Edition # 1 1 Jan 2008

Wreathes Across America Comes to Monroe !

A Monroe Squadron inspiration became a reality when a Wreathes Across America ceremony was brought to Monroe. Without a national military cemetery in the county it appeared that our homegrown heros would never receive their justified recognition, of course that was soon to change in a big way. Months before the December ceremony a meeting with the Mayor was held to inform him of our intentions. With his support a formal request package was presented to the city for permission to hold the ceremony. This request was passed through every city department head for approval. The final approval was presented to Squadron Commander Lt Col Woodruff and Deputy Commander 1Lt Jondro at an October city council meeting. The next day a presentation was made to the VFW asking for their support. The presentation letter included We would appreciate your participation in this observance, your presence will certainly add an aura to the ceremony. RT Commander Howard Burt immediate committed a full Ritual Team to the service. They would conduct a 21 gun salute followed by Taps. Shortly there after Lt Col Woodward and Lieutenant Jondro attended a Vietnam Veterans Association meeting and gathered the support of their Ritual Team including Taps. The VVA was VERY happy we included them! Now that all the players were in place the 9 wreathes needed to be purchased. Many thanks go out to Group Commander Major James Feil, and 2Lt Doug Thoma, for assisting in this search. With kind donations from the Monroe Council #1266 Knights of Columbus, the VFW, and Crafts 2000 the 9 three foot wreathes with bows and tripod stands were all set. Finally our squadron ceremony need to be set. The entire command staff met to game plan the ceremony. Four of the memorial sites were located individually in the city. These presentations were simpler and could be practiced in the squadron headquarters. However, the Veterans Memorial Park has five Memorials each with its own unique walkways and challenges. The Squadron was very fortunate to gain the willing direction of Captain Jason Bylow USAF to train the cadets Honor Guard. Our Squadron Deputy Commander of Cadets 1Lt Jeff Walters, Capt Bylow, and the cadets spent many frigid evenings practicing for this observance. After all they would perform the lions share of the ceremony. 13 Dec final practice session completed MI-063 is ready to shine! 15 Dec. 2007 at 10:00 hrs wreathes were simultaneously presented at the Battle Field of the War of 1812, the Civil War Memorial at Soldiers and Sailors Park, and the Spanish American War at the John Gutmann Memorial located on the corner of Monroe and Elm Ave At 11:00 the squadron reunited and joined the VVA Ritual Team for a formal presentation at Vietnam Memorial that included Taps. Continued Page Three:

Monroe Composite Squadron

NEWS LETTER OF:

In This Issue
Wreathes Ceremony Commanders Notes Wreathes Ceremony Cadet Page Squadron Activities ES Article Schedules Wreath Pictures 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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From Our Squadron Commander Lt. Colonel Mark Woodruff

As we enter into another year I would like to take the time to remind everyone that while we have our units assignments, our civilian jobs and responsibilities and our family obligations, our primary responsibility is to perform our duties SAFELY . Each of us must ALWAYS be safety-conscious or we risk forfeiture of all the things that we hold dear, not the least of which is our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Furthermore, if you are injured and not here , you can not support CAP and its missions. If it is not safe dont do it! If you are not sure ask someone else for advice. Remember, ANY person can halt any activity AT ANY TIME if that person sees something they deem as UNSAFE. Also keep in mind that : Safety is Job #1 No job is worth doing if it can not be done safely . 2008 ! Where did the time go? I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a SAFE and Happy New Year. I am always amazed when we start to compose a report and record all the events the squadron was involved in during that particular time frame. What did we accomplish? Sometime in the rush we only remember the major events. Please take the time to read this newsletter and review the past issues. You will be surprised when you recall just how much has been accomplished this year. Every morning is the dawn of a new error. When I opened my e-mail a few days ago I read several jokes sent by some friends. In a mailing containing a short list of humorous statements I read this one. After the usual chuckle I thought more about what I had just read. Whether we are at home, at the squadron for meetings or events, at a training exercise or an actual mission or school and work we all make misteaks. Even I make them. As an example, during the Wreath Across America ceremony several mistakes were made. And mistakes are not always a bad thing, as long as we learn something from them and correct what we have learned. Correcting these mistakes will serve to make the ceremony even more impressive. Dont be afraid to make mistakes. Thomas Edison made over 2,000 mistakes before he finally got it right and we now have light bulbs. To make mistakes, learn from our mistakes and move on is what make us grow into a better person. Being that it is another year, I would like to review my Goals and Expectations for the squadron. Goals Expectations Become benchmark squadron for the Group * All regulations will be followed All forms to Group/Wing must be on time. * All Customs & Courtesies will be fallowed All records kept properly * All members report if they cannot attend a Become Wing Squadron of Distinction meeting Promote Senior and Cadet Training * All inquires must be answered, all forms Cadets will excel in school complete by next meeting Cadets will continue on Promotional Track, * Meetings and formations, to be started at pub Cadets will promote twice a year lished time so officers can complete the duties Weekend training to be more structured and of their office. Make better use of time All squadron Members train together and Obtain some type of ES qualification Increase Squadron Exposure in public and Emergency Services Communities Decrease idle time in the Senior Program Please read the article from Cadet Commander Ryan Graczyk addressed to all Members

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Wreathes Across America in Monroe

Continued Cover Story From Page One : The CAP motorcade then did an about faced and traveled back across town to the Veterans Memorial Park for the largest ceremonial of the day. All Time pieces were synchronized to ensure the ceremony would commence exactly at 12:Noon. Commander Woodruff opened the ceremony with At this precise moment in every national cemetery in our homeland we join many in honoring those who gave their lives for our freedom. He then introduced Reverend John Shinkle to lead all in prayer. Reverend Shinkle served 20 years as a Navy Chaplain. He is currently serving as the chaplain at the Monroe Lutheran House for seniors. On queue Guide On C/A Magoon joined the Cadet Honor Guard and slowly, reverently each memorial site was presented a wreath. All present joined the cadet presenting the wreathes in a slow salute of tribute. Deputy Commander Jondro then presented the Ceremony Devotion which included Lying in cemeteries and unknown graves throughout the world are men and women of our nation who gave their lives for our freedom. We can not forget, We must be sure the generations following us do not forget. On the command from Lt Jondro Sergeant salute our fallen comrades the VFW Ritual Team fired off their salute then Taps slowly permeated the air. The ceremony was concluded with a commitment from Colonel Woodruff that we, MI-063, intend to make this a continuing tradition for our squadron.

The Wreath Ceremony, Its Impact on Monroe and CAP

The wreath ceremony is paying dividends in ways never intended or anticipated. Every meeting, every story, has raised the publics awareness of Civil Air Patrol. This started with the City Council meeting which was televised. The VFW could not do enough to help our effort. They even proposed a donation to offset our expenses. It was helpful that an article about CAP and the Wreathes Ceremony appeared in the December VFW monthly magazine. The VVA Ritual Team Leader could not have been more thankful that we included the Vietnam Memorial as a formal setting. Colonel Woodruff recently was contacted by the Matt Urban Post 40 American Legion. They are requested a representative from our squadron attend their meetings. The news coverage has been outstanding. The Monroe Evening News helped us immensely with the preview stories in Thursday and Saturdays paper. The front page coverage 16 Dec. could not be missed. The only disappointing part of the coverage was their lack of detail on the fantastic effort the cadets put in. This was rectified when they published Colonel Woodruff letter to the editor pointing out their faux pas. Finally an unexpected editorial titled Wreathes Across America right for Monroe County appeared the following week. In the article a paragraph starts There are no national cemeteries in Monroe but several local residents did some creative thinking this year on how to bring the tradition to this community - inspired in part by Civil Air Patrol then continuing on Wreathes Across America is expected to become an annual tradition in Monroe County. We applaud those who wanted to share it with local residents

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The Cadets Page

An Open Note to the Seniors From Squadron Cadet Commander Ryan Graczyk Thank you Seniors for your help, and support to each and every cadet through their program. It means a lot to them and me when I see seniors and cadets joining together to serve one cause. I am sure you are aware the Cadets open and close each meeting in a formation. All announcements and instructions are presented to the cadets while in formation. I am requesting that all seniors who do not wish to join the formation to please go to classroom #1. This will help to cut down confusion, distraction, and promote a proper working environment at the start and end of each meeting. I have been informed that part of the problem is seniors are entering headquarters or leaving their classroom and are unaware a formation has been assembled. I will try to inform you when a formation is about to be come together. As Cadet Commander I would be overjoyed if any senior Member would join us in formation. We could start a Senior Flight to join in the ceremonies. When ceremonies are held inside due to weather there is not much space so the ceremony is very limited. However, when we are outside we have a full flag raising and lower ceremony. I am only suggesting this but please discuss the possibility. Once again thank you for everything you do to make the cadet program a success. I look forward to working with you more as we continue our CAP journeys together. Leading Each Other to New Heights. Cadet Promotions : * Cadet Commander Ryan Graczyk Promoted to C/CMSgt * Cadet Admin Officer Camille Walters Promoted to C/CMSgt * Alpha Flight Commander Dave Lawrence Promoted to C/SMSgt * Cadet Executive Officer Alex Chavis Promoted To C/TSgt * Cadet Cody McGehee Promoted to C/SrA * Cadet Gordon Magoon Promoted to C/A * Cadet Jason Gulley Promoted to C/A Welcome New Cadets To the Squadron : C/AB George Bellman C/BA Brit Nicholson

Squadron Cadet to Make Presentation to Congress

Completing a Wing wide e-mail application has turned out very rewarding for Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Camille Walters. She will travel to Washington DC with 6 other Wing cadets to present CAPs Annual Report to Michigan members of the House of Representative and the Senate. They will be in our capital from 27 Feb. to 2 March. The selection committee narrowed the state wide search down to 11 finalist. They were interviewed in Pontiac and the final 6 were selected. Congratulation C/CMSgt Walters ! Thank You Cadet Honor Guard
C/A Gordon Magoon C/CMSgt Camille Walters C/SA Josh Bolla C/TSgt Alex Chavis C/SMSgt Dave Lawrence C/CMSgt Kevin Perfetti

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Monroe Squadron Host Open House

In an effort to improve community understanding of CAP and its Missions in America the Monroe C o m po si te S q ua d ro n hosted an open house this past 25th. of October. The turn out was very impressive so much so that the formation area was elbow to elbow. Senior Members prepared to discuss search and rescue capabilities of or air crews, ground search teams, and radio communications. Quest could actually visit department heads to answer any particular questions they had. We had a large contingent of past USAF personnel. They all were aware of CAP from their active days in the service but were not sure what we actually do. They all stayed for quite some time and left with recruitment brochures. The cadets were prepared to share information on their training and study programs. The new potential cadets got to witness a scheduled promotion ceremony. Much of the thanks for the success of this evening has to go to the local news paper who gave us a great preview story of the event.

Monroe Squadrons Tech Ratings Soar

Cadet Ribbons Earned Rank Bolla = Mary Feik C/TSgt Chavis = Eddie Rickenbacker C/CMSgt Graczyk = Dr. Robert H. Goddard C/A Magoon = Gen. J. F. Curry C/SA McGehee = Mary Feik C/CMSgt Walters = Dr. Robert h. Goddard Congratulation to : 1Lt Jay Jondro on Achieving your Yeager Award. 6 Dec 2007 Senior Ribbons Earned 1Lt Coolman = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon Capt Dauer = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Harmon = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Howard = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Jondro = Gen Chuck Yeager, Leadership, & Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Jones = Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Lane = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon 2Lt Low = Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Roberty = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Sweeney = Leadership & Red Service Ribbon 1Lt Walters = A. Scott Crossfield, Membership, Leadership, & Red Service Ribbon

Squadron Seniors Meet for Christmas Dinner Party

22 Senior members and their significant others met at McGeadys Town Pub for a Christmas Party of good food and friendship. This was the first time for most members to meet their comrades wife or husband. ( Of course one member let it slip, how did we really know if this was his wife ? ) The pub did a great job allowing us the entire second floor just for our squadron. There were many entrees to pick from but the all you can eat ribs seemed to be the pick of the night. Those who could not attend this year make plans for next season we have started a new tradition in Monroe.

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The Pilots Corner

By 1Lt Carl Sweeney A couple of newsworthy items for aircrews : First, as some might already know, Michigan Wing is receiving two new glass cockpit C-182T NAV3 aircraft! One will be based at TVC and the other at PTK! With our relative proximity to PTK, the Monroe Squadron pilots would do well to get certified in the Garmin G1000 system with the KAP 140 autopilot. The current G1000 integrated flight deck has a search and rescue mode that will program, plan and fly a parallel search pattern, a sector search pattern, or an expanding square. Three CFIIs from the Michigan Wing will be flying to Independence Kansas, to the Cessna factory for a week of training on the system. One of the CFIIs will be former Monroe Squadron member Major William Dumont. They will be bringing the new aircraft with them when they return on 27, Jan. 2008. Upon returning, these key instructors will train others and give CAPF5 check rides to the rest of the pilots interested. A ground school, which will be a requirement before training in the aircraft, is scheduled for 19 Jan. Everyone flying NAV3 systems will have to have a CAPF5 in a NAV3 aircraft plus CAPF5 in a steam gage C-182 or C172. I would encourage all interested to go to : http//cap.gov/visitors/ m e m b e r s / o p e r a ti o n s / i n d e x . c f m ? n o d e lID=6304&audienceID=4 And download the information ahead of time to become familiar with it. Because of the complexity of the audio panel, observers and scanners will need to train as well. We have the dates for our evaluated mission for 2008 , 17/18 June at Cadillac. Wing is asking all that can participate to make an effort to get there. We will be making plans to attend. Make sure your squirter and 101 card are up to date!

CAP Pilots Compete in New Hudson

An invitation was sent to all squadrons in the Wing, Make plans to attend the 1st annual Aircrew Competition. Was this really an invitation or a camouflaged challenge? Nevertheless seven air crews committed to the event that would prove to be a great training experience. Sunday morning all crews assembled early at the New Hudson Airport. The competition started with aircraft inspections. The final results showed the special interest each squadron have given to these airplanes. At first five teams tied for first, after a reexamination the ties were broken with items like a finger print smudge on the GPS coming into play. Of course our plane had zero deductions! Livonia and Pontiac tied for first. The flying contest included a Spot Landing Contest, an ELT Search, and a Cross Country Time and Fuel Burn Competition. Before each event the Pilot and Observers took written exams with questions from PTS, FAR/AIM and CAP crew manuals. Interesting modifications to normal missions made the competition out of the ordinary. Each event had to have a different pilot at the controls. The ELT search was made without assistance of electronic equipment. The Cross Country time and fuel burn calculations were all done by using a E6B whizwheel. The spot landing was a virtual tie between Livonia and Battle Creek. Both landed less than 10 from the target mark. Every pilot that competed was well within the PTS standard for a commercial pilot ! The Monroe crew without an airplane of their own rotated to whatever craft was setting idle. Lt Sweeney flew the spot landing in a 182 and with only one practice run still landed in the PTS standard. What if he had two runs? The ELT search went to Pontiac whom located the ELT within 3/10s of a mile. Capt Daeur flew the ELT run. The Monroe crew including Lt Jondro did an outstanding job on the Cross Country Competition landing within 40 seconds of the estimated time. The overall team award went to the Pontiac crew, they will host next years event. The word out of Pontiac is Bring It On.

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Emergency Services
Are you familiar with the phrase leading a sheep to slaughter ? Wonder if something like that was going through the minds of the CAP aircrews selected to be intercepted by USAF F116s from Selfridge AFRB ? On 2 Oct. 1Lt Carl Sweeney received a mission request from Lt Col Leo Burke to join a flight of 3 CAP planes on a mission to test the terrorist prevention skills of our Air Force fighter pilots. The other squadrons participating in this exercise came from Livonia, and Pontiac As Lt Sweeney returned home he downloaded the mission plan a short 40 page document designed to insure the seriousness and the significance of this mission. Lt Sweeney was assisted on this mission by 1Lt Jay Jondro. The mission scenario was that a high school student upset with his father decided to take the family airplane with out permission to make a statement to his friends. That statement he wanted to make was at the Detroit Edison Fermi Power Plant. The jets were scrambled as the CAP planes crossed into Lansing air space. Two planes would act as the intruder circling past the airport at different altitudes and directions. The third plane would act as a high bird to insure 100% safety in communication. The CAP planes reached Lansing in perfect unison not knowing when but positive they would be intercepted. One by one our Cessnas were picked up by the Air Force and given specific orders to follow. Although the mission sounds like pure fun it was a few weeks later at an MERRT meeting that Lt Col Marc Batway USAF met the group and discussed the serious ramifications of this mission from a their point of view. The relative small size and the slow speeds make our aircraft makes us very hard to intercept. They were very appreciative of our effort. He assured us of further USAF funding for these much needed missions. Lts Sweeney and Jondro received special mission patches for their part in the mission.

Welcome New Member Mike Kraus

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

Unit Personnel 2007

Command Commander Deputy Com. Seniors Deputy Com. Cadets Historian Safety Aerospace Education Cadet Programs Cadet Development Cadet Leadership Cadet Activities Communications Finance Logistics Supply Logistics Management Information Management Information Web Master WMU Coordinator Public Affairs Operations Operation Emergency Services Search and Rescue Alerting Flight Release Aircraft Maintenance SAR/DR Mission Pilot Professional Development Programs Test Control CC CDS CDC HI SE ET CPP CPL CPS DOK FM LGS LG MIS WMM WMUC PA DO DOS DOSS DOSA DOOR LGMA DOVS ETS ETST Lt Col Mark Woodruff 1 Lt Jay Jondro Sr. 1 Lt Jeff Wlaters 2d Lt Doug Thoma 1 Lt Greg Lane Capt John Dauer 1 Lt Nathan Harmon 1 Lt Nathan Harmon 1 Lt Jeff Walters 2d Lt George Low 1 Lt Nathan Harmon 1 Lt Nicholas Roberty 1 Lt Philip Howard 1 Lt Nathan Harmon 1 Lt Nathan Harmon Lt Col Mark Woodruff 1 Lt Jay Jondro 1 Lt Greg Lane Capt. John Dauer 1 Lt Carl Sweeney Lt Col. Mark Woodruff Lt Col Mark Woodruff 1 Lt Carl Sweeney 1 Lt Carl Sweeney 1 Lt Greg Lane 1 Lt Nick Roberty

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Wing Schedule Jan. - March .

Jan. 2008 5 CUL Hosted by Group 702 5/6 SLS Hosted by Group 702 12 GLLR SAV 26 Special Activities Screening 29 SUI Oakland Comp. Squadron Feb. 2007 9 Wing Staff Meeting 27/28 NLD 23/1 Civic Leadership Academy March 2008 1/2 CLC Hosted by Group 702 1 Aircrew Training 1/2 NLD 8 Wing Staff Meeting 28/29 MIWH Cadet Comp. Macomb Com Col Macomb Com Col Mi Wing Headquarters Lt Col Mark Pheeger Lt Col Terri Couls Macomb Macomb Selfridge

Capitol City Airport

Lt Col Terri Couls Lt James Matthews

Lansing Wash. DC Wash. DC Pontiac Pontiac Wash. DC Lansing

Capital City Airport

Lt Col Pam Saile Maj Larry Bailey

Monroe Squadron MI-063 Important Dates:

Plan to attend January Planning Meetings to plot winter quarter. We will schedule 2 Communication Drills 1) Distance drill to 4 corners of Monroe County 2) Com. Room - to Air - to Ground Team Set air crews for this seasons SAREX * Let show Monroe in every SAREX this season ! We need to set a date to reorganize upper storage level. Plan ES training for seniors. Senior sign up for those wishing to instruct a cadet class. Set Saturday Training Dates for Seniors & Cadets

Remember Wreathes Across America 2007

Cadet Honor Guard Marches up Path to Vietnam Memorial As Vietnam Ritual Team Stands Guard Guide On with Honor Guard

Capt Jason Bylow USAF with Honor Guard

Squadron Present.Arms