Saturday, 13 August 2011

Commanders Welcome
By Major David Watts

Edition 1
New for 2011
By Capt Robert Bowden

Encampment Senior Staff

By Capt Robert Bowden

Dear Encampment Participant, Welcome to the 2011 Great Lakes Region Michigan Summer Encampment! On behalf of Col Robert Karton., CAP Commander of the Great Lakes Region; and on behalf of Col Leo Burke, CAP Commander of Michigan Wing, I share a great level of pride and anticipation in you at this years Encampment. Your participation and enthusiasm marks the best of what Civil Air Patrol represents. Your senior and cadet staff have put hundreds of hours into preparing for this encampment, some of them a year or more. Without the hard work and dedication of your staff before, during and after, this Encampment would not be possible. Each and every one of them has my thanks for a job well done. I imagine that you might have some anxiety about this week- that is OK. It is going to be a challenging event. Yet, I anticipate and expect that you will succeed in your efforts. Why? Because there are people here to lead and guide you. Keep a positive attitude. Focus on the goals established by your unit leadership. Trust their experience. Press ahead. Know that there is a reason and purpose for everything we do in training. Expect to be held to a very high standard. Know that you will succeed. At the end of this week you will leave a changed person. The nature of that change remains in your hands! Take this week, do your very best, and know that everyone here is dedicated to your success. Semper Vigilans!

Welcome HOME! I am sure you have all heard this a few times by now and for all of us who are returning to encampment we truly are home. You are reading the encampment newsletter At Ease which is published daily by the Encampment Public Affairs Department. This year we have lots exciting new things going on including live streaming parts of the encampment online for your parents and friends to watch, A new photography website which we will be posting all of the weeks photos to and our always popular Facebook group where parents and write in to their cadets and get their comments published in At Ease. We have a great public affairs staff consisting of Capt Bowden, 1st Lt Fischer and C/SMSgt Surgalski. 1st Lt Carson was our guest photographer during in processing today. Unlike many other groups and activities where the leadership is off somewhere in a office, the Great Lakes Region North Encampment gives you the opportunity to interact with senior CAP officers, we are honored that Col. Leo Burke the Michigan Wing Commander is joining us for a few days before going down to Louisville, KY for national Boards, This is his 34th Encampment. Col Ed Phelka the former Colorado wing commander is teaching CLS this year. My last words of advise are to enjoy the week, This is a week you will remember for the rest of your lives and you will make life long friends here this week. Ask questions and be a sponge, soak up as much information as you can and never quit learning. Were all here to help you.

As you look around you will see a lot of senior members, many of these members are on vacation from their day jobs so they could come and support the encampment for the week. If you see these officers around during the week make sure to tell them Thank You.
Commander- Maj Dave Watts Vice Commander- Maj Sheila Cerny Executive Officer- Maj Phil Argenti Commandant of Cadets- Maj Chris Freytag Assistant Commandant of Cadets- Capt Davalos Training Officer - Capt Wilman Administrative Officer- 1st Lt Lhamon Finance Officer- Capt Locke Logistics Officer- Maj Pangburn Safety Officer- Maj Woolston Public Affairs Officer Capt Bowden PAO Staff 1st Lt Fischer Health Services Officer- Maj Rutherford Health Services Staff- Maj Gorman -Capt Hickmott Communications Officer- 1st Lt Ewing Chaplain- 2d Lt Yang Standardizations and Evaluation Officer- Capt Davalos Air Operations Officer- Maj Thalmann Glider Operations Officer- Maj Payne Model Rocketry Director- Capt Johnson Chief Tactical Officer- Lt Col Cotton

What is Honor Flight

By C/MSgt Sam Surgalski

Random Photo Goodness

Who is here at Encampment?

By 1st Lt Rita Fischer During this week you will see many cadets at the encampment, Some have different color cadet staff hats and some are in the blues uniform most of the week and some are wearing a yellow encampment shirt, Who are all of these other people. CLS (Great Lakes Region Cadet Leadership School) CLS is a intense week long course that challenges cadets and pushes their leadership skills to a new level. Teamwork is a major focus of this school and cadet who graduate usually go on to serve on the basic encampment staff next year. CLS is a requirement for cadets to earn C/Lt Col. The core of CLS is lead by example. C/MSgt C/Maj are eligible to attend this course NCOS (Non Commissioned Leadership School) Officer

Healthy competition is part of the Civil Air Patrol encampment experience. While you and your flight will work hard each and every day, certain flights will be showcased for their teamwork and dedication. This is known as the daily honor flight. To be part of an honor flight is an honor! It means that your flight has been noticed by your cadet or senior member leaders for its effort during the day. In addition to this, one of the biggest achievements your flight can work towards is the all-famous honor flight of the week. The winner will be unveiled at the end of encampment, and you will have bragging rights and the knowledge that you and your flight did their absolute best that short span of 7 days. The Honor flight is can be distinguished by the red guidon. During the week there will be one basic cadet selected to be the honor cadet of the encampment. With that in mind, be loud in drill, try your best in inspections, and do your part to help achieve honor flight of the day or week!

The NCO School is designed to teach cadet airmen and NCOs small unit leadership and is based off of the very popular and successful CLS. NCOS is open to C/AMN C/SMSgt Model Rocketry Cadets will start from scratch and learn all about rockets. They start off with an alka seltzer rocket, a film canister rocket, and towards the end of the week build a scale model of a rocket. The goal is to make the rocket work and be able to keep its engine and land with a parachute. At the end of the week they will have completed the Civil Air Patrol Model Rackety program and will earn their model rocketry badge.

Greetings from Facebook

Kathy Morandy-Pease This is to my son Allen Kay. David and i are so proud of you. Put your best foot forward during NCO School. Love Mom Claudia Knudsen Nathan Knudsen have a fantastic week! Remember...Look up, not down. Look forward, not back. Look out, not in. I am very proud of you! Love Mom Tina Sawyer Lodenstein Went to the Grand Haven parade to watch my son walk with other cadets. I was a bad mom I made him crack a smile while marching You must pay attention and not pay attention to crazy people yelling " HEY SENYKO DONT YOU SMILE " love you Ronny and have he time of your life !!!!mom Carol Dillon Tyler Dillon this will be a very cool experience for you and we want you to know we're very proud of you. Have fun this week and do your best always! Love Mom and Dad P.S. Caitlyn says come back respectful and nice :p Cody Mc Gehee To all CAP Family who knows Cody McGehee have a great week be safe and have fun.

Reminder
Flight photos are tomorrow morning, Make sure your blues look extra sharp. Thank you all in advance for your cooperation during your photos
2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director SM Rita Fischer, Newsletter Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet Staff 1st Lt Bill Carson, Guest Photographer Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 for us to make copies!

Tina Sawyer Lodenstein make our boys proud !!! See u next saturday !!!
Adam Burgos To: C/Airman Zak VanSlyke Subject: OORAH !!

Sunday, 14 August 2011

Welcome To Encampment! What is the Gold Brick?
By C/MSgt Surgalski Ah, the infamous gold brick. Perhaps you have heard of it before; perhaps you have not. Either way, the gold brick is an essential and hilarious part of encampment. You see, your cadet staff members are fantastic leaders. They are intelligent and very knowledgeable in the Civil Air Patrol life. However, even the best leaders make mistakes. Thats why the gold brick was created for our encampment: it just happens to point out these mistakes to everyone! The brick is presented to an unlucky cadet staff member each and every day in the evening PT session, and for the next 24 hours that member must carry around his or her brick until it is given to another individual. However, if he or she happens to lose or misplace their brick while carrying it around, they must not only report they have lost the brick at the next mail call, but they get to have a two bricks for the next day! Losing a brick is something every cadet staff member dreads while it is in their care. So, keep your eye out for gold bricks around the encampment complex, and if you see one lying around somewhere, you may want to return it to its rightful owner or they could be in for an exciting mail call!

Edition 2
Encampment Safety
By Major Woolston Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Even though the heat wave that has been affecting most of the country may be over you all are keeping busy during the day and can quickly get dehydrated. All cadets are doing PT every morning, It is not enough to just drink water on the way to PT, you need to be drinking water throughout the day. Even sitting in class indoors can cause you to become dehydrated. If you feel sleepy during class have a drink or two of water this will not only help hydrate you but will help keep you awake. During meals you want to only drink water or juice, NO coke! It will actually dehydrate your faster. Be aware of your surroundings this week, We are on an active military base and as such there are other personnel out running and driving, we do not want to march a flight into a unit doing PT or trying to drive down the road. Road guards should be wearing their orange safety vests at all times when out marching around. Flights need to pay attention when crossing roads because a distracted driver may not see the flight, always be proactive. Senior members when you are driving on base be sure to follow the speed limits, the base is patrolled by the Sherriff and they give real tickets, Not only will you be out the money but you can jeopardize Civil Air Patrols relationship with the base. You can NOT use your cell phone while driving on base without a hands free devise. If you see any issues during the week please let the safety staff know.

By Major Dave Watts, Commander

Welcome to Alpena! As I said to you last night in the welcome briefing, Welcome Home. I want everyone to know that my staff and I have spent the last year planning, just for this one week. They have dedicated their time to make your week here the most memorable. I think by the end of the week youll agree, theyve succeeded. We have lots of awesome activities planned for you. While it may seem boring and tedious right now, the week will get better. Trust me when I say that you wont want to go home at the end of the week. Well laugh, play, learn and grow. After spending this week together with the members of your flight, you wont want to leave them. There is a good possibility that the friends you make here this week could end up being friends for life. I hope that you are not feeling the blues about being here. Alpena is a place that we come to every year to teach, learn and most of all enjoy. It is a place of memories and a place of the future. Since you are the generation of the future, you are our future.

Youve Got Mail

By C/MSgt Surgalski Although much of your time here will be taken up by various activities, there will be a few precious free time minutes in your day where you will have the ability to write letters to your fellow cadet members at encampment. The letters distributed among encampment members is known as mail call. With mail call, you can write a letter to anyone on the base, and have it mailed out to them at evening PT. That way, you can keep in contact with a friend, even if they might not be in your flight or squadron. Cadets can also get mail from outside the encampment from parents, friends or relatives. Sometimes, just a few words of encouragement from family can really help you make it through the week. Letters can be dropped off in the gold mailbox during meals, and will be delivered to each and every cadet by your flight commander.

Greetings from Facebook

Leah Grosso-Brady C/TSgt Louis Brady we are very proud of you. You have had a busy couple of weeks with SAR Academy two weeks ago and then Rescue Mission up in Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan and now Encampment. Have a wonderful week up there. Make us proud as you always do. Love you more than anything to infinity and beyond. Little inside joke. Rianne Ginnard van Draanen Shane, Jeremy and Brendan Ginnard, have a wonderful time at encampment. We are so p r o u d o f y o u a l l . Love, Dad, Justin, Kyle and Mom Jenni McGee Yeater Have a great week William Andrew Yeater. I am very proud of you! Love mom. Jill Mulder Bronsink Geoffrey, you've worked really hard to get to encampment! Have fun and learn lots of new stuff! This is a great opportunity for all of you Christina Kloc Hammac Hope all the cadets have a Great time. Have fun Mike Hammac and Chris Hammac. Love you, Mama Barbie Farmer Ansinn Have fun in NCO School my sweet daughter Cadet Technical Sgt. Courtney King. Ashley Baker C/2nd Lt. Tim Brown...Haha, no nervous's's's'sness, Poke. You can be poked by facebook while at encampment :P Tim Bojanowski To C /S S g t A n t ho ny B o j a no w s k i -

Random Photo Goodness

Thoughts from a Basic

By: 1st Lt Fischer Every summer in August, CAP cadets and senior members gather at CRTC Alpena for the Great Lakes Regions Encampment. For cadets coming here for the first time, you will experience all that CAP has to offer. Mackenzie Anderson from Lakeshore 119th Squadron admitted she is a little nervous. I am a little scared, I do not know what to expect, but I am going to do my best. I want to learn how to be a better cadet and see what I can learn to bring back to my squadron. James Zell from Adrian squadron amazed at how big the base is. is

I guess I really did not know what to expect- I wanted to come, and I really want to come back next year and not be so nervous. I would like to be a more confident in what I do. Wayne Hillier from Ann Arbor Squadron is excited to be here. I like it that all the people are nice, the food is good, and I cant wait until tomorrow! My goal in the next year is that I would like to work harder at my Physical training so that I can be better at it. Daniel Connors from Willow Run Composite Squadron likes the order and discipline. I am enjoying it a lot. Id like to get better at knowing my customs and courtesies and come back next year as an NCO.

Good luck with NCO school, you deserve it after all of your hard work and dedication this year. p.s- I hope the van ride up was good. Stay hydrated! See you Saturday at graduation. Darla Sowders To Kyle Sowders: We love you honey, and really hope your first day is going great! Have fun and learn lots! Don't forget you can ask to speak to Capt. Bonner if you need to. P.S. Your brothers and sister are doing a great job taking care of your puppy. Dawn Newman Best wishes to all the Cadets attending this year! May it be a memorable time for each one of you! Christina Kloc Hammac I am not attending buy my two boys are. I am going to enjoy a nice quiet week at home without them. LOL I will be there for their graduation though. Jennifer Campbell Thiel To A1C Colbey Morris...Hope you had a memorable first day...missing you!!!

SMILE FOR YOUR FLIGHT PHOTO TODAY

2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director 1st Lt Rita Fischer, Newsletter Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet Photo Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 during the duty day for us to make copies!

Monday, 15 August 2011

Welcome To Encampment! First full day at the CRTC
By C/MSgt Surgalski Although the first few days of encampment always seem to be the most tedious for everyone at encampment, we started off on a great note with early morning 0530 PT. Physical training is one of the highlights of encampment! If you conditioned before coming here, great. However, if youre struggling with the exercises, remember to keep on pushing. PT is to help make yourself better push both yourself and your other cadets to work and play harder in both morning and evening PT. By Major Sheila Cerny, Encampment Vice Commander You will have lots and lots of classes while at your stay in Alpena. These classes are designed to make you a better cadet, leader, and more knowledgeable in military life. You will find it hard to stay awake sometimes during these presentations; remember to hydrate yourself, and help keep others awake by nudging them softly. Take lots of notes during these classes! Youll be happy you did when you get back home next week. For the first time since youve been here, you got your first taste of drill instruction. Every day you will find yourself better and better at drill. Dont get discouraged if your flight staff corrects a mistake you made; its their way of helping you to become a better cadet for yourself, and for your home squadron. Dont fret - by the end of the week, those staff members will have a hard time picking out the errors in your drill and you could help your flight win the drill comp at the end of the week! Alpha and Bravo flights received their orientation flights in a powered aircraft on Sunday. Over the course of this week, the rest of you will get flights in both powered and glider aircraft. Get excited! For many, its the highlight of their encampment. Youll be amazed by the sights you can see from the gliders open canopy-style cockpit. So have fun, and enjoy your week!

Edition 3
Cadet Flight Staff
By 1st Lt Rita Fischer

Cadets who have attended one encampment may return to the next encampment as flight staff. The focus on flight staff is to teach the new cadets first hand with just about everything. C/MSgt Paige Barden from Ann Arbor Squadron is proud to help train the cadets. As flight staff we get to help new basics first hand with basically everything. As a flight seargeant I get to really step in and start them on drill. The things flight seargents teach them here makes the most impact because it is their first time to learn. If you teach them wrong they have that forever! Alpha Flight Commander 1st Lt. Chavis from Monroe composite squadron also enjoys working with the cadets. One thing we are really trying to promote with the basics is knowledge of the regulations and drill standardization. I love working with the cadets, being a mentor and a leader is a great learning experience!. C/CMSgt Bauerle from Livonia Composite squadron enjoys taking on the challenge of being on flight staff. I like learning how to teach things to the basics, and share the knowledge that I have learned in the past year to encourage new cadets to take the next step in their CAP careers. C/CMSgt Logan Zinkhon came from Wright Patterson Cadet Squadron in Ohio. I was not outgoing when I was a basic. Because of what I have learned I am more outgoing now and I am a better leader. I am learning the correct way to get a goal accomplished by working with the cadets.

Welcome to Monday! It is my pleasure to serve as your Encampment Vice Commander this year. This is my 8th encampment and I am looking forward to a great week. We will be starting some of the more exciting activities such as O flights, rappelling , and weapons demo in the coming days. If you are feeling home sick put that energy into your lockers and bunks, You will surprise yourself in how much you really can accomplish. You have a great cadet staff who can handle anything. Use your staff; they have been training for months to be able to help you become the best cadets you can be. I have many fond memories of encampment as a cadet held right here in Alpena. Keep working together as a team with your flight and work towards earning honor flight.

Greetings from Facebook

Leah Grosso-Brady C/TSgt Brady - we miss you and have a wonderful time. Keep yourself healthy, see you in a week or so. Love mom and dad. Charisse Ko Cadet Joseph Kowalski: How was it to wake up w/the sun? Work hard, eat well and drink plenty of water. Min and Li are looking for you. Douglas M. Childs Cadet Airman First Class Dominic M. Childs, good luck and have a great experience at Encampment. I'm proud of you! Charvella Liles DeLeon Cadet Newman Have an awesome week at camp....Can't wait to talk with you...Love ya, Grandma B Karen Newman Furlich To Samantha Furlich: Hey Grayfus! Work hard and have a great time! Gave Anna a big hug for you last night..Jack too. Can't wait to see you Saturday and hear about everything you've done! Love ya, Mom and Dad. Jeanne Shroat James Todd, work hard, have fun, and enjoy this great experience, Love Grandma and Grandpa Shroat Grandpa cooked breakfast for you and Kendall and she ate hers and yours too. Tonya Guidry All Van Dyke Cadet Squadron Cadets: I hope you guys are having an amazing time! Wish I was up there with you, can't wait for next year! :) Dawn Newman Cadet Newman I hope your first day was a success! Sounds like today will be a blast, enjoy every moment. I can't wait for the story's. Love ya Mom, Dad, Brenden Brittany Bishop MI-655 Cadets and Seniors, Hope everything is going well and you all love it up there. Alpena will become your home away from home. Can not waite to hear all the great stories at the squadron meeting after encampment!! C/Capt. Bishop Em Marie To the Selfridge People, Last Years golf flight, Ginnard's, Hollowood's, and who ever else I know. Have fun and don't bail out its fun in the end. Most of all keep hydrated cause they do got some good water but the medics get sick of you if you visit to much. Miss y'all. Love, Em Shields p.s. if I don't know you and you read this Hi ^_^ Kristen Glaser Warner To: Staff Sgt Dutkiewicz - Wishing you a great first day! Love, Mom & Matt

Random Photo Goodness

Get your Diamonds

By: 1st Lt Rita Fischer Col Leo Burke passed a gold coin around the room he earned as a cadet, while he explained to the cadets how easy it is to earn the Spaatz award. Col Burke told the cadets that the award is half of the Mitchell, half of the Earhart, write five paragraphs and run a mile! Study, as often as you can and quiz one another and you will earn it. Michigan has 55 Spaatz cadets and 8 are out of Van Dyke squadron. Col Burke often points out that United States Air Force Chief Master Sergeants have completed 100% of the NCO program. CAP C/CMSgts have completed less than half of the cadet program. He told the cadets to set goals and reach them. Work your way up and much of what you have learned can lead to a successful career in life. Air Force Col. Eric A. Boe, the Civil Air Patrol member who took his Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award coin into space during his first flight as a space shuttle pilot last year, and then again on the last scheduled space shuttle mission, that launched in September 2011. Boe was the pilot of STS-126 from Nov. 14 -30, 2008. He first soloed in an airplane as a Georgia Wing cadet in a CAP encampment and earned the Spaatz award, the highest achievement for a CAP cadet, in July 1983 . Now a senior member with the Florida Wings Eglin Composite Squadron, Boe has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Where will you take your coin?

HONOR FLIGHT INDIA

2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director 1st Lt Rita Fischer, PAO Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet PAO Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 during the duty day for us to make copies!

Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Welcome To Encampment! First full day at the CRTC
By C/MSgt Surgalski

Edition 4
CLS/NCOS
By 1st Lt Rita Fischer

Im sure everyone immensely enjoyed the weapons demonstration given to us by the Air Force and Navy soldiers yesterday. While some of us viewed the M4, Barrett .50 caliber and the Berretta 9mm, all of us got to shoot blank rounds out of the M240B. We even had the WBKB Chanel 11 Alpena news station there to watch us shoot! We were on the news last night and we will be getting the video uploaded online as soon as we get a copy from the station.
By Major Phil Argenti Encampment Executive Officer I would like to welcome you all to Encampment. We are now almost halfway through the week. By this point in the week, hopefully you will have made some new friends and learned more about yourself, CAP, and the Air Force. Hopefully you have also enjoyed the Security Forces Demo and your O-Ride if you have already had yours. I attended my Basic Encampment right here in Alpena in 1998. I remember it wellIt started in a whirlwind, and became smoother as the week progressed. I have some great memories from my Basic year, namely rappelling, the fire department demonstration, and the military aircraft static displays. This year marks my fourth encampment. I really enjoy seeing the growth all of you make in just a weeks time. It is quite amazing how much of a transformation can occur in such a short time. I hope that each of you will take what you have learned this week back to your home squadrons so that you can help them out. I also encourage you to return to Encampment next year to attend the NCO School, Cadet Leadership School, or the Model Rocketry Encampment, or even on Cadet Staff. By completing Basic Encampment, you are also now eligible to attend a number of National Activities during the summer. I highly encourage you to consider these activities. You have also fulfilled one of the requirements to earn your Mitchell Award. Have fun the rest of the week, and continue absorbing all of the great information our instructors have to offer.

The M240B replaced the M60 in the mid-1980s, and has been the standard issue for US Army and Marine Corps forces for over 15 years. Although its not the lightest gun out there, its known for its reliability in all types of climates. I heard multiple cadets comment on the M4 and 9mm Berretta and how the real gun they were holding had the same scope or barrel as a Call of Duty gun. Now we got to hold the actual gun many of us use in those popular Xbox and Playstation games. Remember to stay hydrated during those hot hours in the sun, and take off your blouse if your flight commander or sergeant says its OK. Have as much fun with the rest of encampment as I know you did with the weapons demonstration!

The 2011 Region Cadet Leadership School is in full gear. Cadets from as far as New York have come up for the most advanced Phase III school in the Nation. Concentrating on skills and knowledge that will help them be successful cadet commanders, RCLS is combining the traditions of our old CLS with the newest curriculum available from National Headquarters. Cadets are learning to plan, organize, and lead cadet operations at the local unit and beyond. In addition to classes by experts in management, education, and leadership, students participate in teamwork activities that push their personal limits on self confidence, personal space, and critical thinking. Every student will serve as a flight commander and or flight staff sometime during the week so they have practical experience leading large groups of cadets with the aid of experiences NCOS. Alongside RCLS is the new NCO School. NCOS concentrates on teaching cadets to master phase II skills like drill instruction, physical training, and direct leadership. Cadets are learning the intricacies of squadron and flight drill, and every cadet will serve as a flight sergeant, first sergeant or guidon bearer under experiences cadet officers sometime during the week.

Maj Argenti as a basic in 1998

Greetings from Facebook

Betty Jenkins Dumont To the outstanding cadets from the Au Sable Valley Cadet Squadron - c/Amn DJ Brady, C/ Amn Gino Famiano, C/A1C Colbey Morris, C/ A1C Mile Stajic, C/SrA Allen Meyer, C/TSgt Bill Buckles, and in NCO School S/SSgt Judy Wright - your squadron is proud of you! Have an OUTSTANDING week! LtCol Dumont (And a big thank you to Lt Robbin Meyer for helping out!) Betty Jenkins Dumont Highpoint Cadets Samantha Furlich and Ian Hurd - have a wonderful week! Chris Zimmermann-Calzadillas Airman first class Calzadillas- We were just thinking about amazing time you must be having! Can't wait for Pass and Review and to hear all about your week! We are all so proud of you! Love, Dad and Mom Jennifer Nicholson Cadet 2d Lt Brit Nicholson - Enjoy yourself and learn much. Do or do not, there is no try. Get a bucket of grits! Love, Mom and Dad and Rach Kristen Glaser Warner A big thanks to Mark Davalos for putting together the bus to get our Cadets to Encampment. I am sure it was a lot of work, but the bus was full and that shows what a great help it was! Thanks for going above and beyond to help out our families. Brittany James-James AIRMAN NATHAN JAMES, we are eating guacamole and missing you! May your love of the plane and flying only grow over this week. You are such a go getter. Have fun and give 110% like you always do. When asked, run don't walk. Fly Eagle Fly. Love all of us back on the ranch including River. Bruce Clark C/1st Lt. Clark Hotel Flight Commander remember when you were a basic? Wow, 3 years ago! Lead the Hammers well. Honor flight? Go get em! Ellen Koehler C/A1C Noah Koehler and C/Amn Ben Koehler, work hard and have a great week at encampment. Dad, Mom (& Chelsea!) Darla Sowders C/Amn Sowders! Hope you are having a great time, and learning a lot. We can't wait until Saturday! Love you sweetie! Wendy Ruthard Butler To C/Amn Shannon Butler and MI-063. How does it feel to wakeup with the sun? Is the food just as good as home? We are thinking of the group and hoping you enjoying yourselves. Kim Risner C/Kollyn Anders Hope you ae working hard, and have a great week. Kim, Pat, Tawny, Nichole Dakota We love you

Random Photo Goodness

Orientation Flights
By: 1st Lt Rita Fischer

On Sunday the cadets started to go up for Orientation flights. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of Civil Air Patrol and it gives cadets who almost all have never flown in a small engine airplane the chance to see the world from a different view. Cadet Harrison took his first flight with the young eagles program but was very excited to fly with Civil Air Patrol. We flew not to far away from the Mackinac Bridge there was a fog over it and it was pretty cool!. Cadet Airman Hartsuff got to sit at the controls. I got to fly, it was my first flight ever and I had a death grip on the controls as we flew over Lake Huron. C/SSgt Hargrove attended his first encampment this year and checked the fuel for the plane. I like the sense of freedom, you can do anything that you want up in the air it is a great feeling it was awesome!. Cadet Buckles took his first flight ever at encampment. I love everything about flying, the pilot let me fly and it was outstanding. Cadet Airman Hill also flew for his first time. I liked it, you could see the bottom of lake Huron, I liked it when the plane banked!. HONOR FLIGHT DELTA
2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director 1st Lt Rita Fischer, PAO Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet PAO Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 during the duty day for us to make copies!

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Welcome To Encampment! Col Frank Walker USAF Ret.
By C/MSgt Surgalski

Edition 5
Rocketry
By Capt Beth Johnson

For what seemed like a short 3 hours, retired Colonel Frank Walker talked to us in the Collins Center about the structure of the Air Force, aerospace power, and AFROTC along with information about the Air Force Academy. He also discussed the fleet of over 5,638 aircraft that the Air Force currently has operational. It was an interesting introduction to enlisting or joining the military for a career. The Air Force has the largest fleet of military aircraft still in use today. Although the future of flying lies in the hands of unmanned aircraft, many piloted aircraft still roam the skies today. They include C (cargo) planes, T (trainer) planes, and F (fighter) planes. Some examples are the C-130, T-38, and the F-16. These planes can carry cargo, civilians, train pilots, and fight land and air-based enemies. Becoming an officer in the military is a big deal therefore, it takes a lot of willpower to become one. Joining ROTC at a college mandates a high GPA, involvement in extra curricular activities, and high scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, which is similar to the SAT or ACT. Admission into the Academy involves an even lengthier process: you must begin when youre a Junior in high school with filling out your pre -candidate questionnaire. After an interview and a congressional nomination, you may get accepted as one of the 1200 students the academy takes per year. The process of becoming an officer is a hard one, but its rewards are great; your pay is better, your housing is better, and you get the honor of becoming a select few in the nations military who are lieutenants or higher. Once a cadet has finished basic encampment they have a choice of a number of other encampments; once choice is Model Rocketry Encampment. This encampment costs more, but the cadet will make and take home four different rockets that they have built themselves . The program is divided into three different phases: In the First Redstone Phase, a cadet will start out making a fizzy rocket. Then, they will make the Goddard Rocket. They take two tests; one on the history of rocketry and the other on safety. Once they pass these tests they are done with the First Phase. In the Titan phase, they build a kit model that is a basic kit and they learn the basic rocketry techniques. The next rocket they must build is a scale model from a designer sheet. The third test rocket covers the science of rocketry. When they pass this test they are finished with the Titan (or second) Phase. The Final Phase requires he cadet to build either a payload rocket or one that carries a parasite into the air. The final written test covers the fundamentals of engines. This Phase is called the Saturn Phase. All along each and every one of the rockets must perform as expected by my standards: The rockets that are launched must have a successful flight then return to the earth using a recovery system and in one piece with the engine attached.

By Major Chris Frytag Commandant of Cadets I hope you are all enjoying your time here at encampment! As you go about your training through the week, you will probably hear a lot of the senior and cadet staffs refer to Alpena CRTC as home. After a year or two coming up here to encampment, you will develop the same feeling about this base. I attended my basic encampment in 1984, when we had to go outside to another building to shower or go to the latrine, and my assistant commandant, Capt Davalos was the cadet commander. I havent missed many encampments since then. Ive also attended encampments at other bases-Camp Grayling, and Wurtsmith and Wright-Patterson Air Force bases-but none of them share the special place in my heart that Alpena CRTC does. The clean, pine-scented air, the black squirrels running around, and the occasional A-10 flyover are what make this place special. But what really makes it special are the people. Ive made friends here that have lasted a lifetime, and I hope you will too. I also take a lot of satisfaction from seeing the progress you all make through the week. You and your fellow cadets will form a bond much stronger than just a team, youll become a family. I highly encourage all of you to enjoy your time with your new family, because the end of the week, and the partings that follow, will be here before you know it. In closing, I look forward to seeing all of you back here on staff, or in one of the advanced training programs, and being able to welcome you back home to Alpena CRTC! Keep up the good work, youre all doing great!

Greetings from Facebook

Anastasha Collins Hello to all of the Willow Run Composite Squadron members! I hope you all have a good week, be safe and remember to drink LOTS of water! Jeanne Shroat Learn something new every day! (are you having pizza withdrawal yet?) Love Grandma Kayla Bender Hi to Colt Jacobs, Mike Hammac, and Christopher Hammac! Hope you guys are having tons of fun. Craig Modlin I miss u pops! Sry I couldn't be there this year Darla Sowders C/Amn Kyle Sowders: It was nice to see you in a picture today! Hope you are having a great week. We all love you and miss you! See you Saturday! Ria van Draanen Hello Shane, Jeremy and Brendan Ginnard. We are so proud of you all. Keep up the hard work, and Brendan, we hope you are enjoying your first encampment. Veel liefs, Opa en Oma Lindsay Chandler Good luck to the Cadets from Lakeshore composite 119! Kristen Glaser Warner SSG Dutkiewicz: Saw the NCO hats - very nice! Also saw you checking in and in chow line. Hope you're using your talents and experience to serve as all good leaders do, and ofcourse learning much. Miss you! Love, Mom Brian Kennedy Senior Airman Joseph Kennedy, hope you are having a great time at encampment. Have you had a flight yet? Jennifer Shroat Todd James Todd- Take every opportunity and enjoy every minute of encampment! Mom, Dad & Ken Dawn Newman Cadet Newman I hope you are having a great time, learning lots, and making great new friendships! May god bless each one of you, wrap you in angels wings, and guide you with wisdom through each day! We miss you! Love, Dad, brenden, and mom Christy Worthing Taylor To: Cadet Garrett Taylor, We hope you are having an awesome time. Be the coffee and push yourself to be a stronger, better version of you. Miss you tons and love ya lots. We are very proud of you. Love, dad and mom Leah Grosso-Brady It is Monday and you are being missed by your cat's Princess and Riley and Max the dog. They miss little Lou.

Random Photo Goodness

Repelling By: 1st Lt Rita Fischer

On Tuesday the cadets each had the opportunity to go rappelling and rock climbing. This is one of the things that the cadets get to enjoy while at encampment. It gives the cadets a chance to try something new and challenge themselves to try rappelling and also rock climb a wall. C/TSgt Jones thought awesome to rappel. that it was

I liked the feeling of free falling. I liked the freedom of not having to stop until my feet hit the ground. When I went rock climbing I rang the bell at the top. C/AMN Newcome enjoyed the adrenaline rush and the fear of the unknown. I liked the height of it, and the assurance that they guys on the ground knew what they were doing, they were very professional and did a good job at what they do. C/SSgt Lang enjoyed rappelling the most. I liked going upside down when I was rappelling, I went back up and rappelled again. I like being in control of my fate. C/AMN Durfee said Rock climbing was his element. I like that kind of thing and I wish that the wall were higher. Rappelling was fun, it was not as fun as rock climbing, roc k cl i mb in g wa s m uch mo re challenging.

HONOR FLIGHT ECHO

2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director 1st Lt Rita Fischer, PAO Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet PAO Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 during the duty day for us to make copies!

Thursday, 17 August 2011

Welcome To Encampment! Rocket Demo
By C/MSgt Surgalski

Edition 6
Air Ops
By C/MSgt Surgalski / Capt Bowden

Early in the Alpena afternoon, rockets were flying high for over an hour, due to the fine work of 6 cadets and their cadet commander, C/Maj John Johnson. More than 20 rockets were launched altogether, including scale models of the Saturn V, Mercury, and Atlas series rockets. Although there were a few rockets who failed to blast off, a good time was had by all. The mission was to have their rockets take off, deploying its parachute, and having the engine remain inside of the fuselage of the model rocket.
By C/Lt Col Krista N. McLean Cadet Commander You have made it to Thursday, After today you have FMI and then getting ready for PIR. The remainder of the week will fly by after today. I went to my first encampment in 2006. It was the hardest thing I could ever do. I was very homesick and asked to leave to go home. My squadron staff asked if I would talk to SMSgt Biddle before I made my final choice to head home. SMSgt Biddle and I talked for a long time and I was convinced to try and stay another day. Once that day was over I was having a blast. I graduated from encampment and as soon as I left I wanted to come back right away. My goal was to become a Cadet Commander at an encampment. I ended up staffing at GLRSouth in 2007 as a Flt Sgt and then returning to GLR-N for CLS. I applied for my first staff position at GLR-N in 2008 where I was selected as a Squadron XO. In 2008 I achieved Cadet Honor Officer of the encampment, and in 2009 I attended the OHWG encampment as the Stan Eval OIC and GLR-N as a Sq Commander. In 2010 I was selected as the C/XO. Finally I applied for C/CC and that is where I am now. My biggest advice to any member out there is to set goals and achieve them. Do not let anyone tell you that you cant achieve something, Take that anger in being put down and prove them wrong. Encampment can be really rough, but in the end it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done in the program and hopefully after this week you can say the same thing. I hope to see you all next year!

Rocketry was really fun we got to just build rockets and relax, stated C/SSgt Aaron Aydelotte, the flight sergeant in the 2011 rocketry class. All three of Aydelottes rockets launched successfully. Some of the rockets used in the encampment use Estes engines, which have an engine thrust time of about 2 seconds, getting them to an altitude of anywhere between 200 to 500 feet. They have one stage, which means that the engine fires off for a period of time and then shuts off, causing the rocket to fall back down to earth and deploy the parachute. C/SSgt Aydelotte also stated, You can get frustrated with building your rocket the wing can break, or your igniter couldnt fire, and it gets on your nerves sometimes. Rocketry is a challenging but rewarding encampment to attend. Plus, in the end, you get to (hopefully!) watch all 3 of your rockets take off in front of all of the basic cadets! Rocketry is available to any cadet who has completed basic encampment, and allows you to learn the basics of model rocketry and build 4 rockets that you can take home and shoot off again.

Whether you saw them at the chow hall or just walking on the sidewalk next to your flight, youve noticed the people in the yellow shirts. These cadets are part of air operations, commonly called Air Ops. They take care of the behind-the-scenes of flying in the powered and glider aircraft that take you up in the Alpena skies. Without them, wed have no way to send up gliders, and powered flying would take much longer than usual. They are an essential part of the MIWG encampment that is often forgot about. There are only 3 cadets in air ops this year and they are in charge of the glider orientation flights: Cadets Wallis, Acton, and Davidson. Everyday they wake up at 0600 or 0630 (Yes one of the perks of air ops is the ability to opt out of physical training at 0530) and head out to the CRTC runway. There, they wait for each basic flight to show up for oflights, and organize them so everyone knows when their turn for flying is. Next, they connect the tow rope to the tow plane, run out to the glider, grab the wings of it, and start running with the glider to get it going before letting go, letting it fly on its own with the CAP Cessna plane towing it. That is why air ops is commonly called the wing runners. They do this 0600 to 2100 Monday through Friday out in the hot sun on the flight line. Long before basics show up for flights at encampment, they have work to do. Last Friday, these cadets helped set up one of the gliders, which had been taken apart to be transported to Alpena in a trailer being towed by a truck. Unfortunately, one of the canopy hinges snapped in half during assembly, requiring the cadets to turn around and take the glider back apart. Be sure to think Air Ops and the Pilots!

Greetings from Facebook

Dan Stackpoole Sergeant Stackpoole, First SAR Academy, then straight to the U.P. for your first live search mission (a successful search I might add), and now NCOS at encampment...anything else and your mother is going to rent out your room! LOL! Keep up the good work, you ROCK!!! I love you pookalooka...Dad Adam Burgos C/Airman Zak VanSlyke, You have been promoted to Senior Dishwasher in the Burgos household!! Congatulations, they will be waiting for you when you get back! OORAH ;) Angela D'Amico Cotteral I am so proud of you Trent Lindsay! I am really looking forward to hearing all about your week! Hope you are meeting some great new people and making lasting friendships. Can't wait to see you Saturday! Way to represent Youngstown, Ohio CAP! I love u. Love Mom & Bob Sarah Bauerle Joshua Bauerle, hope you're having a good time! We're all proud of you, and hope you're staying healthy. Can't wait to see you in a few days - we're all looking forward to hearing your stories from the week! Lots of love, from Sarah and the rest of the family. Christy Worthing Taylor Cadet Garrett Taylor, Hoping and praying you are learning a lot and having a great time. I am very proud of you and miss you a bunch. Can't wait to hear all your adventures. Love mom Mark K Miller C/SSgt Michael Miller (Hudsonville, MI Squad) 2 search Missions, Police Academy in Ohio, SAR and now Encampment! A busy month for you for sure! And football practice too! Enjoy, do well 9as we know you always do) and we will see you this weekend! Love Ya! Mom and Dad Cassie Brown Airmen Hannah Brown, Love you!!!!!!!!!! I know that you are having so much fun and meeting new people. I am so proud of you!!!!! 3 more days and a wake-up. Mary Beth Kennedy Senior Airman Joseph Kennedy, we hope you are having a great week and your niece hasn't been born yet! (I think she will wait until you get back home :-). Love MB and Jim Kennedy Tim Bojanowski C/Ssgt Tony Bojanowski- Hope all has been good through Day 5, I am sure you are enjoying meeting new people and experiencing new challenges. Everyone at home gives you their best. The photos look great, wish I was there! Maybe by next year I will finally join. Take care, Dad

Random Photo Goodness

Life with the Dogs By: 1st Lt Rita Fischer

On Wednesday the cadets had the opportunity to see and hear about what Michigan State police K-9 officers do on a daily basis. The cadets enjoyed seeing the dog sniff a track or hidden item and look for things on the ground out in the trees. It gave the cadets the chance to see what State Police go through in training when using dogs on the job. They also had on display the items used to inspect a car when a car needs to be searched. Most of what the State Police shared with cadets ties in to what they do with search and rescue. C/SrA Seery enjoyed what the Trooper had to say about dog handling. The handler really knew what he was talking about. He gave a very interesting presentation and I learned many dog training tips that I can take home. The demonstration was riveting, I had a good all around good time. C/AMN Corcoran found the dog demonstration to be very educational. The officer did a wonderful job making the lesson fun as well. I learned many facts about dogs and their trainers, making it a very beneficial class! C/SSgt Moorman Found the demonstration to be outstanding. It was so fascinating how a dog can really sense things on a greater level than us. Ill never look at my dog the same again.

HONOR FLIGHT ALPHA

2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director 1st Lt Rita Fischer, PAO Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet PAO Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 during the duty day for us to make copies!

Friday , 19 August 2011

New National Commander Private Pilot
By C/MSgt Surgalski The Private Pilots License is something almost every CAP cadet strives for whether you like getting places fast, or just have a passion for flight, youll have a desire to earn your wings. As we learned today, earning your license isnt easy, but being in the Civil Air Patrol does make things easier on you. Per FAA regulations, you do need 40 hours in an airplane before taking your test ride 20 with an instructor, 10 solo, and another 10 hours either solo or with an instructor. Thats not counting ground school. Dont forget the age requirement! You need to be 16 to solo in a powered aircraft, and 17 to earn your certificate. As Capt. Bowden stated, going to a flight academy gives you a shot in the arm intense week of ground school and around 10 flight hours that count towards your certificate. Cadets have soloed in glider, powered, and balloon flight at these encampments, and get well on their way to earning their license. If you pursue training after a flight academy, youll have background knowledge in aeronautics, making your flight school both cheaper and quicker. Cadet flight hours are much cheaper than traditional civilian flight hours, thanks to help from the U.S. Air Force. Like stated at the class, Cessna hours could be as cheap as $80. Plus, you have no instructor fees! If you break down a course like that at a college or flight school, you could pay upwards of $150 per hour, plus another $40 or $50 for the instructor. Learning to fly is not something you get into half-heartedly its a commitment to spend money and time to really become a safe, proficient flier along with thousands of other pilots. If it seems overwhelming, create a spreadsheet of your goals perhaps you can devote a period of time to saving money for training, and then another period of time for actually learning how to fly. Before you know it, itll be time for the FAA check ride, and you can have your own license to fly whomever you want wherever you want.

Edition 7
Check Out Procedures
By Capt Bowden We are about to finish up our week here on base. We want to have a very easy time selling the buildings back to the base. You can help by doing the following things:

Unplug fridge, wipe out and leave door open Vacuum all carpet floors Wipe all furniture with damp cloth Place pillow at head of bed (by wall) Fold blankets, place at foot of bed All windows closed and locked All window shades at half mast There is a $10.00 charge for lost keys Remove all trash from floors, rooms, dayroom and bathroom and place in dumpster Remove any posters, signs, etc., including tape Turn off all lights Empty all cigarette butt cans Police outside area, pick up all trash Clean out web belt and empty canteen; return to Collins Center as directed by flight staff

Brig. Gen. Charles L. Chuck Carr Jr.

National Commander Elect Civil Air Patrol National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. Charles L. Chuck Carr Jr. was elected national commander today by the CAP National Board, and Middle East Region Commander Col. Joseph R. Vazquez was elected national vice commander. Carrs election to a three-year term as national commander occurred on the first day of business at the 2011 Civil Air Patrol Annual Conference held this week at the Louisville Marriott. Vazquezs was elected to a one-year term. It is an honor and a privilege to be elected as CAPs national commander, Carr said. CAP has a rich history of 70 years of service to America, and I look forward to partnering with our 61,000 citizen volunteers to fill the emergency services, disaster relief, youth development and aerospace education needs of communities a c r o s s t h e n a t i o n . As national commander, Carr serves as a two-star major general, the highestranking CAP officer; is a member of the Board of Governors; and leads the National Executive Committee and National Board the organizations governing and a d v i s o r y b o d i e s . Carr officially takes command Saturday during a change of command ceremony to be held at the conference banquet. He succeeds Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter, who was first elected interim national commander in 2007. Gen Carr is the former GLR commander and is a pilot from Ohio Wing.

SMUGMUG
By Capt Bowden I wanted to say a BIG thank you to all of the cadets who have been so great this year to public affairs. This was one of the best years we had and in part that is because of you. Im sure you all cant wait to see your photos from this week. The photos have been uploaded to the new Michigan Wing photography website. WWW.MIWG.SMUGMUG.COM You will also want to check out the Facebook group for encampment we have over 700 fans and parents have left over 250 comments in the last week!
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MIWGENCAMPMENT

The encampment video is going to be uploaded on YouTube within a few weeks of encampment. All of the links are on the encampment website

Greetings from Facebook

Frank Jacob Walker Staff, Volunteers, Cadets, I wanted to personally thank you again for affording me the opportunity to speak and share with you my 40 years of military experience! It was a distinct honor and privilege to interact and meet with all of you! As I mentioned in my classes, anything is possible, set your goals and AIM HIGH! Again, make sure you say "Thank You" to all those who made camp possible-parents, sponsors, staff, volunteers! God Speed, Col "Frank" Walker, USAF Academy Liaison Officer Leslie Erickson Mitchell C/TSgt Hunter Mitchell we can hardly wait to see you!! We are in Tawas right now & it's not the same w/out our "Alpha". We are all so impressed w/ your initiative and determination. Looking forward to seeing you in Alpena on Saturday! Love you, Mom, Dad, Brody, Riley, Griffin, Addison & Cooper + Grandma & Grandpa Kc Newcome Cadet Airman Newcome!!! I am so proud of you and glad I get to see you Saturday!!! DAD Kristen Glaser Warner SSGT Dutkiewicz: Saw a picture of you with your NCO hat on! We all really miss you and can't wait to see you at graduation Saturday. You can celebrate later with a little jet skiing! So proud of you and glad you're coming home soon. Lots of love, Mom, Matt, Riley, Kate & Kyle (PS: Riley IS running CC and Coach Downes says to tell you, "Hi!"). Darla Sowders C/Amn Kyle Sowders: We miss you! I sent you a letter, but I'm afraid it didn't make it. Everyone but your big brother and the dogs will be there Saturday. Christy Worthing Taylor To all Sr. members, active duty, retired officers and all volunteers: We parents really appreciate the time and energy you have put into making encampment such a success year after year. From the pictures I have viewed and live streams I have heard it is apparent our cadets are recieving quality training and experiences that will enrich their lives, prepare them and empower them to be better leaders. Again I want to thank you all for your dedication and pouring your knowledge into our children. God Bless. Charisse Ko Joseph Kowalski: Your bug misses you. He ran away. We've been looking for you in newsletters and photos (are you hiding from the camera again?). See you Saturday. Adam Burgos C/Airman Zak VanSlyke, I changed your cousins' daiper on your bed and pillow today and totally stunk them up. Can't wait until you get back! Hugs and kisses, Dad

Random Photo Goodness

Week in Review By: 1st Lt Rita Fischer The challenge for some to be away from home for a week and not be able to see family. The challenge of making their own bed, shining their shoes, tidying up their areas which many were not used to. The challenge of trying to climb the rock wall, going up in a glider, O flights, classes, marching, food, more marching, PT at 5:30 am, uniform inspections, more food, Rockets, MSP Dog training demo, Honor flight, mail call and so much more. Gone till next year, will you return and try something new? Cadet Senior Airman Allen Meyer said that he would be back. I liked the discipline that being here taught me. I learned a lot of stuff that I did not know. The encampment was fun. When I come back I would like to do more stuff or the CLS. Cadet Airman Gyle Chio would also like to come back next year to encampment. I would like to come back to shoot the guns at the next encampment. I liked the O flights the most this year at encampment. No matter where you may go after encampment I hope Alpena has become your second home. Please take a moment and get contact information from your fellow cadets and keep in touch after encampment. Do not let the leaning stop once you walk out the door. Keep up the great work and have a great graduation. HONOR FLIGHT HOTEL
2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director 1st Lt Rita Fischer, PAO Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet PAO Staff Have Photos? Please see us at the PAO Office in 440 during the duty day for us to make copies!

Saturday , 19 August 2011

Welcome Parents!
By Capt Bowden

Edition 8
Quotes from Friday By: 1st Lt Rita Fischer
As encampment comes to an end some of the cadets wanted to share their thoughts on the 2011 Great Lakes Region NorthMichigan Wing Summer Encampment. C/SSgt Alex Lang really liked the rappelling at encampment. I liked having total control of my fate and I liked going upside down. C/Amn Caleb Durfee enjoyed the rock wall. Its my element, I like that kind of thing, I wish that it would have been higher. Rock climbing is more challenging than rappelling. C/SMSgt Davidson enjoyed powered flight and he enjoyed going up in the glider C/SMSgt Wallis I liked having dessert at every meal. I also got to help with the set up and tear down of Gliders and all the work that gobs along with it. C/SSgt Kyle Acton liked having a job to do. When we work with Air Ops we have a little more freedom than if we are basics. I liked it that we had a job to do and it had to be done correctly or it would have damaged the glider. I also liked having to check the vehicles for FOD (Foreign Object Debris) if we found anything we had to put it in the box before we went on the flight line so that nothing damaged the planes. C/Amn Gayle Chio I would like to come back to encampment to shoot the guns. I also liked the orientation flights the most this year at encampment. C/Sra Allen Meyer liked to learn more about the discipline. It is teaching me how to be more disciplined. I like to learn stuff that I did not know before. When I come back next year I would like to return and do CLS.
Encampment Public Affairs Staff Capt Robert Bowden, Director 1st Lt Rita Fischer, PAO Staff C/MSgt Sam Surgalski, Cadet PAO Staff

Encampment Photos and Video

By Capt Bowden I am sure most of the parents have been sitting at home waiting at their computers for me to post an update to the Facebook page or looking on Smugmug for me to upload some new photos. We currently have 1250 photos from this years encampment posted on the MIWG photography site with over 1000 more to be posted in the coming weeks. We have had 217359 photo views on the encampment photos, that means on average each photo has been viewed over 170 times. You can view and download all of your photos for free from the MIWG Smugmug site and parents can order low cost high quality prints if they wish. To view the photos visit www.miwg.smugmug.com The encampment video will be uploaded to YouTube over the next few weeks. At this point in time we are not able to sell copies of the video, if anything changes we will post it on Facebook and the website. Join in on Facebook and stay connected with your fellow cadets.
W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / MIWGENCAMPMENT

Welcome to all of the parents, grandparents, siblings, family and friends to the place we all call home for one week every year. The Great Lakes Region North Michigan Wing summer encampment has a long tradition of producing the top cadet leaders within Civil Air Patrol. You Cadets have had an intense week of leadership and drill training as well as learning attention to details. They all were awake at 5:30AM for PT, ironed their clothes and made their bed every day. They were all warned on the first day that these skills can be put to use at home. On the first day many of the Cadets wanted to leave or were homesick now many of them do not want to leave. They had the chance to go rappelling, get powered and/or glider orientation flights, got to hold many different weapons during the security forces demonstration, enjoyed loosing to the senior members during the senior member/ Cadet staff volleyball game and some great air force meals in the dinning hall. We are currently in the process of finalizing the dates for the 2012 GLR-N Encampment which is planed to be held here in Alpena in July. We will be posting updates to the encampment website over the next few weeks and then as information for the 2012 encampment becomes available. We are always looking for new staff and encampment is a great way for parents to get involved with Civil Air Patrol. After graduation please do not leave the base until an announcement from the command staff has been made. All of the buildings must be inspected by the Air Force and all CAP equipment needs to be checked in. If you currently have any CAP property, radios, web belts, ect. Please turn it in ASAP!

2011 Encampment Sponsors :

Encampment would not be able to function with out the support of our sponsors. If you can please support our sponsors.