The Official Newsletter of the General Curtis E LeMay Offutt Composite Squadron,

Civil Air Patrol, United States Air Force Auxiliary

P.O. Box 13402, Offutt Air Force Base, NE 68113

Commander: Lt Col David M. Waite

Editor: 1Lt Angel Waite

NEWSLETTER OF THE GENERAL CURTIS E. LEMAY

OFFUTT COMPOSITE SQUADRON

Squadron Phone: 294-4597 – E-Mail: OFFCS.CAP@Offutt.af.mil

Squadron Web Site: http://www.OffuttCAP.org

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

COMMANDER’S THOUGHTS Great Year

First off, let me apologize for the lack of a

squadron bulletin the last few months. Things

around the Waite household have been really busy

with the arrival of our new baby. Of course this is

the same at the Scott’s and Sander household

recently! Congratulations to all and go ahead and

start filling out the cadet applications now for

them.

Last year our squadron had an incredible year. As

a whole we accomplished quite a bit and even had

two finds. Yes, my record of no finds is still intact

for those that were worried! See the article in this

issue for a full run down on our accomplishments

plus an article on the Combat Dining In.

As always, if you have any concerns our suggestions please let me know.

Dave Waite, Lt Col, CAP

Commander

OFFCS in Review 2007

Seniors

Level 1 – 9 complete (100%)

Level 2 – 4

Level 4 – 1 Johnsen

2 seniors completed SLS - Hosted for NEWG twice

3 completed AFIADL – 13

Yeager Award – 8

31/36 (86% - NCR goal is 40%)

Squadron was represented at almost every ES exercise this past year

2 Finds

Cadets

Retention 62.22%

Net gain 5 cadets (48)

First Time Encampments 11

Held pre-encampment training

Cadet Rachael Schnitker – Honor Cadet for Kansas Winter Encampment

Numerous other cadets were members of honor flights

Orientation Flights 35 (note none in 2006)

Glider and Blackhawk flights

Color Guard won Wing Competition

Milestone Awards

Wright: 13

Mitchell: 1

Eaker: 3

Spaatz: 1 (first one in Nebraska in almost ten years)

“Offutt Composite Squadron Holds Annual Awards Dinner”

The General Curtis E. LeMay Offutt Composite Squadron recently held its annual awards dinner to celebrate the squadron’s past year accomplishments.

The purpose of the dining-in is to bring together members of a unit in an atmosphere of camaraderie, good fellowship, and social rapport. The basic idea is to enjoy yourself and the company. It is an excellent forum to recognize individual and unit achievements. The dining-in, therefore, is very effective in building high morale and esprit de corps.

The squadron chose to hold a “Combat” Dining-In this year as opposed to its normal Dining-Out. A “combat” Dining-In is the same as a Dining-In with the exception of less formality, and yes water. “Combat” Dining-Ins are relatively new to the Air Force and Civil Air Patrol units have recently started getting in on the act. While from the name it can sound intimidating, it is a controlled environment with safety officers scattered throughout the area making sure all participants are being safe throughout the evening. Participants were allowed to discharge their water guns only when the alarm signal sounded. Once the signal stopped, so did combat. It was great to see everyone get in on the act to include the guest speaker of the evening, Lt Col Ken Bauer, 45 Reconnaissance Squadron Commander.

The grog bowl was a featured part of the evening that started with a formal grog preparation ceremony where all the ingredients were added one-by-one. Most of the evening’s guest made at least one trip to the grog. Being this was not an ordinary Dining-In, the grog was surrounded by camouflage netting and the entrance was an obstacle course that had to be negotiated before partaking of the grog.

The guest speaker, Lt Col Bauer spoke about history in the Air Force and how he was working to help recover a lost “Rivet Amber” aircraft that used to belong to his squadron but never found.

After the guest speaker finished, the evenings turned towards the awards ceremony. The following annual awards were presented:

Communicator of the Year Award, 1Lt Mike Opocensky Emergency Services Cadet of the Year, Cadet SMSgt Rachael M Schnitker Emergency Services Officer of the Year, Lt Col William E. Sander NCO of the Year Award, Cadet MSgt Daniel T. Deever New Cadet of the Year Award, Cadet A1C Cassiel A. Dillard Senior Staff Member of the Year Award, Captain Michael Scott The Major Louis A. Vance Senior Member of the Year Award, Major Jason P. Johnsen Cadet of the Year, Cadet/Colonel Kat Petersen

“Offutt Composite Squadron Sets Up Flights on Blackhawk Helicopters”

Thirty members of the Nebraska Wing received orientation rides in UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters operated by the Nebraska Army National Guard. This was the second time that cadets from the Gen LeMay Offutt Composite Sq were able to take advantage of this opportunity. Last year, seventeen members from Offutt were able to fly in Blackhawk Helicopters. Several of those members were able to return for a second flight this year. In addition to Offutt, members from the Omaha Composite and Seward County Composite Squadrons also participated. Even though this was the first opportunity for most cadets to fly in a helicopter, it was a bigger first for two cadets from Offutt. For cadets Tony Zilli and David Lofredo, this was their first CAP orientation flight. Both are new members and are already benefiting from all that CAP offers. After the flights were completed, the aircrew joined the CAP members next to the Blackhawk for a group photo. Major Johnsen then presented the air crew with CAP challenge coins as a special thank you for the opportunity. PFC Jeremy Cutsor of the Guard also received a coin for all of his hard work arranging the flights. As crew departed, CW5 Stone said “When ever we fly kids on orientation flights, we never know what to expect. We were all surprised at how professional the cadets were. It was a pleasure flying with them.”

Emergency Services

“Offutt and Omaha Squadrons team up for SAREX”

NEBRASKA – Recently the General Curtis E. LeMay Offutt Composite Squadron and the Omaha Composite Squadron teamed up to do a local Search and Rescue Exercise.

The two squadrons started off with a pancake breakfast and then began the in-briefing to let them know what was going to happen that day. The group was split into two ground teams, dividing the two squadrons between the teams.

The first mission of the day was an ELT hunt. Using the Communications Center located at the Offutt Composite Squadron as a base, the teams were directed to work to work together to pin point the ELT which was located in the downtown Omaha area. During this mission the Communications Center Team had to work through a real-world power outage, but never missed a beat in directing the teams to the ELT.

After a lunch break the teams were then directed to head

South. At that point they were directed to meet up with an airplane flown by members of the Omaha Composite Squadron. The aircrew and ground teams had to work through a communications outage to find a “downed” aircraft. The experience of working with an airplane during a communications outage was one of the planned events that added realism to the day’s training.

The ground teams were then directed to head back to Offutt Air Force base where they had to find yet another ELT. When they found the ELT this time, they also found their dinner ending the day’s very successful training.

Want to stay informed? Join the Squadron’s ES Yahoo!® group. Messages, Calendar (with reminders); Polls, and links to other documents and related websites.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/offcs-es/join Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

Note: You must be a squadron member, under invitation, or possess a CAP ID Number to be approved to join.

Cadet Programs

“Offutt Color Guard Wins Nebraska Wing Competition”

The General Curtis E. LeMay Offutt Composite Squadron Color Guard Team won the 2007 Nebraska Wing Color Guard Competition held at Camp Ashland on 10 November 2007. The Offutt team has won the state level competition four times in the past five years.

After losing the competition last year the team worked really hard, preparing for this year’s competition. Offutt team member Mandy Mueller won the Fleet Foot Award for her mile run time. The male Fleet Foot Award went to Cadet Shawn Gallahger of the 155

th Composite Squadron.

The top written test score was a tie between Offutt cadets Mueller and Team Commander Katie Waite. According to Cadet Waite, “If you are going to tie for the top score, it is great when it is one of your own team members.”

The team had a great time and is looking forward to representing the wing at the North Central Region Competition to be held in the Spring of 2008. The winner of that event goes on to represent the region at the National Competition. An honor the Offutt Composite Squadron had in both 2004 and 2005 where they placed 5

th and 2

nd

in the Nation.

The members of the 2007-2008 team were Cadets Emily Moss, Mandy Mueller, Ryan Tweedt, Katie Waite, Cassi Dillard, and Arika Monro.

Squadron Parents and Cadet Group - Parents and cadets can stay informed of the squadron's activities by subscribing the unit's user group on Google. Sign up here: http://groups.google.com/group/offutt_cadets

February Safety Picayune

Nebraska Child Passenger safety -Safe Kids Nebraska © Motor vehicles crashes are the leading cause of death for Nebraskans ages 4 through 33 years. There is a bill pending before the Nebraska Legislature that would change Nebraska's child restraint law. Currently, Nebraska law requires all children under the age of 6 to be restrained in a child safety seat (a car seat or booster seat). LB 254 would raise that age to 8, meaning that children would have to ride in a child safety seat (car seat or booster seat) until at least their 8th birthday. Currently, children from age 6 to 18 must be restrained, but may use a seat belt only. Current "best practice" information in the child passenger safety field indicates that children should remain in a child safety seat until they have reached one of several indicators. Some use the age 8, some use the height of 4' 9", and probably one of the best indicators is the "Five-Step Test." Nebraska stands to gain a significant increase in highway safety funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should this law be passed. Those funds may be used for various child passenger safety educational programs, such as the certification of technicians, workshops, educational materials, etc. This bill will also clarify the requirement that child safety seats be "correctly used." It will also add on option for a person who receives a traffic citation for a child restraint violation to have the fine waived if they attend an educational session, such as a car seat checkup event or fitting station--allowing a parent to receive valuable education in lieu of paying a fine. Most importantly, studies show that kids in the 6-8 year old age group are significantly safer in a booster seat than in a seat belt alone. Booster seats are relatively inexpensive, can accommodate kids up to 100 pounds, and are readily available through Safe Kids programs, Fitting Stations, and retailers. Passing this legislation in other states has saved countless lives, and could do the same in Nebraska. Staying Safe in Cold Weather - The American National Red Cross Exposure to cold can cause injury or serious illness such as frostbite or hypothermia. The likelihood of injury or illness depends on factors such as physical activity, clothing, wind, humidity, working and living conditions, and a person's age and state of health. Follow these tips to stay safe in cold weather: Dress appropriately before going outdoors. The air temperature does not have to be below freezing for someone to experience cold emergencies such as hypothermia and frostbite. Wind speed can create dangerously cold conditions even when the temperature is not that low. If possible, avoid being outside in the coldest part of the day, or for extended periods of time in extreme cold weather. Dress in layers so you can adjust to changing conditions. Avoid overdressing or overexertion that

can lead to heat illness.