Three Rivers Celebrates 3d anniversary

Three Rivers Composite Squadron celebrated their 3d anniversary on May 6, 2013. The meeting consisted of eleven cadets and one prospective cadet describing each of their STEM kit aircraft "Delta Dart" projects and flying them, along with a leadership lesson given by C/Maj Cody McCallum.

All squadron personnel, parents, and siblings enjoyed cake, ice cream, and punch at the end of the meeting.

Redstone Cadets

Cadets Airman First Class Connor McCallum and Airman Chris Stroud were presented their certificate for completing the Redstone Stage of the Civil Air Patrol Model Rocketry Program. 

To complete the requirements for the Redstone Stage, a cadet must be able to:
-  Identify historical facts about the development of rockets.
-  Describe the major contributions of the four great rocket pioneers.
- Recall facts about the rocket pioneers' lives and accomplishments.
- Design, build, and launch two non-solid fuel hands-on rocket.

The program consists of three stages: Redstone, Titan, and Saturn.  Upon completion of all three stages, the cadets is awarded the Model Rocketry badge.

TX123 at TXWG Conference

Eight member of Three Rivers Composite Squadron attended the 2013 Texas Wing Conference at the Hilton Houston NASA in Clear Lake, April 11 – 13. Non-stop training and breakaway sessions culminated with Mr.Eugene (Gene) Kranz, former Director of Mission Operations at Johnson Space Center, as the keynote speaker during the awards banquet Saturday night.

Thursday and Friday, CAP members had the opportunity to a variety of half, one, or two day courses to include first aid, senior IG course, Unit Commander’s Course, Mission Pilot Ground School, CPR, and radio programming. Captain Les Roblin, 3RCS Communications Officer, took advantage of the opportunity to attend the radio programming course and can now reprogram MICOM 2 and 3 radios.

Friday afternoon and Saturday were filled with breakaway sessions on an assortment of topic. Training was offered on internet operations, volunteering, CAPERS/CAPSTAR, public affairs, Southwest Region Emergency Services Training and Educations, technology tools for ES, communications, aerospace, ORMS, WMIRS, safety, chaplains, character development, administration, and personnel.

 Cadets were treated to a day at Space Center Houston with guest speakers: Mary Feik, aviation pioneer and namesake for achievement 3 (cadet senior airman), Astronaut, USAF Colonel, and CAP member Eric Boe, and Gene Kranz. Mr. Kranz also gave the cadets a personal tour of the facility.

Saturday lunch started with a change of command for Group 2. Major Steve Hudson relinquished command to Major Jose Avila. Also, Southwest Region Commander Colonel Frank Buethe and Texas Wing Commander Colonel Brooks Cima handed out some of the wing and region awards to include the Colonel Robert “Bud” V. Payton Award for Public Affairs Officer of the Year to 3RCS Commander Major Johanna Augustine.

After dinner on Saturday night, the Keynote Speaker Mr. Gene Kranz, regaled the audience with the story about the fateful night of the explosion in the oxygen tank on Apollo 13 and the sequence of events that followed, coincidently on the 43^rd anniversary of the explosion. Wearing one of the famous white vests made by his wife, Marta, he held the audience spellbound as images of mission control staff flashed on the screen beside him.

The remaining wing awards were handed out before the banquet concluded wrapping up the 2013 Texas Wing Conference. 3RCS members who attend this year’s conference were Major Johanna Augustine, Captain Dave Augustine and Les Roblin, 2^nd Lieutenant Lori McCallum, and Cadets Major Cody McCallum, Master Sergeant A.J. Augustine, Airman First Class Connor McCallum, and Airman Basic Noah Brumley.

For more pictures of the conferencehttps://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.392479027525982.1073741831.120929678014253&type=1&l=ac18a3a14f

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62208000@N05/

SKYWARN Spotters TX123

TX123 Clean's up Texas

Three Rivers Composite Squadron participated in the annual "Don't Mess With Texas" clean up on April 6, 2013 for the third year in a row.

Squadron senior members, cadets, and family members met at the 2-mile stretch of highway on Farm-to-Market 2288 on the north side of O.C. Fisher State Park. First thing on the agenda was a safety briefing about possible hazards that they could encounter while picking up trash. Encounters with local wildlife and insects to include rattlesnakes, mice, lizards, fire ants, and spiders are common as well as vehicles passing at a high rate of speed. Everyone was encouraged to drink plenty of liquids as the temperature began climbing and so did the West Texas wing speed.

Safety vests and trash bags were distributed and then the volunteers split into two groups -- one for each side of the highway. As the temperature started to rise into the 80's, the pace slowed down, but everyone was determined to get the job done. 

After 3 1/2 hours of bending and standing, numerous encounters with dead deer, and finding things that should not be out on the side of the road, volunteers still collected over 30 bags of trash!

"We've received many compliments from local residents", said Squadron Commander Johanna Augustine. "They thanked the squadron taking the time to clean the highway and doing such a great job." 

Febuary 2013 Promotions

Promotion ceremony was accomplished on 4 March 2013 for Cadet Chris Stroud. Cadet Airman Stroud worked hard to earn this promotion and we are proud of his accomplishment.

Legislative Day 2013

Three Rivers Composite Squadron members joined forces with other Texas Wing members on January 8, 2013 at the State Capitol in Austin for the first day of the State Legislature.

A party like atmosphere rang through the halls as members of the House and Senate offered food and drink to those who visited their offices. Cloggers entertained the spectators from throughout the state as they waited in line for seats in the gallery of the House or Senate. The line snaked around the entire length of the third floor as everyone waited patiently for hours for the doors to open.

Texas Wing members took advantage of the day to visit every state representative and senator to explain the benefits of the organization, what CAP could do for their district, and to encourage them to join the Texas Wing Legislative Squadron.

RCS members had the opportunity to sit in the gallery of the House of Representative and watched the swearing in of the 83rd Legislative session. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed lunch at the Capitol Grill and then headed to State Representative Drew Darby’s office to speak with him and his staff.

Squadron members participating in Legislative Day were Major Johanna Augustine, 2^nd Lt Lauri McCallum, Cadets Major Cody McCallum, Senior Master Sergeant Jonah Griggs, Master Sergeant Albert Augustine, Airman Tyler Leech, and Airman Basic Adrienne Leech.

First Aid & CPR Training 2013

This training satisfied the "Basic First Aid Training or Equivalent" requirement for Ground Team Member 3 training.

Lonestar Emergency Services Academy - South 2012

A late, slow moving tropical storm has hit deep south Texas causing massive flooding, power outages, and immense wind damage from gale force winds over the last 72 hours. Civil Air Patrol members are needed immediately to assist with finding and silencing Electronic Locator Transmitters (ELT). Staging area will be at the Brownsville South Padre International Airport. When the call goes out for trained CAP members, would you be ready?

Thirty-two members from Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas will be able to answer yes to that question after attending the Lonestar Emergency Services Academy South – Texas Wing Ground Team School, held annually at the Southwest Regional Training Facility located on the grounds of the Brownsville South Padre International Airport. The facility, consisting of 6 buildings on 5 acres of land donated by the city of Brownsville, was home to students and staff during the week of December 26-31.

Lieutenant Colonel Sean Crandall, project director, provided the initial briefing, welcoming everyone to the home of Brownsville Composite Squadron. Then Crandall distributed Ground & Urban Direction Finding Team Tasks books informing them that if they weren't training they should be reading. After all, the school motto is “If you're awake, you're training!”

After receiving the safety briefing from Lieutenant Colonel Juan Arredondo, assistant project director, about the hazards in the Rio Grande Valley, students and staff were transported to the training site in CAP vans. Upon arrival, students and staff received their building assignments for sleeping and the staging area was set up in the administration building. Instruction was started immediately on Ground Team Member 3 and Urban Direction Finding Team Familiarization and Preparatory training tasks.

Days and nights blurred together as training started at sunrise and ended long after dusk. During the 140 hour course, students had the opportunity to navigate a 1.5 mile land-navigation course and practiced extricating an injured pilot from a Piper Cub fuselage. Cadets and seniors alike were seen practicing line searches and hasty searches throughout the massive training area which included an additional 180 acres of secured land located adjacent to the training area's 5 acres.

To add a touch of realism to the training, students were transported to the Port of Brownsville to search for an aircraft that had engine failure and did an emergency landing near the port. Ground teams were dispatched to look for debris and silence the ELT.

Students also had the opportunity to utilize the different types of radio equipment in the CAP inventory – Intra Squad Radios (ISR), EF Johnson (portable VHF), van mounted mobile VHF radios, base- station VHF radio, and ALE high frequency radio. “Using the ALE HF radios, the students were able to communicate with Texas Wing Winter Encampment, located on the northern end of the state in Mineral Wells, over 500 miles away”, according to Lt. Col. Arredondo, assistant project director and commander of the Brownsville Composite Squadron.

The future of LESA South looks bright. Lt. Col. Crandall's goals are simple, but his dream of a future training facility are big. “We still have a great need to train CAP members on ground team skills. If we can train one or two members to have them go back to their home units certified, this helps build the GT programs across the state. This year, our school shows the overwhelming need to train more GT members. This year we have 32 student’s from 4 wings and 17 units from the Southwest Region. Everyone attending this year’s school is coming from units WITHOUT active ground teams at their home units.”

The future home of the Southwest Regional Training Facility has 6 buildings under renovation and consist of an administration building, cadet building, senior building, historical museum, supply building, and an operations center. The operations center will house a 20 station computer lab, communications room, and a 25 person operations room. It will be utilized by the Brownsville Composite Squadron, LESA South, and the city of Brownsville.

Still not convinced that you should attend LESA South next year? With a student/instructor ratio of 3 to 1, you can't go wrong with the individual attention you will receive. You will have the opportunity to begin and possibly complete your qualifications in at least one of the following: Urban Direction Finding, Mission Staff Assistance, Mission Radio Operator, Ground Team Member 3, 2, and 1, and Ground Team Leader.

The one thing all of the students agreed on when asked what they thought about the course, “IT WAS FUN!” You can't go wrong with that.

3RCS hosts Wreaths Across America

Three Rivers Composite Squadron hosted the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Grape Creek Cemetery on December 15, 2012.  This is the third year the squadron has hosted the ceremony.

2012 marked the 21thanniversary of Worcester Wreath Company donating Maine wreaths to adorn the headstones of our Nation’s veterans at Arlington National Cemetery.  In addition to wreaths destined for Virginia, Worcester Wreath donated 7 ceremonial wreaths to over 570 State, National and local cemeteries across the Country. In 2009 wreath-laying ceremonies were coordinated in 24 foreign cemeteries, this tradition continues into 2012.

Three cadets were promoted during the October 2012 promotion ceremony.

Cadet Senior Airman Raymond W. Parson received the Wright Brothers Award and was promoted to the rank of cadet staff sergeant during the October promotion ceremony. Requirements for the Wright Brothers Award consist of passing a comprehensive exam on all leadership knowledge taught during Phase I of the Civil Air Patrol program, passing the Cadet Physical Fitness Test, attending a Character Development forum, and attending weekly meetings. The Wright Brothers Award is the first of four milestone awards and cadet can achieve.

Cadet Airman Connor P. McCallum completed the requirements for the H.H. "Hap" Arnold Achievement and was promoted to the rank of airman first class. Requirements of this achievement consist of passing a test on leadership, a test on an Aerospace Dimensions Module, a performance test in drill and ceremonies, attending a Character Development forum, passing the Cadet Physical Fitness Test, and attending weekly meetings.

Cadet Airman Basic Elizabeth Wolfe completed the requirements for the Major John F. Curry Achievement and was promoted to the rank of airman.

Requirements of this achievement consist of passing a test on leadership, a performance test in drill and ceremonies, attending a Character Development forum, passing the Cadet Physical Fitness Test, and attending weekly meetings.

Congratulations to all promotees on a job well done!

Three Rivers Composite Squadron received the 2011-2012 Aerospace Education EXcellence certificate from the Civil Air Patrol.  The AEX program is very popular program for its members that involves doing hands-on aviation and space-related activities with students.  The squadron was required to complete six aerospace activities and one two-hour or longer field experience (space day, trip to the airport or museum, etc.) between 1 October 2011 - 30 September 2012.

Activities this year included glider orientation flights, map reading, learning about the basics of aerodynamics, rocket building, Midland Airsho, and a high-altitude weather balloon launch.

Texas Wing New Headquarters

The Texas Wing new headquarters building is now a reality! Col. Cima hosted a tour of the facility on 4 August 2012 for anyone wishing to attend. The building is a former National Guard/Texas Guard facility with a large open bay, multiple offices, a kitchen, a couple of classrooms, and some storage bays.

The plan has already been formulated to make the building a fairly "state-of-the-art" facility and it's going to be a facility where "One wing, one team" can come together and do some good things. The following are images taken of the facility.

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Three Rivers Composite Flight has garnered the "2012 Quality Cadet Unit Award" given by the Civil Air Patrol. Units must complete a specific number of activities, have a number of senior members with specific training, and a specific percentage of new recruits for the specific time frame. Congratulations to Three Rivers Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol!

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 July '12 Promotions & Awards

Three Rivers Composite Squadron conducted monthly promotions and awards ceremonies on 23 July 2012. Cadets were promoted, awarded basic encampment ribbons, devices for follow-on encampment participation, first flight, and senior members were awarded service ribbons. For more information and images see "Admin."

 

Freedom Fest 2012 went off with a "bang" at San Angelo Foster Field on 4 July 2012. Three Rivers Composite Squadron was out in full force, maintaining a booth to distribute information regarding the Civil Air Patrol, Aerospace Education, and offering a bit of fun with an electronic "Hoop shot" basketball game. For more information, click FREEDOMFEST 2012.

 MEMORIAL DAY 2012

Three Rivers Composite Squadron personnel participated in two activities on Memorial Day.

In honor of the Tom Green County veterans who served, Three Rivers Composite Squadron members placed flags on veteran graves in Grape Creek Cemetery, Water Valley Cemetery, and Pioneer Memorial Park during the morning hours.

"Because of the size of the Grape Creek/Water Valley area, placing flags in these cemeteries is a bit more personal," said Three Rivers Squadron Commander Maj. Johanna Augustine. "You begin to develop a connection with these people as they are your friends and neighbors."

Later that day, squadron members attended the All Veteran's Council of Tom Green County Memorial Day Commemoration at the Tom Green County Courthouse. Cadets assisted by distributing programs and water, and assisting members of the local veteran organizations during the ceremony commemorating Tom Green County veterans.

The guest speaker for the event was retired United States Marine Corp Major Donald "Donnie" Dunagan who honored us with stories of his service in Vietnam. He related to the crowd the large number of Tom Green County deceased veterans in relation to those of nearby counties.

Maj. Dunagan was born August 16, 1934 in San Antonio, TX. After being discovered by a studio talent scout at the age of three, his family moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in seven films including voicing Walt Disney's Bambi. At the age of eighteen, Dunagan enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he became the Marines Corps youngest-ever drill instructor. Maj. Dunagan served three tours in Vietnam, where was wounded. He retired from the service in 1977.

Three Rivers Composite Squadron
Presents Colors at San Angelo Colts Baseball Game

Three Rivers Composite Squadron Color Guard presented the Colors at the San Angelo Colts baseball game opening day ceremony on Wednesday, May 23, and Friday, May 25.

The hot and humid weather at the opening day ceremony at Foster Field didn't stop the Three Rivers' Color Guard. With more than four thousand fans in attendance, the Color Guard comprised of Cadets Maj. Cody McCallum, 2nd Lt Niklas McCallum, SMSgt Jonah Griggs, and A1C Katelyn Parsons flawlessly presented the colors for the opening day crowd after overcoming pregame performance jitters.

Two days later Color Guard members again presented the Colors for the Friday night game. Cadets Maj. Cody McCallum, 2nd Lt. Niklas McCallum, CMSgt Nathaniel Ferguson, and SMSgt Jonah Griggs presented the Colors to a much smaller, but no less enthusiastic crowd. With nerves in check, the team once again knocked it out of the ballpark and scored a homerun!

Lubbock Bivouac

Three Rivers Composite Squadron traveled to Slaton Airfield under an invitation from the Lubbock Composite Squadron for a bivouac opportunity. The Lubbock Squadron was the lucky recipient of tents from one of the local Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) organizations.

TX123 at Children's Fair 2012

The Three Rivers Composite Squadron once again brought the Civil Air Patrol to life in San Angelo through providing a booth to "Build and Launch Your Own Rocket" at the 22nd Annual Healthy Families San Angelo Children's Fair at Unidad Park on 22 April 2012.

The weather was perfect for launching air-powered rockets in the park and between 125 and 150 children took advantage of the opportunity thanks to C/TSgt A.J. Augustine, C/SrA Jonathon Goeddey, C/Amn Christopher Goeddey, 1st Lt. John Goeddey, Maj. Johanna Augustine, and Capt. Dave Augustine. Children were instructed in cutting down cardboard tubes leftover from paper towel rolls, wrapping them around a 1-1/2-inch piece of PVC pipe and using masking and duct tape to prepare and decorate their very own rocket. Most of the rockets were successfully launched into the safety recovery zone, but not unlike our rocketing fore-fathers (and mothers), there were some "catastrophic" failures. All involved seemed to really enjoy the opportunity to build and fly their rockets, and while the majority of prospective cadets were in the 8-10 year age bracket, many now have the knowledge what CAP is all about.

R40 repeater becomes reality

The San Angelo (R40) repeater that has eluded the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) since 2007 has finally become a reality. Three Rivers Composite Squadron (TX-123) and San Angelo Composite Squadron (TX-023) teamed up to mount the repeater antenna on the Tom Green County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) tower, and completed the installation of the repeater on 13 April 2012. Lt. Col. Eddie Stamper (TX-023), Capt's. Les Roblin and Dave Augustine (TX-123) spent the better part of five hours preparing the tower, lifting the repeater antenna to the mounting location, and installing the repeater in the communications room of the EOC under the watchful eye of Tom Green County San Angelo Texas Emergency Management Coordinator, Ron Perry.

This installation is the result of the CAP being regulated by the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), as opposed to civilian frequencies which are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In 2007, CAP began implementing new technical standards required by NTIA and the U.S. Air Force mandating operations on "narrow band" frequencies. This meant changing the hardware of every CAP VHF radio repeater, nationwide, to comply with this standard. As San Angelo's area had yet to have a repeater operational, there was a need to coordinate with local and state agencies for the authorization to install a repeater. After much coordination back and forth between agencies, and a lot of "dotting i's and crossing t's", the authorization was finally completed opening the way for the install. For more images click here.

Glider Flights

On Saturday, 31 March, Three Rivers Flight enjoyed the opportunity to get in glider orientation flights thanks to Maj. Dianne Wieman (pilot), Steve Rice (tow-plane), Tim Witt and Dylan Jackson (ground crew) at the Boerne Stage Airfield in Boerne, Texas. Eight cadets received at least one glider orientation flight and six cadets received two.

Group V Headquarters supported the unit by allowing us to stay in the headquarters building on Saturday evening. The shower and air conditioning were greatly appreciated. Senior members Capt. Les Roblin, 2nd Lt. Lauri McCallum, Capt. Dave Augustine, and Maj. Johanna Augustine provided senior mentoring for the weekend. More images can be found on the Three Rivers Flight Civil Air Patrol Facebook® page.

 VFW Awards

 The Veteran's of Foreign Wars Post 1815 awarded Three Rivers Flight Cadet Commander, Captain Cody McCallum and Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Nathaniel Ferguson the VFW Award for 2012. Captain McCallum accepted the awards for both cadets during a ceremony conducted Monday, 19 March 2012 at the VFW Post 1815.

During the 27 February 2012 Awards and promotions night, we promoted three cadets and handed out four awards.

Cadet Nathaniel Ferguson completed the Achievement Seven (Goddard) and was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant. Cadet Raymond Parsons completed Achievement Two (Hap Arnold) and was promoted to Airman First Class. Cadet Connor McCallum completed Achievement One (Curry) and was promoted to Airman. Congratulations to these cadets!

Click here for images and more.

DSAREX 25-26 Feb 2012

Three Rivers Flight participated in the latest Distributed Search and Rescue Exercise (DSAREX) conducted at the San Angelo Emergency Operations Center on February 25th and 26th, 2012. Eight members of the flight worked on Communications, Ground Team Member Level 3 (GTM3), and Urban Direction Finding (UDF) team tasks during the exercise. Two members, Capt. Johanna Augustine and Cadet TSgt A.J. Augustine completed all the tasks for both GTM3 and UDF and have been awarded their certification by the Texas Wing. Four cadets, SMSgt (CMSgt-selectee) Nathaniel Ferguson, MSgt Jonah Griggs, A1C Raymond Parsons, and Amn Katelyn Parsons completed the majority of advanced training in both certifications and only need complete their online and first-aid training to qualify their GTM3 and UDF status.

Members of the San Angelo Composite Squadron, Midland Composite Squadron, and Texas Leadership Charter Academy (TLCA) Cadet Squadron also participated in the DSAREX. TLCA members completed the majority of the advanced tasks for GTM3 and UDF. Members of the Midland Composite Squadron completed required Form 5 and Form 91 flights for pilots, and members of the San Angelo Composite Squadron provided much-needed administrative and communications assistance with the DSAREX.

The DSAREX activity in San Angelo was part of a wing-wide (all of Texas) activity primarily aimed at getting personnel trained in the Geospatial Information Interoperability Exploitation Portable (GIEEP) with the National Guard out of San Antonio. Ten sites throughout Texas acted as Staging Areas with the Incident Command Post generated from Mesquite, Texas.

Upcoming Encampment INFO

New Mexico Encampment will be June17 through June 22. You can find all the required information at the New Mexico Wing website.

Texas Encampment will be 30 June through 7 July. You can find all the required information at the Texas Cadet website.

Safety Down Day

Three Rivers Flight conducted the annual 2012 Safety Down Day on 30 January 2012 instead of a regular Monday meeting. All members, cadets and seniors, were broken up into groups of three and were tasked with coming up with five separate safety issues and how to abate them for the different missions of the Civil Air Patrol. Cadet Programs, Aerospace Education, Emergency Services, Counter-Drug/Drug Demand Reduction were all considered, along with a fifth "catch-all" category. More...

 Three Rivers ACE training

Three Rivers Flight traveled to Odessa-Schlemeyer Field (KODO) in Odessa, Texas, on Saturday, 28 January 2012, to participate in the Areawide Command Exercise (ACE) conducted by the Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol.

Click HERE for images and more information.

Texas Wing IG Poster

The Texas Wing Inspector General has released a new flyer detailing how the "IG" system works and how you can use it. Everyone should be aware of how this program works and what it can do for you. It is extremely important that everyone take a look at this flyer and be familiar with it.

 All Veteran's Council Dinner 2011

Three Rivers Flight helped to celebrate the season by working the All Veteran's Council dinner on 11 December 2011. Cadets and seniors, alike, took their turns at assisting the veterans attending the dinner. Three Rivers senior members worked in the kitchen, preparing the cooked turkeys and hams provided by the various veterans organizations throughout San Angelo and the Concho Valley. These organizations work hard throughout the year to assist veterans, and this was an opportunity for Three Rivers to give back to our veterans.

After the veterans arrived at the Veteran's of Foreign Wars Hall in San Angelo, the Three Rivers Color Guard proudly presented our nation's colors. The American Legion chaplain gave the blessing, and the eating began. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, Italian green beans, corn, cranberries, and much, much more was available. Everyone was able to fill their plates and enjoy some camaraderie with acquaintances from the past. It also gave Three Rivers cadets an opportunity to speak with veterans and active duty members from Goodfellow Air Force Base, and receive some valuable guidance from our communities heroes. All in all, it was a good day across the board.

Wreaths Across America 2011

Three Rivers Flight dedicated this year's Wreath's Across America ceremony to veteran Effie Jo Fullard, a supporter of our efforts, who recently passed.

Three Rivers Flight braved a fifteen mile per hour wind and 39-degree weather to celebrate "Wreath's Across America" with members of the Grape Creek and Water Valley communities at the Grape Creek Cemetery on 10 December 2011.

This was the second year for the Three Rivers Flight to conduct a ceremony at the Grape Creek Cemetery. Many members of the local community also braved the weather to assist in laying the wreaths on the marked veteran graves throughout the cemetery. Many of the members were family of the veterans and expressed their thanks for the remembrance ceremony.

While this was the second year for the flight to conduct a ceremony, this was the first year we have been able to cover all the graves in the Grape Creek Cemetery. And, while a shipping problem prevented all the wreaths from arriving on time, the Three Rivers Flight also had enough decorative wreaths to cover the marked veteran graves in the Water Valley Cemetery. While short of our overall goal, this represented a 25% increase in sponsorships of wreaths from last year's total. Our thanks to those who donated and sponsored wreaths for the ceremony. We have already begun receiving sponsorships for next year's ceremony.

Veteran's Day Parade 2011

Cold winds and an overcast sky gave way to a beautiful sunny day for this year's San Angelo Veteran's Day Parade on November 5th and Three Rivers Flight was there to thank veterans for their service to the nation.

3RF entered the parade for the first time with a float designed and built by the cadets. In honor of the Civil Air Patrol's emergency services mission, the float consisted of a crashed aircraft with cadets providing first aid to the pilot. Cadets Airman First Class Calvin James, and Airman Basics Noah Hixon and Daniel Sarabia provided first aid to the pilot, unit mascot "Just Joe".

Other members of the unit walked next to the float handing out carabiners and candy to spectators and thanking veterans along the parade route. The people lining the streets were waving, cheering, saluting, and even crying as each float from local veteran organizations, marching troops from Goodfellow Air Force Base, and Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) from Angelo State University, Central and Lake View High Schools went by.

Thanks to Mrs. Lynn Parsons who donated the use of her trailer and was the driver for the float and to the All Veterans' Council for allowing Three Rivers Flight Civil Air Patrol to participate in this year's parade.

Midland Commemorative Air Force Airsho

Three Rivers Flight members ventured to Midland International Airfield to participate as fighter ramp security and to assist setting up the Aaron Tippin show stage at the Commemorative Air Force Airsho on 8 October 2011. Ten cadets and three senior members went to Midland and spent the night at the Texas State Guard Armory on Friday and Saturday evening.

Cadets were broken into four squads and were stationed at various locations along the fighter ramp assisting the public with identification of, and some specific details of the aircraft by which they were stationed. While battling rain and heavy wind, the cadets were finally successful at the end of the day when the concert began and the cadets returned to the armory for barbeque and well-deserved rest.

Things went much the same on Sunday morning with members waking at 0530 hours, getting their personal gear packed and preparing the armory for departure. The CAP members then marched to the airfield from the armory and once again provided security and safety for the fighter ramp. Cadets and seniors were given the opportunity to view many World War II aircraft up close, along with enjoying watching the many flying activities to include a demonstration by an A-10 (WARTHOG) ground attack aircraft, a B-1B (LANCER) bomber flight demonstration, and a flyover by the B-2 (SPIRIT).

The 3RCF members worked until the end of the Airsho and then departed for home, first stopping to get a well-deserved meal. We returned home at 2015 hours on Sunday evening and by 2045 hours, every cadet was back with their families and the activity could be considered a success. At least three Commemorative Air Force members informed the senior staff of 3RCF that "Whatever you're doing with these cadets, keep it up!" Many compliments were given to not only the 3RCF members for their actions at the Airsho, but all CAP members in attendance. The plans are already in the works to be included in next years "Midland CAF Airsho."

More images are available at the gallery pages.

Cadet Commander takes the 3RCF cadet reins

The Three Rivers Flight of the Civil Air Patrol Texas Wing took another step forward with the appointment of our first cadet commander, Capt. Cody McCallum. Capt. McCallum assumed the role of cadet commander from Three Rivers Flight commander, Capt. Johanna Augustine at a ceremony conducted at a regular weekly meeting of the flight in Grape Creek, Texas.

Capt. McCallum has a strong background in leadership, earned his CAP Basic Ground Team badge, has earned qualification as a member of a Urban Direction Finding Team, has participated in ten orientation flights of Civil Air Patrol aircraft, attended six cadet encampments of which one he was the "Honor Flight" commander, and has received the Wright Brothers, Billy Mitchell, and Amelia Earhart ribbons for completion of milestones in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program.

Other awards and promotions were conducted on the evening, and information on those events can be found on the Cadet Programs page.

What goes up...

  What goes up, must come down! 312th Training Squadron, Department of Defense certified instructors at Goodfellow Air Force Base provided the training and allowed Three Rivers Flight personnel the opportunity to use the training facility and rappel. Seven cadets and one senior took advantage of the opportunity and "spread their wings."

This activity was initially planned many months ago and following all the coordination required through the various Air Force and other DOD agencies, and the Group I and Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol command, it was realized on 10 September 2011. Each participant was afforded the opportunity to learn how to "strap in" to the harnesses and then were each given the opportunity to rappel down the training wall. Some were quite capable and some encountered some "gravity challenged" positions. All in all, it was a great day! For more images, visit our "New Gallery."

Recent Promotions

    

Due to the number of activities we've been involved with over the summer, we had two "Wright Brothers" awards and a new "Curry" promotee in August. Cadet Taylor Leavelle was promoted to Airman, and Cadets Jonah Griggs and A.J. Augustine were officially pinned as Staff Sergeant. Congratulations to all!

High Altitude Balloon

Two for two! The Three Rivers Flight Civil Air Patrol is on a roll! We've managed to build, launch, and recover our second attempt at getting high-altitude video or still footage. While we still haven't managed to reach our intended goal of 100,000 feet, we've come much closer with our second attempt...nearly 92,000 feet. However, our success didn't come without some difficulty!

First off, we would like to once again thank those who made this effort possible: Air Force Association, American Legion Post 32, ATMOS Energy, 29^th Street Walmart, Robison Electric, Home Depot, Michalewicz Insurance Agency in Grape Creek, and additionally, Dave Lewis, and Grape Creek Independent School District. Without the support of these sponsors, this wouldn't have been impossible, just much, much, much more difficult. For more information click here.

New Mexico Encampment

The results of the 2011 New Mexico Encampment:

We'll try to post a chronology of the two TX-123 and one TX-023 cadet trip and participation during the 2011 New Mexico summer encampment. On Thursday, 9 June, we left Grape Creek at 1300Z and traveled to Bernalillo, NM for the night. We arrived at 2300Z, gaining an hour on the day! We checked into the motel and discovered a Taco Bell and KFC down the street, in the same parking lot! We plan on rising at 1200Z tomorrow, and getting some breakfast down the road at Denny's, then travel the 20-some miles to the Onate Complex for check-in to the encampment. We'll try to post new pictures on a daily basis and give a running chronology for anyone to follow. We'll post local times for comparison. For more, visit our Cadet Programs page.

"TX196 and TX123 Commemorate Memorial Day 2011"

   The Midland Composite Squadron (TX196) and Three Rivers Flight (TX123) spent Memorial Day enjoying the Commemorative Air Force Open Display Day on Memorial Day, 30 May 2011. The units combined and performed safety and security responsibilities for the static displays open during the day for crowds to get inside some of the aircraft and learn about their history.

   The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) provided a lunch for the volunteers who stood by nine separate aircraft and assisted visitors with getting into and out of aircraft and answering questions regarding not only the aircraft but the facility. The activity was conducted inside the hangar previously used to store "Fifi", the B-17 belonging to the CAF.

"Thank you, firefighters!"

   The Three Rivers Flight assisted the United Way of the Concho Valley with setup, serving, and disassembly during the luncheon for the Concho Valley Volunteer Fire Departments held at El Paseo de Santa Angela on 22 May 2011. Cadets and senior members helped in setting out chairs and tables, preparing the tables with covering, setting out food and drinks, serving food and drinks, and "knocking down" and storing after the luncheon. Members of the Pecan Creek, Dove Creek, Quail Valley, Grape Creek, Bronte, Robert Lee, Paint Rock, Water Valley, Wall, Christoval, and Carlsbad Volunteer fire departments, their families, and military members from Goodfellow Air Force Base enjoyed brisket, potato salad, green beans, pinto beans, cornbread, white rolls, and cobler all washed down with iced tea.

There's no school like Homeschool!

   The Three Rivers Flight spent Friday afternoon at the San Angelo Homeschool Association Conference conducted at Paul Ann Baptist Church. Three Rivers Flight personnel spoke to many prospective members regarding the missions of the Civil Air Patrol ,and the advantages for not only the cadets to possibly receive future scholarship consideration, but what is available for senior members.

 "Wow, look who's a year old!"

   The Three Rivers Flight celebrated their one year anniversary on 6 May 2011. The unit has been very active for it's initial year and we don't plan on stopping anytime soon!. Keep an eye on this website for future activities we have planned to keep up our efforts to be a premier Civil Air Patrol unit.

  

   Here's a little something we've done in the last year. Pay particular attention to the last article! CAP Members

Do you have what it takes?

   We are using this to promote our unit and show what we can do with that which we received. We've had a pretty busy year to this point, participating in a landing zone preparation training with Shannon AirMed1, conducting a high-altitude balloon launch and recovery, CERT training, First Aid/CPR/AED training, a DSAREX, an ACE, had three cadets receive their first orientation flights, participated in the San Angelo Amateur Radio Club Field Day, participated in the Midland Commemorative Air Force AIRSHO, STORM SPOTTER training, and deconstructed a 40-foot communications tower. And, we're not done yet...we participated in the "Don't Mess with Texas" trash pick-up day, are scheduled to participate in the Commemorative Air Force Open Cockpit to be held on Memorial Day, and we have cadets and seniors going to the New Mexico Encampment in mid-June. Think that's enough...not quite, we are planning another launch of the high-altitude balloon, we will be participating in more Search-and-Rescue exercises, and we are going to attempt to secure a new aerospace project, but you'll have to come see us to find out.

   Think you have what it takes to be a member of the Civil Air Patrol? We meet on Monday's at the Grape Creek Family Fellowship Church on the frontage road in Grape Creek. If you'd like some additional information, you can contact us through the "contact" tab at the top of the page. We'd love to have you come find out about us and maybe even develop a desire to join up!