Fort Snelling Cadet Squadron

May 2005

Monthly Newsletter of Fort Snelling Cadet Squadron- Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol Auxiliary United Sates Air Force

Vol. 3 No. 5

The objective is to comply with the lawful orders given to us from our CAP leadership. Squadron Commanders need to follow them, as do c/Amn. Remember, you took the oath, and it is up to you to follow it.

A Systems Approach to Safety Series Introduction Commanders Comments Major Kilian The Cadet Oath
"I pledge to serve faithfully in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program and 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." In our continuing look at the Cadet Oath, our attention is drawn next to obeying my officers. In CAP, we are all volunteers. This means if we ignore those in charge of us, it will not affect our income or way of life. In a job that pays money wages, the consequence is getting fired or reduced in pay. In CAP, the consequence of not obeying officers is the suffering of the organization as a whole, and a violation of your personal integrity, since every cadet is required to take the oath upon joining CAP and promoting in the program. It is a much more personal consequence, since we all volunteered to take the oath. Does this mean that we obey all orders given by CAP officers? Common sense does need to apply. If an officer gives you an order that would endanger you or your fellow members, then the officer is in the wrong. It is the fault of the officer giving the illegal order, and that officer will need to be made aware of the situation.

Joseph P Yenkosky, PhD, Captain, CAP Squadron 131 Safety Officer

Ready for some fun learning? Well, we can do it anyway. Lets talk safety. Oh no, not again? Ah, but we do need to learn more about why safety is so important to the CAP and everyone. Safety is not just about trying to avoid trips, falls, cuts or bruises. It is a CAP mission critical element. Safety looks to maximize operational efficiency by effectively using available resources. How you say? Well even if you didnt, lets look at the basics to better understand the how and why of safety. This is the first in a series of articles that will explore the background and important elements of safety. Keep in mind that this is college-level information, so cadets should be really proud when they learn this. If you have any questions dont be afraid to ask questions of me at any meeting or in an e-mail: jyenkosky@sihope.com. OK? Ready, here we go! As you have heard me mention several times, safety is about system failure. So what is a system? This month is all about systems how the idea started and how it is used. (Continued on Page 3)

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Leadership Corner 1st Lt Jana Schrenkler

Your Inner Circle This month we discussed the concept of having an Inner Circle of people to help guide and support you in your leadership development. Inner Circle people are the ones who influence you the most, both negatively and positively. Therefore, it is important for you to recognize the level of influence these people have in your life. Remember these words? We defined each and linked them together. FOLLOWERSHIP - the act or condition of following a leader LEADER - one who has influence or power POWER - a person, group or nation having great influence or control over others. INFLUENCE - power affecting a person, thing or course of events. CADET - a student at a military school who is training to be a military officer. OFFICER - one who holds an office of authority or trust in an organization. TRUST - firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing. INTEGRITY - steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code

CADETS are training to be military officers. OFFICERS hold positions of trust and responsibility. You are relied upon or Trusted with people, information and things. Your Inner Circle helps keep your INTEGRITY intact. Your Inner Circle has the most INFLUENCE over you. As a LEADER, whom do you have INFLUENCE over? How do you treat your FOLLOWERS? What is the difference between positional POWER and personal POWER? Effective LEADERS always have personal POWER and sometimes have positional POWER. Great LEADERS have both. Effective Inner Circle people have earned the right to be there. Your expectations of these people should be to keep you going in the right direction, help you make good decisions and assist in your development as a person, student, cadet, family member, etc. Remember, Inner Circle people can be anyone ranging from parents, close friends, clergy, teachers, mentors, siblings, co-workers, bosses... the list is endless. Remember, you can have someone in your Inner Circle and not be in theirs. Your homework for next Leadership class is to talk to those in your Inner Circle. Let them know the place of importance they play in your life and what you expect of them.

Monthly Newsletter of Fort Snelling Cadet Squadron- Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol Auxiliary United Sates Air Force Page 3 (Continued From Page 1) A REVIEW OF SYSTEMS THEORY What is a system? Systems are organisms or entities that have several components with boundaries. You and I are systems because we have components-organs and a boundary skin. These components interact with the surrounding environment to include feedback and try to reach a stable internal state called homeostasis. If we feel cold (feedback) we try to cover ourselves or eventually the body will shiver to warm up (interacting). What is Systems Theory? Systems Theory looks at the larger aspects of the organism, instead of studying the parts alone. (So we explore what you do instead of thinking about each organ and then combining them somehow). In Systems Theory organisms or organizations interact with the environment so now we can look at people and groups of people. It is not uncommon to hear the phrase "the big picture" used in Systems Theory. The Big Picture refers to the individual' s ability to "see the outside environmental factors" which impact the system. So what is Homeostasis? Homeostasis is the goal of the system. Homeostasis is the state when the system no longer seeks to interact with the environment, but wants to maintain its present condition. (Instead of being cold in the example above, you are just plain comfortable). The homeostatic takes on a slightly different meaning with living organisms. Organisms continually use energy in processes required for survival, but the homeostatic goal still drives the organism toward a condition of consistent operation, instead of a particular steady state. (You wont be comfortable for long, as you will eventually want to move around and do things which will change temperature and you guessed it want to take off the coat). Why do we need Systems Theory? Systems Theory grew among scientists within the twentieth century because it helps solve a problem. Science is based upon rigorous, repeatable, detailed, empirical knowledge; compartmentalized into groups of specialized information. Wow! Even the sentence is complex! Basically, what we learn from science too complex for any one person or even a group of people to remember. (Continued on Page 4)

Aerospace Comments 1st Lt. Jim Kline

Due to Technical Difficulties, there will be no Aerospace article this month

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Scientists found that people can specialize and work in teams to expand their abilities through organized information. Yet, specialization creates another problem. Specialists in one field tend to be unaware of information in other fields of study and this unknown creates a "bubble effect" or "specialty barriers". Now we need to connect the connected information. Oh, it got complex again! Then scientists began to see a need for a connecting way of thinking. This is when Systems Theory grew. Now a big picture can provide how the whole organism or organization works. You loose details, but you get an accurate view of how it works. For example, even with the simplest of animals, trying to predict behaviors with details about variables is too much. But a systems approach allows us to study the animal alone or in groups and predict how they may act. Another example: The theories of Sir Isaac Newton, which proposed forces and detailed relationships governing all physical interactions began, are seen as inadequate during the 20th century. His works were not seen as wrong, just not useful for most scientific calculations. That was because Newton and some of his followers saw the world like a big machine. Each rule-law interacted little upon each other law. So some scientists thought we could look at them like a machine - taken apart analyzed - and put back together again, without losing any meaning. It worked for awhile . . . Then came atomic particles. When atoms are separated, they behave differently than when in an atomic formation. Systems Theory to the rescue! The advances in machines led to the invention of automated machines, which regulated themselves. This led to thinking of machines not as individual mechanisms, but as systems of machines practicing the same sharing of information or tasks in a similar fashion as by humans. Why not think of atoms the same way? Thus, a systematic way of looking at machines / organisms / organizations and atoms grew from technology without a specific inventor or author. So, Systems Theory grew like a system out of many parts combined into one way of looking at things! I hoped you enjoyed this. Next month: how systems theory helps keep bridges from not falling and buildings safe.

Every member in MN WG is entitled to wear the Unit Citation Ribbon

Members of Minnesota Wing, who participated in a search and rescue operation at four miles Northwest of Comfrey MN regarding the crash of a B-47 bomber. The crash occurred on Wednesday, February 20th, 1963 at 2:15pm. The impact of the bomber left a 25' foot deep, 50' wide crater, leaving three airmen found dead with a fourth missing. Three CAP planes and 100 members assisted in the search for missing airman in temperatures ranging in double digits below zero. One of the six engines was found one and a half miles form the crash site. The SAC bomber, stationed out of Lincoln (Lincoln Air Force Base), NE, was conducting a low-level training mission at about 500' a radar bomb to scoring site near Heron Lake. Douglas Wall, the only eye-witness, stated the aircraft was flying at a 45 degree angle with all four engines spewing black smoke. Wall estimated the aircraft to be flying at 800 to 1000 feet when the nose of the bomber suddenly dropped and crashed in almost a vertical position. Had the aircraft been configured in a war-situation, the aircraft would have been carrying an H-bomb. It was the efforts of all the Minnesota Wing HQ members AT THE TIME, who earned the unit citation award as a PERMANENT AWARD. Those of us, who join Minnesota Wing after the fact, are allowed to wear the ribbon as long as we are members of the Wing. If a member transfers out of Minnesota Wing - the unit citation ribbon comes off! Unless of course, you have earned your own! So - every member of the wing is eligible to wear the basic ribbon. And if your unit has earned its own unit citation, it would be a second award (basic ribbon with an attachment), etc. As an example: Members of the Valley Squadron would have three awards: The first award (basic ribbon) for the B-47 crash; the second award (the first attachment) under the command of Lt Col Theis and the third award (second attachment), under the command of Maj Steve Miller. ANYONE CHOOSING TO WEAR THE RIBBON IS FAIR GAME TO BE QUESTIONED BY THE WING IG AND OTHERS, AS TO HOW YOU "EARNED" IT. HONOR THOSE WHO WORKED IN THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES BACK IN 1963

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April Promotions

BY KNOWING AND REMEMBERING THE HISTORY BEHIND IT. I am sure Col Gerald Quilling, Lt Col Tom O' Connor and others who were there would be more than honored to provide a first-hand account of the mission if asked!

1Lt James Kline 5/16 Cadet Amy Bleecker 5/7 Capt Joe Yenkosky PhD 5/17 Capt. (Chaplain) Richard Hodges 5/19 Cadet Brad Couet-Kamrath 5/24 Cadet Jordan Wilzbacher 5/26 SM Melissa Buss 5/31

May Birthdays

Cadet Philip Brick 1 Year 5/3 1Lt James Kline 3 Years 5/15 Cadet Tony Bell 4 Years 5/15 2Lt Andrea Bistodeau 10 Years 5/27

May Service Anniversaries

29 Apr-1 May Wing Conference@ Breezy Point 1 May- PA Workshop @ Breezy Point 13-15 May Group I SAREX 11-13 May Encampment Preparatory School @ Camp Ripley 2- Blues Moral Leadership Commanders Call Safety Brief 9- PT/BDU CPFT/PT Testing Leadership 16- BDUs Aerospace Ed Flight Time (W/guest) 23-Blues Awards Night Home Readiness Open House 30- Memorial Day No Meeting

May Schedule

CAP Websites www.capmart.org http://level2.cap.gov/ www.cap.gov www.mcchord.org/rack_builder/ www.mncap.org www.cap_es.net/ https://ntc.cap.af.mil/es/ics_niims.cfm www.mncap.org/ftsnelling www.thehock.com/

The Golden Dragon is the Monthly Newsletter of the Fort Snelling Cadet Squadron- Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol- Auxiliary United States Air Force The Newsletter is written and published by Major Tony Tarpy, Fort Snelling Cadet Squadron Public Affairs Officer. All article submissions and comments should be directed to me at ttarpy@mn.rr.com or at regular meeting nights. Articles are due the last Monday night of the month and newsletter is published the first Monday of the upcoming month LTC Tony Tarpy- Public Affairs/Editor Major Doug Kilian- Squadron Commander