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MN-042
St. Paul Composite Squadrons Color Guard presented the colors for the St. Anthony Park 4 of July Parade. The team consisting of Cadets Sebesta, Hannigan C. Niemann and Little Tunnel, led the parade. Followed by cadets J. Neimann and Moen with the St. Paul Squadron Banner. A st nd flight of 4 Seniors 1 Lt. Miller, 2 Lt. Niemann, SM Sebesta and Capt. Markegard rounded out the CAP presence during the parade. The color guard presented the flag as the National Anthem was played. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts from the local area supported the flag ceremony. A big thanks to all of you who came out on a holiday weekend to support Civil Air Patrol in the local communities.
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Camp Ripley, MN
Members of St. Paul Composite squadron participated in a very rare opportunity the weekend of July 23. 14 STP members(4 seniors and 9 cadets) along with Capt. Guise from Fort Snelling Squadron rode up to Camp Ripley to spend the day on the rappel tower. Under the watchful eyes of 3 Minnesota Army National Guard Rappel Masters, members learned and practiced the skills needed to successfully rappel off a 36 foot high tower. After a safety briefing and equipment check cadets made their way to the top. The seniors stayed on the ground to assist the cadets. Former St Paul Composite Squadron Cadet Commander C/Lt. Demuse was the first down, after inadvertently volunteering when he was the first to respond to who has completed their
equipment check? I have sir said our hero. GET UP here was the reply from the top. Cadet Welle gave us the most dramatic display has he all but fell from the starting point. Many a rappel master shouted GET BACK HERE WELLE! as the poor kid continued to tumble over the side. (he did quite well actually). The Sebestas Kyle and Pam rappelled as a pair, yelling moms rule and other motivational slogans. Capt. Markegard and Cadet commander Fox descended the tower yelling stuff about being the commanders or something. Lt. Leif managed to get his shirt caught in the carabineer about 2 feet off the ground. I was retrieving extrication equipment (a knife) when he managed to free himself and continued to a soft landing. About 3 hours were spent climbing to the top (via a metal rung vertical ladder) and rappelling down. Cadets learned how to tie a harness, clip the carabineer in and how friction is used to control your descent. Safety was always a priority. Nobody made a rappel until the rappel the belay on the ground was ready. Lt. Niemann was our dedicated medic. Everyone who attended made at least one trip on the tower. All the equipment used was supplied the NG. A special thanks to SSG. Jamie LeClair
(who is our contact and runs AHATS), Maj. Keith Ferdon and Maj. Christopher Lindberg who volunteered their time to make this a big success.
Duluth MN.
At O dark thirty Saturday morning a dedicated group of STP members, lead by Lt. Ron Fox and Lt. Pahr made their way up to the Duluth International airport for two days of total aviation immersion. Upon arrival we were tasked with parking cars in an odd shaped lot about 3 miles from the show. This we found out was the lot for all the airshow volunteers. There was a lot em. We estimated over 300 cars were parked on Saturday. We were tasked not only with orderly car parking but verify all volunteers had passes to be there. C/Lt. Demuse was the interrogator kindly but firmly telling non volunteers to move along. Because of the shape of the lot it took an air traffic controllers ability to think abstractly to get all the cars and one monster RV in the space provided. Ron did an outstanding job at this. He even had motorcycle and handicapped parking zones. I had already thrown my orange plastic wands to the ground screaming what part of rd (pointing wands to the drivers left) dont you understand?!?! By like the 3 car. With the use of ISR radios Ron would let cadets Fox and Johnson know what car was going where and those two tag-teamed the final vehicle positioning. Cadet Hannigan would bring them into the lot and hand
the car off to LT. Ron, who made the decision on where it would be placed. Lt. Pahr made sure no vehicles strayed off course. Many a car tried. After the bulk of the autos had been properly positioned, the crew broke into teams one team manned the lot and the others enjoyed the show on a constant rotation. This worked out very well. The US Air Force Thunderbirds were the headliners at this years show and as always put on a spectacular air demo. Sunday we repeated our parking task and the weather was much improved. Overall this was a great air show experience with lots of good behind the scenes fun. Thanks to Lt. Ron Fox for setting this up and doing all the leg work.
Commanders Corner
Summer is high gear now. Those thunderstorms and severe weather we talked about earlier in the year have appeared many times. We recently had severe weather during a meeting. We did not cancel the meeting but, it was made optional if the weather warranted the individual stay indoors. I was chased off the St. Croix River due to the threat of severe weather. I will not turn this into a there I was story but my take away from the event is to keep an eye on the sky. When we left the potential for bad weather was there. But it was partly cloudy and mild out. About 2 hours into the river I noticed the clouds had organized and were building up. OK well head back. We were able to get back to the dock and get the boat out of the water before the boom booms as my 2 year old calls them became a threat. I did not launch into the wild river with out some tools. Besides my eyes and common sense. I had a marine radio with NOAA weather bands and a cell phone that has a data plan. I was able to keep posted on the
weather before it bit me in my behind. One should always check what conditions are and, forecast to be. Weather related problems are easy to avoid.
Paul D. Markegard Capt. CAP
CADET CORNER
July has been a busy month for the Cadets of the St. Paul Composite Squadron. It is obvious that several Cadets take the Cadet Oath to heart by way of "promoting rapidly". It goes without saying that these Cadets have worked hard to earn their achievements, but not without the consistent help of several Senior Members who are just as committed to excellence and integrity in the Cadet Program. Official records do hereby bare written evidence that: 1. Cadet Bolden has promoted to the grade of Airman First Class (A1C). His next promotion will bring him to the brink of Phase I. 2. Cadet Hannigan has moved out of Phase I and into Phase II with a promotion to Staff Sergeant (SSgt). 3. Cadet Neimann, J., upon returning from a year of study abroad, has promoted to the grade of Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt). 4. Cadet Kirsch, S., has joined the ranks of the numerous Chief Master Sergeants in residence at our Squadron. Congratulations to each of these outstanding Cadets! Thanks to Senior Members: 1Lt Ron Fox, 2Lt Keith Sebesta, and SM Casey Sommer for keeping up with the testing, recordkeeping and requirements that go along with each advancement. Special thanks to 1Lt. Neimann for countless hours inputting data. Our records would be in sorry shape without the vigilant help of each of these dedicated individuals. Along with the over site of Cadet Senior Member Staff, our Cadet Commander 1Lt. Derrik Fox, has continued to review promotion requests by way of the Board of Review Program* (BOR). Ultimately, each Cadet would pass a BOR just before finishing an advancement. As it stands right now, our goal has been to review each Cadet once during a Phase. To further support this effort, our Squadron Cadet Advisor 1Lt. Nick DeMuse has developed a promotion packet. This will be formally introduced to the Cadets in August. It will help each Cadet gain more control over their grade advancement, prepare them for the Board of Review process and encourage them to work up the "Chain of Command", set forth by Cadet Commander Fox. It goes without saying that each promotion represents many people and much effort. It is not only the Cadets that are proud of each step made, but every member of the Squadron as well. Our Senior Members give many hours not directly related to promotion, but encourage the Cadets with countless activities, leadership trainings, O-Rides, and opportunities. So, thank you to all the members and especially to the parents, who entrust us with your children. Civil Air Patrol continues to demand a lot and bring out the best.
Again, congratulations!
Operations/Logistics
We have an airplane in Col. Donaldsons hanger. C-172. It is currently at wing maintenance get several open squawks resolved. When using the CAP van please fill out the paper work (vehicle usage log) and fill the tank back up. .
Safety
Do NOT assume that a downed conductor is safe simply because it is on the ground or it is not sparking. Do NOT assume that all coated, weatherproof or insulated wire is just telephone, television or fiber-optic cable. Low-hanging wires still have voltage potential even if they are not touching the ground. So, dont touch them. Everything is energized until tested to be de-energized. Never go near a downed or fallen electric power line. Always assume that it is energized. Touching it could be fatal. Electricity can spread outward through the ground in a circular shape from the point of contact. As you move away from the center, large differences in voltages can be created. Never drive over downed power lines. Assume that they are energized. And, even if they are not, downed lines can become entangled in your equipment or vehicle. If contact is made with an energized power line while you are in a vehicle, remain calm and do not get out unless the vehicle is on fire. If possible, call for help. If you must exit any equipment because of fire or other safety reasons, try to jump completely clear, making sure that you do not touch the equipment and the ground at the same time. Land with both feet together and shuffle away in small steps to minimize the path of electric current and avoid electrical shock. Be careful to maintain your balance. Leo K Larkin, Capt. CAP Safety Officer/Disaster Preparedness Officer St Paul Composite Squadron
Announcements:
Seniors Equal Opportunity Training is required by National HQ Please copy and paste the link and complete this ASAP if you have not already done so.
http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/cap_university/level_i_foundations.cfm
St. Paul Air UBX August 14 and 15 2010. See Maj. Block for details Ground Team Academy 13-15 Aug 2010 AHATS, MN (STP is heavily involved in this)
St. Paul Composite Squadron News Letter is a monthly informational publication of the St. Paul Composite Sqdn A Dead Lemmings Production. 2010. 42