The Tuesday of Encampment
By Capt. James Kalemis
Today was a very active day for the cadets. Powered and glider orientation flights continued, although low clouds delayed the flights. The morning included barrack inspections. “Today’s inspections were much better”, said LtCol. Levesque, Encampment Commandant.
In the classrooms, Capt. Joe Hacket gave an introduction on CAP’s Emergency Services and used an exercise on identifying the most valuable survival gear if you find yourself stranded. Majors Robertson and Miller discussed the Cadet Program with the cadets. Major Miller’s presentation was particularly interesting because she used excerpts from the show “Space Above and Beyond” that features a team of Marines going through the trials and tribulations of leadership and followership. Additional classes included a beginner Communications class and a Rocketry class.
The cadets finished the simulated firearm training shooting computer screens full of enemies. “Finally the Seniors got a try at the simulator”, said Capt. Ron Gwaltney, ATS Director, “and we showed our superiority to the cadets!” The day ended with more Physical Training exercises after dinner.
From the Cadet Commander
By C/Col Daniel Riordan
I went to my basic encampment in June of 2002. It was my first time away from home, and I was scared beyond all belief. My parents had just dropped me off for seven days of “Basic Training” and I was unprepared, worried, and in the unfamiliar area of Fort Leonard Wood. We drilled non-stop, and ate without talking. We practiced our customs and courtesies, and were lectured by Air Force officers. We studied, what seemed like, pointless information. I can still remember my cadet commander’s name, C/Lt Col. Robert M. Lowery. “Encampment was suppose to be fun, was I lied to that it was going to be easy?” I was tired and wanted to go home. I talked to my TAC Officer, but he only told me that it would be worth it to stay. I was upset and was certain my TAC did not understand my personal needs.
Much to my dismay, I stayed at the encampment. Seven days came and went and thanks to my TAC’s advice, I ended up having the best time of my life. The same encampment I wanted to leave day six days earlier, had become a lifestyle that I had no intention of giving up. I was sad to leave all my flight members, but extremely excited to go to my next encampment. From that point on, I wanted to be an encampment cadet commander. Six years later, I was given the opportunity to lead a staff of cadets to aid in the education and training of the basic cadets at the 2008 ILWG Summer Encampment. With hard work and determination, I was able to push through the difficulties of encampment and work to accomplish my ultimate goal of becoming cadet commander. Despite its difficulties, encampment has become the CAP activity I look forward to most.
Meet Your Transportation Officer
By LtCol. Randy Mitchell
The transportation section at encampment is responsible for transporting people to and from different activities, running errands off base to pick up supplies or deliver lunch to the pilots at the airport. The transportation section chief is 1st Lt Bunny Sies. She does the scheduling for transport and handles the paperwork part of the operation. This is a big responsibility and she handles it admirably. All I have to do is to drive where I am supposed to, be safe, and not get lost…much.
This is my 15th encampment since joining CAP in 1977. I attended my first encampment in 1979 at the old Chanute AFB in Rantoul, IL. I then got to attend the first ever Officer’s Training School in Illinois Wing in 1981. This was what ATS is at this encampment. It was a matter of pride for us that the 16 in OTS received a grand total of 77 demerits for the whole week. That’s not average or per person. That is TOTAL. That’s something for the ATS cadets to shoot for the rest of the week. After that, I was cadet commander of a weekend encampment at Scott AFB. Then I returned to summer encampment in 1983 as the XO of Charlie Squadron. I didn’t return to encampment for 14 years.
In 1997, Major Kelly Robertson, the Deputy Commander, and I decided to come back to encampment because of all the stories we were hearing from our cadets that we sent to encampment. They were telling us that they were getting yelled at for doing things wrong in drill. This confused us because we had trained them to drill and we knew we were teaching it the right way straight out of the manual. So we decided to go back to encampment as TACs. That first year was fun but exhausting. We ran into a lot of people we had known as cadets and young seniors who we didn’t know were still in CAP. One of these was LtCol. Paul Nordhaus who was a CAP-RAP officer at the time, but who had been my cadet commander at OTS in 1981. We also met a bunch of new people who we became friends with like Major Noelle Sublett, Encampment Commander, and LtCol. Jim Weiland, Finance Officer.
I didn’t return in 1998, but I have been back every year since. For several years, I was an OTS instructor and director. Then in 2002, I had the privilege of running the Illinois Wing’s first Region Cadet Leadership School at Volk ANGB with Major Jacqueline Miller, the new Wing Director of Cadet Programs. After Major Sublett became the Encampment Commander in late 2002, I worked as the COMSEC chief for a few years before becoming one of the transportation section the last two years.
Since 2003, because the command staff has remained in place and has been very selective about the rest of the senior and cadet staff, the encampment has become a much more smooth running organization. There is always room for improvement in any activity such as this, but there is a greater sense of confidence that everything will turn out for the best. I think this is a tribute to the talent and the dedication of the staff here at encampment. It is also a reflection of the idea that the basic cadets are the most important people at the encampment. We as the staff have to keep working to ensure that they have fun, keep safe, and learn something from this experience.
For additional photos from today, see this Photo Page.
