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Kilgallon and Redman named commander and vice commander of wing

By 1st Lt. Steven Solomon
Maryland Wing Public Affairs

4/3/2006–Baltimore, MD–Lt. Col. John C. Kilgallon of Laurel, Md. has been named interim commander of the Maryland Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) following the appointment of Col. Kay Joslin Walling as interim commander of CAP's Middle East Region on March 4 after the resignation of Col. Charles Glass from that position.

"I would like all of you to know that it has been an honor and a privilege to be your commander," Glass announced following is March 4 resignation. "Together, we have set a standard of excellence that all of the other regions envy. We are -- by any set of measurements -- the best in the nation, and it has been your dedication and hard work that has put us in this position. Thank you for your efforts, and your friendship along the way."

Walling, who had been the wing's commander since August 2004, was named the interim region commander on March 5 during CAP's national board meeting in Washington, DC.

"Maryland Wing has built on programs that were excellent long before I became the wing commander and made them even greater," Walling said after her new position was announced. "I am so proud to have been a part of that," she added.

Kilgallon, who had been serving as the wing's vice commander since 2004, first joined CAP in 1976 and as a cadet and earned the highest award in CAP's cadet program - The Spaatz Award -- which is earned by less than 1 percent of all CAP's cadets. He has previously served as the wing's chief of staff, wing emergency services officer, wing search and rescue officer, and wing cadet program development officer. He also previously served as commander of the wing's College Park Composite Squadron.

"I’m deeply honored to have been chosen as the interim wing commander," Kilgallon said after being named to the new position. "For the time that I hold this job, I am committed to continuing the transformational work begun by Col. Walling."

To be the wing's new vice commander, Kilgallon selected Lt. Col. Kevin Redman of Clarksville, Md., another Spaatz Award winner, who most recently served as the wing's chief of staff for operations from September 2004 until February 2006.

Kilgallon and Redman actually were tested and received their Spaatz Awards on the same day when they were both cadets together in the wing's Howard Composite Squadron in Laurel, Md. and have consecutively numbered -- No. 721 for Kilgallon and No. 722 for Redman -- for their Spaatz Awards.

In 1997 Kilgallon and Redman developed the Maryland Wing Ground Team Member and Leader handbooks, which were later adopted by CAP's national headquarters and developed into the Ground and Urban Direction Finding Team Tasks Handbook that is used by CAP nationwide today.

Kilgallon, 41, is an active duty lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army assigned to Ft. Belvoir, Va. His awards include the Joint Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Army Staff Identification Badge, and the Army Parachutist Badge.

He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a master's degree in information systems from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Among the emergency services ratings Kilgallon holds in CAP are operations section chief, ground team leader, and mission pilot. He has received CAP's Exceptional Service Award, Meritorious Service Award with two clasps, Commander's Commendation Award with clasp, Gill Rob Wilson Award, and a squadron Unit Citation earned during his time as a squadron commander.

Redman, 40, joined CAP in 1980 as a cadet, participating in six encampments, including serving as cadet commander in 1984. As a senior member, Redman served at the Howard squadron in the capacities of operations officer, emergency services training officer, deputy commander for cadets, and squadron commander. Simultaneously, he began serving at the Maryland Wing level as assistant search and rescue officer, search and rescue officer, director of emergency services, and director of operations.

Redman has numerous qualifications in emergency services, including incident commander, ground team leader, and mission observer. He also served on the initial National HQ Emergency Services Curriculum Project Advisory Committee. Redman holds a master emergency services badge and master ground team badge.

Redman was named the wing's Senior of the Year in 2003 and has received a number of other CAP awards and decorations, including one Exceptional Service ribbon and two Meritorious Service ribbons.

He graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, majoring in physics, and currently works at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center as an optical engineer/supervisor. He is the recipient of the NASA Space Flight Awareness Award for support of the Hubble Space Telescope First Servicing Mission.

CAP, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 57,000 members nationwide. CAP volunteers perform 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies.

Last fiscal year more than 1,800 of CAP’s dedicated members helped hurricane victims; CAP aviators and aerial observers flew more than 1,000 air missions; ground teams performed 131 missions and visited 4,266 homes; and other volunteers distributed 30,000 pounds of relief supplies. CAP members also conducted 2,507 search and rescue missions, saving 73 lives. Throughout the year, CAP also took part in important homeland security missions; many CAP pilots flew target-intercept training for U.S. fighter pilots.

Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 23,000 young people currently participating in the CAP Cadet Program. CAP's cadet programs provide young men and women with a safe and motivating environment in which to grow and explore opportunities in the military and aviation industries. Cadets progress through a 16-step program of leadership and aerospace education. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 65 years.

There are approximately 1,300 members of CAP in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 34 search and rescue missions and were credited with 23 finds.

For information about the Maryland Wing of CAP, visit http://mdcap.org/ or listen to weekly episodes of "Civil Air Patrol Today" broadcast every Sunday morning on the following radio stations:

  • Annapolis, MD - WYRE-AM 810, 8:00-8:30 a.m. ET
  • Baltimore, MD - WFBR AM 1590, 8:00-8:30 a.m. ET
  • Ocean City, MD - WKHZ-AM 1590, 7:00-7:30 a.m. ET
  • Potomac, MD - WCTN 950 AM, 6:00-6:30 a.m. ET
  • Rockville, MD - WLXE-AM 1600, 7:00-7:30 a.m. ET
  • Washington, DC - WZHF-AM 1390, 7:00-7:30 a.m. ET

In addition, programs may be listened to at the Maryland Wing web site at http://mdcap.org/radio/ and can also be subscribed to as a podcast.