WingTips

THE NEWSLETTER
OF MINNESOTA
WING,
CIVIL AIR PATROL

SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:
DECEMBER 2007/JANUARY 2008
SAREX held in
Crystal
Minnesota Wing Headquarters Staff Treated to Dinner
Letter from the
editor Lt. Col. John Quilling

Safety Brief
On December 3, Minnesota Wing Headquar- Wing members on a job well done and shared
Awards and ters staff were treated to an appreciation some thoughts for the wing as a whole.
promotions dinner, compliments of Col. Steve Miller, Lt.
Col. Tom Kettell, Lt. Col. John Quilling and When the staff finished their dinners they were
Calendar treated to an outstanding presentation on
Maj. Jerry Rosendahl. Mrs. Kirsty McCracken
helped with planning and decorating. leadership by 1st Lt. Robin Helgager. Lt. Hel-
gager made the trip from Bemidji to the Wing
Staff members arrived early and at about Maintenance Facility especially for the occa-
7pm everyone took their seats at tables ar- sion.
ranged in a large circle.
INSIDE THIS After Lt. Helgager’s presentation, Maj. Eric
ISSUE: The festivities began with a surprise visit by Grubb was presented his Paul E. Garber
Santa (Mr. Bill Willis) and his elf helper (Maj. Award by Col. Miller.
Wreaths 1 Conrad Peterson). Santa and the elf served
Across Amer- the staff beverages and Lt. Col. Quilling be-
ica gan the dinner with a toast, thanking staff
members for a great year in 2007. Maj.
Tribute to 2 Rosendahl in turn toasted staff and shared a
NASA’s Ed few words in looking ahead to 2008. Col.
Lewis Miller made a toast and shared some high-
lights of the current year and shared some
Ft. Snelling 3
thoughts about the coming year.
Tours NWA
Training Cen- Maj. Eric Peltier of the USAF, North Central
ter. Liaison Region (NCLR) gave a toast to all MN
Mission Infor- 4 Santa and the elf serving staff beverages.
mation Officer
Workshop Wreaths Across America
SLS Held at 5 Maj. Jerry Rosendahl
Bemidji Minnesota Wing members from five squadrons
Radiological 6 and Wing Headquarters participated in
Emergency Wreaths Across America at Ft. Snelling Na-
Rehearsal tional Cemetery on Saturday, December 15,
2007. This was the second year of this memo-
rial service which honors all former and current
members of our military, but especially those
who have died while preserving our freedom.

During the memorial service, an Honor Guard

of Minnesota Wing cadets laid wreaths on Lt. Col. John Quilling (left) and Maj. Jerry Rosendahl
graves representing each of the branches of (right) place wreaths at the graves of fallen soldiers
the military. while a young spectator looks on.

Wreaths Across America continued on page 3

 Ed Lewis - His Contrail Remains at NASA Sarah Merlin of NASA
A large crowd
of friends, co-
workers and
family mem-
bers gathered
recently at
NASA's Dryden
Flight Research
Center to bid
farewell to
NASA research pilot pilot Edwin W.
Edwin Lewis in cockpit. Lewis Jr., "a delightful and
bigger-than-life man” who
was remembered as "a con-
trail that won't dissipate."
Lewis, whose NASA career
spanned 18 years at Dryden
and Ames research centers,
and Civil Air Patrol’s Nevada
Wing Commander Col. Dion E.
DeCamp perished Nov. 8
when the patrol's Cessna 182
they were flying crashed into
a mountain peak southwest of
Las Vegas. Lewis had served
as the patrol's Pacific Region
Director of Operations,
among many other posts held
in more than five decades of
service with the group.
Fellow pilots Bill Brockett,
Gordon Fullerton and Rogers
Smith, Center Director Kevin
Petersen and several Civil Air
Patrol representatives were
among those who entered "the
target-rich environment of Ed
Lewis stories" to memorialize
their lost colleague.
Lewis was celebrated for his
quick wit, direct approach to
life and for his "perfect com-
bination of serious profession-
alism and wise-cracking opti-
mism," Brockett said. A touch-
ing video montage made by
Dryden videographer Lori
Losey featured highlights of
Lewis’ life and career.
Petersen noted Lewis' legacy
of scientific advancement made
through the many science flights
he helped plan and execute on
NASA science platform air-
craft. He remembered Lewis
as "a pilot who could always
be counted on, day in and day
out, to be extremely prepared
and ready to fly."
"Ed was a real champion of
Dryden and a tremendous am-
bassador for aviation in gen-
eral," Petersen said.
But it was Lewis' zest for life
that brought the most acco-
lades, with one speaker noting
a Lewis trademark: a flight suit
patch he wore depicting what
the speaker called "a 'fun' me-
ter – pegged all the way to
the right."
"When Ed rolled down the ce-
lestial assembly line, they for-
got to put neutral in his trans-
mission," said Brockett. "Ed was
about energy and speed
speedy machines, quick wit -
even speedy food."
"He taught me things I never
imagined a DC-8 would do,"
Fullerton said in recalling sci-
ence missions the two had
flown in the research plat-
form. "A few days ago, the
pilots were scheduling flights,
juggling assignments to cover
the researchers' needs, when
they realized they couldn’t
cover the schedule because
'Ed's not here.'
"Ed was a legend in his own
time. He will continue to be a
legend in the future. He will
never be replaced or forgot-
ten."
Lewis, 71, had been a Dryden
research pilot since 1997.
Prior to that, he had been a
pilot for eight years at Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field,
Calif.
At Dryden, Lewis flew the DC-
8, G-III, King Air, YO-3A and
T-34C and was a monitor pilot
for the G-III, King Air and YO-
3A. While at Ames he flew 10
aircraft including the C-130B,
C-141A, DC-8-72, UH-1, SH-
3, King Air, Lear 24, T-38A, T-
39G and YO-3A.
Earlier on the day of the fatal
crash, Lewis, co-pilot Brockett
and flight engineer Marty
Trout had flown the DC-8 from
McClellan Airfield, Sacra-
mento, to Dryden's new Air-
craft Operations facility at Air
Force Plant 42 in Palmdale.
Lewis and DeCamp were trav-
eling to Rosamond when the
accident occurred. The cause
of the crash is under investiga-
tion by the National Transpor-
tation Safety Board.
NASA’s modified DC-8 now
carries the name of the late
Edwin W. Lewis below its cockpit
window, a tribute to his 18 years
piloting this unique science labo-
ratory.
PAGE 2
Wreaths Across America (continued from front page)
Lt. Governor Carol Molnau spoke
of the important role played by
our military in securing our safety.
She also thanked the Civil Air Pa-
trol for providing this opportunity
to honor our heroes.
Representing Minnesota Wing
Headquarters, Maj. Jerry Rosen-
dahl highlighted the mission of
Wreaths Across America, which is
to remember the fallen, to honor
those who have served and are
serving, and to teach America's
youth the value of freedom. After
the service, hundreds of addi-
tional wreaths were placed on
graves by those in attendance
while members of the Patriot
Guard stood watch, each with a
US flag by their side.
In 2006 all 52 Wings of Civil Air
Patrol participated in this event,
Ft. Snelling Members Tour Northwest Airlines Training Center
C/Col. Charles Cox
Nine cadets and two officers from
Ft. Snelling Cadet Squadron recently
had the opportunity to tour the
Northwest Airlines Training Center in
Eagan. The tour was led by Col.
Michael Huttner, Minnesota Wing
USAFR Coordination Officer and
NWA pilot and instructor.
Col. Huttner led the CAP members
through classrooms equipped with
computerized learning and testing
abilities, practice emergency equip-
ment, and flight simulators. Cadets
sat behind mock cockpits used to
familiarize pilots with switch and
gauge locations before moving on
to the real simulators. Each cadet
and officer had the chance to sit in
the pilot’s seat of the giant hydrauli-
cally operated simulator and fly the
jumbo jet out of Honolulu Airport.
Cadets also practiced using emer-
and were expected to do so again.
The National Commander, Brig.
Gen. Amy Courter, attended the
ceremony at Arlington National
Cemetery in Washington, DC where
she said "Wreaths Across America
provides a nationwide venue for our
55,000 volunteers to complement
the innumerable ways in which CAP Lt. Governor Carol Molnau speaks to Wreaths
members have been serving their Across America attendees.
communities through Emergency Ser-
vices, Aerospace Education and Ca-
det Programs for more than 66
years. The infinite possibilities that
Wreaths Across America provides to
honor America's Veterans in part-
nership with patriotic-minded citi-
zens is an exciting addition to CAP's
mission".
CAP cadet salutes after placing wreath at
grave of Medal of Honor recipient, Machinist
Mate First Class, Oscar F. Nelson, USN.
gency exits, putting on emergency
lifesaving equipment, and learning
about the ELT’s airliners use.
“The tour was quite outstanding. I
had fun because it’s great to see
aviation here in the Twin Cities and
see how pilots are trained. It was
especially interesting because be-
ing a pilot is a career I am consid-
C/AB Treye Harrison in the pilot’s seat
ering,” C/CMSgt. Alex Selner said. of NWA’s Boeing 757 simulator.
The facility, three floors packed
with aerospace training equip-
ment, included simulators for the
DC-9, DC-10, A-320, A-330, 727,
747, and 757 airliners. The $25
million 757 simulator was the high-
light of the event. When asked
about the tour, C/AB Treye Harri-
son said, “I learned all about the
NWA simulators. My favorite part Col. Michael Huttner guides the Ft. Snelling
was definitely getting to fly the members through the NWA Training Cen-
757 simulator.” ter in Eagan.
PAGE 3
 Practicality Meets Technology Capt. Richard Sprouse
Practicality met technology when about a dozen
members of four Civil Air Patrol wings met at the
Fleming Field Airport in South Saint Paul recently
for a Mission Information Officer (MIO) workshop
held by the Minnesota Wing.
“This was probably one of the best courses I have
attended since joining CAP,” said 1st Lt. Christo-
pher Colvin, newly named Iowa Wing Public Af-
fairs Officer (PAO). “The information was relevant
and the practical exercises put the lessons into
easy to use 'real world' situations. It was also great
to see the talented and passionate people of the
North Central Region (NCR) come together. The
importance of the MIO was clearly demonstrated
in this course.”
The workshop included a step-by-step review of
MIO functions, including arriving at the incident
command post, preparing the initial news release,
working with the news media, and role playing
actual media interviews.
Lt. Col. Mike Marek, NCR PAO, addressed the
workshop from his home in South Dakota via inter-
net video explaining the evolving role of the
information officer in the wake of such major mis-
sions as Hurricane Katrina and the Steve Fossett
search.
join the workshop via Skype for a presentation,”
said Capt. Al Pabon, Minnesota Wing PAO and
host of the event. “Lt. Col. Marek was able to call
in and deliver a great video and audio presenta-
tion and have audience feedback that he could
hear and react to via the internet.”
Capt. Pabon said the result was that 11 students
received an introduction to the MIO role and func-
tion from some experienced MIO's. Several tasks
were signed off and those attending left with an
understanding of how to work with the media dur-
ing an actual mission. Capt. Pabon said the experi-
ence would help these members become great
MIO's.
Maj. Jerry Rosendahl, MN Wing Chief of Staff for
Mission Operations, and Capt. Richard Sprouse,
Group Two PAO, also assisted with the workshop.
Lt. Col. Mike
Marek, NCR
PAO, ad-
dresses the
group from his
home via inter-
net video and
explains the
role of the MIO.

“While once the MIO's role was limited to primar-

ily seeking public feedback that would help ac- Capt. Richard
complish the search,” Marek said, “Today's MIO Sprouse shares
and mission staff must also be aware of the impact some of his
mission information can have on recruiting, reten- years of public
affairs experi-
tion and positive relationships with partner agen- ence with at-
cies.” tendees of the
MIO workshop.
“There are many new challenges for the MIO,”
said Marek, “and the members attending this
workshop showed that they are willing to step up
to the plate!” Attendees of
the MIO work-
An MP3 audio podcast of Marek's presentation shop repre-
sented four
will soon be available at: www.ncrpao.org different wings.

“This training was unique in that it brought together

IO's and trainees on a regional basis, as well as
use of innovative technology to have Lt. Col. Marek

PAGE 4
 SAREX Allows Members to Evaluate Proficiency and Share Skills
Capt. Richard Sprouse
Members of the Minnesota Wing of
the Civil Air Patrol honed their
search and rescue skills during vari-
ous mock training exercises at the
Crystal Airport, just northwest of
Minneapolis.
Using the North Hennepin Composite
Squadron facility at the airport as
base, a solid turnout of cadets, offi-
cers and pilots located downed air-
craft and searched for a missing
person.
"It was a good opportunity for a
‘real life’ taste of what a missing
person search or locating a downed
Squadron Leadership School Held in Bemidji
Capt. Paulette Odette
Group One of Minnesota Wing spon-
sored a Squadron Leadership School
(SLS), hosted by the Northland Com-
posite Squadron and held at Bemidji,
MN on November 30th and December
1, 2007. Students braved the Minne-
sota winter weather to attend this
training. Mother Nature provided a
snowy Saturday which kept many eyes
on the snow fall amount during the
day, providing concern for both stu-
dents and instructors over their travels
home Saturday evening.
The two-day SLS training is one of the
requirements of a senior member’s
Level Two completion in professional
development. This course covers the
following eight areas of training: Offi-
cership and the Public Trust, Profes-
sional Development, Squadrons: The
Heart of CAP, Squadron Staff Officers,
Training in Staff Specialties, Introduc-
tion to Leadership, The Staff Officer as
a Communicator and Creative Thinking
& Problem Solving. These courses pro-
vide the student with a broader under-
standing of Civil Air Patrol. The CAP
plane was like,” said Lt. Col. Dick sharing their skills and abilities to
Johnson, who helped organize the the cadets and newest members,”
exercise. "In some of these scenarios Johnson said.
you didn’t know what you would find
out there."
Most of those who were taking part
in the training had been involved in
the organization for years, but John-
son said even for seasoned veterans
it is important to continue to go
through the training.
“It’s a good way to allow them
(seasoned veterans) to test their stan-
dards and evaluate their proficiency,
as well as an excellent venue for A pilot prepares for flight during the SAREX
held in Crystal, MN.
members selected to be instructors of Don Helgager, who managed the lo-
the courses are selected for their CAP gistics requirements for facilities and
experience and expertise in these food and C/CMSgt. Ethan Helgager
selected areas. Feedback about the for his support as our IT officer during
course by students such as: “Excellent the course.
program”, “The instructors were
great”, “Good weekend!” show that
the course was a great success.
SLS graduates were: 1st Lt.’s
Robin Helgager and Dutch Van
Vranken, 2nd Lt. Don Helgager
and SM’s Kent Graber and Tom
Stinar of the Northland Squad-
ron, 2nd Lt. Marcel Kobberdahl
and SM Stan Weitemeir of the
Crow Wing Squadron and 1st Lt.
Nanette Berg and SM’s Cheryl
High and Josie Berg of the
Grand Rapids Squadron.
SLS instructors and staff were: SLS graduates - Left to Right: 1st Lt. Robin Hel-
Capt. Terence Best, Capt. Ken Hart- gager, 2nd Lt. Don Helgager, SM Stan Weitemeir,
SM Kent Graber, SM Cheryl High, SM Josie Berg,
wig and Capt. Dave Myer and Maj. 1st Lt. Nanette Berg, SM Tom Stinar, 2nd Lt. Mar-
Dave Odette. Maj. Dave Odette cel Kobberdahl, 1st Lt. Dutch Van Vranken.
served as the Director, Capt. Paulette
Odette as Assistant Director. Thanks
to 1st Lt. Robin Helgager and 2nd Lt.
PAGE 5
Letter from the Editor Maj. Conrad Peterson
The Wing Administrator, Kirsty formation we had was gone. All cpeterson@mncap.org. As a clue or
McCracken, and myself recently prior activity files, photos, presenta- two, it is not the big gremlin in the
realized what the Eleventh Com- tions and more. Toast! logo on the front page and he could
mandment meant when it states be anywhere.
“Thou shall back-up thy files”! After sending them in to be repaired,
we received them back a couple of Good luck and I look forward to
As we typed away on our laptops weeks later. They looked the same your responses!
and gave no thought to this com- on the outside, but not the same could
mandment, the major thing we be said for the inside. It was a Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Don Mikitta was
depend on to get our work done stranger in friends clothing. the winner of last months Aerospace
gave out with no warning. We Quiz. Thank you to all that partici-
were lost and knew not what to do The moral of the story is this: Back-up pated.
for we could not get past the re- your files. It is no fun to start over
from the beginning. Have a Merry Christmas and a
start screen.
Happy New Year!
Then it came to us! Call tech sup- Just for a little fun this month, there is
port, they surely must be able to a little gremlin that is hiding some-
fix this. To no avail, all of the in- where inside this newsletter. If you
find him please email me at

Dress Rehearsal for a Radiological Emergency

Capt. Richard Sprouse

The Minnesota Department of approximately

Human Services recently con-
ducted radiological prepar-
edness training for members
of the St. Cloud Composite
Squadron of Minnesota Wing
of the Civil Air Patrol.
St. Cloud Composite Squad-
ron members worked with
various radiological detecting
equipment and learned pro-
cedures to help in the event
that they are asked to assist
in an emergency.
600,000 residential
customers. Minnesota’s
other nuclear plant,
Prairie Island, located
near Red Wing, Minn.,
generates enough
electricity to power
approximately 1 mil-
lion homes.
Mr. Glen Olson of the Minnesota Department of Human
Services demonstrates proper procedures for radiologi-
cal contamination detecting.

The Civil Air Patrol has been

identified as a primary re-
source in the event of an acci-
dent at the Monticello Nu-
clear Generating Station,
located about 40 miles north-
west of the Minneapolis/St.
Paul metropolitan area, but
less than 20 miles from St.
Cloud. St. Cloud Composite Squadron Cadets Capt. John Bruns is scanned for radiologi-
Christian Schuller and Derek Cash practice cal contamination by Capt. Shawn
The Monticello nuclear plant with a contamination monitor during ra- Warneke during the training exercise.
meets the energy needs of diological training.

PAGE 6
‘Tis the Holiday Season
Maj. Jotham Blodgett

The coming weeks are going Dress warm and for the sumption of alcoholic bever-
to be some of the busiest for weather. Keep a warm blanket ages. Do not operate a
all of us. If you have been and emergency kit in your vehi- vehicle if you have been
doing as I have, you have cle for the chance of becoming drinking. Have a desig-
been driving every place stranded. nated driver if necessary
one could imagine existed otherwise ask if you can stay
while doing your Christmas Keep cell phones fully charged over-night.
shopping. in the event of an emergency. I
know there are some of us who If you are serving food or
Christmas arrives on Tues- will operate our cell phone like helping with the cooking, use
day, December 25 and the our car, run the battery on the required cooking tempera-
New Year arrives on Tues- phone down to the last little bit tures.
day January 1. like the gas in the tank of the
Have a safe and very Merry
car. It could be a bad experi-
I shared with you some Christmas and a Happy
ence if one were to realize 50
safety tips last month that New Year!
miles into the middle of no-
covered several different where that the car is out of gas
aspects of Thanksgiving and and the cell phone is dead!
the colder time of the year.
Those same tips can apply to With the large social gatherings
these approaching weeks. that take place over this holi-
day season there will be con-

Awards and Promotions

Officer Promotions Cadet Awards
Second Lieutenant Amelia Earhart
Daniel Pierce, North Hennepin Steven Parker, St. Cloud
Alan Trombley, North Hennepin
Brigadier General Billy Mitchell
Matthew Rosburg, Worthington
Josie Berg, Grand Rapids David Johnson, Red Wing
Robert Cole, Red Wing John Hjelle, Duluth
First Lieutenant Wright Brothers
Kateri Wold, North Hennepin Kaelyn Olson, Valley
Paul Markegard, St. Paul Luke Zahm, St. Cloud
Curtis Smerud, North Hennepin Mitchell Fuchs, St. Cloud
James Renville, Mankato
Captain Jerimiah Phillips, Northland
Mark Johnston, Duluth Trenton Edgell, Northland
Gail Wallace, Duluth Cherish Brown, Northland
Major
Jim Hetherington, MN Wing

PAGE 7
The Newsletter of Minnesota Wing,
Civil Air Patrol

WingTips is a publication of
Minnesota Wing, Civil Air Patrol
U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
6275 Crossman Lane
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
www.mncap.org wingtips@mncap.org

Calendar

Schedule of Events
January 4-6, 2008: Winter Sur- JANUARY 2008
vival Weekend in Bemidji. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
Contact: Maj. Chet Wilberg.
January 5-6, 2008: Mission Base 1 2 3 4 5
Staff School in Grand Rapids.
Contact: Lt. Col. Stan Kegel.
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
January 12, 2008: ACUT Course
at Fleming Field Airport. Con-
tact: Capt. Brady Palmquist. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
January 18-19, 2008: Corpo-
rate Learning Course at Flem-
ing Field Airport. Contact: Maj.
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Conrad Peterson.
January 25-27, 2008: MN 27 28 29 30 31
Wing SAR/Eval at Lake Elmo.
Contact: Capt. Dalen Kruse.

The views expressed, either written or implied, are not necessarily

those of the U.S. Air Force, Civil Air Patrol or Minnesota Wing.
Submissions should be sent to the above email address.
Wing Commander: Colonel Stephen G. Miller Wingtips Editor: Major Conrad W. Peterson