Delta Squadron - Jan 2009

8/2/2019 Delta Squadron - Jan 2009

1/8

THE DELTA COMPOSITE SQUADRON QUARTERLY FIRST QUARTER 2009

PAGE 1

Welcome to thefirst edition ofThe Flightline.This quarterlynewsletter will

showcase recentactivities of Delta

CompositeSquadrons

cadets and senior

members.Submissions andphotographs of

recent events arewelcomed.

Provide yoursubmissions or

suggestions to Lt.David McCollum

by e-mail.dmccollum2@co

mcast.net

The Flight LineDELTA CHANGES COMMANDERS

Effective 16 March, Capt. DanKaten (pictured above) will stepdown as Deltas commander afterfive years of service.

Assuming command of thesquadron will be Capt. Risher Lewis(pictured above), afive-year veteranof CAP.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS...

Some personal reflections by the two officers are offered below.

Capt. Dan Katen

Writing this article was kind ofstrange to me. Lt. McCollum asked me towrite about what I had accomplished inthe five years of my being in command.That was the first time anyone had ever

made me stop and think about what I hadaccomplished as the commander of Delta.

It really got me to thinking, whathad I accomplished?

Sure I could say that during mytenure we had two Spaatz Cadets. We alsoreceived Squadron of Merit in 2005 and2006. ...continued on page four

Capt. Risher Lewis

I became interested in aviation atage seven when I lived in Daytona Beach,Florida. This was the era of the Apollomissions and I can vividly remember thewindows rattling from the roar of the

powerful Saturn V rocket engines as theypropelled our brave astronauts into space.It was really something to watch therocket lift offthe launch pad on TV and,moments later, go outside and see whatlooked like a needle with a brightflickeringflame that was crackling,

...continued on pagefive

ContributorCAPT. DAN KATEN

CAPT. RISHER LEWIS

CAPT. TIM RAGULSKY

CAPT. JIM DOUGLAS

CAPT. BRIANCALLAHAN

2LT DAVID MCCOLLUM

PhotographyCAPT. BOB BEELEY

2LT. DAVID MCCOLLU

Editor2LT. DAVID MCCOLLU
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


2/8


PAGE 2

DELTA WELL-REPRESENTED AT CTEP

On Thanksgiving weekend, 28-29November, Texas Wing Cadet Programs hostedCTEP (Cadet Training & Education Program) atCamp Mabry in Austin, Texas. There were

approximately 150 student cadets attendingfrom squadrons around the Texas Wing, inaddition to both cadet and senior officer staffmembers.

CTEP is a two-and-a-half day wingeducation program designed to teach cadetNCOs and cadet officers the skills needed tocarry out their positions within their ownsquadrons, as well as at Group, Wing, Regional,and National activities. The four levels ofCTEP for cadets are:

NCOA (Non-Commissioned OfficerAcademy) Grades C/Amn thru C/Sr. Amn

SNCOA (Senior Non-CommissionedOfficer Academy) Grades C/SSgt thru C/SMSgt

OTS (Offi cer Training School)Grades C/CMSgt thru C/1st Lt.

CCSC (Cadet Command StaffCollege)Grades C/1st Lt. thru C/Capt.

Six Delta cadets graduated from theirrespective CTEP classes:

C/Sr. Amn Timothy Vang (NCOA)

C/SSgt Collier Watkins(NCOA

) C/TSgt. Carter Morris (SNCOA)

C/CMSgt Jessica Willis (SNCOA)

C/Capt. Jamie Douglas (CCSC)

C/1st Lt. Stephen Roquemore (CCSC)

Congratulations to these cadets on theiraccomplishments!

In addition, Delta had two seniorofficers who graduated STEP (TLC), which isthe Senior Training and Education Programportion of CTEP.

Those senior officers are: Capt. Dan Katen, Delta SquadronCommander (STEP)

Capt. Joyce Kassai, Delta DeputyCommander for Cadets (STEP)

Congratulations to these Senior Officersfor leading by their example!

Delta Composite Squadron wasalso represented by two senior officers on

the CTEP staff: Capt. Jim Douglas (OTS SeniorAdvisor)

1st Lt. Darrell Roquemore(SNCOA Senior Advisor)

With all the knowledge andexperience everyone brought back fromCTEP, it is now time to get back to workat Delta Composite Squadron! Keep upthe good work, and lets keep Delta one ofthe best squadrons in the Texas Wing!


3/8


PAGE 3

DELTA MEMBERS LAY WREATHS IN DECEMBER

Squadron members joined other volunteersgathered at Houston National Cemetery 13December to help place nearly 14,000 wreathson the headstones of deceased veterans.

The event, covered locally by several TVstations and print media outlets, was thelargest of its kind, with more participation andwreaths than even those at the ArlingtonNational Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

All who participated agree that the eventwas very moving and a worthy use of time.


4/8


PAGE 4

...Katen, contd

I could also say we received the AerospaceExcellence Award in 2004 and 2005 and even an

award for being Mishap Free for 2005. I could saythat I accomplished all of these things during mycommand, but then I would be a liar. I didntaccomplish any of these things. You did!! It was thepeople of this squadron that achieved all of theseoutstanding accomplishments.

Sure, I may have helped in some small way,but it was you that really did all of these things.

So, what was I going to say? This reallyperplexed me for quite some time. I talked to my wifeabout what she thought and I talked to people in the

squadron to see what they thought and still I did nothave a good answer. I was starting to wonder if I hadaccomplished anything.

There was many a night where I laid awake,wondering what to say to the squadron or what to doabout a particular situation and eventually the answerwould come to me, as it did for this one.

There are only three things that I hope that Iaccomplished while I was your commander. One wasto make your time at Delta, or wherever we happento be spending out time, as pleasant as possible. Granted, I didnt want to take up too much of

our time with endless meetings and weekends ofworking about the squadron building because I knownot everyones life revolves around CAP. But Iwanted you to know that I considered the time yougave to CAP was very special to me.

This appreciation for your time was one ofthe reasons that I tried to shake hands with everyonewho came to a meeting. Each of you brings somethingsignificant to the squadron and I, if no one else, knewit.

The second thing I hope I accomplished was

to make sure you realized how important your timewas to me. I wanted you to know how much Iappreciated you coming to the Civil Air Patrol andgiving of your time. It is my belief that, as I am surethat most of us over 40 realize, time is a very preciouscommodity and I really appreciated you giving yourtime to us.

The third thing I wanted to accomplishwas to help the cadets realize how special theyare. I hope that each of you know how specialyou are. Sure, everyone and anyone can sign upto be a cadet. Remember, we dont discriminate,but how many actually stay? It takes a specialkind of person to be a cadet and it takes an evenbetter person to stay the path to finish up as acadet.

It has truly been an honor to be yourcommander for the last five years. Yes, therehave been some trying times, just like with anyjob. But, if I could weigh the trying times and

the good times and compare them, I can assureyou that the good times outweigh the tryingtimes by leaps and bounds.

I wouldnt trade the last five years ofbeing your commander for anything. Theexperience I received while performing thisduty has been immense. The people I have metand now call friends would never havehappened if I had not taken on thisresponsibility. If I had it to do over again, Iwould not hesitate.

So, if I have accomplished what I setout to do, I can only thank God. If I have not,then I hope you will accept my apology.

The only thing that I can think to say atthis point is Thank You. Thank you for beingthe people that you are. Thank you for thesacrifices that you have made for the Civil AirPatrol. And, finally, thank you for allowing meto be your commander for the last five years.

Sincerely,

Captain Dan Katen


5/8


PAGE 5

... Lewis, contd

popping, and slowly disappearing. Wow! Itstill gives me goose bumps! My natural father

was a pilot and owned an airplane and,although I never flew with him, I wanted tolearn to fly. Twenty years later, I earned aPrivate Pilots License.

I am a native Houstonian and grewup in the Memorial area. My mother and Imoved back to Houston from Daytona Beachand she married a man who was an avidhunter and outdoorsman. He raised bird dogsand had two horses on three acres so it wasquite an adventure, to say the least. Iattended grammar and middle school at the

local public schools and for high school, twoboarding schools- one in Bucks County,Penn., and one in Steamboat Springs, Colo.,where I graduated.

Instead of going right into collegeafter graduating from high school, I decidedto work in the construction trade as acarpenters helper and that led me to TexasState Technical Institute in Waco, Texaswhere I earned an associate degree inconstruction technology.

In the middle of the two-yearprogram, I married a gal I met at Pine CoveConference Center in Tyler, Texas where Ihad worked as a maintenance man beforegoing to TSTI. We are still married twenty-two years later and have three children,Robert (17), John (14) and Kathryn (12). Manyof you know Cadet Master Sergeant RobertLewis.

Robert and I joined CAP five yearsago and have thoroughly enjoyed thefellowship and camaraderie of associating

with people that have similar interests inaviation and, to a much larger degree, serviceto our community. CAP has given me theopportunity to give back to society in ameaningful and vital way.

My vision for Delta is simple:

Offer our Cadet and Senior Members anopportunity to make a positive impact on ourcommunity by being properly trained and equippedto serve when national, state and local officials look tous for assistance.

To be a MODEL EMERGENCY SERVICESTRAINING UNIT IN TEXAS WING, alwaysstriving for the highest standard of excellence.

Give our young people an opportunity to

become motivated and productive citizens with asense of purpose and excellence in all that theyendeavor to accomplish.

To exemplify CAP Core Values of Integrity,Volunteer Service, Excellence and Respect.

Our mission is not an easy one and it is ever-changing. But you have shown the commitment toexcellence required to overcome the many challengeswe face to perform the duties assigned to us.

Together, we can become an example for our families,neighbors and fellow CAP volunteers.

It will be an honor for me to serve as yourcommander and I look forward to working closelywith all of you.


6/8


PAGE 6

The weekend of 10-11 January, Delta hosted Squadron Leadership andCorporate Learning sessions for Group IV. More than 50 senior membersattended the day-and-a-half classes, prerequisites for completion of Level Twoand Level Three training.

Deltas Capt. Bob Beeley served as course director for the event, whileLt. Col. Theresa. Alexander served as an instructor.


7/8


PAGE 7

DELTA CADETS ATTEND AIRMAN LEADERSHIP SCHOOL

On the weekend of 21-23 November, severalDelta cadets attended an ALS (Airman LeadershipSchool) hosted by Ellington Composite Squadron,TX-098, located on Ellington Field. ALS provides a

fast-paced education weekend for relatively newcadets, helping them get up to speed quickly on

cadet basic knowledge and skills. The 3-day programis designed specifically for C/Airmen Basic thru C/Senior Airmen grades.

Delta cadets attending as Basics included C/ABCorey Kilsby, C/AB Austin Murdock and C/ABAustin Schmied

Primary areas of instruction include proper wearof CAP uniforms, basic drill movements, customsand courtesies, chain of command structure andCAP knowledge. Long hours of training gave each ofthe Basics a sense of accomplishment, pride and self-confidence as they spent a fun weekend of learning.The training inspired the cadets to be highly self-motivated and each cadet came home knowing theycan be outstanding cadets, with work and practice,and help make Delta afirst-class squadron.

Congratulations to these cadets for successfullycompleting ALS!

Additionally, Delta had two cadets serve on theALS staff, led by Cadet Commander C/Capt. Chris

Kingsbury of the hosting Ellington CompositeSquadron. The Delta cadets selected for the ALSstaffwere C/Capt. Jamie Douglas, serving as cadetdeputy commander, and C/1st Lt. StephenRoquemore, serving as aflight commander

Delta Composite Squadron has a long traditionof providing motivated cadet stafffor many groupand wing activities and these two cadets representedDelta well at the ALS!

Capt. Jim Douglas, Delta cadet programs chiefTAC and leadership officer, also served on staffat the

ALS, as event deputy commander.We encourage all Delta cadets to participate in as

many CAP activities as their schedule allows. Itsharpens their skills, provides the opportunity tomeet and work with cadets outside of Delta and isalways a load of fun!

Watch for opportunities and participate!

As you may have heard, Delta

Squadron Friends has graciouslyprovided our squadron with 18new Dell desktop computers onloan. Each computer is completewith a keyboard, mouse, monitor,and a licensed copy of WindowsXP professional. Deployment ofthe computers has been a slowprocess, compounded byHurricane Ike which flooded thearea where the computers werestored. With the help of Capt.

and cadet Lewis, Lt. Col.Alexander, 1st Lt Deatherage andothers, we were able to move all ofthe computers before they weredamaged.

Putting Microsoft Office onevery computer proved tooexpensive. Instead, we will be

equipping all computers with

OpenOffice 3.0. OpenOffice is afree alternative to MicrosoftOffice which is developed by SunMicrosystems. This software hasalternatives to word, excel, accessand powerpoint, and supports allMicrosoft file formats. If you areinterested in using this software athome you can learn more ordownload it atwww.openoffice.org.

So far, new computers havebeen deployed to replace severalcomputers that were no longersufficient for the jobs that theywere performing. Extracomputers have been added in thecadet administration office andthe squadron administration officeto allow additional users to input

data into e-services. The color

laser printer has been added to thenetwork so that all computers onthe network can print with it.

To support all of thesecomputers, the building will bewired with additional Ethernetcable, at which time we will alsorewire all the existing cable in thebuilding to reduce interferenceweve experienced on some of therepeater channels in comm.. This

will require 2000 feet of cable, inaddition to what the squadronalready has.

If any cadets or seniormembers with basic computerskills would like to help, pleasecontact Capt. Tim Ragulsky.

DELTA SQUADRON FRIENDS PROVIDE COMPUTERS
http://www.openoffice.org/http://www.openoffice.org/http://www.openoffice.org/http://www.openoffice.org/http://www.openoffice.org/


8/8


PAGE 8

THE ONLY CONSTANT IN LIFE IS CHANGE

On the morning of 11 September, 2001, our lives werechanged forever. The level of security and the feeling ofimmunity from terrorism that we took for granted wasinstantly taken away and suddenly we felt vulnerable. We

realized that the terrorists of the world had finally made theirpromise to attack our homeland a reality.

Many of us who have served as members of the variousbranches of the armed forces know that there is a hugedifference between serving during wartime and serving duringa period of peace.

During peacetime there is a tendency, nomatter how hard we attempt to avoid it, toallow ourselves to become relaxed aboutcertain aspects of our duties that dont appearto have any effect on our mission readiness orpose a threat to anyones life. When the peaceis broken, we usuallyfind that there is a

difficult period of adjustment and trainingnecessary for us to restore our wartime levelsof competency, proficiency and missionreadiness. It is also typical that newtechnology and weapon systems must bedeployed and the learning curve to keep up

with the tempo and pace of a wartime missionbecomes steep. In addition, more newpersonnel must be recruited and trained tokeep up with the increased operationaldemands.

After World War II, the CAP emergencyservices mission of defending and protecting our homeland

was greatly reduced and the focus of our peacetime missionsbecame humanitarian in the form of search and rescue anddisaster relief.

On the morning of 9/11, The CAP was given a wakeup call.Our aircrews in New York and New Jersey were tasked to takephotographs of ground zero at the world trade center. Others

were tasked to fly missions to ferry medical supplies andpersonnel. This was the birth of a changing mission for CAP.

In July 2002, our national commander, General RichardBowling, reminded us that our heritage of homeland securitydated back to the inception of our organization and that we

were once again being asked by our country to help in itsdefense. He also pointed out that we were to prepare ourselvesto support the three Air Force Homeland Security Task Force

Missions; to Prevent, Protect and Respond to terroristactivities. However, due to the CAPs long period ofpeacetime relaxation, our emergency services capabilities werenot as ready to perform the missions that the Air Forceenvisioned at the time or the CAP leadership could envisionfor our future. In short, we were not as reliable a force as weenvisioned ourselves to be in those first two years after 9/11.

For the last seven years, the CAP, along with the efforts ofCAP-USAF, has been working to develop a betterunderstanding of the numerous types of missions that we are

being tasked to perform for our nation, our state and ourcommunities. Although we have returned to our wartime rootsof defending and protecting our country, at the squadron level,

we are still trying to translate that understanding into arealistic plan that will bring ourselves back to the level ofdedication and devotion to duty that our founders feltnecessary when our organization was formed.

Our nation is involved in a global war on terrorism andnow, after seven years of trying to adjust and understand ourevolving mission capabilities, we are coming to anunderstanding of a few important facts at the squadron level.

1. Even though most of our citizens go aboutlife in a manner that is more reflective ofpeacetime, we, as members of CAP, need toperform our duties and responsibilities in amanner that reflects that we are part of a

wartime effort to prevent and protect ourcountry from terrorist activities and attacks,and to respond to mitigate the damage fromterrorist attacks and natural and man-madedisasters.

2. We need to recruit more personnel intoour squadron to increase our capabilities ofproviding manpower for both short- andlong-term operation missions in the air andon the ground.

3. We need to become more efficient andeffective with the allocated training time andbecome committed to capitalizing on theopportunity to train all personnel during the

monthly Wing Training Weekend by implementing squadrontraining for new air crew and ground team personnel in

prerequisite tasks to prepare them to participate in missionexercises for qualification.

4. We need to spend more time during our weeklymeetings to work in our areas of specialization and increasethe functionality of all areas of our squadron command.

5. We need to develop a mentoring team program that ismore effective in integrating new personnel into squadronactivities.

6. We need to increase our professional developmentactivities to include participation in the online leadershipprogram and the read to lead program.

If all of us, as members of Delta Squadron, could see our

squadron as a civilian reserve unit that is tasked, under the AirForce Directorate for Homeland Security during wartimeconditions, to constantly train and prepare ourselves to manand accomplish the homeland security and humanitarianmissions as we now know them, then I believe we can, throughour increased activity and actions, become a squadron that isknown for its dedication to the excellence and missionaccomplishments that we all know we are capable of achieving.

Delta Squadron - Jan 2009

Documents

Transcript of Delta Squadron - Jan 2009