Reporting on the events and activities at the Civil Air Patrol North Carolina Wing Cadet Encampment

Saturday, July 18, 2009

CAP News Online publishes Encampment article

CAP News Online has published an article on the joint NATCAP and NC Wing Encampment.

More stories and pictures coming soon on our blog site.

Final cut video will also be posted for download.

Conrad D'Cruz, Major, CAP
Deputy Director for Public Affairs
North Carolina Wing

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Cadet PAOs shine at 2009 Encampment

Over the past eight years as a Public Affairs Officer in C.A.P., one of the challenges I have tried to work on is, how do we in the PA program interest and motivate cadets to become more active in public affairs.

From personal experience, it is a challenge to keep up with cadet activities and understand all the details of Cadet Programs while being involved in all the other activities going on in C.A.P. This is compounded by the fact that I fall into the category of senior members who have not yet retired from their regular career. The solution to me has always been to train more cadets to be PAOs. Cadet activities are best reported by cadets with proper training and supervision by the senior PAO staff.

In the past, I have trained a few cadets in different areas of of MIO/PA to help assist in specific missions or activities. However, cadets move through the program quickly and before you know it they are off to college and bigger pursuits. So the turnover is not very good for sustaining a viable PA program within the cadet ranks.

It was no different this time when I was chosen to be the Encampment PAO. I was quickly reminded that Encampment is an activity run by the cadets for the cadets. Of course the first thing I did was to request the support and assistance of Capt. Paul Twiddy, who is a veteran of NC Wing Encampments past. However, I was still a bit apprehensive since I was not completely familiar with all the details of the cadet programs and actvities at Encampment are spread out over a large physical area making it difficult to coordinate and conduct public affairs activities. That panic did not last very long when I found out I was assigned two cadet PAOs both of whom had experience at other Encampments.

Over the next month and a half we had several conversations and one intense day-long training at NC Wing HQ in Burlington, NC., I was amazed at how quickly both cadet PAOs picked up on the tasks to get them ready for Encampment PAO activities.

During Encampment we got an opportunity to practice what we covered in training and reinforce the concepts. However the bigger challenges were the curve balls that were thrown at us. A little resilience and a lot of good attitude coupled with some OJT (on-the-job training) and we were able to surmount most obstacles with ease.

Kudos go out to C/CMSgt Tim Johnson and C/CMSgt Micah Larson. I have a deeper understanding of Cadet Program and what the cadets go through balancing school and CAP activities.

A special word of thanks to Capt. Paul Twiddy for his support and all the cool gadgets and toys he has to make Public Affairs easy and a joy.

I have created a collage of our cadet PAOs and Capt. Twiddy behind the scenes reporting on the news from the 2009 Encampment. The next time you see them, please give them a pat on the back for a job well done.

Sincerely,

Conrad F. D'Cruz, Major, CAP
2009 Encampment PAO




C/CMSgt Tim Johnson and C/CMSgt Micah Larson at the 2009 Encampment banquet.

Capt. Twiddy and I tried so hard but alas, did not succeed in sending both of you to the Grog Bowl!!










C/CMSgt Larson gets ready to capture the action at Pass/Review on graduation day.







C/CMSgt Johnson ... What are you doing on that porch??


Seated (left-right): 9th Cadet Training Squadron Commander: Cadet Captain Nicholas Padleckas and 10th Cadet Training Squadron Commander: Cadet Captain Stephen Bloemsma











Flexibility and adaptability were the names of the game at Encampment. In these images C/CMSgt Tim Johnson and C/CMSgt Micah Larson adapt to the work environment and work feverishly to meet the deadline to publish the blog articles.
















In the background is the make shift office we created at the barracks bulletin board which we shared with Communications.




Capt. Paul Twiddy (center) assembles the digital equipment that supported the Encampment PA activities as Maj Andy Wiggs (Commandant of cadets) and Maj. Mike Starr (Communications Officer) look on.









The space by the barracks bulletin board served as the PA and Communications office.





C/CMSgt Larson capturing the action at the display of the USAF T6 Texan II. The cadets got a chance to climb on the wing of the aircraft and get a good view of the cockpit equipment.





















The turbo prop trainer was flown up from Columbus, MS by Maj. Joe Rucker and Capt. Ken Dixon, both former NC Wing cadets. Maj. Rucker is a former Spaatz cadet.









Maj. Joe Rucker (USAF) with (mom) Lt. Col. Leslie Ingram (Encampment Finance Officer), C/CMSgt Micah Larson (Cadet PAO), Capt. Ken Dixon (USAF).



Who said the job of a PAO was dull and boring?

Maj. Joe Rucker (USAF) on the wing of the T6 Texan II as C/CMSgt Larson gets video of the interior of the aircraft.










Careful there Mr. PAO ... you are supposed to report the story and not become the story!

Maj. Joe Rucker (USAF), C/CMSgt Micah Larson and Maj. Conrad D'Cruz (Encampment PAO) do a delicate balancing act on the wing of the T6 Texan II in an informal test of the wing loading capacity of the aircraft.









C/CMSgt Johnson looks on in awe as the Crash Fire Rescue team maneuvers a big rescue truck for the vehicle extraction demonstration.








C/CMSgt Johnson gets an up close and personal look at one of the helicopter displays at MCAS New River main gate.

This static display location served as the backdrop for the Encampment squadron pictures which will be uploaded in a separate blog article.




The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) instructor decides that the pen is definitely mightier and so concedes to C/CMSgt Larson even before the bout began.












C/CMSgt Johnson with a bird's eye view of the action from atop one of the M1A1 Abrams tanks the Marines opened up for the encampment tour.





























(Top and Right): The Cadet PAOs kept watch over the cadets and senior members to make sure everyone was observing safety practices.































It was not all work and no fun. The cadet PAOs did get to participate in all activities with their respective squadrons and have a little fun with the cadet staff.

C/CMSgt Johnson waits his turn on the (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) EOD robot controls as Maj Conrad D'Cruz follows the instructions given by the Marine Corporal in charge of demonstrating the EOD robots.







C/CMSgt Larson (right) participates in the table top exercises plotting coordinates as part of the Land Navigation Course training.








Cadet PAO Larson (front row -right) and some of the early-risers of the Encampment cadet staff meet in the wee hours of the last day of encampment to go over plans for the arrival of the parents and guests, Pass/Review and the graduation ceremonies.

NATCAP Wing web site posts arcticle on the 2009 Encampment

The National Capitial Wing web site posted an article on the 2009 Encampment.

Additional blog articles and stories from the Encampment will be posted to this blog shortly.

Conrad D'Cruz, Major, CAP
2009 Encampment PAO

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

NCWG Web site features Encampment news release

A summary of all the encampment activities along with three photos has been published and is available on the North Carolina Wing web site.

Additional pictures will be uploaded to this blog as they get released for public viewing.
A final cut of the video from encampment will be available online as soon as production work is completed.

Thank you,

Conrad D'Cruz, Major, CAP
2009 Encampment PAO

Friday, July 3, 2009

Encampment video and pictures will be uploaded shortly

It has been a week since Encampment concluded and we are back at our home units and also back to work.

We have had some technical difficulties with the images and video from the last couple days of Encampment.

As soon as the pictures are uploaded and the video has been cut, we will provide an update to all the cadets, staff and families on how to download the pictures and final video.

Thank you for your patience.

Conrad D'Cruz, Maj CAP
2009 Encampment PAO