WingTips

The official publication of Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol April 2005

Experienced ground team leaders host proficiency training

by 1st Lt. Joseph Bradfield,
Worthington Squadron
Ground team leaders from
across Minnesota Wing
convened in Duluth March
19-20 for “Ground Team
Leader Proficiency
Training: Beyond the
Basics,” the first of what its
creators hope will become
an annual event.
According to its founders,
Maj. Doug Mitchell,
Duluth Squadron; Maj.
Chet Wilberg, Hutchinson
Squadron; and 1t Lt.
William Reichert, Valley
Squadron, the idea came,
while talking at the wing’s
ES Conclave in December.
They decided, from
comparing observations of
past year's exercises and
actual searches, that there
was a need for more
concentrated ground team
leader training.
They agreed that ground
team leaders need to regu-
larly review basic skills,
but they also envisioned
training ‘beyond the basics’
in new search and rescue
technology and in the
Incident Command System,
which has undergone some
modifications in the past
year. The discussion con-
Participants of the ground team leader proficiency training course held in Duluth
complete a classroom exercise. Photo by 1st Lt. Joseph Bradfield
tinued through emails and
evolved into this training.
The weekend's sessions fol-
lowed the scope and
sequence of established
ground team leader train-
ing. However, the instruc-
tors added opportunities to
share ‘tricks of the trade’ –
both from the most experi-
enced searchers, whose
admirable paperwork and
member task delegation
routines were worthy of
imitation by other
squadrons, and also from
younger senior members
adept at the newest elec-
tronic resources.
After a full day of class-
room activities on Saturday
that went well into the
evening, members were
assigned a place on one of
two teams, gave their con-
tact information, created a
phone tree and retired. The
participants tried to rest,
anxious that sometime
before breakfast – they
weren't sure when – they
would be called to respond
to a simulated emergency.
The call came just as some
of the members were going
to breakfast. They made
their phone-tree calls and
reported back to their leader
which members would
attend, then they all met at
the mission base, a confer-
ence room at the motel.
The simulation briefing
gave three SAR-satelite hits
northwest and southeast of
their base. The two teams
coordinated their search
strategies before departing
rather than competing
against each other.
The rest of the scenario
played out as most SAR
exercises do. But at the
debriefing of this event,
instructors projected an
Training / Page 3
Page 2 WingTips April 2005

Commander’s Column: National Board meeting updates

by Col. Steve Miller,
wing commander
Civil Air Patrol held its
Winter National Board
meeting in March.
The first two days of the
event were for members to
meet with their senators
and congressmen and pres-
ent them the ‘CAP Report
to Congress.’
All members of the
Minnesota delegation to
Congress are members of
the CAP Congressional
Squadron. Col. Kevin
Sliwinski, wing headquar-
ters, and I meet with a staff
member of each of the sen-
ator's and congressmen's
offices.
We presented Congressman
Martin Sabo and Senator
Mark Dayton with their
CAP membership certifi-
cates and CAP flight suits.
C/Capt. Brian Anderson,
130th Squadron, accompa-
nied us in our meetings
with Dayton, Senator Norm
Coleman's legislative aide,
Congressman Mark
m Senior members will be
m An agenda item for
Col. Steve Miller
Kennedy and Congressman
m The Air Force author-
John Kline's chief of staff.
While we were there, sev-
eral major votes were tak-
ing place so we didn’t get
to meet with all of our
Minnesota congressmen.
Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless,
national headquarters, pre-
sented the National Board
m A national membership
with a new emphasis on
safety. Each unit will soon
receive the nuts and bolts
of the program.
Some of the items that
came out of the National
Board meeting are:
m New picture ID cards
will be available to sen-
ior members for a small membership. The top
charge. The new card prize for cadets is a trip
looks very similar to to a cadet special activ-
the Air Force ID cards. ity of choice, which
will include registration
offered the option of and transportation, as
one, two or three year well as a two-year free
memberships. membership. Other
prizes for second
through fourth place
three levels of rated will be announced in
mission pilots was the national headquar-
withdrawn by the ter’s monthly mail to
author. all units.
m On the BDU shirts, sen-
ized 50 wing adminis- ior members are now
trative assistants, 25 authorized to wear rank
authorized in fiscal year on both collars. This
2005 and 25 more in change is mandatory by
fiscal year 2006. We do Sep. 31, 2005.
not know in which year
The end of this month is
our wing will be
authorized. our annual Minnesota Wing
Conference. Take advan-
tage of this great opportuni-
contest is in the works. ty to recognize our mem-
The top prize for senior bers for their outstanding
members is a VIP trip work in CAP. It is also a
for two to the National great time to make new and
Board meeting, which renew old acquaintances. I
will includes registra- am looking forward to see-
tion, banquet, hotel and ing you there.
airfare, as well as a
-Semper Vigilans
two-year free CAP

WingTips is a publication of Minnesota Wing changes domains

Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol,
U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
P.O. Box 11230, St. Paul, MN 55111
www.mncap.org
wingtips@mncap.org
The views expressed, either written or implied, are not neces-
sarily those of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol or
Minnesota Wing. Submissions should be sent to the above
email address.
Wing Commander: Col. Steve Miller
Wingtips Editor: Maj. Shannon Bauer
The wing is transitioning from the ‘mnwg.cap.gov’
domain to <mncap.org> during the next few months.
All e-mail addresses that were in the format
name@mnwg.cap.gov will now be name@mncap.org.
This applies to all e-mail lists and personal e-mail address-
es. For now, both addresses will work; but on May 1, the
<mnwg.cap.gov> domain will be eliminated.
Any web page links or favorites will need to be updated.
For more information, contact Maj. Chet Wilberg,
Hutchinson Squadron, at cwilberg@mncap.org.
April 2005
Participants of the ground team leader proficiency
training course held in Duluth complete a classroom
exercise. Photo by 1st Lt. Joseph Bradfield
Training / Page 3
interactive topographic map
onto a screen. Global posi -
tioning system, or GPS,
information plotted by the
computer program showed
the participants their path to
the simulated crash site.
The projected landscape
clearly showed why
searchers received erratic
signals from the emergency
locator transmitter, or ELT.
It neatly documented their
efforts to deduce its loca-
tion in spite of the interfer-
ence of the river valley's
hilly terrain.
Wilberg has already begun
planning next year's
“Beyond the Basics” course
and said he hopes that this
year's participants will lead
WingTips
some of those sessions.
Ten senior members attend-
ed, in spite of the severe
snowstorm that hit some of
the southern squadrons:
-Lt. Col. Tim Goodner
-Lt. Col. Keith Bishoff
-Maj. Darlene Benjamin
-Capt. David Benjamin
-Capt. Dan Fosterling
-Capt. Brian Freseman
-Capt. Mark McCormick
-1st Lt. Joel Roggenkamp
-1st Lt. Joseph Bradfield
-2nd Lt. Donald Roessler
In addition to Mitchell,
Wilberg and Reichert, three
additional presenters lead
sessions during the week-
end's training, including
Capt. Ernest Moen, 2nd Lt.
Chris Reichert and 2nd Lt.
John Snyder.
Page 3
Minnesota Wing conference
fast approaching
The 2005 Minnesota
Wing Conference will be
held at Breezy Point
Resort, near Brainerd,
Minn., from April 29 to For more information on
May 1. Breezy Point Resort, see
Take advantage of this <http://www.breezy-
great event and see your pointresort.com/>.
old friends and meet Thinking about complet-
some new ones. Learn ing that Level IV? A
more about Civil Air limited number of
Patrol and what’s going "intern" positions are
on throughout the wing. available for the confer-
Cheer on the award win- ence. If you are interest -
ners and thank them for ed, contact Col. Dennis
their volunteer service. Rock at
Conference registration d3v4mn81@juno.com.
forms are available For more information on
online at the conference, contact
<http://www.mncap.org/ Lt. Col. Bill Rutten,
xp/conf.htm>. The forms Minnesota Wing
were also mailed. Conference public affairs
officer at nw0d@arrl.net.
Col. Stephen Miller, Minnesota Wing commander,
presents Minnesota Senator Dick Day with his mem-
bership in the Minnesota Legislative Squadron. Day
represents District 26 (Owatonna, Waseca and
Faribault area) and recently joined CAP.
Page 4
Senior member and cadet
officer promotions
Major
Kevin Bauder, North Hennepin
Don Dalton, Red Wing
Gerald Rosendahl, Owatonna
Captain
Lonell Koppes, Crow Wing
David Mansheffer, Anoka
Jeremy Price, Pipestone
1st Lt.
Dalen Kruse, St. Croix
Robert McDonald, St. Croix
2nd Lt.
Laura Broker, North Star
The 2005 Minnesota Wing Cadet Leadership Academy
will accept staff applications until April 10. See
<www.mncap.org/cp/mla> for more information.
Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol,
U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
P.O. Box 11230, St. Paul, MN 55111
WingTips April 2005
Crow Wing Squadron, Army loses member
by Lt. Col. Bob Johnson, Crow Wing Squadron
Crow Wing Squadron lost a good friend and fellow
squadron member when Jake Pfingsten died in Germany
Feb. 12.
Pfingsten died as a result of an illness he contracted while
serving a three-week deployment with the Minnesota
National Guard. His family was able to be with him, and
they have expressed their deep gratitude to the Army for
their support during this difficult time.
Pfingsten and his family have been key members of Crow
Wing Squadron for many years, including his grandmother
Mary Lou, sisters Jolene and Sarah, and parents Beth and
Tom.
His grandmother said of him, “Everybody loved Jake. He
had friends all over. He was very polite. He was every-
body's friend and he loved to do service for other people.”
We miss him, and we will continue to keep his family in
our thoughts and prayers.
NONPROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 7109
ST.PAUL, MN