These tips come courtesy of Maj Sixto Velez, WV Wing Summer Encampment Commander. Encampment Tip #1 Boots and socks: During encampment we march everywhere. There are a few locations on the base that we don’t march to. DO NOT come to encampment with a pair of boots you have not spent time in. Take time every week to walk around in your boots so that they are broken in before you report to Encampment. Make sure you keep your boots shined. This is for two reasons. First, you will have several uniform inspections. Second, it helps makes your boots waterproof. Make sure that you are not wearing cotton socks (gym socks) or dress socks with your boots; you should wear wool or hiking socks. Wool or hiking socks will wick the sweat from your feet, fight odors, and help prevent blisters. Encampment Tip #2 Summer Blues: Your uniform will be inspected. It is best that you come to encampment with a clean and pressed summer blues uniform that is free of stray treads. Bring it in a clothing bag so you do not have to worry about ironing it because you stuffed it in a bag. Shirt/Blouse- Place your ribbons, badges, rank, and nameplate on your shirt/blouse prior to coming to Encampment. Make sure your ribbons are in the right order and placement. Rank evenly spaced. Pants/skirts - Pockets should be buttoned. Pant’s properly hemmed and pressed with only one crease. Shoes shined. Belt properly sized and the buckle shined. Hat clean with the device in the proper place. You have a couple of weeks to get your uniform in great shape for inspection. Refer to CAP regulations 39-1 CIVIL AIR PATROL UNIFORM MANUAL for more information. Hair in line with regulation. Male facial hair. Male cadets, as you start moving from adolescence to adulthood many of you will grow facial hair, some more than others. I understand that you might be excited that you have 4 hairs growing from your chin. However, the regulation does not allow beards when you are wearing your uniform. Shave. I promise any hair you remove from your face will grow back! Encampment Tip #3 PT Gear: It is no secret I love to workout, so WE will workout together in the morning! YAY!!! No I will not require that you run 3 miles with me every day, but in the morning we will do some basic “wake you up” exercises. If you want to see what we do, watch the videos in this FB site. In addition we will have several sport activities Make sure you bring PT gear. Sneakers, socks (8 pair of white sox), multiple pairs of shorts and/or sweat pants, and tshirts. Swimming! Ahhhh another sport I love! YAY!!! No I will not require that you swim 33 laps with me, but we will have fun playing in the pool. We will be in the pool a few times during encampment so bring your swim gear. Make sure your shorts or bathing suit is appropriate for swimming. Encampment Tip #4 Give EVERYTHING a try! Summer Encampment is not Boot Camp. The Encampment staff will not be molding warriors. Encampment is the place to explore the five key traits of cadet life – the uniform, aerospace themes, opportunities to lead, challenges, and fun. We do this in an intense environment that will challenge you to go beyond your normal comfort zone. How do we do this? Through activities such as rappelling, obstacle courses, firearms training, discipline training (marching, inspections, team competition, etc) and much more! Many of you have never experienced the activities I just mentioned. Trust in us that all safety measures are in place. Every year I watch a cadet clip onto the repel rope, inch over the ledge of the repel tower, knees shaking, nervous eyes; take their first step over the ledge and bounce. Once they get to the bottom of the repel tower they are amazed and proud of themselves. So Give EVERYTHING a try Encampment Tip #5 CONTRABAND DO NOT BRING THESE ITEMS TO ENCAMPMENT: · Knives or any type of weapon · Alcohol or tobacco products · Inappropriate reading materials · Electronic devices such as radios, CD players, MP3 players, games · Lighters, matches, or other dangerous items · Snacks, soda, gum, or food of any kind · Computers, iPads, Tablets · Curling irons, hot rollers · Pagers, cell phones (see note*) · Valuable items/jewelry · Any item not conducive to the encampment environment, as judged by staff personnel As part of the In-Processing Procedure a Training Officer (Senior Staff Member) will inspect your luggage for any unauthorized items. If any contraband items are brought, it will be confiscated and returned at the end of Encampment. *Under no circumstances is ANY cadet allowed to bring a cell phone to encampment. Leave it at home! I have heard all sorts of excuses in the past. I have yet to hear one that has convince me that I should allow cell phones. Encampment is not the place to take a “duck face” selfie. We will be taking pictures everyday and posting then online. If your family and friends want to see a picture of you, they can visit this Facebook page. For many of you the toughest challenge of Encampment will be disconnecting from your social media world. Trust me you will have LOTS of interaction with people and I will keep your thumbs moving so they won’t cramp up when you use your phone AFTER Encampment. Encampment Tip #6 Customs& Courtesies Saluting. One of the most basic of military customs, the salute dates back to the Middle Ages when a knight would raise his visor with the right hand to show friendly intentions. Today, members of allied military services use the salute as a sign of respect amongst their peers and as respect to the flag. Nothing will grab my attention (In the wrong way!) more than a cadet not executing the customs and courtesies. Years back I had the Wing Commander comment how he was not saluted! Now if I get that comment this year….. I won’t be happy. If I can’t be happy, then the cadet that did not salute the Wing Commander won’t be happy either. So if you don’t know how the Wing Commander looks like, go to this website http://www.wvcap.net and take a look. But wait….. Is he the only officer you should salute? The answer is no. These are not all of the customs and courtesies we follow in CAP, but they are the more common one that the Encampment staff and I will be looking for. CAP cadets and Seniors are expected to salute the following: Officers of all US military branches; CAP senior members ; Officers of nations friendly to the U.S. ; CAP cadet officers of higher grade ; The U.S. flag ; The President of the United States (he won’t be coming , but if he does..... SALUTE!) The salute is rendered sharply when the junior individual is 6 paces from the senior individual (or flag). The salute is held until returned or until the junior is 6 paces past the senior. A greeting or salutation is also expected of the junior. The senior officer should return the salute if possible or at least acknowledge the greeting. If the junior person has both hands occupied, then the junior does not salute and simply offers an appropriate greeting. Cadets do not salute when indoors, in formation (unless their position requires it), while on a work detail, on a flight line, or while in a designated “no saluting” zone (I will tell you where that is). Using appropriate titles. Whenever cadets address someone in CAP they are required to use the appropriate title. The options they have are: Sir/Ma’am, the person’s grade (with all types of sergeants being addressed as “Sergeant” except for Chief Master Sergeants who are addressed as “Chief”) Calling a room to attention. Whenever a higher ranking officer enters a room, the room’s occupants call the room to attention. The exceptions to this rule are when a class is in session or when the persons are on a work detail. If a higher-ranking officer than the officer entering the room is already present in the room, the room’s occupants do not call the rooms to attention. Bathrooms should not be called to attention at any time. Headgear. Encampment hats, Flight caps, and BDU hats will be worn anytime you are not indoors. Any "open air" area, even though there may be some form of a roof over you heard, still warrants wear of headgear. Further customs & courtesies. The above customs and courtesies are by no means an exhaustive list. Rather these are some of the more common ones that you will see, do, and observe. You must be familiar with them to both execute and teach them correctly. If you have further questions about customs & courtesies please reference CAPP 151, AFR 50-14/AFMAN 36-2203, the AFP 36-2241 Encampment Tip #7 Liquid Sunshine: If history repeats itself, encampment will be Sunny and Hot. For those days the clouds show up, liquid sunshine will fall from the sky and cool us off. Now I am not one to allow a little water from the sky stop us from achieving our goal of experiencing all the activities that we have planned. So to ensure that you stay dry, make sure you bring a poncho. I have seen all sorts of ponchos and I must tell you, the ones you buy for 99 cents is not going to work. That is one step above a trash bag with 3 holes. It is only designed to work one time. At the minimum you should buy a poncho that is sold from between six to ten dollars. Myth: If you are in blues and it starts to rain, put your hands over you ribbons so that the colors don’t run. And don’t forget, bring at least 2 pairs of BDU’s! Encampment Tip #8 Drill: Drill is marching. In ancient history, the most powerful, efficient and developed empires developed ways of moving organized units of troops from one place to another on the battlefield, without individuals getting mixed up with other units. Otherwise, as masses of people maneuvered amongst each other individuals would get lost and end up having to attach themselves to any old unit. A system of flags was developed so people could identify their own units (and side) on the field and make their way to their correct flag bearer if they got separated. But sticking to "formed up" squads was better, forming a box of soldiers who moved as a single body. Overall it meant command systems were effective - soldiers stayed together and could be commanded as units. At Encampment there will be lots of marching. More important for you to know is that we will have a drill competition. Encampment is not the time to learn how to march. You should be practicing at your squadron and at home. The most disappointing thing for me to witness is a Flight Commander chasing their flight like they are trying to herd cats during the drill competition . The drill movement that you and your flight will be tested on are: Dress Right Dress Ready Front Left Face Right Face About Face Left Flank March Right Flank March Column Right March Column Left March To the Rear March. So...….Practice…. Practice …. Practice! Encampment Tip #9
Sunblock: Summer Encampment is held during the time of year when the weather is prime for sunburns. One of the worst feelings you can have at Encampment is the feeling of your nose, ears, and back of your neck burnt by the sun. Make sure that you bring sun block to Encampment with you. Have you ever wonder where the term “Redneck” comes from? It was not intended to be a derogatory term but it’s interesting how some people may use it that way. Recorded history explains that for five days in late August and early September 1921, in Logan County, West Virginia, some 10,000 armed coal miners (called the Logan Defenders) confronted 3,000 lawmen and strikebreakers who were backed by coal mine operators during an attempt by the miners to unionize the southwestern West Virginia coalfields. The term redneck comes from coal miners who wore red bandanas around their necks to identify themselves as the miners seeking the opportunity to unionize. We will not be reenacting the battle of Blair Mountain at Encampment, so I do not want to see any red necks. Bring sunblock and use it!
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WHEELING, WV, May 1 2018 -- The Wheeling Composite Squadron, along with squadrons from Beckley and Morgantown of the West Virginia Wing, Civil Air Patrol, attended the 4th Annual NASA-Space Day at Wheeling Jesuit University Friday, April 27th. This event was sponsored by the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium (WVSGC) and hosted by Wheeling Jesuit University with the support of West Liberty University and Bethany College in West Virginia. "NASA-Space Day is meant to engage the community in science and space exploration through various hands-on exhibits, as well as to provide a forum for West Virginia college students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)," according to a statement by Dr Majid Jaridid, Director of the NASA WVSGC. Cadets and Senior Members had the opportunity to attend a keynote address presented by Dr Charles Wood, Executive Directer for the Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit. Dr Wood shared experiences gained throughout his career, sharing his insight into Cassini and NASA's exploration of the solar system. Cadets were treated to several hands-on exhibits, including a parachute drop simulator presented by the Challenger Learning The cadets and senior members were divided up into teams and asked to design a soft landing system that would allow a miniature rover to land, wheels down, within a target zone at a slow rate of descent. Teams were then given "money" to purchase various items and, after equipping their rovers, each team deployed their systems over a stairwell rail. WVU's "the Science Behind Cycling" exhibit gave cadets and senior members a workout. Their objective was to produce enough energy to power a series of light bulbs via a stationary bike. Other exhibits included the NASA IV&V Facility's rocketry station, and the SMART Centre's "New Sol-ar System", "Life in the Universe - Drake Equation", and "Black Holes Made Simple". NASA-Space Day sparked the CAP Cadet's imaginations, and renewed their determination to grow their STEM knowledge. To learn more about NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium, please visit wvspacegrant.org. Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information. ALL,
In an effort to bring more funds into our squadron, we're asking all members (and their friends and extended families) to sign up for the Kroger Community Rewards Program. This program was designed to make fund-raising easy…all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card! TO USE THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM:
Sincerely, Capt Toni Wheeler Ready for Summer Encampment? Interested cadets should contact 2d Lt John R Ewing, DCC, for details, updates and other information. The following is provided by the WV Wing. This useful page contains pertinent information regarding the event.
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ScheduleFor a full schedule of events, please visit our
UNIT CALENDAR Additional events can be viewed on the WV Wing calendar.
We meet weekly at the Wheeling-0hio County Airport. Cadets report 1830 hrs local Seniors report 1900 hrs local In addition, we hold a meeting the 2nd Sunday of every month, 1400 -1700 hrs local. This day is also reserved for Cadet Program elements or events. WV049 Staff Notices
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