Civil Air Patrol members attend Tri-Wing Encampment

7/12/2015–EDGEWOOD, MD.–More than 250 Civil Air Patrol members participated in the week long Tri-Wing Encampment, held at Maryland National Guard facilities on Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Edgewood Area.

By Lt. Col. Christopher Roche
Public Affairs Mentor, Tri-Wing Encampment

Encampment is a basic training style camp for new CAP cadets. It teaches military customs and courtesies, drill, physical training, aerospace education and history. Students also participate in activities such as rappelling, an obstacle course and orientation flights with the Maryland Army National Guard.

Tri-Wing Encampment is hosted by the Maryland, Delaware and National Capital Wings of the Civil Air Patrol. Cadets who previously attended as students plan and run the encampment, with adult officers acting in a mentoring role. Encampment is open to CAP members from all states. This year, in addition to the host wings, members attended from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Arizona and California.

Cadet Major Michael Peter was selected as Cadet Commander for this year’s encampment. He, along with Cadet Lt. Col. Emmy Hoyt, Cadet Vice Commander and Cadet Col. Travis Brodbeck, Cadet Chief of Staff, led a team of 41 cadet cadre members who worked directly with the students or served in a support role such as logistics, personnel, health services, communications, standards/evaluation and public affairs.

During the week, cadre members and special guests taught classes in the missions of CAP, customs and courtesies, character development, opportunities in the U.S. Air Force, the relationship between CAP and the USAF, and numerous other classes. Students learned drill, uniform care, barracks standards and bunk making and teamwork. Cadre members started training for this weeklong activity in early spring with special courses in leadership and teaching, as well as writing and public speaking.

Special activities during the week included the leadership reaction course and obstacle course at Gunpowder Military Reservation, rappelling run by Maryland Army National Guard rappel masters, visiting with the base firehouse and a class with an explosive ordinance detection team. A highlight of the week was when Encampment participants were able to take a short flight in a Chinook transport helicopter, flown by the Maryland Army National Guard.

Special guests during the week included Col. Mary Feik, aviation pioneer and Maryland Wing member. She gave a presentation on her life and work in aviation, presented achievement certificates to cadets who recently earned the Feik achievement named after her, and joined the cadets at the dining out. Lt. Col. Robert Terry, Maryland Wing Director of Aerospace Education, presented samples of moon rocks to the students. Members from the Aberdeen Police Department gave the cadets a firsthand look of the equipment they use during the normal course of their work. The Maryland Defense Force provided medical support all week and worked with encampment cadre to serve its needs. Brigadier General James F. Coleman, Commanding General, Maryland Defense Force, had the opportunity to watch the cadets during a drill inspection.

Lieutenant General James McLaughlin, Deputy Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, was the guest speaker during the awards banquet held on Saturday night. McLaughlin shared his words of encouragement to the students and thanked the cadre for all of the hard work they did planning and executing this year’s encampment.

The awards were presented by Lt. Col. Emily Carmello, Encampment Commander. These awards included:

• Volleyball Champions: Bravo Flight, led by Cadet 1st Lt. Kyle McVay and Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Meagan Collins
• Drill Competition Champions: Echo Flight, led by Cadet 1st Lt. Michael Kavanagh and Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Fernando Fontan
• Academic Champions: Bravo Flight, led by Cadet 1st Lt. Kyle McVay and Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Meagan Collins
• Inspection Champions: Echo Flight, led by Cadet 1st Lt. Michael Kavanagh and Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Fernando Fontan
• Warrior Flight: Delta Flight, led by Cadet 2nd Lt. Collin Stiers and Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Scanlan
• Most Improved Cadet: Cadet Senior Airman Jacob Hannas
• Warrior Cadet: Cadet Staff Sgt. Maria Gasparovich
• Honor Line Noncommissioned Officer: Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Greggor Hines
• Honor Line Officer: Cadet 1st Lt. Michael Kavanagh
• Honor Staff Noncommissioned Officer: Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Zachary Cessna
• Honor Staff Officer: Cadet 1st Lt. Amen Onuoha
• Honor Tactical Officer: 1st Lt. Nadine Hartman
• Honor Senior Staff Officer: Chaplain (Maj.) Kraig Smith
• Best Mentor: Cadet Col. Travis Brodbeck
• Honor Flight: Echo Flight, led by Cadet 1st Lt. Michael Kavanagh and Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Fernando Fontan
• Honor Squadron: Squadron III, led by Cadet Capt. Kira Stiers
• Commandant of Cadets Leadership Award: Cadet Capt. Kira Stiers
• Lance Cpl. James W. Higgins, Jr., Honor Cadet Award: Cadet Airman Elisabeth Ake

Encampment is a prerequisite for cadets in order to earn the Gen. Billy Mitchell Award. The activities are based on a required curriculum established by the United States Air Force. Cadets who graduate encampment and earn the Mitchell award can receive an advanced pay grade should they enlist in any branch of the military.

Visit Tri-Wing Encampment online at www.triwing.com, like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/triwingencampment and follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/triwingcap.

Nearly 1,600 CAP members serve in Maryland. Last year wing members flew 13 search and rescue missions. The wing was credited with four finds. Maryland Wing flew 32 missions for the State of Maryland. Members flew 2,245 hours in all mission categories. Volunteers contributed services estimated at 4.6 million dollars. For more information, contact the Maryland Wing at www.mdcap.org or follow the wing on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarylandWingCivilAirPatrol.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs about 85 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 70 lives annually. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. Performing missions for America for the past 73 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.