Los Alamitos Squadron - Nov 2010

8/2/2019 Los Alamitos Squadron - Nov 2010

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WORDS FROM THE

TOP

Squadron Commander

Maj. Mark Wong

It has been a fun and

exciting – and busy! – year

for our squadron. Besides

our routine Wednesdaymeetings and Foxhunts, we

have participated in several

Orientation Flights, the Race

on the Base, the 4 th of July,

Wings, Wheels, & Rotors

Expo, conducted a mountainand a desert Field Training

Exercise, built and launched

model rockets, begun

training a Color Guard and

an Honor Guard, enjoyed a

squadron pool party, a

Halloween party, and so

much more.

Many of our

squadron family have also

distinguished themselves this

year. We sent personnel to

staff the joint CA/NV Wings

Encampment, Cadet NCO

School, Cadet Programs

Conference, Squadron

Leadership School, and the

Corporate Learning Course.We sent seniors and cadets

to nearly all training

provided this year by Group

7 or CAWG – including all

of the aforementioned

activities.

Our numbers have

also grown! We began the

year with seven senior

members and 15 active

cadets. We are ending theyear with 9 senior members

and 23 active cadets. Let’s

continue this growth!

I anticipate this new

year to be particularly

exciting, with more activities

and fun. Let us all strive to

make this year better than

last – Trained To Lead!!!

My Experience at the Los

Alamitos 4th of July

Celebration

by C/SSgt Michael Quintana

My experience atthe 4th of July celebration

was awesome because we

got a certificate from the

commanding general of the

base and this has been my

third time working for the

4th of July at the base. The

food that the American

Legion Hall provided wasfantastic the pizza was great

and they only gave me and

Cadet Van de Brake

popcorn to us only. It was

fun working with the MP’s

they were making sure that

the people were listening to

us and they were directing

traffic to.

4th of July

by C/MSgt Daniel Clay

The cadets (and

seniors) who were involved

in the 4th of July did a very

good job, and thankfullythere were no problems or

accidents that occurredduring the day. It was a

good idea for 2dLt. Goodwin

to bring his air-conditioned

RV. The only problem with

the event was that the cadets

did not put safety first and

forgot to bring whistles or

flashlights to the event.

Over all the day went by

very well and the base is

very grateful to have us at

their disposal for theseevents.

Glider Flights

by C/AB Nicholas Pio

On August 1st we

had Glider Flights for thefirst time in a while, and it

was great. We first had to

assemble the glider, putting

on the wings and elevator.

After we did that we had totow it behind a truck all the

way to the other side of the

runway. Next we all had

some training on how to be a

wing runner (walker), and

then we launch the gliders

via a tow plane. Watching

the glider from the ground

was great too because it

looked so graceful in the skyOnce it was your turn they

asked your weight and to put

in ballast weight for me and

also had to bring the rudder

pedals as close as they could

Once we detached from the

tow plane it was great

because the pilot told you

how to fly the glider andthen gave you control of the

glider. Once the pilot had

control again he made a 45

degree turn, which was

really steep, and created a lot

of G forces. Then he asked if

I had a pen and when I

pulled it out steeply lowered

the nose of the plane and toldme to let go of the pen and it

floated in the air before he

pulled back up. It was myfirst time being in a glide

and it really act much

differently than a powered

plane. This was a really great

experience and I hope to do

it again soon.

Gliding

by C/Amn Colton Priest

August 1st of this

year was the first time my

fellow cadets and I have ever

been two thousand fee

above the ground with no

Navigator, January – December 2010 of 4

¤ U. S. Air Force Auxiliary ¤ Civil Air Patrol ¤ Squadron 153 ¤ Charter #PCR-¤ U. S. Air Force Auxiliary ¤ Civil Air Patrol ¤ Squadron 153 ¤ Charter #PCR-CA-CA-345 ¤ Jan-Dec 2010345 ¤ Jan-Dec 2010 ¤¤



engine supporting us. It was

also the first time that I have

ever been weightless (I felt

like an astronaut) or weighed

twice as much as my normal

weight. I really didn’t know

what to expect when I pulled

the lever to release the cord

that connected me to the tow

plane, but once I released the

cord I had the coolest feeling

in the world knowing that I

was soaring above the earth.

The experienced pilot was

showing me a few of the funmaneuvers that the glider

could do. One of my favorite

parts was when we dove then

pulled up (we felt positive g

force) then, when the

instructor pushed on the

stick, we dove again and we

felt the negative g force and

it was the very first time I

have ever been weightless.

All in all though I would call

my first glider flight with

squadron 41 very fun and

exciting, and it was a good

first entry into my sailplane

logbook to start off my

flying career.

My Experience at the Big

Bear FTX

by C/SSgt Michael Quintana

My experience at the

FTX was ok because I got

sick at the FTX I didn’t like

the fact that I got sick but the

FTX was steal great I had

fun when we did the hike

and when we played TA for

two hours in the night time.But next time I’m going to

be prepared for next FTX.

Big Bear FTX

by C/MSgt Daniel Clay

The FTX, I thought,

went over well. There could

have been a better cadet/staff

ratio but other than that it

was great. There was a good

hike, but there could have

been more of the cross

country rather than following

the road. The chow was ok

(mine was better) and it was

on time. TA was fun (could

have used a bigger field) and

the classes were fine. There

could be some different ones

than shelter building and

escape and evasion. Over all, I believe that the cadets

had a fun and safe time on

the FTX.

FTX


On July 9th we left

for Big Bear, and we

returned on the 11th. It was a

long ride there since we did

get a little lost on the dirtrode leading up the camp site

but when we got the there

the two cadets that made it

up early had already set the

tents up. This was my first

time going to an FTX, so it

was my first time doing the

Fire Watch. I liked the FireWatches more than I thought

I would because you could

see so many stars. The many

activities that we did weregreat too. The hike was fun

because we had to find

checkpoints and answer the

questions. Next we did a

camouflage class, which was

my favorite class because

some of us had to hide in the

brush while the others tried

to find us using a FOD walk.

The shelter making class was

definitely fun too because we

made our shelters only out of

what we could find on the

ground. Once it got dark we

played Tactical

advancement, which I

thought was one of the best

parts of the trip. Having to

sneak up to the other team to

take their glow stick was

just really fun. We also

learned a lot of teamwork

because we had to cooperate

together to reach the

common goal of taking their glow stick. At the end of the

last day having a s’more

during Fire Watch was a

good way to end the trip.

Cadet Programs

Conference

by C/MSgt Lester Adea

This is my fourth

year in Civil Air Patrol

Squadron 153 and I am still

having a good time attending

different events. Recently, a

couple of cadets and I

attended the Cadet Programs

Conference (CPC) of 2010

located at Camp San LuisObispo. CPC is a casual

event where cadets from all

over the nation are invitedand gather together to take

seminar classes. These

classes focus on educating

the cadets in what CAP is

about: aerospace education,

leadership, emergency

services, drill teams, and so

much more! These seminars

are not only educational butalso fun. Personally, I took

firearm safety, color guard

class, dance class,

emergency services class,

and survival gear.

After the seminars

comes the party: games,

pool, sumo wrestling, and

food are available. Then

finally, after all the seminars

are completed followed by

the party, there comes the

banquet. Cadets either wea

their blues uniform or class

A uniforms in order to look

nice. It’s sort of like a

military ball or prom. What

happens is an awards and

recognitions ceremony

memorial for those who

served and made the ultimate

sacrifice and of course, the

feast. After the feast, the fun

part comes – the danceOverall, CPC is a great event

to learn about CAP, make

friends, and have fun. It’s

hard to miss the good times I

had at each CPC I went to.

Merchant Marine

Memorial

by C/SSgt Daryl Leach

On May 24, 2010 in

San Pedro the Merchant

Marines held a memorial for

all of the fallen merchan

marines. I was requested to

play TAPS for them and

accepted. I had the pleasure

of meeting people such asCouncilwoman Janice Hahn

Captain Roger Laferriere of

the US Coast Guard, JohnPitts the president of the

American Merchant Marine

Veterans Memorial, and

several World War II vets

The program consisted of the

introductions of specia

guests, speakers, the

memorial service, the

recognition of those whoserved, a moment of silence

and lastly a luncheon. I

played TAPS after the rifl

salute in the recognition of

those who served.

During the luncheon

I sat with John Pitts, his

daughter, a few vets, and

Captain Roger Laferriere. I




was served a salad, a

wonderful prime rib, and I

lovely cheese cake. I talked

to John Pitts about the

Merchant Marines and their

history. As it turns out the

Merchant Marines carried all

of the supplies for all of the

wars and 1 out of every 26 of

them died in service. The

marines only had 1 out of

every 36 die in service but

they also had more people. I

also heard exciting stories

from the vets and CaptainRoger Laferriere. Overall it

was an amazing event and I

am glad I was a part of it.

O-rides

by C/Amn Colton Priest

This Saturday, a few

of my fellow cadets and I,

from both cadet squadrons

153 and 138, went to

Fullerton airport for

orientation flights with a few

pilots from squadron 150.

This was my second

orientation flight and I had

high hopes for it. Once we

settled into the plane, the pilot taxied onto the runway

for a very smooth takeoff.

We started our ascent to four thousand feet. Once we

reached the 4000 mark and

got away from all the other

planes, the pilot turned the

controls over to my friend,

Andy, who was sitting in the

copilots seat. He told us that

there will be a competition to

see which cadet had thesmoothest flight. The first

cadet had a VERY smooth

flight with some very good

turns. Once he was done

flying we landed, and then it

was my turn to take the

controls. Not to brag but I

also had a good flight, and I

never let our altitude get 50

feet above or below our goal.

I had lots of fun flying and at

the end of the day the pilot

said that all of our flights

were so smooth that he

couldn’t decide between us

so we all won the title of a

very good and smooth flyer.

O-rides


On July 31st we had

orientation flights out of Fullerton airport, and it wasgreat. They showed us all

around the plane (Cessna

182), and what each part

does. Next, they showed us

the cockpit, telling use what

all the instruments tell the

pilot while he is flying. It

was amazing because the

plane had really advanced

instrumentation, with

computer displays. Once we

got in the air the greatest part

of the experience happened

when the pilot actually letyou have control of the plane

and fly it. While flying he

had us do turns, climbs, and

descends, while looking

outside for other traffic. It

was not a disappointment

when you had to switch seats

and the other cadet fly

because then got to just sit

back and watch the view,

and also feel a lot of Gs

when the other cadet pulled

up to steeply. This was one

of the greatest experiences I

have ever had because it was

my first time flying a plane,

and I will never forget it.

Squadron History

by Maj Mark Wong

Our squadron waschartered in September 1969.

We have very little

information, however,

regarding these early years

of the unit. In fact, we don’t

begin to put bits and pieces

together until almost 1990!

This emblem

belonged to the “153rd Air

Rescue Sqdn.” Who are

they? Well, simply put –

they used to be us! We have

no record of this emblem,

who designed it, when, and

what it means. So, in early

1991, the cadets of Squadron

153 designed our current

squadron emblem. (A little

known secret: The artwork

for our current squadron

emblem was generously

donated by the Walt Disney

studios!)

I believe this clearly

highlights the need for our current Squadron Historian,

FO Matthew Kamei, to keep

a detailed record of squadron

events, activities,

promotions, and other such

milestones.

Cadet Non-Commissioned

Officer School (NCOS)

by C/TSgt Anistasha Wilhelm

Once per year, the

California wing of Civil air

patrol hosts a weekend-long

school designed to train the

CAP cadet program’s future

leaders. Cadet non-

commissioned officer schoo

(NCOS) is the third

stepping-stone in the

California wing integrated

leadership program, the fis

being Basic cadet schoo

(BCS) and Airman training

school (ATS). California

wing requires that potentia

NCOS attendees obtain

grade of cadet airman firs

class and graduate from

either BCS or Encampment.This past year

NCOS was held the weekend

of November 13-15 at March

Air Reserve Base in

Southern California. Upon

arrival, cadets were

partitioned into sever

separate “seminars.” These

groups were similar to the

flights, the only differences

being the nature of th

instructional course that se

for alternating leaders of the

group and a deeply relaxed

atmosphere. Cadets were

held accountable to “seminar

leaders” for their actions as

well as for verification of theattendance of the classes and

workshops that were

required attendance for the

school. Individual seminars

were given charge of their

own schedules, entrusted to

take it upon themselves to

meet set times for reveille

be present at meals on time

and attend workshops and

classes punctually.

Over the course othe three-day school

students were subjected to

curriculum designed to

expand leadership

capabilities and teaching

skills. Between publicspeaking classes, learning to

teach and lead drill and

ceremonies, and gaining an




education on how to operate

as a cadet NCO, students had

little time for rest. The days

at the school started early

and ended late, and there was

always more learning to be

had. Something as simple as

marching the seminar to the

next scheduled class or meal

became an invaluable

learning experience. Among

the most important of

imposed lessons, students

were taught the importance

of command presence,feedback, and area-

awareness while holding

authority over a flight or any

number of cadets.

The hard work and

the jam=packed schedules of

the weekend did not prove in

vain. Upon graduation, each

student of the 2009

California Wing NCOS took

with it the knowledge that

they had received a

leadership education unlike

any other. It was now up to

the student to take what

he/she learned back to his or

her own squadron.

SQ153 NCOS Graduates:2009

• C/CMSgt Devon Butler

• C/TSgt Anistasha Wilhelm

• C/SSgt Daryl Leach

• C/SrA Michael Quintana2010

• C/SrA Andy Goodwin

• C/MSgt Daniel Clay

2010 Non-Commissioned

Officers School

by C/SrA Andy Goodwin

This year’s

California Wing Non-

commissioned Officers’

School (NCOS) took place at

March Air Reserve Base in

Riverside. It started on

Friday, October 22 and

ended on Sunday, October

24. To be eligible to attend

NCOS, you must be at least

a cadet senior airman and

have attending either Basic

Cadet School (BCS) or

Encampment. Most cadetsare between technical

sergeants to master

sergeants. While at NCOS,

we learned to drill a flight, but we learned even more.

We learned to become

leaders. Some of the few

other things we learned were

how to teach a class, which

we presented to our fellow

seminar cadets, learning to

teach new drill movements

to our flight, and proper

color guard procedures. I

would recommend anycadets who have not attended

NCOS before to definitely

go to NCOS next year. Ilearned more information

from the three days at NCOS

than my entire CAP career

so far.

Owl Canyon FTX

by C/AB Colton Priest

This October my

Civil Air Patrol squadron

had an FTX out in the desert.

I’m really not the camping

type but since we only have

a few a year, I decided to

give it a try. It turned out to

be really fun and I learned a

lot like map and compass

reading. During the second

day we found a snake by one

of the cadets tents and we

were hungry so we decided

to make it dinner. It was

pretty cool watching Lt Col.

Skullr skin the snake. I will

never forget the first time I

had rattlesnake though! On

the way home I looked back

on the weekend and I had a

pretty good time, eager to

attend the next FTX.

Owl Canyon FTX

by C/AB Sebastian Seibert von

Fock

This was my first

FTX so I had no idea what to

expect. When I came to our Squadron headquarters we

first helped pack the cars.

Then we were divided into

different cars. I was able to

drive in the RV where therewas a couch with seatbelts.

We had driven for about 3

hours before we were at the

campground which was

about 11 miles if you follow

the road from Barstow.

When we got out it was

pitch-dark and we had to

turn on our flashlights. Thenwe helped people set up

tents, had a safety briefing,

and were scheduled into firewatches duties. Finally wewere allowed to go to our

tent.

The next morning

we were woken up early and

had to do physical exercise

which was grueling

especially in the hot desert

sun and the heavy leather

boots. I only did about half

of the exercises before I had

to quit because of

exhaustion. We then broke

our fast and were taught how

to get water in the desert

Then we went for a compass

hike (in which we also ate

our lunch), had a radio class

and finally went for a very

long hike where half of the

squadron was suffering from

blisters including mysel

When we had come back we

first rested and ate dinner

The rest of the group thenhad camouflage class while I

had kitchen duty (cleaning

the dishes). We all had

s’mores and also grilled a

rattlesnake which we had

caught and killed earlier on

in the day. Then we played

TA which was capture the

flag with glow sticks. Our

team lost miserably, but it

was still fun. We retired after

this game and were woken

up early again the next day

On the last day we mostly

prepared for leaving th

campsite and on our drive

back ate at Carl’s Jr.®

Overall, I did not enjoy theFTX while I was there

because I was sore and had a

lot of blisters. In the end

though I was glad that I went

since I learned many new

thin (like how a rattlesnake

tastes), and I was able to

experience many grea

things.

Desert FTX

C/AB Rashid Taquir

The dessert FTX

was an extraordinary

experience. To some it was

boring but to others it wasn’t

that bad. When we got there

it was hectic, it was “do this

do that.” We didn’t go to bed

until about midnight that


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