb. 6 at the 174th Fighter Wing recruiting station atHancock Field in Syracuse.

A senior and member of the wrestling team at Ver-non-Verona-Sherrill HighSchool in Vernona, Dan

expects to complete the fallsemester at the State Univer-sity of New York at Oswego

before undergoing for Air Force basic and technicaltraining.

He says he plans to con-tinue his membership in the

Utica Cadet Squadron whilegoing to college and servingpart-time in the Air NationalGuard at Hancock Field. Hewill be assigned to the 152ndAir Operations Group as anaerospace warning and con-trol systems specialist.

Cadet Dan Hereth, the third generation in his family to join the Air National Guard, is shown with his mother, Air Force Lt. Col. Elise Hereth, and father, CAP Capt. Chuck Hereth.

by Capt. Andrew W. Buck

MASSACHUSETTS-- Beverly Composite Squad-ron members attending theunits recent annual awardsand promotions ceremony

saw not only the usual ar-ray of honors but also a fewnew awards, as well as anunusual presentation to thecommander and special rec-ognition for a cadet.

Cadet Chief Master Sgt.Steven Davidson receivedan ovation when it was an-nounced he has acceptedan appointment to the U.S.Military Academy at West

Point for the Class of 2013.Davidson will be reportingto West Point on June 29 to

begin cadet basic training.He also won an appoint-

ment to the U.S. Air ForceAcademy but chose to ac-

cept the West Point appoint-ment instead. Davidsons blue leather-bound Appoint-ment Certificate was avail-able for all to members tosee and appreciate.

The members of thesquadron decided to high-light two of unit commander Maj. Thomas Lyons threemajor accomplishment dur-ing the previous 12 months

-- acquiring a lease on a newheadquarters building atBeverly Municipal Airportand convincing the wingcommander, Col. DavidBelcher, to station an air-plane at the Beverly facility

by presenting him withmodels of the headquarters

building and of a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172.

The third achievement,a highly successful WorldWar II hangar dance fund-raiser held Sept. 20 was notcaptured in a model but wasremembered as a part of thepresentation.

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS AT MASSACHUSETTS SQUADRONCadet Offered Appointments to Both Army and Air Force Academies

Beverly Squadron Commander Thomas Lyons


16/16

NEW YORK SQUADRON CELEBRATES FIRST YEARAirline Pilot Started Unit in Rural Greene County

By Dave GordonCatskill Daily MailSunday, Jan. 18, 2009

NEW YORK -- Greene

Countys Civil Air Patrolsquadron turned one year oldthis week and held a party --complete with birthday cake.

The Vanguard CompositeSquadron, based in Freehold,was largely the creation of itscommander, Lt. Col. SeanNeal, according to severalmembers at the party, whichwas held Jan. 16 at FreeholdCommunity Center.

Col. Neal and his wife,Capt. Susan Neal, really gotthis started, said First Lt.Garry Palmer, who held aprivate pilots license when he

joined and has completed thetraining to fly for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The organiza-tion works with other agenciesto help find lost people, locatedowned airplanes, providedisaster relief and even help

with homeland security andcounterdrug operations. TheFreehold unit has not par-ticipated in search, rescue or other operations, Palmer said.However, unit members trainregularly to be prepared whenneeded.

When the unit started, theonly person who knew any-thing about it was Col. Neal,Palmer said. He did it all,

but not without instructionfrom his wife.Palmer sees the organiza-

tion as something good for young people. They can flyand learn survival skills, firstaid and CPR. They learn touse radios and participate insearch and rescue operations.

Not all CAP members arepilots. In search and rescueoperations, ground teams are

important, and the organiza-

tion also provides educationand activities for youth. Ca-dets can join at age 12 andcontinue until age 18. After that, they join as adults.

Neal has been involvedwith CAP since he joined asa cadet 30 years ago in Penn-sylvania. He was 15, and hisfather died six months later.

Civil Air Patrol gave mesome direction, he said. In

college I became a squadroncommander in Florida.When he and his wife, Su-

san, moved to the area four years ago, he looked for a unithe could join.

My wife wanted to knowhow we could tell if CatskillCreek flooded. The answer was, Look for water in your

basement, Neal said. Also,Susan has two teenage sons,

and she found there was not

much for them to do in ruralFreehold. The nearest CAPunits are an hour away, Nealsaid.

While many CAP pilotsgained experience in the U.S.Air Force, Neal does nothave a military background.However, he said, I fly for a living. Hes employed byAmerican Eagle as a pilot.

The Vanguard Composite

Squadron also helps the com-munity through Toys For Tots, the countys Youth Fair and the Bluegrass Festival,Neal said. The organizationprovided a color guard at theVeterans Day observance lastyear.

Neal owns a 1940 Fairchildairplane, which he keeps atFreehold Airfield.

Lt. Col. Anita Martin,

group commander for the re-gion, said when she took over the job, there was not a CAPunit in Greene County.

Sean Neal asked why

there was no squadron here. Itold him, Youre the man toform one, she said. Whenyou have 16 people applyingfor membership you can forma squadron.

Martins region extendsfrom Greene and Columbiacounties to near the Canadian

border. She coordinates eightsquadrons. The regional unitsairplane, a Cessna 182, is

based in Schenectady airport,she said.

CAP was founded Dec. 1,1941 six days before PearlHarbor and became anauxiliary of the Air Force in1948.

Displays around the roomshowed photographs of CAPactivities and equipment.Many featured flying outingsfor young people and various

encampments over the years.One display featured avariety of emergency loca-tor transmitters, which alertauthorities when an airplanegoes down or people are lost.The display included severalELTs small enough to fit ina pocket, and when hikersor campers are lost, theycan send a signal to a satel-lite, which alerts a center in

Florida.As part of the ceremony,Neal presented several mem-

bers of the squadron withreplicas of the membershipcertificates that were given outto the first CAP members in1941. He also presented theFreehold Volunteer Fire De-partment with a certificate of thanks for allowing the squad-ron to use its space.

Vanguard Squadron Commander Sean Neal

Northeast Region - Mar 2009

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