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160 cadets graduate from Tri-Wing Encampment

Cadet squadron and flight commanders form up during the pass and review parade at the close of the annual Tri-Wing Encampment.
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Cadet squadron and flight commanders form up during the pass and review parade at the close of the annual Tri-Wing Encampment. (Photo by Cadet Capt. Jenn Reed)

By 1st Lt. Brenda Reed
Special Assistant to the Tri-Wing Encampment commander

7/20/2006–Reisterstown, MD–More than 230 Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadets and senior members from nine wings and three regions came together for the annual Tri-Wing Encampment, which was held at Camp Fretterd in Maryland from June 24-July 2.

Tri-Wing Encampment, hosted by the Maryland, National Capital, and Delaware wings of CAP, is a prerequisite for advancement in the cadet program. This year saw 160 cadet basics attend the activity, assisted by a staff of cadets and senior members.

Cadets not only learn about CAP and the U.S. Air Force, aerospace, and leadership in lecture-style classes and hands-on training within their flights, but they also have opportunities to go rappelling, work as a team in a leadership reaction course, take part in orientation rides in a C-130J and a Chinook helicopter, along with tours of the Warfield Maryland Air National Guard base and career day activities.

One of the highlights of the encampment was a visit by CAP Col. Mary Feik, who spoke to the cadets about her aviation career that includes service as a civilian in the Army Air Force, research and development at Wright Field, and at the Smithsonian Institution. Today, Feik specializes in the restoration of antique airplanes. She has restored hundreds of WWI and WWII aircraft.

Capt. Joseph Winter, the Maryland Wing's director of cadet programs, was commander of the encampment and led a team of senior members and cadet staff as they worked with the cadet basics. Basics were divided into eight flights in four squadrons. As the week progressed, the flights and squadrons competed in academics, drill, volleyball, and room inspections. Cadet staff members worked directly with the basics in their training, while senior members mentored the cadet staff during the activity.

Cadet Lt. Col. Conor Franklin, of the National Capital Wing, was the cadet commander, and was assisted by cadet lieutenant colonels Gregory Groves, deputy cadet commander, and Janice Watson, cadet executive officer. This team was charged with overseeing the training of the cadets and management of the program.

In addition to the encampment, a Non-Commissioned Officers Academy (NCOA) was also held at Camp Fretterd at the same time. The academy, comprised of cadets who have already graduated encampment, taught advanced leadership skills. Cadet Maj. Colin Carmello served as commandant of the NCOA, with Cadet Lt. Col. Joanna Weiss and Cadet Capt. Jason Ewing serving as instructors.

A graduation banquet was held at the end of the activity. Brig. Generals Charles A. Morgan III, assistant adjutant general for air at the Maryland Air National Guard (M-ANG); Guy M. Walsh, commander of the M-ANG's 175th Wing; and Frederic N. Smalkin, commander of the Maryland Defense Force, were on hand to help the cadets celebrate their success. Col. James Grove, commander of Camp Fretterd, rounded out the head table. Each was presented a thank you gift for their efforts and support of the encampment.

Three members from the Air National Guard were specifically honored for their work in helping the encampment be a success. Master Sgt. Rob Pounders, along with Technical Sgts. Robert Sweeny and Mark Prorock, were presented gifts by Winter.

Before the banquet was over, the honors for the week were announced. Individual awards and group awards went to:

  • Most Improved NCOA Cadet: Cadet Derek Armstrong, NatCap Wing
  • NCOA Honor Cadet: Cadet Amanda Donnelly, Delaware Wing
  • Most Improved Cadet: Cadet Robert Hurst, Delaware Wing
  • Warrior Cadet: Cadet Marcus Barboza, NatCap Wing
  • Honor Cadet: Cadet Melanie Perkins, Annapolis Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing
  • Honor Line Staff NCO: Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Eric Nelson, Delaware Wing
  • Honor Support Staff NCO: Cadet Master Sgt. Mallory Colegrove, Annapolis Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing
  • Honor Line Staff Officer: Cadet 1st Lt. Eric Muse, NatCap Wing
  • Honor Support Staff Officer: Cadet Capt. Beth Peters, Harford Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing
  • Honor Tactical Officer: 1st Lt. James Holderbaum, Bowie Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing
  • Honor Senior Staff Officer: 1st Lt. Brenda Reed, Carroll Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing
  • Warrior Flight: Alpha Flight, led by Cadet 2nd Lt. Charles Frater, Fort McHenry Squadron, Maryland Wing
  • Winners of the Drill Competition: Bravo Flight, led by Cadet 2nd Lt. Justin Sloate, Florida Wing
  • Winners of the Volleyball Competition: Hotel flight, led by Cadet 2nd Lt. Patrick Doyle, Easton Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing
  • Honor Flight: Charlie Flight, led by Cadet 2nd Lt. Katie Ewing, Delaware Wing
  • Honor Squadron: Squadron Four, led by Cadet Colonel Jake Reed, Carroll Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing

The encampment ended with a pass and review parade on the grounds a Camp Fretterd for families and friends on the final day of the encampment.

Photos from each day of the Tri-Wing Encampment, along with additional information about the event, can be viewed at www.carrollcap.org/triwing.

CAP, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 60,000 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.

Members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 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. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 63 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.

Maryland Wing Public Affairs also offers an e-mail alert system for news releases. When news breaks, a subscriber receives an automatic e-mail with a summary of the news release and a link back to the story on the MDWG web site. Signing up for e-mail news alerts is easy. Just go to: http://mdcap.org/?fuseaction=newsalert.form and fill in your e-mail address.