Welcome from the Encampment Commander
By Major Noelle Sublett
The 2008 Illinois Wing Summer Encampment is off to a great start! We have cadets from seven wings and senior members from four wings in attendance. Our cadet attendance has increased 32% over last year’s numbers. We are fortunate to have found the facilities at Camp Lincoln, as the location we have used in the past for encampment was unable to accommodate us this year. We have some adjustments to make with the move, but it shouldn’t slow us down!
National Headquarters CAP publishes a required curriculum for the basic cadets at encampment. It includes instruction in Air Force and Civil Air Patrol fundamentals, moral leadership, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, creative thinking, and aerospace career opportunities. Cadets must successfully complete at least 80% of the required curriculum in order to receive encampment credit. In addition to classroom instruction, the cadets will participate in orientation flights in powered or glider aircraft. We have plans to visit the Illinois state military museum during the week as well.
The cadets have a long, hectic week ahead of them. Many of them have been “hanging out” at home all summer. Encampment can be a bit of a shock to some of the cadets in the beginning, but the majority of cadets who attend and complete encampment have great things to report and end up returning again the next year.
The encampment staff is excited to be here and give the cadets the opportunity to learn about the Air Force, about Civil Air Patrol, and about themselves. We are looking forward to a rewarding week!
Encampment Introduction
The first day of the Summer Encampment was mainly the check-in process for the cadets. Each cadet validated their membership, had their belongings inspected, appropriated their meds, and then received their bunk assignments.
Major Noelle Sublett, the Encampment Commander, welcomed the cadets. She made a point of safety and procedure for the meds for those who need them. Lt Col. Gerry Levesque, Commandant of Cadets, explained the proper conduct and etiquette of Encampment, stressing the care of the facilities. This is the first time the Summer Encampment is held at Camp Lincoln. As a matter of fact, the facilities we are using were just opened in October. More so, we are the first to use the kitchen. He highlighted the point by noting that dessert will not be part of dinner until he is happy!
The Health Services Officer, Capt. Joe Hackett, re-iterated how critical drinking water is in this weather. “This a glass”, he said while showing a glass upright, “and this is an empty glass”, as he rotated the glass. “You will drink one full glass of water with every meal.”
The Cadet Commander, C/Col. Daniel Riordan, introduced his staff and the command staff of each flight. Final remarks were made by Major Kelly Robertson, Deputy Commander of the Encampment. “You are here to learn and have fun!”
Communications School
The idea of a Communications School was born from being very short of communicators in the Wing, recalls Major James Bartell, Communications Director of the Encampment. Major Bartell is on his 12th year at Summer Encampment. In the earlier encampments they only offered an ROA card. The genesis of the Communications School was selfish. “We need to have more people that can do this job”, said Major Bartell. “It’s one of the few jobs a cadet can be a Unit Leader in. It behooves us to teach cadets to take over our jobs.”
The Communications School starts with basic ROA, and covers basic electricity, antennas, soldering, the MRO and CUL curriculum, even new systems like SDIS, Archer, and IMU are introduced.
The Communications School cadets are split into two groups—one group handles the basic communications while the other group is in class. Throughout the week the two groups switch. As an added bonus, Major Jerry Scherer will be teaching the FCC courses for FCC licensing. “Our hopes are to grow the school,” says Major Bartell. “It works so well to have it during the Encampment because of the class time and time on the radios.”
The encampment benefits from having a Communications School. The Communications School staff run the Encampment communications, including vehicle and aircraft communications. Additionally, it’s a huge asset to learn how to work the communications equipment. “Many of our senior members do not know to use a CAP radio”, said LtCol. Golz, “and they would be coming to you [Communications School cadets] for assistance.”
Meet the First Sergeant
The Encampment 1st Sgt, C/CMSgt Kelsey Mathis is from Texas Wing Squadron 802. During the Encampment Introduction, she emphasized that she “hated sloppy drill!”. “Drill is important because it builds teamwork and teamwork helps accomplish your goals”, she later explained. She wants to be an excellent 1st Sgt so she can train future Encampment staff. “And I don’t want to scare a lot of cadets out of CAP while doing it!”
Additional photos can be seen on the Day One Photo Page.
