Pennsylvania Wing - Apr 2007
Pennsylvania Wing - Apr 2007
Pennsylvania Wing - Apr 2007
34
National’s Public
Affairs Specialist
Interviews PA
Cadet
(page 7)
A Big Welcome to
PA Wing’s
Newest Employee
(page 12)
To : The PAWG
Western PAWG is burning up the phone wires over the rumor that the Group 1 is being split! The Group is
being split and will be effective 21 April 2007. New commanders will be announced at that time. I can tell you
that the north and south boundary will be Pennsylvania Route 422. The east and west will stay the same. There
will be 7 units in the North and 12 units in the south.
I have asked Lt Col Ron Tuman to come to the Wing staff at the time of the split. He has been in com-
mand of Group 1 for almost as long as I have been the Wing CC. He has served well in this capacity and is one of
the senior Group Commanders in the Wing. I want to take a moment and thank him and the Group 1 staff for the
support they have demonstrated on behalf of CAP and the PAWG.
Group 2 should not be surprised if a change should occur in Central, PA, upon completion of the change in
Group 1 and Group 5. We will be taking a serious look at the idea behind a change in the central area.
These changes were planned as far back as 1990 during my first term as the Wing Commander. The three
Group theory, was only a stop gap measure till the six or nine group split could be put into place. The smaller
units will make the operation of the organization more effective.
The nine group split will not occur on my watch, though it would be a great deal easier to manage. With
the advent of the school Group, there would be 10 groups in the PAWG. Your cooperation is appreciated in this
effort. Putting these new Groups in place will allow the new commanders to settle before I depart, which will aide
in a smoother transition of the new Wing Command.
I look forward to seeing you all at our Wing Conference in September. We will have another super confer-
ence and the “Change of Command” will take place at that time.
Very respectfully,
Hello!
My name is First Sergeant William F. White and I just wanted to send a quick hello and
say THANKS! for the care package that you sent to the Soldiers in my Company. We are the
519th Signal Company at Camp Virginia, Kuwait. While life can be harsh here sometimes, we
appreciate the touch of home that you and other like you send to us. Your caring and support
mean a great deal to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen (and Women), and Marines here.
Please accept our gratitude and best wishes for what you do on the home-front. I'm
attaching a picture of our unit. The 519th Signal Company is part of the 54th Theater Signal
Battalion which provides communications support to the entire Southwest Asia theater of opera-
tions, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Very Respectfully,
1SG White
Unit 307 Supports “Military Mothers & Friends” 5
A FINAL SALUTE TO
OUR FELLOW COMRADES
Command post with CAP, NESAR, and VRFR command personnel, all working together.
Editor’s Note
Cadet Glenn D. Koehler, Jr., a member of the Quakertown Composite Squadron 904, not only served as a
team member on this mission, but he also had the foresight and presence of mind by taking some of the best
working search and rescue photographs the Keystone Wing Slip has received. Thanks to Cadet Koehler, we are
able to bring this mission story “to life” via his great photos.
"C/2d Lt Koehler has been instrumental at Squadron 904 for documenting squadron events with articles and
pictures over the years. He took an interest in Public Affairs from the beginning and has worked very hard to
maintain our squadron website, providing some amazing picture displays of everything from missions to special
trips to squadron training. As he has mastered his craft of photography, you can see that he really has learned
how to capture the best images that really tell the viewer a story. He has recently been selected to be the Group 4
PAO and has started a new website for that project as well. We are very grateful that he has been willing to share
his time and talent with us as well as others in PAWG. Cadet Koehler's future goals include working profession-
ally with photography, which I have no doubt he will accomplish,” said Captain Heather Sterner, Commander of
Squadron 904.
PA WING CADET INTERVIEWED BY NATIONAL’S PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE 7
Saturday 17 March 2007 was to have been the start of a two-day combined staff working weekend at Fort
Indiantown Gap, but one last winter snow storm caused cancellation the training. This was not a problem for Golden
Triangle Composite Squadron 603 members heading to the GAP as this allowed more of their members to participate
in the annual Homeschool Seminar at South Hill Bible Chapel, McMurray, PA. At 0600 hrs Saturday morning,
Squadron Commander Maj Bob Frost met members met at 603 headquarters on the 911th ARS, Pittsburgh, to remove
a large amount of snow and ice from the squadron van before safely departing for McMurray, PA.
Lt Suzanne Dicken, 603 Supply Officer and homeschool instructor for her son C/SSgt Sterling Cairns, coordinated
the program with church and local homeschool administrators. Squadron 603 has a large homeschool cadet compo-
nent and used the Saturday forum to better explain our Civil Air Patrol Program to potential cadets and their families.
Plans included the opening ceremony to feature 603’s Color Guard composed of C/Capt Mike Bilz, C/2Lt Andrew
Gracey, C/SSgt Josh Deleuze, C/A1C Jessica, and C/A1C Michael Brown. Following the morning ceremony, a large
number of homeschool vendor booths were set up in the South Hill Bible Chapel gymnasium. Squadron 603’s booth
was well manned by cadets and senior members and was well stocked with fresh recruiting material from the PA Wing
and National Headquarters.
Senior members Maj Glenn Ward, Capt James McCarty, and Lt Bill Ellis worked hand-in-hand with cadets to
explain the various programs and answer questions regarding Civil Air Patrol membership. C/SSgt Ben Cooke,
C/SSgt Sterling Cairns, and C/Amn Eric Allen added their personal experiences to discussions on Aerospace, Moral
Leadership, Emergency Service and Cadet Programs with homeschool parents and students. A special “thank you”
was given to Mrs. Amanda Cowden, C/SSgt Cooke’s mother, and soon to be a new senior member with Squadron 603.
Mrs. Cowden provided much of the recruiting table layout and dozens of fresh baked “goodies” for everyone to enjoy.
At the end of the day, each Squadron 603 member was in agreement that Civil Air Patrol had been well received at
the Homeschool Seminar and that the day had been well spent encouraging the expanded participation of the home-
school program and its students in Civil Air Patrol.
- Story By: Maj Bob Frost - Photos By: Mrs. Amanda Cowden
WORLD WAR II RE-ENACTMENT 9
We are calling on all Civil Air Patrol members and non members to visit the Reading Municipal
Airport on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of June 2007 to witness a one of a kind history re-enactment.
For the past 17 years, Mid Atlantic Air Museum, (www.maam.org), has held a truly memorable
WW II experience. Where else can you see, hear and yes smell, B-17’s, PBY’s, P-51 Mustang’s
and other vintage aircraft flying over-head. Not to mention, ground displays in different encamp-
ments, featuring Allied, Axis and the Home Front. If you listen closely, you will be able to hear re-
enactors speaking in the native tongue of the character they are representing.
For the past 6 years Civil Air Patrol’s re-enactment Squadron 22, has been an active part of this
event. Each year we try to expand our encampment to inform the patrons about CAP's involvement
during the war years. This year is no different! We will be operating out of a “GP” tent in the
“Home Front” area. As in the past, we will be “a working base of operations” but with a small
twist - we are excited to mention that we will have Bill Schell, CAP National Curator on hand with
Ed Phipps, WW II Coastal Base 2, Rehoboth, Delaware pilot, (93 years young) and Roger Thiel,
CAP Coastal Base Historian. The icing on the cake will be two (YES TWO), Flying 1940 CAP
Coastal Patrol Aircraft!
Mark your calender and set your coordinates for the Reading Municipal Airport, Reading,
Pennsylvania on the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd of June 2007.
Look for the CAP blue triangle with red prop flag flying under the Stars and Stripes!
10 SQUADRON NEWS
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