Corpus Christi Squadron - Aug 2007

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VOLUME 2 Issue 33 Corpus Christi, Texas 7 & 14 AUG 2007“Ke e p t h e Mo m e n tu m G o in g a n d Ke e p ‘e m F ly in g ”

This issue…Remarks On Vig i lance: The

Corpus Chr ist i Composi t e

Squadron Sound Off …….....1

CC-CAP Prepares for 17-19

August 2007

SARex……………...…...……....2

Uni t t o be v is i ted by Senator

Car los Trua n …………….…….2

Kudos to CC-CAP Officers...3

CC-CAP Compl i ant w i th Wing

Banker Program……………...3

San Angelo Squadron Tours

Johnson Space Cen-

t er …………………………..... .….4

A l i t t l e More B it H is to ry ,

Photos o f Coasta l Patro l

Base 15………………….…5,6,7

So, Just here is K ingsvi l le ,

Te x as……………………………..8CORPUS CHRISTI , TEXAS

If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please send your article to: [email protected] M aj or J oe E l y C a rr al es, C A P

Remarks On Vig i lance: The Corpus Chr is t i Composi t e

Squadron Sound Off

By Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP

Greetings CAP Officers and Cadets, my most dear friends,

I want to thank everyone for their dedication to their

CAP unit, our CAP unit. I say that in just that way because we

have worked together since late in 2005 to build a unit that is in

every way “ours.” Each and every CAP Officer and Cadet in this

unit should be justifiably proud of that we have done.

Shock of the recent suspension of the of the NationalCommander by the Board of Governors of the Civil Air Patrol

and our recent quest to find a permanent home have drifted over

use like dark storm clouds. However, these are also, the best of times for us. Our unit is

poised for the most growth we have seen in modern times. We welcome in our new and

returning brother and sister airmen. He have no time to focus on the negatives our zeitgeis

is to “keep the momentum going.”

I had an opportunity to converse with Col Russ Hodgkin, USAF, the Commander

of the CAP-USAF body that oversees CAP. He expressed our task in very eloquent and

simple terms.“The current situation is serious,” Col Hodgkin’s begins, “and has the attention of

my superiors at the 3- and 4-star level. But we have advised them to be patient and allow

CAP to work this out. So far they are satisfied with this course of action.”

Col Hodgkins expressed that , CAP-USAF will ensure that "the process" is fol-

lowed to the letter and the rights of all concerned are to be respected. He went on to ex-

press, and has asked me to share this will the CAP Officers and Cadets of the CC-CAP

unit...

“As for you, and the others in the CAP rank and file, the absolutely most impor-

tant thing you can do now is safely execute the mission. The last thing CAP needs now isa mishap or a mission failure. Imagine the controversy and adverse press attention if we

had an aircraft accident on a cadet O-ride.”

Thus, it is our tasking to insure that the good works of the unit are known as we

weather the storm.

As for a new meeting place, there are processes in the works hammering that out

now. Lt Col Gordie White, of Texas Wing, is awaiting a report from us on possible meet-

ings spaces. 2d Lt B. Sam Kimbrell is working on that. We are also meeting at Signature

Air Center at CC International Airport. Let us make a good impression!!!M aj or J oe E l y C a rr al es, C A P

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CC-CAP Prepares for 17-19 Augus t 2007 SARex

By Major Joe Ely Carrales

Texas Wing- One of the on going goals of our unit is to attend the SARex activitiesof the given quarter. The next such activity is slated for 17-19 August 2007.

As was reported in the 31 July 2007 issue of this Almanac, the AugustSARex will run differently than the usual WING-wide activities in that this SAREX

will use an "Area Command" approach with Amarillo to be the wing HQ command

post with 4 subordinate Incident Command Posts around the state.

The various Incident command posts will have a full staff, with the main

command post operational 24/7. All assets will report to one of the command posts,with the exception of El Paso

and Brownsville due to distance considerations, they are to operate as a traditional

staging area, reporting to their host ICP.

The Unit is planning to send its air arm to San Antonio and its cadet/ground resources for additional

training in Brownsville. Those in attendance will need to make arrangement for transportation and billeting.

Funding may be available to those that choose to carpool to the event provided they respect the spirit of a carpool.

“One objective of this approach,” said Lt Col Eddy Billman Commander of Group V, “is to allow for

mission base participation to count towards qualification. This is different from standard DSARs. We

want to take advantage of this and get folks trained and perhaps signed off on some mission base staff specialties.Aircrew members should expect to fly AND work mission staff to maximize training.”

Major Carrales has been in contact with Brownsville via Major Juan Arredondo and Major Sean Cran-

dall. Some cadets from the Brahma Cadet Flight may accompany Major Carrales. These details will be finalized

at the 14 August 2007 meeting in Kingsville. Final contacts will be made following the Corpus Christi Comp

Squadron Regular meeting, which will be held at the Signature Air Center at Corpus Christi International Airport

at 1900 hrs.

Al l CC-CAP Cade t s a nd Off ice r s a r e en cour aged t o a t t end t h i s ac t i v it y.

Unit to be v is i t ed by Senator Car los TruanMy Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP

Corpus Christi, Texas— On 14 August 2007 the CC-CAP Unit will be visited by notable community leader

Senator Carlos Truan. Truan served more than 30 years

in the Texas Legislature as a senator from Texas Dis-

trict 20.

The Senator will visit to examine our unit and possibly

to assist us in addressing many of our needs. A short

staff briefing will be conducted during the General As-

sembly of the 14 August meeting for the benefit of the

Senator.

All are encouraged to attend to present the best possible

showing.

Senator Carlos Truan was born June 9, 1935, in Kingsville, Texas. He received a B.B.A. from Texas A & I Uni-

versity in 1959. Truan was elected state representative for Nueces and Kleberg counties in 1968; after serving four

terms he was elected state senator from District 20 in 1976. Senator Truan has been a successful life insurance

agent since 1960 and has been active in many organizations. He has served on the Texas Advisory Committee tothe United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Contact person for this speaker is Major Fidel Alvarado, Deputy Commander.

Source: © 2002 - The University of Texas at Arlington, Tejano Voices































































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K udos t o CC-CAP Off ice rsBy Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP

Corpus Christi, Texas- Major Carrales sends out a word of thank you to theCAP Officers and Cadets of the CC-CAP unit who “held down the fort”

while he was in attendance of the PAO Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.

“A commander finds it hard to be away from his weekly squadron duties,”

Said Major Carrales, “But I rest easy knowing that the unit is in good hands.

“

Major J. E. Carrales and 1st Lt Sandy Phelps traveled to Atlanta, Georgia torepresent the Corpus Christi Comp Squadron at the first Annual Public Af-

fairs Officer Academy and the Summer National Board Meeting, respec-

tively. Additionally, 1st Lt Phelps also represented to Unit at the Training

Leaders of Cadets pre-conference academy. More on this will be published following Major Carrales’ and 1st Lt

Phelp’s reports to the unit on said activities.

“WE had a good meeting turnout on the 7 August 2007, “ Said Major Fidel Alvarado, Unit Deputy Commander,

“Three new members. Additionally, 1st Lt. Michael Garmon made a presentation on radio air to ground proce-dures.”

Thank to all present that continue to keep the momentum going in our unit. I look forward to meeting the new

CC-CAP Compl iant w i t h Wing Banker Program

By Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP

Corpus Christi, Texas- During the finalweek of July 2007, Lt Col Eddy Billman,

Commander of Group V/Texas Wing, putout a reminder about the recent shift in Fi-

nance in the Civil Air Patrol.

“Wing Banking is here., said Lt Col

Billman, “All units must have their conversions done before the end of August. I realize this may seem daunting.

Let's just work our way through this together starting out by taking a deep breath and trying to read through the

documents.”

The announcement for this shift was made public during the last quarter of 2006 and was presented offi-

cially to the Texas Wing at the 2007 Texas Wing Conference in Austin, Texas earlier this year. In preparation forthis, the CC-CAP unit established a Finance Committee which met in July to discuss the change to the Wing

Banker system. 1st Lt Dalia Castro began the paperwork the move and made the necessary contacts. The account

was closed and the unit transferred its funds to the WING BANK.

On 9 August 2007, while Major Carrales was returning from Atlanta, Georgia, he received confirmationthat the Unit was not in compliance with the Wing Bank. A Presentation of that report will be made and filed at

the 14 August 2007 meeting of the unit.

The WING BANKER program was mandated by the National Headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol torectify some accounting issues, it consolidates all the capital in the Civil Air Patrol’s various squadrons so that

one might make an accurate reporting of CAP holdings.

Stacy Jackson, of National Headquarters CAP, spoke to Major Carrales over dinner on 6 August 2007

and expressed that these actions would allow CAP to be eligible to apply for various grants that the prior account-

ing system would not allow.




































































4

San Angelo Squadron Tours J ohnson Space Center

From Texascadet.org

SAN ANGELO - One very successful fundraiser and

months of planning by senior members culminated in a

weeklong camping and education trip to Houston andGalveston for members of the San Angelo Composite

Squadron, Group 1.

On 15 July, squadron members departed San Angelo

for a 2-day stay in the Houston area, where they weretreated to an exclusive Level-9, "behind the scenes"

tour at NASA's Johnson Space Center (http://www.

jsc.nasa.gov/ ), allowing for a more personalized ex-perience. The group toured the Sonny Carter Neutral

Buoyancy Lab (http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/

support/training/nbl/ ), the Astronaut Training Facility

(http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/index.html), theSpace Environment Simulation Laboratory (http://

www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/lab.htm),Space Shuttle Mission Control, Space Station Mission Control, Historic Mission Control (http://www.nps.gov/

history/nr/travel/aviation/apo.htm), and the Saturn V Rocket.

On 17 July, squadron members returned to the Johnson Space Center for the tram tour and then it was off to Galves-

ton. The first stop was the Lonestar Flight Museum (http://www.lsfm.org/ ). Seniors and cadets enjoyed walkingamongst an eclectic collection of aircraft on display or in various state of restoration from different periods of Ameri-

can aviation history.

The next day, 18 July, the group headed to Galveston's Moody Gardens (http://www.moodygardens.com/ ) - - awonderful attraction including a rainforest, aquarium, IMAX and 3-D movie theater, paddlewheel boat ride, and man-made beach and pool. The weather began to deteriorate and upon return to camp, many tents were down, and all had

water inside. Some were less fortunate than others, but spirits were not dampened. Everyone pitched in to return the

campsite to normal, hoping for better weather the next day.

19 July started sunny, but Galveston's fickle weather

produced more rain after breakfast. Another plan ad-

justment took squadron members to the boardwalk

and when the rain subsided, the beach for sand and

surf.The 20 July morning weather started clear but a large,

ominous cloud loomed on the horizon. Everyone

worked quickly to pack vehicles before rain poured

from the sky. A lightning storm greeted us heading off

the island and rain continued all the way back to San

Angelo.

Squadron member who participated were: Cadets

SMSgt Linden Lansford, MSgt Bessie Knight, SrA

Chris Brown, SrA Robert Foate, A1C CodyMcCallum, Amn Sean McCallum, and AB Dylan

Simkins. Seniors LtCol Don Roberts, Capt Bill

Knight, 1Lt Carol Roberts, 2Lt Lisa Knight, and 2Lt

Johanna Augustine.

Squadron members examine the Saturn V rocket

Cadet Amn Sean McCallum examines a control panel in

the Historic Mission Control Center






















http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/

http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/index.html

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/lab.htm

http://www.nps.gov/

http://www.lsfm.org/

http://www.moodygardens.com/




http://www.moodygardens.com/

http://www.lsfm.org/

http://www.nps.gov/

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/lab.htm

http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/index.html

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/



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A l it t l e More B i t H is to r y

Photos of Corpus Christi Coastal Patrol Base 15 from the Library of CongressBy Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP

During the last part of July 2007, I undertook a big task. That task was to find out

a reasonable history of the Civil Air Patrol in Corpus Christi, Texas. It is not allthat easy, many records from that era do not exist or were destroyed. Most of us,

as per our physical existence, live in the present and don’t give much thought to

record the regular goings on of what we consider “mundane” activities. In fact,

our own present efforts in rebuilding our Squadron and maintaining it are in dan-

ger of being lost to history. If not for a few photos and the occasional story told

by the more experienced CC-CAP members, the works and legacy of the unit is in

danger of dissolving into oblivion. Because of that simple truism, the task of un-

covering the history of the unit is a daunting one.

A RECAP of COVERED GROUND

In the 23 July issue of this Almanac, we traveled back to the 1930s and early 1940s to examine what Cor-

pus Christi was like in those prewar days and even discussed the formation of the Civil Air Patrol taking into ac-count how that process was undertaken in Corpus Christ and the Greater South Texas areae. Meetings had been

held at the Plaza Hotel in January of 1942, made more poignant by the events of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

Representatives from nearby places like Kingsville and Victoria were present as well as notable names from

Brownsville and other parts of Texas, (if you missed that issue, never fear...once this research is complete it will

be compiled into a history of the unit)

THE MAN WHO SAVED COASTAL PATROL BASE 15 for POSTERITY

In this installment I will present some raw photos from the American

Memory Project of the Library of Congress and further the story a bit. A search of

“Civil Air Patrol” tends to bring up lots of images for Bar Harbor, Maine, but as

one scrolls, the images of Corpus Christi’s efforts are seen in stunning beauty.

Many of these images were taken by photographer John Felix Vachon,1914-1975, who’s papers are archived at the Library of Congress. During this pe-

riod, Vachon worked as a junior photographer for the Farm Security Administra-

tion and later for the Office of War Information. After a stint as a photographer for

Standard Oil of New Jersey, he served in the U.S. Army. After the Second World

War he went of assignment for the United Nations and snapped photos for LIFE

and LOOK magazines.

Ironically, sources reveal Vachon had no intention of becoming a photog-

rapher when he took his position in 1936, but as his responsibilities increased for

maintaining the FSA photographic files, his interest in photography grew. This isfortunate for us, because that interest allows us to have a glimpse into Corpus

Christi CAP Operations early in WWII.

The CORPUS CHRISTI DISTRICT OFFICE of CAP OPENS

According to the 4 January 1942 issue of the Corpus Christi Caller Times, Vol. 13, No. 29 page 1A, the

Civil Air Patrol’s Corpus Christi District Office opened on 3 January 1942 at 301 Plaza Hotel. W.U. Paul, the Di-

rector of the local District, received applications and fingerprint cards for those interested in joining the “non-military” Civil Air Patrol.

That day, Group Commander H.F. Clark received a call from Civil Air Patrol founder, Gill Rob Wilson

that training directors were to leave Washington that week to create a definite training program for the Corpus

An emblem seen in Cor-

pus Christi Coastal Patrol

photos.

John Felix Vachon, as he

appeared in 1942. Photo

from Wikipedia

Continued page 6






































































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Christi District. At that point, the initial meeting had organized 83 pilots for the

effort.

The 16 January 1942 issue of the Caller Times mentioned a Unified Com-

mand that was to be established between the Texas Defense Guard’s air arm andCivil Air Patrol efforts in Texas. The Matter had been discussed between Maj.

Gen John Curry and Governor Coke Stevenson.

The climate of the time was geared to Civil Defense with must news sto-

ries focusing, justifiably, on war news from the front (remember, WWII began for

the US in 1941, but had been waging since 1939 in Europe) and efforts informing

people what to do in situations ranging from volunteerism to how to report Axis

Aliens who posses Cameras and weapons. It was in this atmosphere that the Civil

Air Patrol in South Texas organized.

The Photos of John F Vachon– Presented for the readers of this Almanac. I will present them to supple-

ment the history, however, they are images with only the most minor captions and not necessarily in the chrono-

logical order of the historical documents presented. In addition to these issues, many do not have exact dates and

the persons depicted are somewhat lost to history. As more information is uncovered it is my intention to redis-play the various images with the new information. Again, all of this will be compiled once the project is finished,

hopefully by the 70th anniversary of the unit, in about four years.

Corpus Christi, Texas. Mechanics working on the

motor of a plane at the Civil Air Patrol base. Note

the uniform of the period, flight caps and khakis.

At this point, most missions were flown fromsmall airports in private aircraft.

Corpus Christi, Texas. Sergeant Pat Pate, who for-

merly worked in a law office in Corpus Christi,

now a member of the Civil Air Patrol. Notice that

she is an “enlisted” member based on the chevrons

and also sports the “CAP” shoulder patch. The

Wing Patch that would replace this in later years.

Continued page 7












































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Corpus Christi, Texas. Major W.G. Green, who wasformerly an oil man in Tulsa, now a commander at theCivil Air Patrol base. Maj. Green wears the RED EP-AULETS and aviators wings of the period. CAP wasgiven the right to wear US Army Air Corps Style uni-forms to afford them protection from summary execu-tion as spies under the Geneva Convention.

Corpus Christi, Texas. First Lieutenant R.V. Montague,who formerly had a hospital in Okmulgee, Oklahoma,now a doctor at the Civil Air Patrol. Dr. Montague alsosports the RED EPAULETS of the period but also somesleeve badges indicating his status as a SUB HUNTER.The poster in the background is commonly reproducedtoday.

Corpus Christi, Texas. Lieutenant Ronnie Durham, a member of theCivil Air Patrol, instructing flight officers in radio telephone technique.Radio work was key during the Sub Hunting days. It is hoped that , inhe course of research, the location of this building can be discovered. Itis interesting to see the 1st Lt Mike Garmon’s WWII era counterpart.

Corpus Christi, Texas. Sergeant Pat Pate,who formerly worked in a law office inCorpus Christi, now a member of theCivil Air Patrol. Sgt Pate was a local,many of the others photographed we not.



































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So...Just where is Kingsville, Texas?By Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP

Kingsville, Texas- Many folks have asked about the Brahma Cadet Flight and where it is inrelation to Corpus Christi, Texas. The following are maps of the region to show where his ele-ment of the CC-CAP Squadron actually is.

Kingsville is locatedSouth West of Corpus Christion US Highway 77. It is thehome of Texas A&M Univer-sity– Kingsville with its Engi-neering and Pharmacy School,the world famous King Ranchof the Running “W” and NavalAir Station Kingsville.

There had once been aCAP unit in Kingsville, how-ever, it did not survive into the21st Century. In April of 2007efforts were made to rectify that

situation.

It is hoped that a CadetSquadron might develop in that

community with in the next year. -Semper Vigilans

BRAHMA CADET FLIGHT LOG KINGSVILLE, TEXAS

“Tales of the Civil Air Patrol from the Heart of the Wild Horse Desert”

BRAHMA CADET FLIGHT PERSONNELCAP Officers

Major Joe Ely Carrales– Commander, Corpus Christi Comp Squadron

1st Lt John Hoelscher– Personnel Officer; AE Officer, Christi Comp Squadron

Major Paul Treptow: Group V Assistant COMM Officer

Cadet members

Cadet Airman Bryce A. Nix- Flight Cadet CommanderCadet Airman Michael Beal– Flight Element LeaderCadet Airman Chelsie Skarda– Flight Logistics and Supply

Cadet Airman Morgun Bedynek– Flight Admin

Cadet Airman Basic Emily Garcia– Flight Public Affairs

Cadet Airman Basic Celeste Resendez– Flight cadet





























































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Goals: Unit autonomy and implementing 100% unit recruiting growth holding Dec 2006

numbers as the starting point.

THIRD Quarter– All pilots, when qualified, will be required to fly 2 hours per monthand attend monthly Stan/Eval meeting. Capt Bazemore will arrange the Stan/Eval meet-

ing on a night other than the regular meeting night to focus on safety of flight and mis-sion issues. Ground Team goals will be developed.

1) All pilots as of Dec 2006 obtain a current BFRFORM 5– Lt. Hoelscher and Lt. Garmon

2) FAA pilot proficiency (Wings Program) required for all pilots. In Progress

3) 4 Pilots MS qualified– 1st Lt Jerry Lunceford.

4) All Unit pilots as of December 2006 qualify as Form 5 CAP Pilots– In Progress Capt Bazemore and 1stLt Lunceford have Form 5

5) 4 Additional Mission Scanners– In progress, Capt Bazemore has qualified (large push to qualify member-

ship)

6) 5 Additional UDF qualified CAP Officers/Cadets– Cadets in Kingsville continue training, training is be-

gun in Corpus Christi/awaiting Training Activities

7) Addition of 3 GT3 members drawn from the UDF qualified

8) Setup a Stationary COMM set up– Resolving Antenna Issues

9) Mid-year Banquet/Picnic– In Planning10) Recruit more Pilots, CISM, Cadets and Ground Resource personnel– Cadet Growth at Kingsville & CC11) Attend all Third Quarter DSARS– In Progress, Unit prepares to attend August SARex

12) Conduct communication drills to test the hardware and train the squadron on use of equipment

and proper communication protocols., ACCOMPLISHED13) Identify and develop plans to setup land based communication needs for mission base located at Robs-

town Airport.

14) Bolster CISM– In progress, Lt Phelps to attend CISM Activity

CC-CAP GOALS—THIRD Quarter 2007

MEMBERSHIPTotal Membership: 31 CAP Officers: 19 Cadets: 12

Level I membership: 16 Cadets with Curry Achievement: 6

EMERGENCY SERVICESQualified GES: 17 Qualified OPSEC: 25 Skills Evaluators: 11

DEPLOYMENTS THIS QUARTER: 1 SAR-EX: 0

GROUND RESOURCESUrban Direction Finding: 6 Ground Radiological: 1

AVIATON/FLIGHT OPS RESOURCES

CAP Airplane Pilots: 2 CAP Command Pilot Rated: 1 CAP Transport Pilot: 2

FAA Wings Program: 2 Mission Pilots: 1 Mission Scanners: 6Mission Observers: 1 CAP Air Crews: 1 Cadet Orientation Pilot - AFROTC 1

Cadet Orientation Pilot--Grp 2 1 CAP Instructor Pilot - Airplane 1

COMMUNICATONSBasic Communicators: 12 Advanced Communicators: 1 Mission Radio Operators: 5

CORPUS CHRISTI COMP SQUADRON EMERGENCY SERVICE RESOURCES

by QUALIFICATON

The new aircraft maintenances rates effective 1 March 2007.Cessna 172 rate is 30.00 Cessna 182 rate is 41.00 Gippsland GA8 rate is 37.00

Corpus Christi Comp Squadron Almanac14 August 2007

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