CADET NOTES

Maxwell Air Force Base, AL

Sept. - Oct. 2005 Vol. 1, No. 5

MAXWELL COMPOSITE SQUADRON

Hey Pa
by Eddie Gaston
The following is an e-mail that Lt. Col. Gaston received from his son, Eddie. They wanted to share with you how Civil Air Patrol cadet program has prepared Eddie for a real-life situation; specifically, how he was able to assist the victims and evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. The staff of the Cadet Notes thank the Gastons for allowing us to publish this letter.

only cadet with any real training in radio operations When we (about 20 ROTC cadets) got together the and the Incident Command System, so I ended up day after the storm to go volunteer at the Red Cross, spending 24 hours working the command center out I put together a few things in one of my Camelbacks; of the 56 hours that it was online. It was pretty not quite the load we use for Search and Rescue, but tough, but all those years at NESA were a good dress all of the essentials, as we didnt know what we might rehearsal. end up doing. A bunch of the other cadets thought it was a good idea and went back to their apartments to Now I am trying to arrange some get their own packs. That first day, kind of debriefing for our cadets, as we had to go through some Red ...to prepare myself many of our people have had to see Cross training before being sent to some rough things and do some the shelters, but it really wasnt to be of service pretty intense life or death decisionanything already covered in our to my community, making. As soon as I realized that Emergency Services courses. the PMAC (LSUs basketball arena) state, and nation. was being used as a triage and At the shelter that afternoon, all -- from the Civil Air Patrol Cadets Oath primary care facility, I immediately that was really needed was a good thought that we were going to have attitude and a willingness to do to deal with Critical Incident Stress. After being whatever needed to be done to help these people trained up on that at my first NESA, I have an idea of (taking out trash, helping to arrange showers, being what we are going to need to do at the Det. here to there for people to address it. All of the things I had to do as a CAP cadet have someone to talk I NSIDE T HIS E DITION to). Again, CAPs and the experiences I had made it that much easier to go volunteer and hopefully make a difference. emphasis on service Hey Pa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 and the Ground There is still quite a bit of work going on down Team training was DCC Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 here, but they have shut down the PMAC for shelter indispensable. operations. Det. 310 has been put in for a unit Cadet Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . 3 citation for the help we rendered, and many of our The next day we people are still trying to find ways to pitch in. My set up a command National Money . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 meeting this evening is for Phi Sigma Pi, and I am center at the ROTC trying to completely revamp my service plan for the building to help Health Issues year. As I said, I will try to call later tonight. coordinate our Your Bone Account . . . . . . 4 efforts with the Love, SER Winter Encampment . . . . 4 needs of the shelters Eddie on campus. I was the

DCC Corner
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our times in s in saddest of dollar e of the , this is on le cities, billions ds of lives. It ar Cadets De I say san g it when destroyed who have the thou verstatin ans and not o umber in ina has I am rely n e Katr New Orle ur ed in will su I know urrican t, but o neymoon all, what istory. H rddest of ations h as we ho ast. Not only tha n the suffe me, the sa Co and, has seen ra and , i Gulf Barba y and nds in property ississipp ome for Universit e numerous frie lose to h al times on the M Louisiana State v hits c We ha ely d sever dent at ral days. h relativ acatione , is a stu last seve e throug s. Natural disasv die r the ) cam t son, Ed tion hand ove we know se younges ilar situa tion first- whom (as far as than tho u in sim evasta and d y of yo re people ami last ll of mo ing man eas, a on many n tsun there are stated ar de a eir mark the Indian Ocea o doubt the deva , to inclu ave th have n ays le ed. I e, of le losses ill alw stanc terrib unscath Katrina w ue, for in ership suffered b s such as d. The same is tr ter r mem ffecte ily in ou phe. e directly a At least one fam sure, hav stro that cata ber. to ers, I am Decem r memb father, in a chance any of ou e all of you got nd grand LSU here? M father a rt. I hop e and his fellow do from over elief effo t do we h ith the r e work missions w is wha elp out w m our son on th eady flown CAP ast and point no The s to h e co und way have alr rded fro g led to th already fo o e-mails I forwa senior members cally livin ave trave tw am h e en practi our read the er/son te ome of ry has be s from all over th doing. S t one fath t. Major Joe Cur e P unit at leas s are cadets ar ort to CA member ue effor reas and and resc r, providing supp bt, many of our ffected a ants the a earch dou d restaur l Cente ith the s need. No ea businesses an ssisted w onal Operations ca a ar ti g those in s from lo h as CAPs Na cusing on helpin es. For instance, ted by volunteer at ncies suc is ch area, ass various relief age ntry, all fo h our local chur the cou staying in g into throug helping evacuees ations are pourin eding n fe on cthave bee nd, of course, d y. reas affe .A nd the a ippi tion Arm e Salva eople a churches for the p aveland, Mississ ss and th ring, Red Cro ecovery the r even W g, slow r voluntee be a lon rleans, o o, whether it is eed d New O d going to n, and n r, this is nd rebuil each of you can ach of ca o in a ings e ies. Howeve t what do not g ber of th er agenc You just ink abou any num y number of oth ed. ). Th e are an . on 7,000 use ther through d nation (populati r whatever, beca CAP and munity, state, an ,o ithin donating includes both w r com ice to ou his do. T e of serv to b is time to Again, it e Senior M amilies, mbers, F , Sincerely

2005

ston Lt. Col. sGa ton

Lt. Col. G a

Cadet Spotlight
Rank & Name: C/CMSgt. Lorenzo Enriquez School/Grade: Evangel Family Christian Academy/ 9th grade Family: my dad, Lou; my mom, Deborah; my sister, Ariel; my two dogs and cat Hobbies: karate, band/music, volunteering, reading, chess Why did you join CAP? I joined because I wanted to experience what it is like in the military. The most important reason is I found out that you will be given an opportunity to fly and I always wanted to fly. What do you enjoy most about CAP? I most enjoy flying, which is one of the reasons why I joined. I also enjoyed being part of the Color Guard team and the competitions. One of my many great highlights that I have enjoyed in CAP was having lunch with an Air Force Colonel. I also have met some great people. What do you want to be/do when you grow up? What I want to be when I grow up is an Air Force fighter pilot or an Army tank commander. How do you think CAP can help you in your future career choice? CAP has taught me the importance of good leadership and how important it is to have good strong values. Why would you recommend CAP to a friend? I would recommend CAP to a friend because it offers a lot of fun and great knowledge in aerospace and a great opportunity to help others.

National Money
Civil Air Patrol provides nearly $300,000.00 in scholarship opportunities for its cadet and senior members each year. Money is available to help students attend a college or vocational school. Cadets can even earn a pilots license through a CAP scholarship. Too many of the scholarships often go unused, so apply today! Eligibility & Application Requirements: Scholarships are generally advertised each fall for the academic year that begins the following fall. Deadlines vary depending on the scholarship program. All scholarships are available only to current CAP cadet officers and senior members. Other pre-requisites also apply. For complete and current details, visit the CAP scholarship home page, your one-stop source for official CAP scholarship news and information: cap.gov > cadet programs > scholarships

THE CADET OATH

I PLEDGE TO SERVE FAITHFULLY in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, that I will attend meetings regularly, participate actively in unit activities, obey my officers, wear my uniform properly, and advance my education and training rapidly to prepare myself to be of service to my community, state, and nation.

An oath is only as good as the individual ready to abide by his or her word.
-- Unknown
3

HEALTH ISSUES
Health Issues is a three-part series on bone health by Lt. Deborah Enriquez, Nurse Officer. Her latest installation for this issue of the newsletter is titled, Your Bone Account.

Your Bone Account

It used to be that information about healthy bones focused on what could be done late in life to prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bonethinning disease that causes the bones to become brittle and fragile, leading to bone fractures and a curved spine. But new research shows that the calcium added to bones while you are a teenager is actually the foundation for a lifetime of strong bones. Unfortunately, many teens (especially girls) do not get enough calcium. Often teens choose to drink sodas instead of calciumrich milk, which can be double trouble for bones. Not only do sodas not contain calcium, but the phosphates in sodas interfere with the bodys absorption of any calcium that you DO consume. vegetarians and/or avoid milk for some reasons should have no problem since calcium is in other foods such as; tofu, sardines with bones, almonds, dark green vegetables (such as broccoli or bok choy), figs and corn tortillas.

$ave for the future

Think of your bones as a savings account. Into that account, you deposit calcium from foods you eat and drink. Just remember that the deposit window, where you can deposit the calcium and build your bones, is only open during your teen and young adult years. During these years, you make your bones THE STRONGEST THEY WILL EVER BE. Do it now! Deposit calcium your bone account and do your weight bearing exercise everyday, so that you will have the bone mass you need later in life. The amount of bone that you build during these years is your PEAK BONE MASS. As you get older, you can no longer build bones. You can only, at best, maintain the amount of bone you build now.

What builds strong bones?

Calcium builds strong bones and is the major nutrient found in milk and milk products. It is easy to consume enough calcium each day by including milk in your diet. But those who are

SER Winter Encampment

December 26, 2005 January 2, 2006 The South East Region will conduct a Winter Encampment at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Cadet Doolies (1st time encampers) applications are due by November 15, 2005. Cadets of the rank of C/SSgt. or higher who have previously attended an encampment are eligible to apply for cadet staff. Application deadline for staff is October 1, 2005.
Four of our cadets, (Hodgkins, A. Jackson, D. Jackson and Wueshner) along with five others, were part of the Honor Flight of this years Alabama Wing Summer Encampment. Congratulations for a fine performance. Hoo-rah!

For more information on the Encampment, go to the website http://www.mbcscap.com/ser2k5/. 4