UNIT TASTES VICTORY on TWO FRONTS

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS— It was a very successful weekend for the CC-CAP Squadron and its Brahma Cadet Flight. CAP Officers and cadets were able to “fight the good fight” for Civil Air Patrol on two fronts; one in one Corpus Christi’s biggest events of the and the other in a SAREVAL at Victoria.

BEACH to BAY in CORPUS CHRISTI
Weathermen predicated “scattered thundershowers” and the threat of other winds and rains for Armed Forces Day, 19 May 2007, however it was arguably one of the best days for Corpus Christi weather this century. All in all, a beautiful day for running along the Gulf of Mexico.

CAP Officers and Cadets were asked by the organizers of the 32nd Annual Beach to Bay Marathon to provide assistance to them guarding trophies and providing assistance to participants at the finish line.

There was an estimated 11,000 people gathered at Corpus Christi’s Cole Park along the shoreline. The Unit was deployed in two elements, 1) Minimum service dress clad cadets from Kingsville’s Brahma Cadet Flight to provide passive security and a presence on stage and 2) a BDU clad element at the finish line to assist distressed or dehydrated runners.

Also in attendance was 1st Lt Jerry Lunceford who ran a leg of the 26 mile marathon. In attendance were Major Joe Ely Carrales, Major Fidel Alvarado, 1st Jerry Lunceford, SM Monica Lozano, Cadet Airman First Class Philip Lozano, Cadet Airman Michael Beal, Cadet Airman Chelsie Skarda and Cadet Airman Basic Morgun Bedynek.

The unit began assembling at 0700 hrs in Kingsville and finally met at Cole Park at about 0800 hrs where Cadets and CAP Officers set up awards tables and began guarding the stage. Cadet Lozano and Major Alvarado were tasked to the finish line and runner began arriving around 0845 hrs.

Three tons of ice and four truckloads of water later, around 1200 hrs, the last runners entered the gate and awards were distributed. The Unit finished its duties and retired to the Whataburger on the Bay fast food restaurant for lunch. It was a very good day and cadets returned home looking forward to the next weeks O-Flights in Kingsville.

SAREVAL STAGING AREA in VICTORIA

Capt Dennis Bazemore and 2d Lt Mike Garmon attended the USAF Evaluated Search and Rescue Exercise in lieu of attending the Beach to Bay Activity. It had been agreed that the Unit would deploy on two fronts and those needing to complete mission work would be dispatched to Victoria to augment the Civil Air Patrol presence in the State wide activity.

2d Lt Mike Garmon Reports…”I participated in 2 sorties. The first was a transport mission to San Marcos. The second was a series of photo reconnaissance targets.”

“The plan,” 2d Lt Garmon Continues, “was to fly again after lunch and Capt Bazemore was to fly on that sortie; however, several of the Eval (USAF DIRECTIVES) tests on mission base slowed down the process and eventually we were bumping up against Capt Saddler's Duty day limitations.”

Garmon also reported that some of the tests on Mission base included an evacuation of the Mission base building, cell phone failure and relying on the use of the HF Comm Nets. Victoria had communication in the morning over the HF with Mission base, but in the afternoon, propagation is not as good and Victoria could not communicate with Houston. All these “real world” issues that effect CAP missions and to which solutions must be mitigated.

Corpus Christi and Brahma Flight cadets visit NAS Kingsville T-45 GOSHAWK SIMULATOR

By Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP
Squadron Commander, Public Affairs Officer
Corpus Christi Comp Squadron


Kingsville, Texas— It was late in the evening on Monday, 7 May 2007 and this reporter/Squadron Commander was seated before his computer typing when an e-mail electronically made it’s way into his inbox. It was from his Deputy Commander, Major Fidel Alvarado, the Project Officer for the once postponed NAS Kingsville Simulator activity. The original activity, slated for 24 April 2007, was postponed by the US NAVY due to increased training demands.

“Treat is as a go!” Major Alvarado wrote, “as per conversation 1800 hours with ... we meet at the Wild Horse [Crossing] Mall parking lot no later than 1715 hours. TOMORROW, TUESDAY AFTERNOON. MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE PROMPT.” And so…

Nine CAP Officers and Cadets of the Corpus Christi Comp Squadron and its Brahma Cadet Flight attended T-45 Goshawk flight simulator at Naval Air Station Kingsville near the city of the same name on 8 May 2007. CAP Auxiliarists practiced jet flight, aviation and even a landing on a “Navy Flat top.”

For some, the activity was their first “hands-on” aviation activity; for other more experienced CAP Officers, it was a chance to try some “fancy flying.” CAP Officers 1st Lt Jerry Lunceford and SM (Brevet Captain) Kelly Harlan took turns approaching and landing on the simulated Aircraft Carrier. Major Fidel Alvarado also took a turn.

Aside from the SENOR MEMBER antics, the primary experience was for the cadets. Each got a good initial 15 to 20 minute round in the simulator for instruction, then they each got a second “free lance” round to either try the carrier landing, formation flying or (as Cadet Bedynek proved by requesting missiles) anything they could think of that was within the realm of aviation physics.

The person chiefly responsible for the activity and the one who operated the simulator apparatus was none other than friend of the unit, Mr. Bert Alvarez. This is the fifth time that Mr. Alvarez has opened this opportunity to CAP cadets. It is sometimes a precarious situation in that the US NAVY can cancel anytime, including at the 59th second of the 11th hour. The unit is careful to respect the needs of our Nation's Navy for the continued defense of our country; plus, the Navy has always come through for the activity.

“We can try this again in s few months,” said Mr. Alvarez, “and feel free to invite cadets from neighboring units.”

This round was not open to proximate CAP units due to the scheduling requirements of the US NAVY that would have produced late arrivals on a school night for cadets of more than an hou drive. It is hoped that a “summer session” can be planned to accommodate cadets from Corpus Christi, Victoria, Kingsville and Brownsville.

“We have opened the activity to all units of Group V/Texas Wing in the past,” said Major Joe Ely Carrales/ Squadron Commander, “the last such event was documented in THE CAP VOLUNTEER and WINGS OVER TEXAS last year. We had a good group from Brownsville attend then led by 1st Lt Hector Galvan.”

As a milestone of another sort, this was the second official outing for Brahma Cadet Flight of Kingsville, the first being a field trip to Nueces Co Airport in Robstown, Texas. Members of this flight in attendance were, Cadet Airman Bryce Nix, the flight’s ranking cadet, Cadet Airman Chelsie Skarda, Cadet Airman Basic Morgun Bedynek and Cadet Airman Basic Emily Garcia. They were joined by the Squadron's Cadet Commander, Cadet Technical Sergent Christopher Villarreal. Cadet 1st Class Phillip Lozano, Cadet Airman Michael Beal and Cadet Airman Basic Celeste Resendez were unable to attend due to other commitments.