FlightLine Newsletter - Fall 2009

8/14/2019 FlightLine Newsletter - Fall 2009

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Core ValuesBy: Lt. Col. Douglas Smith

Core Values (say itwith a long, drawn-out breath) . What arethey? Are theyneeded? Who else hasa set? What should wedo with them?

Perhaps you are new tothe military, or perhapsyouve been around abit. Regardless, the

Air Force has a set of core values which arecritical to our existenceas members of theservice. Its relevant tohave a solidunderstanding of thecore values, why we have them, and what we areto do with them.

First, what are they? They are values we asmembers of the Air Force must inculcate

(theres that word again) into our being. Integrity, service before self, and excellence inall we do are the values we are to live by.

Are they needed? Thats easyof course. There are a few reasons. First, they tell us whatit takes to be a n airman in todays Air Force.

We cant be airmen if we dont live

these values. If we violate thesevalues, we might be asked to leave.Second, they are the magnetic north forour own, individual moral compass.Third, they help us ensure thedecisions we make and efforts weexpend are appropriate and are donefor the right reasons. Finally, andhopefully not often, they help us if welose our focus. They allow us totransform the bad to good, or themediocre to the excellent.

Who has them? Heres a quick sample. UAA has four: intellectualvitality, collaborative spirit,inclusiveness and equity, and finally,leadership. The Navy and Marines

have three: honor, courage, and commitment.The Army has six: loyalty, duty, respect,selfless-service, honor, integrity, and personalcourage. And, Zappos (the online shoecompany) has 10: deliver WOW throughservice, embrace and drive change, create fun

and a little weirdness, be adventurous, creativeand open-minded, pursue growth and learning,build open and honest relationships withcommunication, build a positive team and familyspirit, do more with less, be passionate anddetermined, and be humble. Do you noticeanything about the types of organizations whohave them? They are all a group of

Volume 9, Issue 1. UAA/AFROTC Detachment 001 Unofficial Newsletter November

The Flightline is an unofficial cadet newsletter published in the interest of personnel at Det 001 University of Alaska Anchorage.


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professionals accomplishing a mission (yes, selling shoes is a mission).

We probably dont need to discuss what they mean, so let me leave you wi th the litmus test for being anairman:Integrity would I do this the same way if someone was watching?Service am I doing this only for me? Or, is it for something/someone else?Excellence am I putting my all into this?

I welcome you into an elite group of professionals.

A few words from the Wing KingBy: Ian Shepard

Hello fellow cadets. It has been my pleasure to serve as your WingCommander for the fall 2009 semester. The semester is coming to aclose and now is the time to reflect on the amazing things we have

accomplished this semester. I have enjoyed seeing each one of yougrow and prosper. However, it is not over yet. With the few weeksthat we have remaining, let's continue to give 110% and finish off strong. The success and greatness of this Wing does not belong to

me, but to you, the cadets. You are truly what makes Detachment 001 SECOND TO NONE!!!

An Interview with Lieutenant Colonel SmithBy: Danny Canlas

Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Smith was born in 1967 in Orlando FL. He is a military brat, who hasmoved all over the place. However, if he had to call a place home that would either be Montana orAlabama. Lt. Col Smith enjoys any outdoor activity, and his favorite food is pizza.

Q: How do you feel about becoming a Detachment Commander?I love being a cadre member. It is a great job. This is not the operational part of the Air Force,however, you, the cadets, are. Our mentoring is critical, and becoming a great officer is critical. Thesuccess here cannot be measured. We hope to instill that desire for excellence. We need the right people in AFROTC jobs, to develop the next generation. If we dont train cadets, then the active dutyside will eventually suffer. I am tickled pink for the opportunity to affect the next generation.

Q: What positions did you hold when you were a cadet?I was very involved in Arnold Air Society. We were Region (Area) Staff my junior year. I was alsothe Squadron Commander my senior year.

Q: Do you have any advice for our new cadets?STICK IT OUT. It takes more time to develop a mature decision. Dont make a decision that youwill regret. At the age of a college student, chances are, your world view has not yet solidified. Eachyear your will mature more and more. Your decision at 18 may not be the same at 22. Give it moretime. To choose your path requires a lot of thought and maturity. The amount of work you put inwill be directly proportionate to success.


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September 11 th 2001: You Are Not Forgotten

By: Seth Grove

On September 11 th , 2001, America would be

forever scarred by the attempts of terrorismthat brought a nation to its knees. Fortunatelyfor us, they underestimated the will of theAmerican people and our ability to cometogether in times of duress. Eight years laterthat strength still remains and the Americanpeople will never forget that dreadful day.

The Lieutenant General David J. McCloudSquadron is an Arnold Air Society Squadron

within Air ForceROTC. Arnold AirSociety is aprofessional,honorary, serviceorganization that focuses much of its energy onbettering thecommunity.

The Lieutenant General David J.McCloud Squadron is based out of AFROTCDET001 at the University of AlaskaAnchorage.

Around the nation, citizens have been doingtheir part to memorialize those who diedduring the attacks on that day; Air ForceROTCs DET 001 Arnold Air Society is no

exception. For the second year in a row now,the Lieutenant General David J. McCloudSquadron has had the privilege of putting onthe 9/11 Memorial Run to commemoratethe men and women who died in the TwinTowers, the Pentagon, alone in the fields of Pennsylvania, and those fighting to ensure it doesnt happen again. Our mission for this

event was to keep the American Flag inconstant circulation around a militaryinstallation for a full 24 hours from Friday,September 11 th , at 0846 to SaturdaySeptember 12 th , at 0846.

The second annual 9/11 Memorial Runwould prove to be even more rewarding thanthe first. Running in groups of two or morefor half hour blocks of time, we persistedthroughout the day and night, cold and rain,to ensure that the American Flag did not stopmoving and was handled with pride anddignity. When it became too dark to see, wewere accompanied by support vehicles andused flashlights to light the way. When we

got fatigued or tired, we pushed on. Back at headquarters some cadets stayed up fora grueling 24 hours straight to ensure that everything ran smoothly. But this event could not have been done without someoutside help as well. The University of Alaska Anchorage activated their first Army ROTC program this semester and wewere thrilled to have them join us in ourmemorial run.

Cadets from the Detachment whovolunteered and ran in the event were met

with support from folks on and off the base.This year, the Lieutenant General David J.McCloud Squadron was able to get moremedia coverage than ever before. The d aysevents were widely publicized through baseand local newspapers, interviews with localradio talk shows, and even the local eveningnews. On base, we were cheered on andmotivated by both peers and active dutymembers. Whether it was in the form of ahonk from a passing car or a salute from apedestrian, the people of Alaska proudlyshowed that America has truly not forgotten9/11.-----------------------------------------------------------


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Advice f rom The Man By: Bina Gibson

It seems like just yesterday I had graduated highschool. Believe it or not, college happens just asfast as high school. It really feels like I just got back from FieldTraining thoughIve been back forover a year. What went the quickest were my GMCyears. I thought Ihad all the time inthe world before Iwent to FieldTraining. Littledid I know twoyears melts intowhat felt likemere days,especially once Ireceived my FieldTrainingallocation. Hoursflew past andbefore I knew it, Iwas on a plane bound for Alabama.

Though there are 15 weeks in a semester and weall cant wait until theyre done, it goes by so fast.Four years (or more for some of us) disappearsin a flash. I honestly cant believe Im in my senioryear of college and real lifeis finally going to happenin a handful of months.

Though everything hashappened right before myeyes, some of the best

college memories Ive hadhave been from ROTC.Being a senior cadet reallyis all its cracked up to be.Besides revealing all of theaccumulated knowledgeand power built up fromyears of training throughblood, sweat and tears, its

really amazing to watch young cadetsdevelop their leadership and life skills.Though LLAB and squadron meetings mayseem tedious or overwhelming, its theseexperiences that youll remember for therest of your Air Force career and your life.

Dont waste any opportunity presented toyou; there is a wealth of knowledgeavailable to assist you in virtually any

situation. Though we might seempompous, unapproachable or just downright scary, our purpose is to help

your training in any waywe can. So dont let usdown, well be in chargeof you again someday.


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Operation Air ForceBy: David Duncan

I had the opportun ity to

visit sunny Charleston AirForce Base, South Carolina.Charleston Air Force Baseis one of the busiest AirForce bases in the world.There are four active duty

airlift squadrons and one reserve squadronstationed in Charleston, or Chucktown as somepeople fondly call it. There are over forty C-17sassigned to Charleston Air Force Base, but the

whole time I was there I never saw more thaneight on the runway at once. The missions of thesquadrons ranged from supporting Presidentialtrips (Banner missions) to dropping off NavySeals for classified missions.

I was allowed to choose up to three squadrons toshadow while I was in South Carolina. I chose toshadow a C-17 pilot, a Security Forces officer,and a maintenance officer. I spent roughly aweek and a half shadowing maintenance and the

airlift squadron, and a few days shadowingSecurity Forces. Unfortunately I do not havenearly enough space in this article to tell you allthe great experiences I had in South Carolina, soI will tell you just a few of the things I got to do.

My favorite job was to shadow the 14 th Airlift Squadron. On my first day I helpedplan a low level mission for a pilots check ride. Here I learned how much detail goesinto a planning process, no matter how

mundane it may seem. Then they took usup on the flight. We went almost immediately into the low-level pattern,which meant dropping a huge cargoairplane to an altitude of roughly threehundred feet above the ground. As if that was not fun enough, we started to spot anti-aircraft guns (school buses were anti-aircraft guns for this exercise) and then dosixty degree banks to jink away from

enemy fire. We also picked up SecurityForces from Moody Air Force Base,Georgia and got to see them jump out of our perfectly good airplane.

Security Forces back in Charleston madesure I received some on the jobexperience. I spent my first day guardingthe gate and checking identification. Thenmy second day I went on multiple ride-alongs with the on base patrol cars. The

Security Forces in Charleston also put on aspecial training exercise in the SouthCarolina backcountry for airmanpreparing to deploy downrange. There Ihad the fun experience of learning what happens when you enter a protected areauninvited. To top it all off I assisted in thearrest of a woman who had a warrant out for her arrest.

My summer trip was a great experience. Ilearned a ton about the Air Force that Inever knew before. I highly recommendsigning up for Operation Air Force whenthe opportunity arises, and if you want tohear more about my ProfessionalDevelopment Tour (PDT), please come ask me.


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Life After Field TrainingBy: Hannah Toomey

Field Training was a huge learningexperience, theres no doubt about

it. But despite its tolling four weeksof intense leadership evaluations, Ithink Ive learned more about leadership from the first coupleweeks of this semester as an AS 300and squadron commander. Ive alsodiscovered that being a POC is aprocess; its not just a title you haveafter pinning on the Prop andWings.

As a GMC, your focus is onunderstanding of the military andAir Force basics, progressing into preparationfor Field Training. Its also an environment designed to help you find your strengths andweaknesses and to learn how to function as amember of a team.However, once youenter the POC thegame changes.

You are no longersolely a member of that team; youre aleader andinfluencer. Assquadroncommanders inour first POCpositions, CadetsSandusky, Canete,Sargent and me areeach responsiblefor maintaining 20cadets dress andappearance,attendance for PT and Leadership Laboratoryand keeping up morale. We also ensure that ourcadets have tools to do their job, whether its a

position in the wing or a team memberlearning the ropesas a new cadet. Weno longer just attend LLAB; we

directly affect itsplanning andexecution. On topof our respectivewing positions, wealso have our AS300 class,Leadership andManagement.

Major Mazes AS300 curriculum isextensive. From

stress management skills to readingleadership anecdotes from senior officersand to classroom discussions on cadet wing leadership, it covers a lot of ground,

but it is all invaluable toeverything we do in the cadet wing and for our future as AirForce officers. Plus we get to

evaluate leadership styles andskills in movies such as Kung FuPanda.

Because there are only six cadetsin our class, we are all very close.Although being POCs, students,and managing all the other facetsof our lives is difficult, we canalways fall back on one another,whether its a study group or ourown AS 300 class MWR. Being anew POC with outstanding peers,I look forward to the best yearyet.


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Moving Towards FieldTraining

By: Matt Stites

Hut, toop, threep, fourp

moves through my headlike days in the semester. Ican almost count the daysgo by before Training Day1. I have been told that ourfirst year in Air ForceReserve Officer TrainingCorps (AFROTC), was asimple get your feet wetexperience, and our secondyear was a time to turn it up.

I am now in my second year of AFROTC; FieldTraining Preparation Flight (FTP). When I first joined Detachment 001, FTP was what allAerospace Studies 200 cadets go through in theirsecond semester. After the second year of AFROTC comes Field Training; this is like BasicTraining. FT P Flight is what helps the AS 200s get ready for the rigorous training that they are

about to face. Surprisingly, FTP started the first semester of my 200 year.

I and a few other cadets played our first year alittle different. I wanted to look sharp, so I founda way to help me accomplish this: Arnold AirSociety. Arnold Air Society is a fast way to get your training; I learned everything from warrior

knowledge to marchingflights. This training routehelped me with a semi-smooth transition from myAerospace Studies 100

year to my AS 200 year.

The one thing I learnedabout AFROTC is that youwill meet a lot of peoplewho join, and you see a lot of people leave. The rumorhas it that the attrition rateof AFROTC is 50%. This is100% true about the AS200 class during my AS

100 year. As an AS 200 cadet, now I haveseen over ten cadets drop the program,but at the same time, over ten new cadetshave joined. This is a great experiencebecause you get a chance to help the newAS 200s catch up.

Being a new AS 200 cadet is probably not the easiest process. They have only oneyear to catch up to our two year

experience. Helping the new cadets isreally easy when they want to learn. Thisis a chance to see the motivation of AFROTC really come out. I myself havebeen motivated about AFROTC since mynew student orientation program.

If you are a new AS100 or AS200, my onlypiece of advice to help with the upcomingyears is motivation. AFROTC is not just aclub or a class, it truly is a lifestyle. Work

hard at whatever comes your way. Ask tohelp as much as you can throughout theDetachment and accomplish whateversomeone asks you to do. Dont be afraid tobe competitive. By following this advice, Ihave had an amazing adventure throughAFROTC and I hope to continue it.


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European OdysseyBy: Brandon Amico

This summer I had a chance of a lifetime to go toEurope, I call this trip my European Odyssey. Thetwo countries I went to were Turkey for 16 daysand London for 6 days but this article will be aboutmy trip to Turkey. My trip to Turkey was arequired study tour with the 49th State Fellows.Yes, this program requires that its members go toTurkey. This was my second trip to Europe but I donot remember my first trip because I lived inEurope when I was 0 - 6 months. The oneexperience that I learned the most from was the

change of culture, and how people viewed Americafrom the outside looking in vs. the opinion of aninsider.

The itinerary for Turkey was four days in Istanbul(old city), overnight train to Ankara, two days inCappadocia, one day in Konya, two days in Kalkan,one day in Pamukkale, one day in Selcuk, one dayin Canakkale, and two days in Istanbul (new city).The heads of the Fellowship chose Turkey becauseit is so rich in history. Some fun facts about the

country are that the Republican form of governmentwas founded in Patara, which resides in Turkey,Troy is on the coastline, and there are betterpreserved ancient Greek ruins in Turkey than thereis in Greece. 97% of Turkey is in Asia and only 3%is in Europe, yet they might be in the EU within a

decade.

All were fantastic cities but my two favoriteplaces were Istanbul (old city), and Kalkan.Istanbul (old city) was filled with ancientbuildings dating back to the 1300s. The mostnoticeable buildings are mosques. It isinteresting that most people associate themosque, Aya Sofia, with Istanbul, which wasnot actually built to be a mosque. It wasconstructed under the emperor Constantine,when the city was still Constantinople, to bea church of Christ. Kalkan was in my toptwo places because it is located right on the

Mediterranean Sea. While we were inKalkan we took a 4 hour boat tour and sawunderwater ruins, swam, and I even got tofish. Yes, I did say "I'm on a boat", theMediterranean isn't SeaWorld, its as real asit gets! During my visit in Turkey I came tounderstand how different microbes affect thebody. Many days were spent wishing I hadsome good old American Taco Bell while Iwas only eating bread and water.

The most important thing that I learned wasthe difference in culture. At first it was thelittle things that I noticed such as differentoutlets, call to prayer at 0545, and "squattypotties" (holes in the ground). One of thecoolest things was always being served first.In America, women are served first, but in


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Turkey, men are served first. Obviously the bigdifference in culture was the fact that Turkey ispredominantly a Muslim country. Yet one couldsee a woman in a tank top, next to a woman in abusiness suit, by a woman in a scarf, and next to a

woman in a full on headdress. It was also quite theexperience to see an outside opinion of America,because I always grew up thinking America to bethe best. Our tour guide Aysa gave us her opinionof America while we were visiting a palace; shecompared us to the Roman Empire. She believedthat America is in constant search of power, andthis is why we have military bases all over theWorld.

The BeginningBy: Kim Hovdesven

Air Force ROTC is like a whirl wind, picking upeverything in its path, consuming you and yourtime. Or at least thats how Ive felt during the

last few weeks since I joined. There is constantlysomething that needs to be worked on,

participated in, or perfected. With classes,

Lead Labs, physical training, squadronmeetings, and many more activities, weare all kept more than adequately busy.

Although receiving this fountain of

information, rules, and regulations, wehave had extremel y helpful POCs lead us

through our problems with enormousamounts of patience. The you can do it

attitude is always present, whe ther youreat PT with your arms shaking under you

during pushups or during Lead Labs whenthe influx information seems to expand

your brain to maximum capacity. We areconstantly being pushed to learn more, do

more, and be better. Cadets are challengedmentally and physically but that makesevery victory more rewarding. AFROTC

creates leaders, and in 4 years, theconfused AS 100s of this year will be

those leaders, as hard as that is to imaginenow. Anyone can do the minimum and get

by in this life; it takes a special kind of person to try to achieve excellence daily.That is exactly what we are all doing toaspire to accomplish. Keep it up 100s!


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TD-05, Oh No.By: Cody Vandegriff

The single position that I did not want and was

terrified of performingat Field Training (FT)was SQ/CC. I had heardrumors of Squadronmarching at FT,something that I hadnever seen or donebefore, but I thought tomyself Why learnit?...what are the oddsthat I will get selectedfor that position? .. Forthose of you who knowmegood luck is most definitely not one of myinherent traitsand as luck, or fate would have it I was selected to be SQ/CC for Echo and Foxtrot flight on training day 5 (TD- 05)which wasright when Maxwell 1 (our FT encampment) wasentering Squadron Concept. Though internallyterrified of hearing my first position in my

Flight/Squadron, I expressed no emotion as the39 faces of my squadron mates stared down thehall at me with a sucks to be you expression ontheir face. This was the first impression I wouldcast upon my entire SQ, and I knew that any bit of fear or arrogance that I exuded from myexpressions would ultimately result in themlosing faith in their newly appointed leader.

TD-06

CTA (Cadet Training Assist ant): Cadet Vandegriff, lets get this Squadron moving!

Me: Yes sir!

CTA: Do you know how to SQ march?!

Me: No sir! After that response I could see theexcitement grow in theCTAs eyes as he knewhe had an easy target to

tear intobut at the same time, and moreimportantly I saw thefaith my SQ/mates hadin me drain becausetheir leader was not preparedand fromthat moment I knew Ihad to redeem myself.

CTA: Oh well, makesomething happen!

Me: Yes sir!

I immediately called onthe Squadron for aid, and within 2 minutes(with their help) we were on our way, andwithin 5 1/2 minutes (you become verytime oriented at FT) we were marchinglike champs! By simply remaining calmand cool under pressure and utilizing theexpertise of the whole team I was able toimmediately regain my positive stance asSQ 3s leader.

Just by examining this one leadershipdilemma, you can see many of the traitsthat are needed to succeed at FT; such as:utilizing the team (you arent always goingto have the answers), make a decision (agood decision now is better than a great

decision tomorrow), maintain yourbearing (appear confident, not arrogant orne rvous), dont let the pressure a ffect decision making or bearing (easier saidthan done), take responsibility for youractions, adapt to your environment, andcommunicate clearly. These traits are just


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a few among many traits that youll have to beaware of while at FT.

If youre interested in learning more about howto succeed at Field Training, now is the time to

ask!! Myself, C/Sargent, and any other POC forthat matter are great resources to tap into tobegin preparing for the rigors of FT. In addition,keep an eye on Blackboard for a document that C/Blahut and I will be publishing called TheKeys to Suc cess at FT, which contains tips sovaluable that we should actually be selling it!Just kiddingsort of

Moving to Alaska By: Chad Eva

Ever since my wife and I discovered that she wasgoing to be stationed at Elmendorf Air ForceBase in Alaska we immediately began to think about all the experiences that awaited us. Shewas excited because she wouldfinally begin her nursing career asa new 2nd Lieutenant, while I wasexcited to hunt, fish, hike, andtake another step closer tobecoming an Air Force Officer.Arriving in Alaska was a relief since we had drivenapproximately 4,800 miles.Details about the trip will have tobe discussed in another interviewdue to the extent of experiences.

Leaving North Carolina and my

old detachment left me with a knot in mystomach. Not only would I have to care for anew wife, I would have to make new friends, finda place to live, learn a new town, and adapt tothe differences in the ways of a new detachment.

At the freshman orientation it didnt take longfor cadets to introduce themselves to me.

Although some thought I was an AS 100class cadet, I accepted it and allowed thecadets to give me instructions. By doingthis I could see how the AS 200 and AS 300level cadets instructed one another. I was

amazed at their professionalism. Fromthis I determined that their leadership hastaught them well and that they are highcaliber cadets.

My thoughts of the 400 cadets werecorrect. Each cadet introducedthemselves, acted in a professional andcourteous manner, and displayed great leadership characteristics. Thesenaturalistic observations supported mythoughts on why the AS 200 s and AS 300swere so sharp.

The hardest part for me was that I did not know anyone. Being the new guy in a newenvironment, I observed cadets nervouslytrying to learn names, personal

backgrounds, and theirhobbies. I could definitely feelthe forming, storming, norming

and performing stages pass byeach time I interacted with mypeers. Two weeks had passedbefore my own nerves hadstarted to settle down.

Leaving my family and friendsdid give me a sour taste but inthe end it has allowed me togrow as a leader, meet many

new friends, experience Alaska,

and realize that many new opportunitiesand experiences are available outside of

ones comfort zone.


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AAS National Conclave 2009By: Jaron Sandusky

In about 8months time Ihave gonefrom anaspiringmember of the McCloudSquadron to

its vice commander. During that time I havebeen afforded many great opportunities;however, none have matched attending theannual Arnold Air Society National Conclave.Held at the beautiful Sheraton Hotel indowntown Phoenix, Arnold Air SocietySquadrons and Silver Wings Chapters fromall over the nation converged on thislocation from April 9 to April 13. As I andseven of my fellow Arnies (Cadets Canlas,Falasco, Shepard, Vandegriff, Amico,Toomey, and Ebben) entered the mainconference room for the first day of business, it looked like a giant sea of blue,countless cadets waiting for the official start of NATCON. It was a remarkableopportunity to meet cadets from all over thecountry. In a state like Alaska, it is easy tofeel isolated and cut off. After going to thisconclave, I came to realize we are not aloneat all; there are cadets like us from all over thenation with countless points of view. It was avaluable experience hearing what some of them

had to say. Indeed, it was more than simply ameeting to shake hands and network. Therewere numerous resolutions to vote on; from thenew Joint National Project that every squadronmust participate in, to the location of the next National Conclave (The 2010 National Conclaveis set for Seattle). The National Conclave also

presented an opportunity to hear from theAAS and Silver Wings Leadership as wellas distinguished guests on how to makeour organizations run more smoothly andhow to better ourselves as leaders.

Anyone who tells you that it was all work and no play could not be more wrong.Once the meetings were over, downtownPhoenix offered a wide bounty of places togo and things to see, and the McCloudsquadron took full advantage of them.From hiking a local trail, to going to aDiamondbacks game, to just walkingaround town at dusk taking in the scenery,there was never a dull moment. I even

took some time out to lay by the hotel pooland work on my tan (needless to say it was

a short lived success). As if this wasnt enough, it was all topped off by a formalbanquet where we were given the honorand privilege of hearing a speech from

General Norton A. Schwartz and meetingthe AFROTC commander, Colonel JohnMcCain. By the end of it all, I had arenewed sense of pride to be in AAS and inAFROTC. I look forward to the next National Conclave and can only hope it willbe as fun as Phoenix.


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AAS Candidate ClassBy: Amber Weissenfluh

Come on Cadet Weissenfluh you should join the Can didate Class; i ts not that bad .

Well I dont know, I am kinda bu sy with schoolwork, I replied.

So are we. Come out this Friday it will be worth it .

Ok, Ill give it a shot.

That was a short version of the conversation I hadwith two fellow cadets that I went through theArnold Air Society Candidate Class with. I had noidea what they were getting me into. Right after that first candidate class I asked the two cadets that

convinced me to go why in the world they told me to.With one word to sum it up, to me, the first candidate

class I went to was insane. Even after a month of three hours every Friday of Candidate Class, I wasnot about to quit. The pressure was on between classes, ROTC, Candidate Class, and wanting tohave a little bit of a normal life; I was hurting, as was my fellow candidates. We started with thirtyand ended with eight.

Now, hopefully I have not scared anyone by this article; this is not my intent. Now comes the goodstuff; Initiation Day! Oh yeah, we did it! We made it through! We all got our pins and fourrageresand we knew we made it. That was the best day of my life last year in ROTC.

After Candidate Class, life was great. We were able to come to Arnold Air Society meetings, the9/11 Memorial Run, hikeMountain POW/MIA, andother great opportunities.All through CandidateClass we were told to bethe tip of the spear orleave. Now, I actuallyfeel like the tip of that spear. Looking back I will

no longer say that candidate class wasinsane. I learned so muchand made some amazingfriends. I pushed myself to greater lengths than I ever thought I could be pushed to. From now on, Irefer to the Candidate Class that I went through as insanely awesome.


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Oh The Memories.

Wing Stashowing what theyhave.

GMC TakeovLook out it isour turn to cathe shots.


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Charlie Squadronshowing some love tothe camera.

Cadets Seibold, Amico, Boldt, and Evaoverseeing the food cooking to make sure it is

up to par and enjoying the Flattop scenery.

Det 001!!! Second to None!


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Attempting to be stealthy, so wecan take down the Cadre andsome POCs!

RPS! The Battle of all Battles.

Squadron Commander vs. Squadron Commander. Who will be the victor?


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Humor Corner... Come and Get Some Laughs.

FlightLine Newsletter - Fall 2009

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