The official publication of Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol August/September 2006

Cadets participate in
‘Tribute to Military Families’
by Capt. Al Pabon
Minnesota Wing
The Minnesota Wing Honor
Guard and Crow Wing
Squadron’s Color Guard
participated at the Tribute
to Military Families in the
Brainerd Lakes Area on
Aug. 1.
This is an annual event that
brings the Brainerd Lakes
community together to
show their support of area
National Guard troops and
their families as they serve
in the Global War on
Terror.
The Honor Guard per-
formed an ‘innovative drill’
routine and served as a
guard for the Crow Wing
Squadron Color Guard,
who presented the colors at
the event.
Troops shared with the
crowd how thankful they
were for the great commu-
nity support and how much
it means to them to know The Minnesota Wing Honor Guard after their per-
communities are looking formance at the 2006 Tribute for Military Families.
out for their loved ones (Left to Right) C/Capt. Charlie Cox, C/1st Lt. Mike
while they are serving. Kenny, C/Lt. Col. Matt Dunlevy, C/Chief Master Sgt.
Julie Crevier, C/1st Lt. David Lucey and C/Capt. Cory
Honor Guard members
Titus. Photo by Capt Janelle Gates
included: C/Lt. Col. Matt
Dunlevy, Anoka; C/Capt. Anoka; and C/Chief Master C/Master Sgt. Emily
Cory Titus, Viking; C/Capt. Sgt. Julie Crevier, Viking. Jensen, C/Staff Sgt. Alan
Charlie Cox, Viking, C/1st Booth, C/Airman Michael
Crow Wing Squadron Color
Lt. Mike Kenny, Anoka; Reich and C/Airman
Guard members included:
C/1st Lt. David Lucey, Michele Armstrong.

Minnesota Wing receives “Excellent” during AF evaluation

Capt. Richard Sprouce,
Group 2
A beautiful summer day
proved to be an ‘excellent’
day for members of the
wing during an evaluated
search and rescue exercise
in Hutchinson, Minn.,
Aug. 5
Scenarios included downed
aircraft and missing people.
When it was all said and
done an Air Force evalua-
tion team graded the overall
effort as “Excellent.”
One of the Air Force evalu-
ators said, “It was the best
we’ve seen all summer.”
Maj. Chet Wilberg, exercise
incident commander, said,
“It was a successful exer-
cise that tested the
Minnesota Wing’s search
and rescue response to mul-
tiple missions. Although
there are always things to
work on, they say we’re up
to the task.”
Wilberg, along with the
operations, air branch,
logistics and flight line sec-
tions participating in the
training exercise received
individual “Excellent” rat-
ings. Cadet/Tech. Sgt. Colin
Schaffer, Hutchinson,
earned an “Outstanding”
rating in Communications.
No department earned less
than a “Successful” rating.
“This is the best wing that I
have seen all summer,” said
Maj. Jeff Peterson, director
of operations for the North
Central Liaison Region and
chief evaluator at the exer-
cise's closing briefing.
Squadrons from the Twin
Cities area, Duluth, Grand
Rapids, Hutchinson,
Mankato, Red Wing and St.
Cloud were among the units
that participated.
Page 2 WingTips August/September 2006

Cadet Faugstad gives tip of the CAP on way to West Point

by Robb Murray n’t gone to West Point, I the team.
Reprinted with permission wouldn’t be where I am “I just came in and said,
from The Free Press, today.’” ‘This is what I know, this is
Mankato, Minn. Faugstad’s involvement what I’ve done, use me
He already looks the part - with the CAP ended this where you need me,” he
the closely cropped haircut, week. At a picnic at Seven said. Faugstad has come a
broad shoulders, athletic Mile Creek County Park, long way in the CAP cadet
build. the members of the CAP program. He recently took
got together to have a good and passed a grueling exam
Throw in the firm hand-
time, hand out a few pro- to earn the Amelia Earhardt
shake, polite “yes sir”
motions and plaques, and to Award, which only a hand-
demeanor and personal his-
say goodbye to Faugstad. ful of cadets earn. He was
tory brimming with deter-
“We’re really proud of him also the leader of the cadet
mination and leadership C/Capt. Jesse Faugstad is
getting into West Point,” program, leading a group of
success, and it’s really no now a plebe at the U.S.
said 1st Lt. Nash Pherson, 14 cadets.
surprise at all that Jesse Military Academy at
Faugstad, Mankato West Point. Photo by Pat his squadron commander. Like most CAP members
Squadron, will be spending Christman Faugstad first got involved and cadets, Faugstad is not
the next four years at the with CAP, while his family a pilot. But there’s much
nation’s most prestigious achievement was, he’ll like- lived in Wyoming. A friend more to CAP than pilots.
military academy. ly tell you about his invited him to his first The group also engages in
involvement in the Civil meeting. A few meetings community service and
Faugstad leaves today for
Air Patrol. later and Faugstad was other activities. Faugstad
West Point, where he’ll
hooked and looking ahead considers himself a general-
study Arabic or Middle “If I didn’t join CAP, I
to a possible military ist, which he says allows
East studies or something wouldn’t be going to West
future. him to help out everywhere
similarly impressive. And, Point,” Faugstad said. the CAP needs him.
if you ask what the primary “And I know I’ll look back When his family relocated
contributing factor for this some day and say, ‘If I had- to this area, he got involved At this week’s picnic,
with the Mankato Pherson said the success of
Squadron. Pherson said he a cadet such as Pherson is
WingTips is a publication of something they hope will
was impressed with
Minnesota Wing Civil Air Patrol, inspire other young people
Faugstad’s ability to come
U.S. Air Force Auxiliary to get involved. And while
in cold and confidently
6275 Crossman Lane Faugstad’s involvement
contribute what he could to
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076 with CAP is all but over,
the team’s efforts. “He had
www.mncap.org Pherson says he’s got one
to push his way into this
wingtips@mncap.org more mission for his outgo-
group,” Pherson said. “He
The views expressed, either written or implied, are not neces- came in, asserted himself ing cadet leader.
sarily those of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol or and became a leader.” “When he comes home on
Minnesota Wing. Submissions should be sent to the above
email address. Faugstad, of course, consid- some Thursday,” Pherson
ers his success with the said, “he better be at one of
Wing Commander: Col. Steve Miller
Wing Public Affairs Officer: Capt. Al Pabon Mankato CAP just his way our meetings in his uni-
Wingtips Editor: Lt. Col. Shannon Bauer of doing what he could for form.”
Page 3
Cadets provide more than community service at county fair
by 2nd Lt. Robin Helgager,
Northland Squadron
While at the Beltrami
County Fair in Bemidji,
Minn., last July and provid-
ing security at the fire
tower, two Minnesota
cadets were given a unique
opportunity to serve.
An elderly man approached
the fire tower, pushing his
wife in a wheel chair. The
couple were Tom and Joyce
Walnisley from the
Amazing Grace Mission.
Mr. Walnisley was having a
difficult time with the high
temperatures and getting
his wife's wheelchair across
the dirt and grass areas.
Cadets Jeremiah Phillips
and Ethan Helgager, both
Viking members fly with
Minnesota National Guard
by Capt. Terry Dull,
Viking Squadron
Thirty-six members of
Viking Squadron participat-
ed in orientation flights in
Minnesota National Guard
Blackhawk helicopters
based at Holman Field in St
Paul, Minn., May 23.
Crew Chief, Staff Sgt.
Sudheimer gave the
squadron a 20 minute ori-
entation and safety briefing
on the Blackhawk. He
talked about some of the
basic precautions of how to
enter and exit the aircraft.
He also briefed on what to
WingTips August /September 2006
Mr. Walnisley was
having a difficult time
with the high
temperatures and
getting his wife's
wheelchair across the
dirt and grass areas.
with the Northland
Squadron, came to the res-
cue and offered to push
Mrs. Walnisley to the dif-
ferent areas she wanted to
visit. The group visited
each of the animal barns
and then headed back to the
couple's booth.
The Walnisley's were grate-
ful for the help, and the Cadets Ethan Helgager and Jeremiah Phillips, both
cadets enjoyed being able Northland Squadron, assisted Tom and Joyce
Walnisley at the Beltrami County Fair in Bemidji,
to make their day at the
Fair special. Minn., last July. Photo by 2nd Lt. Robin Helgager
do in case of there is a fire
or the crew can't assist a
passenger in exiting out the
aircraft, if it made an emer-
gency landing. The mem-
bers also learned how to
use the seat belts and stay
safe during the flight.
Once all the questions were
answered and the safety
checklist was complete, A Minnesota National Guard Blackhawk helicopter
unit members started the lands after providing an orientation ride to members
first orientation flight of 10 of Viking Squadron. Photo by Capt Terry Dull.
squadron members. There
were four flights that lasted Frazier and Jacobson. the Blackhawk was safe for
Sudheimer made sure each flight and took care of
about 20-25 minutes each.
everyone was buckled up, each of his new flight crew
The pilots of the aircrew boarded and exited the air- guests.
were Army warrant officers craft safely. He made sure
August/September 2006 WingTips Page 4

SAVE award for Minnesota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol

Capt. Richard Sprouse,
Group II
The U.S. Air Force author-
ized a Life Saving Award
for the Minnesota Wing
after members located a
downed aircraft and res-
cued its pilot near Ely,
Minn., Sept. 13. The award
is issued to CAP personnel
when the search results in a
rescue.
Pilot Alan Coulson, 60, of
Ely, flying a home-built,
ultralight aircraft left the
Ely airport at 5:30 p.m.,
Sept. 12, to practice tough-
and-go landings. Coulson
was reported overdue when
airport staff received a call
of an aircraft transponder
signal being picked up near
a runway.
Once verified as an actual
distress situation, air and
ground crews from the
Duluth Squadron were
requested to assist local
emergency providers in the
search. Squadrons in Grand
Rapids and Brainerd were
placed on stand by to assist.
An aircrew from Duluth
Squadron was launched at
1 a.m. and picked up the
transponder signal in 20
minutes. The aircrew land-
ed at Ely and helped coor-
dinate search and rescue
efforts with the St. Louis
County Rescue Squad, the
Ely airport staff, the Ely
police and fire departments,
the Morse First Responders
and the Babbitt Police
Department. Coulson could
be heard shouting in the
woods for help.
“The CAP plane went air-
borne again and was able to
lead ground rescue person-
nel to the site where the
pilot, who had a hand-held
transponder, was extricated
and transported to Ely-
Bloomenson hospital with a
broken leg,” said Capt. Paul
Pieper, CAP incident com-
mander. “The CAP ground
team was en-route when
Coulson was rescued.”
Aircrew members Maj.
Gary Lemaster, Maj.
Charles Schumacher and
2nd Lt. Mark Johnston will
be awarded the Life Saving
Award. Ground team mem-
bers included Lt. Col. Keith
Bischoff and Senior
Member Christina Dalbec,
as well as cadets Kelly
Wright, Scott Wright and
Robert Young.

Wing members hone search and rescue skills in Mankato

Capt. Richard Sprouse, Group II
Members of the Minnesota Wing con-
ducted a recent series of training oper-
ations designed to test the ability of
members to respond to search and
rescue, disaster relief and other mis-
sion areas.
Training was conducted Sept. 9 in
Mankato, Minn., with 80 members
receiving training in various special-
ties, including ground team member,
information officer, mission observer,
mission radio operator, mission pilot,
mission scanner and operations sec-
tion chief.
According to Lt. Nash Pherson,
Mankato Squadron commander, 11
CAP aircrews flew 55 sorties, for a
total of 32 hours airborne.
Minnesota Wing was placed on alert
for the exercise due to the effects of a
simulated severe weather incident in
southern Minnesota. Wing aircrews
were involved in flying aircraft, pro-
viding aerial reconnaissance and pho-
tographing critical infrastructure. The
crew members used computers to
send digital photographs of these
locations from the aircraft’s cockpit to
staff on the ground.
Another task involved air and ground
search teams conducting search and
rescue during a variety of training
scenarios. They reported on the dis-
covery of clues, operational status of
the search team and real responses to
simulated conditions.
In addition to participating in hands-
on training activities, cadets assisted
with signing in and checking the cre-
dentials of members, operating radios,
keeping logs, escorting senior staff
and performing flight line marshalling
duties. Members also provided air-
field and mission base safety and
security.
Other agencies and resources involved
in the exercise included the Minnesota
Department of Transportation, the
Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources, Minnesota State
University-Mankato, Mayo One Air
Ambulance and Northstar Aviation.
Page 5 WingTips August/September 2006

Minnesota crews volunteer their time in North Dakota

by Andrea Domaskin
Reprinted with permission
from the Fargo Forum, N.D.
About a dozen people in
uniforms huddled around a
series of maps at a table in
the brick building that once
housed Fargo’s airport ter-
minal.
They talked on cell phones,
shuffled pieces of paper and
eventually headed to the
tarmac in teams of three.
The group is from the Civil
Air Patrol, an all-volunteer
auxiliary of the U.S. Air
Force that conducts 95 per-
cent of the inland search
and rescues in the United
States, among other work.
Monday, air patrol mem-
bers were preparing for an
aerial search for Robert
Nelson. The 60-year-old
pilot took off Thursday
from Bismarck, N.D., in his
Piper Cherokee single-
engine plane and hasn’t
Majs. Eric Ludlow, North
Dakota Wing, and Chet
Wilberg, Hutchinson
Squadron, search for a
missing pilot in Fargo,
N.D., last August.
been seen since.
Nelson was reported miss-
ing when he didn’t arrive in
Fargo. The Civil Air
Patrol’s all-volunteer crews
have been conducting
searches since Friday.
They’re assigned to search
grids of about 15 miles by 7
miles, said Maj. Chet
Wilberg, Hutchinson
Squadron.
“It allows us to have some
structure to it,” he said.
Nelson’s wife, Mollie
Crawford, is grateful to the
volunteers, his sister-in-law
Sara Frederick said.
“They’re tired, they’ve
been working around the
clock, and they’re not going
to give up until they find
him. She just thinks that
they’re a group of amazing
people,” Frederick said.
Crawford, who is the feder-
al security director for the
Transportation Security
Administration in Fargo,
isn’t ready to speak to the
media, Frederick said.
Volunteers must be certified
– at their own expense – to
air patrol standards. They
aren’t compensated for their
time.
“If they hold jobs, they’re
either taking vacation time
or they’re taking time off
from their jobs,” said Rick
Robinson, a spokesman for
the North Dakota
Department of Emergency
Services.
Robinson has been working
with the air patrol during its
searches for Nelson. About
35 members are stationed in
Fargo, and about 35 in
Bismarck. Fargo has mostly
Minnesota crews.
The patrol is a community
service, a way to keep skills
sharp and a chance to help
fellow pilots, said Maj. S.
Blaze Cunningham,
Minnesota member.
“Mainly, we’re here to help
somebody that goes down
and gets in trouble.”

Senior members present at Oshkosh on experimental aircraft

by 1st Lt. Scott Johnson,
St. Paul Squadron
Several Minnesota senior members
joined the cadets participating in the
Advanced Technology Academy held
at the Oshkosh, Wis., airport at the
Experimental Aircraft Association
facility, Aug. 9.
Maj. Charles Freese, Saint Paul
Squadron, led a team of seniors in the
new ARCHER equipped GA8 to the
academy.
2nd Lt. Nash Pherson led the training
for the day on the ARCHER system.
He presented the ARCHER system
and its operating procedures and
capabilities in the classroom to both
seniors and cadets.
Following the classroom discussion,
all of the cadets were taken on numer-
ous flights to work with the equip-
ment in a real world environment.
1st Lt. Gordon Miller, St. Paul
1st Lts. Gordon Miller and Scott Squadron, briefs the Advanced
Johnson, both Saint Paul Squadron Technology Academy cadet com-
also served on the aircrew. mander Maria Mangano. Photo by
1st Lt. Scott Johnson
August/September 2006 WingTips Page 6

Minnesota Wing Spaatz recipient and soon to be U.S.

Air Force 2nd Lt. Joshua Gulbranson married the for-
mer Erica Hagen July 29 at a ceremony in Prior Lake,
Minn. Erica was a member of the Valley Cadet
Squadron and Josh was a member of the Valley,
Ft Snelling and Viking squadrons. They have one year
left at the University of North Dakota.
Story/photo by Lt. Col. (Chap.) Don Mikitta.

Senior member & cadet

officer promotions ...
Major
Jeffrey Bartelt, Red Wing
Marcel Derosier, Fort Snelling
Wesley Skoglund, State Legislative
Donald Stier, Valley
Captain
Giuseppe Accardo, Southeast Minnesota
Delores Kirchner, Owatonna
Kathleen Menne, Mankato
Brady Palquist, Viking
1st Lieutenant Momentous Occasion ...
Timothy Bjur, Wesota
Emily Heimerl, 130th
C/Capt. Charles Cox took command as cadet commander
of Viking Squadron Aug. 29. He replaced C/Capt. Cory
Martha Hefron, Crow Wing Titus.
Russell Merchlewitz, Mankato
Tamara Merchlewitz, Mankato C/Staff Sgt. Jeff Dvorak took command as cadet com-
Ryan Nordell, Worthington mander of North Star Cadet Squadron Aug. 30. He
Eric Stanley, Viking replaced C/Maj. Laura Broker.
Jason Suby, Viking
Maj. Carl Hallum was appointed the wing director of
2nd Lieutenant counterdrug early September.
April Hewitt, Northland
William Puddicombe, Grand Rapids Capt. Kim Johnson was appointed the wing headquarters
Vicki Richardson, North Hennepin personnel officer late July.
Trevor Smith, Grand Rapids 1st Lt. Tom Lucey was appointed the wing headquarters
Roger Weber, Grand Rapids director of professional development late July.
Shanna Zuelch, Mankato
Capt. Janelle Gates assumed command of Valley
C/Capt.
David Lucey, Anoka County
Squadron Sept. 14. She replaced Capt. Ernie Moen.

C/2nd Lieutenant
Molly Best, Northland
Kelsey Brennan, North Hennepin
Veronica Olson, Valley
James Sellen, Valley
Bethany Stepanek, North Hennepin
C/2nd Lt. Sarah Pfingsten, Crow Wing Squadron, and
C/1st Lt. Brandon Vis, Worthington Squadron, received
their private pilots licenses early August.
C/Chief Master Sgt. Alex Walker took command as
cadet commander at Red Wing Squadron Aug. 17. He
replaced C/Chief Master Sgt. Ken Fearo.