Iowa Wing News Online
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
By Capt Bruce Tiemann
Civil Air Patrol touched the lives of more than 8,500 residents in the state of Mississippi during early September in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. CAP volunteers, including officers and cadets older than 18, went door-to-door in towns and rural areas in four stricken counties, distributing food, water and medical supplies and recording the names of survivors. Many residents in the area said Civil Air Patrol officers and cadets were the first uniformed personnel they encountered since the hurricane struck.
A total of 215 CAP officers and cadets representing 17 states, including Iowa, contributed a total of more than 14,000 volunteer man-hours. Some members traveled from as far away as Alaska to provide support for the mission.
Leading the relief effort at Civil Air Patrol mission base in Jackson, Mississippi, was newly elected CAP National Vice Commander Brig Gen Rex Glasgow, of Marion, Iowa; who was assisted by Capt Shannon Juhl of the East Iowa Cadet Squadron for the duration of the mission.
"Maj Gen Antonio Pineda and I would like to thank all Civil Air Patrol volunteers who participated, and those who waited in reserve, for their outstanding service and dedication," said General Glasgow. "Their efforts were truly remarkable and they performed in an exemplary and professional manner. Civil Air Patrol made a significant difference and saved lives in the process."
Closer to home, members of the East Iowa Cadet Squadron joined forces with the Dubuque Composite Squadron on 17 September in supporting a daylong community hurricane relief collection drive conducted in Dubuque, Iowa. The event also involved the Iowa National Guard, virtually every civic organization in Dubuque, the news media and dozens of other sponsors and contributors.
A total of 22 Civil Air Patrol officers and cadets provided crowd control and directed traffic as private vehicles laden with food, clothing and other supplies flowed steadily into the collection area. Throughout the day, items were sorted, boxed, stacked on pallets and loaded into a 53-foot semi trailer for transport to Houston, Texas, to benefit more than 1,000 homeless families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"We were proud to be a part of this worthwhile cause, and our cadets and officers did an outstanding job," said Capt Bruce Tiemann, Commander of the East Iowa Cadet Squadron. "For those of us unable to directly support the CAP relief efforts because of our work or school commitments, this was our way of making a difference."
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Iowa Wing kicked off it's Fall Recruiting Drive by having a recruiting booth and static display of it's aircraft and glider at the Burlington Airshow. Thousands of people from all over Southeast Iowa came to the airshow and signed up 30 individuals interested in joining the Civil Air Patrol. This marks the start of a great time to get young people interested in joining CAP.
The Annual Fall Recruiting Drive's theme this year is "Back To School" and emphasizes recruitment for CAP's cadet program. The drive runs from September 1st thru November 30th and has prizes for the top cadet recruiters across the country:
1st Place: Laptop computer
2nd Place: XM Radio kit with one year service
3rd Place: Sony PSP game system plus game
Civil Air Patrol plans on having public displays at several other community events across the state and will be having interest meetings to get people to come out and see what the Civil Air Patrol is all about.
For more information about the Civil Air Patrol go to www.joiniowacap.org.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
CAP National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. Rex E. Glasgow, of Marion, IA, said today more than 100 volunteer CAP officers and cadets are canvassing homes in Hancock, Pearl River, Jackson and Stone counties in southern Mississippi to conduct search and rescue operations and disseminate supplies to Hurricane Katrina victims at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Glasgow spoke by cellular phone Tuesday near the Mississippi Wing’s headquarters at Hawkins Field Airport outside of Jackson.
“The counties we’re working in have a population of more than 130,000, and are four of the more affected areas,” Brig. Gen. Glasgow said. “It’s where the majority of the damage is here in Mississippi.”
According to the general, 107 CAP officers and cadets began Monday walking door-to-door and making sure the residents -- who have dealt with massive flooding, power outages and fuel shortages since Aug. 29 -- are doing alright.
“We're knocking on every door and asking if the survivors are OK and if they have had any contact with the outside, and we're making sure they know where the food and water distribution points are,” Brig. Gen. Glasgow said.
The general said CAP officers and cadets are also disseminating water and MREs (meals ready to eat) to ensure residents have enough provisions to survive. He also said the job is an immense one, and he could not put a timetable on completing the mission. He also stated that the delivery Monday of 30,000 pounds of relief supplies to hurricane victims in Mississippi was very successful.
CAP officers and cadets were canvassing homes Monday when they came upon a woman who’d been stranded in her house since the hurricane hit. Her electricity had gone out and she needed it for her required life support equipment.
“She’d been laying there for days. We called in the emergency medical technicians and got her help, and helped her get evacuated. Those are the types of things we’re doing,” Brig. Gen. Glasgow said.
Brig. Gen. Glasgow described a scene of total devastation further south. “Houses are flattened and debris scattered everywhere -- and that’s for several miles along the state’s southern coast,” he said.
CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Antonio J. Pineda spent much of Tuesday with Glasgow overseeing CAP’s relief efforts in Mississippi.
“Many of our volunteers here are living in tents like soldiers, putting their own needs behind the needs of disaster victims. It’s that giving spirit here -- typical of the sacrifice of our volunteers -- that impresses me the most,” Maj. Gen. Pineda said.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Little Rock Air Force Base. More than 100 Civil Air Patrol cadets and officers from the Midwest participated in the 2005 Arkansas Wing Training Encampment, held at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, AR. The event included cadets from Oklahoma, Iowa and Illinois Wings in what was the largest encampment held by Arkansas Wing in two decades. 2005 National Cadet of the Year, Cadet Colonel Michael Parker served as cadet commander.
Five Civil Air Patrol cadets from Northwest Iowa Composite Flight participated. NWICF is headquartered in Sac City with cadets from the surrounding area. Those attending the encampment were, Cadet Second Lieutenant Aisha Grieme(Galva), Cadet Airman Jeramy Vetter (Manson), Cadet Airman Josh Kuhn (Pocahontas), Cadet Airman John Kuhn (Pocahontas), Cadet Airman Luke Burmeister (Lake View) 1st Lieutenant James Currie (Sac City) transported the cadets to and from the encampment in the Civil Air Patrol's new van.
"We were proud that our cadets could participate in such a large and well-run cadet activity in another state," said Colonel Ralph Tomlinson, Commander of the Iowa Civil Air Patrol. "These young men and women have worked hard all year long to prepare for this challenging training and rose to the occasion when they got there."
On Monday of the encampment, Colonel Robert Watson, 314th Airlift Wing Vice Commander, met with the cadets for a welcome briefing and a proclamation. Colonel Watson proclaimed the week of the encampment as Civil Air Patrol Cadet Week on Little Rock AFB.
In addition to the normal encampment classroom training of leadership, aerospace, moral leadership and drill and ceremonies, cadets were exposed to various facets of the U.S. Air Force through several tours and activities. Throughout the week cadets toured the C-130J aircraft simulator facility, 314th Civil Engineering Squadron (CES) and the 314th Security Forces Squadron (SFS).
The 314th CES fire department presented a guided tour and mock airplane fire demonstration, while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit of the CES demonstrated the use of their bomb squad robot and Segway scooters. The 314th SFS introduced their military working dogs through an interactive K-9 demo, and guided cadets in tackling the base obstacle course near the end of the week.
The 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard provided cadets with orientation flights on a C-130E Hercules. The particular aircraft flown was introduced to cadets as the oldest C-130 currently flying in the USAF inventory. The cadets were flown to northern Arkansas and orbited Greer's Ferry Lake at about 1000 feet, during which the loadmaster lowered the rear ramp for a magnificent view. The aircraft definitely proved itself to the cadets as a dependable airlift workhorse of the US Air Force.
"Flying in that C-130 was a thrill," said Cadet Airman Jeramy Vetter of Manson, IA "We get to fly in military aircraft, but flying that low was really exciting!"
Eighty five cadets graduated the Arkansas Wing Training Encampment and Cadet Second Lieutenant Aisha Grieme of Galva received the Commandant's Award as the outstanding cadet staff officer of the encampment.
Little Rock Air Force Base has been and continues to be a great location with excellent support from its airmen and their commanders. Excellent facilities made dealing with intense heat, sometimes Black Flag - Stage 5, a minor consequence. Overall, a well qualified and motivated cadet and officer staff worked tirelessly to make the encampment an outstanding success.
