Civil Air Patrol Magazine, Alaska Wing, December 2022

Civil Air Patrol

Col Kevin McClure Wing Commander

Lt Col Brian Porter Vice Commander

TSgt Robert Shephard Command NCO

TSgt Ray Lukic Wing NCO Advisor

Mr. Nate Healy CAP-USAF Liaison USAFR Coordinators

Lt Col Gene Moyer Inspector General

Capt C Stearns Gov Relations Advisor

Lt Col MacPherson Dir. Of Operations

Lt Col Bryan Emerson Dir. Of Communications

1st Lt L. MacPherson Dir. Of Aerospace Ed.

Lt Col Al Senese Dir. Of Prof Development

Capt Karen Padgett Dir. Of Cadet Programs 2nd Lt Clint Justus Dir. Of Logistics

Lt Col Al Senese Director of Personnel

Lt Elizabeth Justus Director of Recruiting VACANAT Dir. of Development Lt Col Bryan Emerson Public Affairs Officer

Capt Terrance Aldridge Director of Finance

Maj Caleb Newville Director of IT

Maj Kevin Bottjen Wing Chaplain VACANT Wing Historian Lt Col Robert Thomas Health Services Officer

2d Lt Mary Stella Administrative Officer

Col Tomas Palmer Dir. of Maintenance

2nd Lt Elizabeth Justus Diversity – Rec/Ret

Special Staff VACANT Chief of Staff

Capt DJ Burand II Director of Safety

Col Stuart Goering Legal Officer

SM Joshua Jones Cyber Security Officer

AK-009 Fairbanks: Capt Jacob Baugh, C/ Capt Thomas Weisensel

AK-011 Kenai: Maj John Bittle, Capt Timothy Cole

AK-015 Polaris: Col Brian Porter, Maj Donald Duff, Capt Reux Stearns, C/Maj Michael Porter

AK-017 Arcturus: Lt Col Jim McCarthy, 2d Lt Elizabeth Justus, 2d Lt Clint Justus, SM Matthew Eastwood, SM Christian Martin, SM Jean Davidson,

AK-022 Southeast: C/1st Lt Thomas Clifton

AK-027 Delta: Capt Kristina Schmidt, Deputy Commander for Support

AK-072 Valdez: Lt Col James McIntyre

AK-076 Birchwood: 1st Lt Rena Anderson,

AK-093 Lake Hood: Maj Ben Padgett, Capt Nine Sanders, Capt Karen Padgett, 2d Lt Karen Halliburton, SM Jeremy Engeberg, SM Logan Ogden, SM Shelby

Cadet Competition, continued

Ogden

Andrews AFB Squadron: C/Capt Jalen Vincent

Factoids: Alaska Wing did not miss a calendar year for having a cadet competition even during COVID (Feb 2020 then Dec 2021)

This year set a recent-history record for the number of cadets competing: 36

5 Wings involved in this competition: Alaska, Florida, Oregon, California, and National Capitol

11 AKWG units involved in this competition: Competitors from 6 units, Staff from 5 additional units

Most-missed question on written test:

Q: When going from quick time to double time march, the step-length changes from 24 inches to ____ inches. Answer beneath the Community Service section below

AKWG Squadrons involved:

011 Kenai, 015 Polaris, 017 Arcturus, 076 Birchwood, 087 Kodiak, & 093 Lake Hood competed

001 Wing, 009 Fairbanks, 022 Southeast, 027 Delta, and 072 Valdez staffed (11 of 14 units)

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Competitors served their communities wonderfully as part of the Service Project event:

Kenai: Assisted vendors at the Christmas Comes to Kenai Community Craft Fair.

Arcturus: Christmas Bazaar, Veteran’s Day & VFW.

Birchwood: Alaska Veterans & Pioneer Home Grounds maintenance & posting of colors

Kodiak Teams 1 & 2: “Learn to Survive” kid-appropriate survival training.

Polaris-Lake Hood: Covenant House clothing & supply drive that’s ongoing.

By C/SMSgt Lydia Ori

Saturday, 26 November 2022 teams of Cadets from all over Alaska competed in a virtual competition. The competition featured a uniform build, service project presentation, team leadership projects, physical training test and knowledge quizzes. The Cadets were able to display their teamwork, planning and memorizing abilities through these events.

The teams and staff worked together to overcome scheduling challenges and were able to end on time.

Saturday, 3 December 2022 the Cadet Competition teams gathered at Arctic

Warrior Events Center on JBER to participate in Standard Colors Drill, Indoor Drill, Standard Element Drill and a Uniform Spot Inspection.

There was representation from 5 Wings including Alaska, Florida, Oregon, California and National Capital Wing. As well as representation from 11 of the 14 units in Alaska Wing involving competitors from 6 units and staff from an additional 5 units. After a full day of events and group TLPs the winners of the AKWG 2022 cadet competitions were announced. Congratulations to Kodiak Screaming Eagles Team #1 and Polaris-Lake Hood North Star Bears who will be traveling to the Pacific Region Cadet Competitions in spring of 2023!

Polaris/Lake Hood

C/MSgt Theodore Neroda

This month the Joint Polaris-Lake Hood Cadet Operations had an exciting month. It started with a fantastic ES meeting with two rotations, which was testing with Col Porter and flight time. Those activities are helping cadets get their ratings and improve at drill.

The aerospace meeting began with a presentation by C/A1C Owens. After that, the cadets split up into groups of four and read papers on lift and drag. When they were done with that, the groups started experiments with small model airplanes on strings, and cadets took turns flying them to learn what airplane designs improve lift.

The Cadets had a lot of fun while ex-

ercising at this month’s PT meeting, which had the cadets split up into three groups. There was also a presentation on safely exercising in the winter. The first group played volleyball, the second team did a TLP, and the third group rolled exercise dice, where they got to sample many different activities. During the character development class, there was an incredibly intuitive character development class by Chaplain Wiseman. The last thing for this meeting was speeches and the following promotions:

C/Amn Michael Burke

C/Amn Noah Oistad

C/Amn Megan Porter

C/Amn Layla Skipper

C/Amn Jaden Wilcox

C/A1C Asher Engeberg

C/A1C Ezra Engeberg

C/A1C Aiden Gonka

C/SrA Thomas Owens

C/SMSgt Grania Wegemer C/MSgt Theodore Neroda

Finally, this month ended with a ton of fun at the fun meeting, which had a choice of two movies and a game night for the cadets. The cadets had a relaxing evening and got to socialize.

The Polaris/Lake Hood /Squadron participated in the cadet competition. The cadets that participated in the competition learned a lot and placed second overall in the Wing Competition. See the Cadet Competition article in this newsletter. Overall, this was a great month.

Photo: The Polaris-Lake Hood Joint Cadet Competition Team at Arctic Warrior Events Center on JBER, 2nd Place Overall Finishers in the 2022 AKWG Cadet Competition. Team Captain C/ SMSgt Grania Wegemer (back) with (left to right) C/2dLt Benaiah Vanderlugt, C/ A1C Asher Engeberg, C/A1C Ezra Engeberg, C/CMSgt Kai Halliburton, C/CSMSgt Adam McArthur, and Coach C/Capt Jalen Vincent.

begins the shuttle-run element of the physical testing on November 25. L to R: C/MSgt Giovanni Zuber, C/Amn Seamus Davidson, C/2Lt Andrew Martin, C/SrA Karleigh Therrien, C/SSgt Caden Redford, and C/CMSgt Ryan Justus.

The Arcturus team discusses possible techniques to operate their scratch-built "stylography machine" and complete the writing task set for the Cadet Competition’s tactical .

Arcturus Squadron's team for the Alaska Wing Annual Cadet Competition

C/SSgt Caden Redford accomplishes the "Sit & Reach", while SM Matt Eastwood records the result.

C/A1C. A. Martin

Zuber

C/SSgt. C. Redford and father Lt. Col. Redford, USArmy C Amn. K. Redford and father Lt. Col. Redford, USArmy

Delta

Congratulations are due to C/SrA J Medlin for his recent promotion. Much appreciation to everyone in the squadron for its 3rd consecutive Quality Cadet Unit Award!

Squadron cadets engaged in a fun Food Game that required mime and quick prep work to silently instruct in preparing an unknown snack.

Squadron members have benefited from amazing guest speakers in recent months. MAJ Jorge Lorenzana, Alaska National Guard, Fort Greely, detailed missile defense operations at Fort Greely in his interesting presentation. Maj James Davis, USAF, Eielson AFB, provided an aerospace lesson and fascinating discussion about his flight experience as an F-16 pilot. Guests included local youth. Alaska State Trooper 1LT Brandon Elkins, Alaska National Guard, Fort Greely, shared his experiences as a Wildlife Trooper/Pilot, including a captivating demonstration. Special thanks to SM Lorenzana for his active role in locating aerospace guest speakers!

Other aerospace instruction included lessons about NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Artemis I launch and mission.

Cadets learned about the exoskeletons the USAF is testing in aircraft cargo loading operations and discussed lifting and back safety. The squadron has studied and tested for 9 Emergency Services tasks recently.

Delta Force Squadron and Eielson cadets visited Eielson AFB’s 354th Support Squadron, which provided Weather Ops, Airfield Management, the Aircrew Flight Equipment shop. able to practice flight on the F-35 under the guidance of SM Maj Davis. on F-35 fighter helmets and other you to the Eielson Squadron for exciting day!

The squadron set up and decorated Community Center in November, for the community Thanksgiving dets are creative and did a fabulous Capt Schmidt assisted with AKWG tition at JBER this month. It was see the growth and development dets and their teamwork. Not only squadron Cadet Competition team nationally in the previous Color Guard tion, but AKWG as a whole is definitely upward in their skills.

fun TLP called the and thoughtful, instruct other cadets

Eielson AFB Squadron 354th Operations provided a tour of Management, Tower, and shop. Cadets were F-35 flight simulator Davis. They tried other gear. Thank coordinating an decorated the Delta November, in preparation Thanksgiving Dinner. The cafabulous job! AKWG Cadet Compeencouraging to development of AKWG caonly did the Kodiak team take 2nd place Guard Competidefinitely moving

C/TSgt C Schmidt F-35 Flight Sim Eielson Field Trip

Delta, continued

4 squadron cadets have applied for CadetInvest scholarships for upcoming activities. This Saturday, 17 December, 1300

hours, the squadron will place wreaths to honor local veterans at the Rest Haven Cemetery in Delta Junction. Many thanks to the Tok squadron for sharing their abundance of wreaths from their Wreaths Across America fundraiser!

Eielson AFB Field Trip

Cadet Knutson F-35 Helmet Eielson Field Trip

Kenai

Every Monday 6:30 to 8:30 Kenai Cadets and Seniors make Aerospace, Leadership, Safety and Character Development Presentations.

One of the newest members, Cadet Remington Jackson, made his first presentation about Core Values. He explained Integrity, Volunteerism, Respect and Excellence. From the discussion some of the thoughts emphasized what values could be used in daily life. They are as follows. Do your best ALWAYS. Push yourself to do better every time you act to make the world better. Do a job without being asked. If you see that you can make something better, do it! Be courteous, give someone your seat. Be aware of what needs to be done everywhere you are. Cadet Jackson did a wonderful job in getting cadets to share what can be done everywhere at any time!

Kenai Cadets volunteered for two days at Kenai High School. They helped prepare for the Kenai Arts and Crafts Fair. They have done this for years. They helped artists carry heavy loads from

their cars to the gym. It was very cold and dark outside and their assistance was much appreciated. Cadets helped set up tables and artwork. They worked for hours until the Fair was ready to open for the community. Cadets who participated were: C/SSgt Joseph Schwartz, C/SMSgt Lydia Schwartz, C/ SMSgt Matthew Schwartz, C/1st Lt Wyatt Cole, C/SMSgt Luke Cole, C/SSgt Jacob Ries, C/Amn Caleb McCoy, Cadet Remington Jackson, C/Amn O’Ryan Jackson, C/CMSgt Luke Hillyer, C/CMSgt Lane Hillyer, Cadet Victor Henderson and C/Amn Zion Henderson. They did an excellent job and we’re proud of them.

Cadets also participated in the Cadet Competition. What a great experience for all!

Orientation flights will occur when good weather happens.

Cadets continue to work on their achievements.

All cadets are working hard, setting a good example in our community and supporting each other in practicing the Core Values.

Cadet Programs

By Capt Karen L Padgett, AKWG Director of Cadet Programs (DCP), Capts Kristina Schmidt & Ed Stickel, AKWG Asst DCPs

As always, a lot is happening in the Alaska Wing Cadet Program!

CadetInvest Deadline 12/30/22: ALL Alaska cadets are urged to take 10 minutes and apply for CadetINVE$T. Our goal this year is for 200 cadets to apply. Last year, many cadets decided to attend summer activities or receive flight instruction but had missed the CadetInvest deadline. CadetInvest closes 12/30/22, long before cadets know their summer plans. So hedge your bets and apply early. Go here for Alaska-specific information & updates on CadetINVEST: https://akwg.cap.gov/programs/ cp/scholarships/cadetinvest

More info on CadetInvest can be found here: https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/ programs/cadets/cadetinvest

FY22 CAC information here: https:// akwg.cap.gov/programs/cp/cac Cadet officers interested in serving as Vice Chair and Region Alternate can contact SM Advisors Maj John Bittle (208341@ akwg.cap.gov) and SM Colin Pawletzki (594266@akwg.cap.gov). To represent your squadron, talk to your Deputy Commander for Cadets (DCC).

Pick.Click.Give: Civil Air Patrol Alaska Wing Cadet Programs is now a recipient for your generous Pick.Click.Give donations directly from your PFDs. When you apply for your PFD 1/1/23-3/31/23, you can choose to donate to “Civil Air Patrol AKWG Cadet Programs” through Pick.Click.Give. Please also encourage your friends, neighbors, and relatives to donate to Cadet Programs when they apply for their PFDs. To see our profile, click here: https://www.pickclickgive. org/index.cfm/pfdorgs.info/Civil-Air-Patrol-AKWG-Cadet-Programs

Save the Dates:

Cadet Advisory Council (CAC): Find out who the CAC representative & alternate are in your squadron! If there isn’t one, consider serving as the voice of your squadron! The new CAC year began 10/1/22, and cadets can still be appointed as reps. We are happy to announce that the Alaska Wing Chair for FY23 is C/2d Lt Michael Krol. Wing Recorder is C/2d Lt Thomas Clifton. Pacific Region Rep is C/Capt Michael Porter.

• AKWG Flight Academies 12/31/22 Deadline to apply. Cadets, parents, and DCCs, look for the 10/13/22 email from Col Brian Porter with details including registration instructions. To give yourself the best chances for selection, REMEMBER: (1) IACRA, (2) MedExpress, (3) Ground School.

• 10/1/22-12/30/22: Registration

for CadetINVEST—The earlier cadets register, the more we can help them with their applications. If you are interested in receiving CAP flight training, it is particularly important that you register so that you are eligible for national funding. Even if you don’t think you’ll attend a summer activity, you can register now to learn how CadetInvest works. It may take you only about 10 minutes.

• AKWG Encampment Staff Applications accepted until 1/13/23. See your 12/12/22 email from encampment@akwg.cap.gov for details.

• 1/15/23: “On-time” Deadline for Summer NCSAs—Apply for National Cadet Special Activities (NCSAs) as soon as possible. Details here: https://www. gocivilairpatrol.com/programs/ cadets/activities/national-cadet-special-activities Many NCSAs have their own Facebook pages and websites. See the table at the bottom of this webpage: https://akwg.cap.gov/programs/cp/activities/ncsas

• 1/7/23—Raptor Day at JBER for CAP cadets. Keep your eyes open for announcements

• 1/1/23-3/1/23—Apply for PFD & consider choosing CAP Cadet Programs through Pick.Click.Give

• Spring 2023 AKWG CAP Ground School Keep your eyes open for

announcements

• 3/1/23-5/15/23: Alaska Wing Distributed Powered Flight Academy (Activity Director Maj Ben Padgett).

• 5/26/23-6/4/23: Alaska Wing Glider Flight Academy (Activity Director Col Tom “Polo” Palmer)

• June 18-24, 2023: Alaska Wing Encampment (Encampment Commander Col Brian “Irish” Porter) Cadet Cadre/Staff start Thur 6/15/23. Application to serve as cadet staff open soon!

• June-August 2023: NCSAs at various US locations

• August 17-20, 2023: CAP National Conference in Bellevue, WA

Resources:

Alaska Wing YouTube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/@alaskacap

Alaska Wing Cadet Programs Webpages: https://akwg.cap.gov/programs/cp

To prepare to apply for flight academies:

(1) IACRA: Apply for your IACRA number: https://iacra.faa.gov/IACRA/SelectRoles.aspx

(2) MedXpress: Get your Class 3 (or better) Medical. Start with MedXPress: https://medxpress. faa.gov/medxpress/

(3) Take Ground School (AKWG planning to offer in-person/virtual classes starting Feb or Mar 2023)

Education and Training

Making Progress on Your Next Level

by AKWG Assistant Professional Devel

opment

(Education & Training) Officer Capt Karen Padgett

Would you like to work toward your next promotion in CAP? Would you like to learn how to serve CAP even better? Would you like to help others in CAP do the same? Read below for steps you can take to achieve your next Professional Level in CAP!

(1) Professional Levels: To find out what you need to complete your next level in the CAP Education & Training System, log into your eServices Account

--From the menu “hamburger” in the upper left, choose “Professional Development”

--Choose “Professional Levels” --Click on the blue “Professional Levels” link

--Your own professional levels screen should show up

--From the “Select Levels” pulldown menu, choose the highest level shown (Level 1, Level 2 Part 1 & 2, Level 3, Level 4, or Level 5)

NOTE: Level 1 provides new members the information to successfully begin their service in CAP & is necessary to be assigned a duty position in eServices.

Level 2 Part 1 is required for any promotion/appointment to any CAP Senior Member grade including special and professional appointments “Squadron Commander Training” may also show up in that pulldown menu and is highly recommended for all Senior Members in leadership roles

--Scroll down through the requirements for your desired level/training. Note the “X/X” number in the far right on the dark blue bars (e.g., 0/1, 1/1, 4/19). That number indicates how many more tasks you need to complete in each area. Some tasks are self-evident (e.g., earn a technician rating) and may be auto-filled from your eServices record. Other tasks may require you to upload evidence you’ve completed the task (e.g., mentor someone through Level 1). Other tasks are classes you may be able to complete on your own or that you must take with a VolU instructor. See the next step  (2) Summary Sheets: Now go to the public CAP website, www.gocivilairpatrol.com

--Choose the Members tab, then “Education & Training” then the Level you are interested in --Scroll down to the “Link to Level <X> Summary Sheets”

--You may want to print the Summary

Sheets for your next level and use that as a checklist as you complete each class

--Items that say only “quiz” can be taken on your own time through AXIS (see below)

--Items that include the words “discussion,” “assignment,” or “moderated” require a VolU instructor. Ask your Squadron Commander if your squadron has a VolU instructor. Whether or not, see “VIR” below for other instructions on accessing a class through a VolU instructor.

(3) AXIS: To complete tasks/modules in AXIS, start by logging into eServices

--From the menu “hamburger” in the upper left, choose “Online Learning” --Then choose “Learning Management System”

--Wait for the AXIS link to load at the top of the page, then click on “Go to AXIS”

--The Level you are working on may be a tab in the gray bar near the top of your screen. If it’s not, try clicking on “Menu” in the upper right, or click on all the tabs in the gray bar to try to find modules that start with “L” and the level you’re working on.

--Note: Only the modules that can be completed without a VolU instructor are available in AXIS

--When you choose a module, click on “Enroll” then either review the material and take the quiz then & there, or un-

derstand that module may then move under one of the other gray tabs where you can take it later

--When you complete a module, be very sure to exit the quiz and the module closely following the instructions on the screen. If the module does not show 100% complete, you may need to also complete an attestation step in the module

--Go back to your Professional Levels (Step 1 above) and confirm eServices has recorded your completion of that module.

--If your module does not show up as completed after 24 hours, submit a Help Desk ticket. The link to the help desk is in dark blue at the very bottom of any page when you’re logged into eServices.

(4) VIR: Because Alaska Wing currently has very few VolU instructors, the most straightforward way to complete moderated/discussion/assignment modules at this time is to enroll in a “Virtual In-Residence” class. VIR classes are offered by various VolU instructors all over the country. The instructor determines the time and platform (ie Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc).

--Go to the public CAP website, www. gocivilairpatrol.com

--Choose the Members tab, then “Education & Training” then “Virtual In-Residence Program”

--Follow the instructions very carefully

Education and Training, continued

on registering for then showing up to a VIR class.

NOTE: Classes on the VIR calendar are listed in Eastern Time. Make careful note of what time the class starts in your own time zone Also note that many course titles sound similar. When registering for a class, make sure it is the Level and track you are working on. Remember that the VIR instructors are volunteers. They may take a few days to enter credit for your module. Be patient with them, but do monitor progress in your Professional Levels page in eServices

(5) Commander Approval: Once you have completed all the tasks in the level you’re working on, you may need to click on “submit” in the lower left of the Professional Levels page. A bar across the top of your Professional Levels page will show where your level is in the approval process. If you click on the carat, it will name the person who is next in the approval process.

(6) Congratulations! You have completed your next Level. You are now one

step closer to a future possible promotion and eligible to continue your training at the next-higher level!

Once a year has passed since you completed Level 2 or higher, please consider becoming a VolU instructor. As a VolU instructor, there is no obligation to teach classes. VolU instructors can be very helpful in their squadrons (or anywhere in CAP) to get new members oriented or to help other members progress.

References: The best source of information for advancing your Education & Training is on the www.gocivilairpatrol.com public website. Click on “Members” then “Education and Training,” then the Level you are working on, VolU, or VIR.

CAPR 40-1, CAP Senior Member Education & Training Program (https:// www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/ cms/R_401_2DBE51D881DDE.pdf)

CAPR 60-2, Cadet Protection Program (https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/R_602_7BA77F9A739A6.pdf)

NATIONAL WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA DAY In TOK, ALASKA

DATE: Saturday, 17 Dec 2022

TIME: 1200hrs, Noon

LOCATION: Tok Cemetary, Tok, Alaska

SPONSORS: The 085th Tok Composite Squadron, Alaska Wing, Civil Air Patrol

LOCAL EVENT CONTACT: Capt Harry White, (907)406-9850

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 3,400 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.

The Tok Composite Squadron invites the public to join in the Ceremony of placing these Holiday Wreaths on Veterans gravesites. This is the 4rd year that Wreaths will be placed by Civil Air Patrol at the Tok Cemetery, in Tok, Alaska.

This year the Tok Composite Squadron sold 185 wreaths. In addition to the W reaths that will be placed at the Tok Cemetery, Wreaths will also go for Veterans gravesites at cemeteries in Tanacross, Mentasta, Northway and Delta.

It is hard to believe that this edition ends our second full year together. Your contributions of articles and photos have allowed AKWG’s voice be heard all around the CAP organization and beyond, thank you! Our first edition had 234 views while our recent October magazine had 479, impressive growth. 54% of all views occurred on phones, making mobile compatibility really important. Over the last two years we have enjoyed 29,425 impressions, 8,646 reads, 578 clicks at an average read time of 04:14. Happy Holidays!

This online publication is designed to attract, inform and motivate readers through pho-

tos, text and stories. We see and feel the four core values in the faces and body language of the cadets and senior members portrayed herein.

If you would like to propose any content by the 15th of each month or provide feedback then please contact me.

Volunteers serving America’s communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.

Lt Col Bryan Emerson, CAP Publisher and Editor

Alaska Wing PAO, DC Bryan.emerson@akwg.Cap.gov, 1 (907) 795-5586 cell