Tigershark Composite Squadron Cadets with DCC 2d Lt Brent Jones (right rear). See Story on Page 3 In this issue . H Tigershark Honors Veterans . H Wing Conference 2007 . SUMMER H Flight Line Marshaling . 2007 . And Much More! COMMANDER’S PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP COMMENTS Colonel Joe R. Smith, Texas Wing Commander Where’s Col Smith? The Today Show has a regu- Wings Over Texas is the autho- lar segment entitled “Where in rized publication of the Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol. It is pub- the World is Matt Lauer?” The lished by a private firm in no Today Show host travels to dif- way connected with the United ferent locations around the world States Air Force or Civil Air and reports the news and informa- Patrol Corporation. The opin- tional pieces about the local area ions expressed in the articles or country he is in that day. I’ve and advertisements in this mag- been in the Texas Wing for just azine are the sole responsibility over two months now, and I see of the contributors and in no some similarities. Unfortunately, way constitute an endorsement I can’t compare myself physi- by the United States Air Force or cally to Matt Lauer. He’s younger, Texas Wing Commander, the Civil Air Patrol Corporation. slimmer, and not “folically chal- Col Joe Smith HEADQUARTERS lenged” like I am. But I can relate to his occasionally grueling travel just north of there at Bulverde Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol USAF Auxiliary schedule. I’ve made a concerted Airpark. There’s plenty more of P. O. Box 154997 effort to get out and meet as many Texas to visit and lots more Texas Waco, TX 76715 Texas Wing folks as I possibly Wing volunteers to meet, and I can. Since the Wing Conference plan to keep doing that. The scen- Please send articles and digital photos for publication to: in April, I’ve been to the Waco ery changes quite a bit between [email protected] SAREX, Amarillo Flight Clinic, Wichita Falls and Houston. They Please do not insert the Unit Commander’s Course in have a lot more green on that side photos into the articles, Decatur, Group III Commanders of the state. But, one thing doesn’t rather make the articles and Call and CAC meeting in Addison, change no matter where I am. photos separate attachments. the SAR Evaluation in Houston, Everywhere I go, I meet a lot of Low Level Survey Mission in great people, who are in CAP for DEADLINES: Wichita Falls, Flight Academy the right reasons, and are doing Feb. 28; June 28; Oct. 28 in Houston, Cadet Encampment, great things for our organization, GSAR, Communications School, our state, and our Nation. I want to Col Joe R. Smith and PAO Academy in Paris, a thank them and YOU for contrib- Commander, Texas Wing parade in Richardson, and an SLS uting so much to our Missions for Maj Patricia P. Darby in Austin. I have not been able to America. Together, we are mak- Editor, Wings Over Texas get to San Antonio or South Texas, ing a difference. I look forward to yet, but I did spend some quality meeting each and every member For information on time with several of their Ground of the Texas Wing, and hope to Advertising Rates and Space Please Call 1-800-635-6036 Team Leaders at 0:00 AM a week see you at an activity in the near or so ago when I was Incident future. Commander of an ELT mission Flying Excellence since 1945 LANE AVIATION, INC. AGRICULTURAL FLYING AIRCRAFT SALES • SERVICE • PARTS We commend the outstanding efforts of the volunteers of Civil Air Patrol! 281-342-5451 1-888-995-5263 1-800-231-6376 3205 FM 2218 Road • P.O. Box 432 Rosenberg, TX 77471 www.laneav.com OSBORN HEIRS COMPANY aVIATION ZACHRY & Southwest CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Airlines Co. Proudly salute the Texas We are proud to support the lifesaving efforts of the men Civil Air Patrol, and their efforts & women in C.A.P. toward Search & Rescue. Keep up the good work! 10226 John Cape Road San Antonio, Texas 10801 Airport Blvd. Amarillo 210-828-1868 806-335-1175 Tigershark CS Cadets Honor Veterans on Memorial Day Lt Col Rich Simerson Tigershark Composite Squadron Cadets stood The Texas Panhandle War Memorial honors an annual 4-hour silent honor guard at the Texas local veterans who served in the Spanish American Panhandle War Memorial in Amarillo, Texas this War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, past Memorial Day to honor veterans, both living and Grenada, Somalia, Kosovo, the Persian Gulf, Iraq deceased, who have served our country with bravery, and Afghanistan. The Memorial has granite mono- selflessness and distinction. Our Cadets have par- liths describing each war and listing the names of ticipated in this annual tribute since its inception Continued on page 8 . ten years ago. At 800 hours on the Sunday preceding, 21 Tigershark cadets held an opening ceremony featur- Laying the Wreath ing rifle inspection, an exhibition and the posting of the guard. For the next 4 hours the Cadets stood watch over the Memorial, with each guard being relieved on the hour while other cadets performed security patrol. Other cadets performed security throughout the night. At dawn on Memorial Day our Honor Guard raised the United States, State of Texas, and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flags and then lowered them to half-staff to honor the sacrifice of our vet- erans. The Silent Guard then continued their watch until the ceremony began. Every Memorial Day the people of the Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle hold a ceremony to remem- ber and honor our veterans. The ceremony includes the presentation of the colors, speeches, stirring music and song, and a fly-by. A roll-call is made of those who gave their lives for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. Following the speeches, a Wreath of Honor is placed at the Memorial by families of those service- men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our great nation. This year, three of our cadets had the privilege of participating in this sol- emn ceremony. Corpus Christi International Airport serves 900,000 local customers with 29 daily departures to Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Atlanta, Georgia. Hayden W. Head Terminal 1000 International Drive Corpus Christi, Texas 78406 (361) 289-0171 • Fax # (361) 289-0251 www.corpuschristiairport.com American Eagle Airlines, ASA/Delta Airlines Southwest Airlines, Continental Express Airlines Fixed Base Operators Atlantic Aviation Signature Flight Support www.atlanticaviation.com www.signatureflight.com Leasing and Financing for Medical, Industrial, Commercial and Office Equipment Leasing and finance company for operating equipment, medical devices and equipment, industrial equipment, commercial equipment, office equipment, and computers financing. Operating Equipment Leasing & Easy Computer Financing Medical, Industrial, Commercial and Office Equipment LJP Leasing supports our men and women in uniform!! 950 Isom Rd., Ste 105 • San Anotonio, TX 78216 (210) 340-1615 • Fax: (210) 344-0767 www.ljpleasing.com 4 4 SAREVAL 2007 By Capt Arthur E. Woodgate Texans know much about the The Texas Wing Planning By Saturday, May 9, full- weather and its perils. They also staff was certain that it would get fledged operations were set in know that it hasn’t been until a workout during this evaluation motion across Texas. Some air- recent years that weather predic- exercise, so everyone prepared for crews were asked to run damage tion has become more accurate, to it. Sure enough, it started with the assessment flights and confirm the point that preparing for it and delayed release of a message dated the condition of selected struc- taking preventive action is pos- April 0, warning of a simulated tures or roads considered essential sible without unnecessary disrup- hurricane that was expected to to maintaining normal conditions, tion of the normal routine. For this hit Florida, followed by another others were sent on sorties ferrying evaluation, the Air Force created message dated 4 May, pinpoint- simulated medical supplies, rescue a scenario based on a hypothetical ing “Tropical Storm Buster” in the missions were launched, or air-to- storm, “Hurricane Buster,” hitting the proximity of Mexico’s Yucatan ground coordinated searches were Galveston/Houston area and moving peninsula. From this point on, sent out, asked to look for simu- inland with ferocious winds. the simulated threat accelerated, lated dangers or threats. Run as a Distributed Search “Buster” grew to a category hur- Houston Mission Base oper- and Rescue Exercise, 25 loca- ricane, and eventually barreled ated out of the two-story building tions in Texas - representing all across the Gulf of Mexico towards that Delta Composite Squadron, groups - provided air and ground Galveston and Houston. Group IV, Texas Wing has on the team assets ready to carry out their Although the exercise was D.W. Hooks Airport, Spring, TX. assigned missions. Over a month scheduled to start on May 8, the This is a superior facility, well before the evaluation was to take planning staff was faced with a suited for the work. Run as a real place, the Incident Commander, number of situations they had to mission, local cadets and junior Maj Pat Benoit, gathered experi- resolve on paper before anyone officers implemented building and enced and capable CAP members actually set foot at Houston Mission ground security to perfection. They to staff the Incident Command Base. This is called the “table-top” looked so hard that they even found Post, to be located at the D.W. phase of the exercise. Although all threats that had not been planted Hooks Airport, in Spring, TX, a actions are just announced, rather by the Air Force planners (they all suburb of Houston.