Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell Florida. 10 Dec 2011­­-  Over 50 members from several CAP squadrons within FLWG Group 3  assisted with the placing of 5910 holiday wreaths in the Wreaths Across America 2011 ceremony at the Florida National Cemetery.  “Honor-Remember-Teach” is the message that the Wreaths Across America program conveys, and over 7000 family, friends, active duty personnel and volunteers turned out to assist in placing these wreaths for our fallen soldiers.  With 741 locations nationally, including 24 overseas, over 325,000 wreaths were placed at gravesites on Saturday 10 December.

Several Central Florida veterans’ motorcycle groups of the US Military Veterans Motorcycle Club, and the Polk County Sheriff’s department assisted in escorting the wreaths to Bushnell. Wreaths were brought in from Lakeland and Brooksville. Arriving by commercial trucks, participants waiting at the cemetery applauded as the trucks arrived, and lined up eagerly for their opportunity to take part in the event. 

One could sense the emotions in the crowd as veterans swapped stories of their military service, and several cadets learned firsthand of the military experiences that these men and women witnessed. Guest speakers from US CENTCOM, MacDill  AFB,  and veteran’s organizations throughout central Florida spoke of the courage displayed and sacrifice that many had given in the defense of our country. Honors were presented by the US CENTCOM Honor Guard.

Cadets and senior members placed 140 wreaths at the cemetery prior to a wreath laying ceremony for Medal of Honor recipient MSgt James Hendrix.  Major Dan Spence of the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron was the speaker introducing the ceremony, and FLWG Chaplain Rob Atchley gave the invocation at graveside. The Wesley Chapel Honor Guard had the privilege of placing the ceremonial wreath, accompanied by MSgt Hendrix's wife, Mrs. Helen Hendrix, and their grandson.  Other members of the family were also in attendance. 

Entering the US Army at the age of 18, Hendrix traveled with his unit to France and Belgium as part of a General George Patton’s Third Army.   On December 26, 1944, Hendrix was in Belgium when faced with what most 18 year olds don’t see or experience. The sergeant was stopped by a combination of artillery and small arms fire. He bravely left his half-track and forced enemy gun crews to surrender, then came to the rescue of two wounded soldiers exposed to heavy machinegun fire. While the wounded soldiers were making their way out of the dangerous area, Hendrix silenced the machine guns. For his brave actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. MSgt Hendrix was also a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars.

2^nd Lt. Patricia King of the Polk County Composite Sqn ,as the CAP project officer for the event, stated, "It was a privilege for our CAP cadets and senior members to participate in the Wreath Laying ceremony today to honor the service men and women who have sacrificed to protect our nation and  freedom." 

Squadrons participating at the Florida National Cemetery Bushnell were Polk County Composite Sq FL-274, Wesley Chapel Cadet Sq FL-458, Citrus County Composite Sq FL-315, and Hernando Composite Sq FL-301.

The Florida National Cemetery, established in 1988, is the final resting place for over 100,000 veterans and their spouses.

If you would like to see photos and video of the 2011 event, please visit http://www.facebook.com/WAAgroup3

PHOTO CAPTION: Placing wreaths in section MB of the Florida National Cemetery are, clockwise from bottom left, C/1st Lt Jeremy King, Polk County Composite; C/Capt Melanie Lee, Wesley Chapel Cadet; C/2d Lt Alex Peto, Polk County Composite; C/Amn Jason Stesen , Polk County Composite;  C/AB Kenny Hughes, Polk County Composite;  C/A1C Hannah Harbridge, Polk County Composite. Cadets are from Group 3 Florida Wing.

FLWG Group 3 PA team: 1^st Lt Ernest Lee, C/2d Lt Miriam Lee, Capt. Steve Lampasona, Maj. John Walters, C/1^st Lt James Kessner

PHOTO CAPTION: C/Capt Melanie Lee (left) accepts her ‘First Solo Flight’ certificate from Major Pam Becker, on the flight line at Eglin AFB.

ELGIN AFB, Fla, -  In the United States there are an estimated 627,588 active pilot certificates in all categories of powered and non-powered flight.  This number includes certified flight instructors.  Of that total 6,359 or about 1%, are women instructor pilots.  Of the estimated 119,119 student pilots in the US, 14,767 are women and that equates to about 12.4 %.

Each of those small percentages combined recently at Eglin AFB, resulting in a CAP cadet achieving the student pilot milestone of her first solo flight.  Over several weekends, C/Capt Melanie Lee of Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron FL-458, under the instruction of Major Pam Becker of FLWG Group 1, combined extensive ground training interspersed with flying as the unpredictable panhandle weather permitted.

Finally the weather cleared on a Sunday morning in mid-October.  After holding short for A-10s on the active runway at Eglin AFB, Major Becker and Cadet Lee took off from Eglin on a cloudless day with light winds for the training area at Crestview, FL airport.  “It was the best experience ever!  I was surprised by how light the plane felt compared to when Maj Becker was with me, but it didn’t affect me too much.  I loved the sense of freedom that came with flying solo,” said Cadet Lee.

Maj Becker, recently named the national Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Senior Member of the Year and recipient of the Brewer Award, ensured that Cadet Lee was fully prepared before handing over the controls of CAP Cessna N99941.  “It’s always a joy to watch a student pilot complete their first solo.  C/Capt. Lee performed well and made it look easy.”

Cadet Lee attended her first air show at the age of 3 at NAS Cecil Field, when the F-117 Nighthawk was first introduced to the air show scene. For the last 4 years she has made the annual trek to the Sun-n-Fun annual fly-in at Lakeland Linder airport, which helped nurture her desire to obtain a pilot’s license.

Dec 2010 data from www.faa.gov

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - On the morning November 4, 2011, while the city of Gainesville, Florida prepared for a battle. Cadets from the Gainesville Composite Squadron participated in the 88th annual homecoming parade. 

Fighter jets roared overhead, major roads were closed off, schools closed, and tens of thousands of people packed the streets, many wearing orange and blue. Commodores were coming into town, but there were no battleships, for this “battle” was the homecoming football game between the Florida Gators and the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Despite light rain and clouds in the morning, by the time the parade began at noon, the sky had cleared and the sun was shining. 11 cadets from the Gainesville Composite Squadron represented Civil Air Patrol, with cadets Airman Noah Wright and Sr. Airman George Fuller carrying the squadron banner and representatives of the color guard team, consisting of cadets Hannah Eades, Stephanie Redmond, Hunter Wood, and Michael Redmond carrying the colors, followed by cadets Tiffany Jacowczuk, Caleb Eades, Ben Foster, Andrew Geelhoed, and Noah Parker. 

They marched the two mile parade route along University Avenue from the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the University of Florida campus to Main Street downtown. 2^nd Lt. Laura Eades followed behind in a CAP van. “We were honored to represent our Gainesville Composite Squadron” said Eades.

The homecoming festivities begin with the annual University of Florida homecoming parade and included floats and representatives from local organizations, student groups, and public figures. Among these were the mayor of Gainesville, the UF marching band, local high school and university ROTC units, and representatives from the Gainesville Regional Airport.

The day concluded with “Gator Growl”, a student-run pep rally featuring a performance by The Goo Goo Dolls and a stand-up routine by Joel McHale. The football game was held the following day, with the Gators winning 26-21.

Photo caption: Left to right: Cadets Caleb Eades, Noah Parker, Stephanie Eades, Hunter Wood, and Michael Redmond march along University Avenue during the University of Florida homecoming parade

Ocala, Fla. - Members of the Marion County Composite Squadron have every reason to be celebrating the 70th birthday of the Civil Air Patrol, it has truly been a great year for the Cadet Flying program.

One piece of the story began in April 2010 when Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Andrew Steinemann joined the CAP Cadet flying program. Under the tutelage of CAP flight instructor, Lt. Col. Rick Bishop, he practiced basics of flying for almost two months. On June 10, 2010 Steinemann took off solo into Florida’s wild blue yonder.

The journey was not over with his solo flight. Steinemann received sponsorship for his private pilot training. The practice and aeronautical study finally paid off on Dec. 23, 2010. Though an inversion layer trapped smoke from forest fires and caused reduced visibility, the fuzzy horizon and a stiff cross wind could not keep him from passing the FAA Private Pilot check ride.

Over the following year, Cadet Major Steinemann was not idle. He continued practicing with Lt. Col. Dave Lehtonen and Lt. Col. Rick Bishop towards his official CAP Form 5 ride. On Nov 19 Steinemann flew a very successful Form 5 ride. “Cadet Steinemann gave me an outstanding ride. He is very safety oriented and possesses flying skills far in advance of his 75 hours. He flew all maneuvers to commercial standards!” commented his check pilot Lt. Col Bishop.

“This level of skill is not a small feat and it is a rare event to see a cadet progress to a full CAP VFR Pilot. This was the first time the Marion County Composite Squadron was able to move a cadet completely through the orientation rides, solo and private pilot programs and into a full Form 5 pilot. Keep in mind that CAP Cadets have a very limited window of opportunity because of the age restrictions on Solo and Private Pilot Certificates on one end, and leaving for college or university on the other.” said Bishop.

“This seems like a great opportunity to start a new tradition of handing down wings from senior to junior pilots.” said one of the squadron’s senior pilots, Lt. Col Paul Blystone, as he pinned the first set of wings onto the new pilot’s flight suit. “We have eleven CAP pilots in the senior squadron, and I’m sure each of them is just hoping for an opportunity to pass on their first wings. All we have to do now is to keep the cadets coming.”

This on its own would have accounted for a great year for the squadron, but there was even more success.

Earlier this year C/SMSgt Kyler Blair enrolled in the solo flying program with instructor Lt. Col. Bishop. On March 19, just shy of his 17th birthday, he took off in ‘Skyhawk Niner-Papa-Charlie’ for his solo ride around the Florida sky.

Just over four years ago, Blair ran into Civil Air Patrol members at an airshow and received a lot of information about their CAP Cadet flying program and the Cadet Orientation Rides. The rest is a familiar story. Cadet Blair joined the Marion County Composite Squadron and has progressed to the rank of Cadet Senior Master Sergeant, earning multiple awards and a 1st Sergeant position along the way.

Next in line for the solo program was Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Lynlea Ressler. At age 14, Ressler was introduced to CAP by a young lady who was a member. She was very interested in flying, still remembering a flight through the Grand Canyon with her grandfather at age seven. After she attended a couple of meetings, she loved the program.

Once enrolled in the solo program and with a couple of months of practice, her instructor Lt. Col. Bishop gave her the green light for solo. September 17 was the big day. Three take-offs and landings later, Ressler was officially licensed-to-solo.

Including Cadets Steinemann, Blair and Ressler, the members of Marion County Composite Squadron have guided twelve cadets through the CAP solo program since 1999. Of these cadets, six went on to fulfill their dream of getting their Private Pilot Certificate.

The squadron is not content to rest on its laurels. The next cadet has already been approved for the 2012 private pilot program. Cadet Ressler is eager to get started, and we are all looking forward to seeing this young woman reach for the skies and the much coveted Private Pilot Certificate.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Thanksgiving Day is a special day in American history. It is the day we come together in celebration, reflection and gratitude to give thanks, and perhaps forgiveness, for all that has happened.

As you gather together with family, friends and loved ones, on this unique American Holiday, please take the time to enjoy the holiday and the blessings of life.

While you are gathered together:  I ask you to give thanks for all that has happened in your lives.

Give thanks for the joy and the tears.
Give thanks for the triumphs and the stumbles.
Give thanks for the ones who hold you dear and the ones dear to you as well.

Be gracious to all, and grateful, for what you have achieved, and what you may yet achieve.

I also ask that you take a moment to remember those who cannot be with us as they stand watch on this Thanksgiving Day: Our military personnel, our firefighters, our police and security personnel, as well as our medical workers. For their sacrifices throughout the year help ensure our freedom.  

As for myself, I am thankful for each and every one of you. Your service to the Southeast Region has been exceptional. Your dedication to the programs and missions of Civil Air Patrol has been awe inspiring. Your professionalism and sacrifices have improved and enriched the lives of literally thousands of people across the Region.  

I am truly grateful that I have the opportunity, privilege and honor of serving each of you.

I wish each of you, your families, your friends, and your loved ones, a safe, happy and warm Thanksgiving Holiday.

Best Wishes,

AL

Alvin J. Bedgood, Colonel, CAP
Commander, Southeast Region