San Diego Group 8, California Wing, Civil Air Patrol

Area Command Provides Planning and Support SALEM, Ore. Wildfires have kept Civil Air Patrol members fully engaged in the West. CAP and their aircraft assiste...d with state and federal efforts to assess wildfire damage by providing high resolution aerial photography to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. We are grateful for and confident in CAP’s capabilities to be there for the nation, said Brig. Gen. William Betts, vice commander, 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern). The Oregon Wing took on a colossal task in responding to civil requests for assistance after fires spread over much of Oregon. CAP also partnered with other states to ensure enough planes and pilots were available for the imagery effort. CAP’s Pacific Region set up an Area Command and used California Wing members to support operations and mobilized resources from several states, according to Lt. Col. Joe Brickman of the California Wing, an Area Command staff member. "Our operational tempo has been extreme for a long time, said Brickman. More than 40,000 Oregon residents were asked to evacuate at one point, which shows the magnitude of the fires’ impact and need for help. The Area Command provides planning, logistics and overall safety considerations for the multiple wings called to assist the Oregon fire mission. Aircraft and aircrew from the California, Nevada and Washington wings generated more than 5,000 photos for damage assessment. So far 18 California Wing members have assisted in the Oregon efforts an effort that includes three planes with three crewmembers, each flying to Salem, Oregon, for several days. Nine California Wing members working remotely provided support functions for the mission, ranging from Area Command to air branch directors and photo processors. California Wing aircrews also provided their counterparts with initial training on the cutting-edge WaldoAir camera systems, which automate taking Google Earth-style images, Brickman said. Additionally, the wing provided two camera systems for Oregon to use. AFNORTH manages the civil requests, through Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assignments. CAP is often the first responder because of its vast experience and unique capabilities as the official civilian auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force, added Betts. Defense Support of Civil Authorities is a mission CAP does honorably. Its volunteers stand ready to spring into action when we need them to save lives, relieve suffering or prevent property damage. #goflycap #capmissions #orwg #cawg #fires2020 #1af #totalforce #civilairpatrol From original Press Release by Maj David Kalahar.

California National Guard mentions CAP as aa Food Bank partner.

Group 8 has worked this mission. Well done!

In addition to Col Veta, Group 8 Commander Jennifer Davenport, Maj Mark Nicholson, 1st Lt Tim Sjobring, 2d Lt Brigitte Furra Furra, and C/SMSgt Josiah Vigil from Group 8 are participating. Please reach out and thank them for their dedication to CAP SAR and Ground Teams. #CAPES #CAPSAR #CAWGGRP8

Sept 11, 2020: SQ 57 flew the US flag aboard the new Group 8 CAP aircraft in remembrance of 9/11. Major Nicholson and Capt Duret flew the aircraft to get famil...iar with the latest avionics installed in the airplane. This new Group 8 aircraft will primarily be used for Cadet Orientation Rides as well as Cadet Flight Training.

Group 8 flying their own planes on 9/11. We will never forget!

Lt Col Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell, USAF (Ret) was the USAF's first female African-American fighter pilot. She is currently inspiring others at the USAFA and as a ...member of the Rocky Mountain Region Civil Air Patrol, Colorado Wing-Civil Air Patrol. Kimbrell first joined CAP as a teenager where she developed leadership skills that would serve her well in the Air Force. Read about Kimbrell at https://diverseeducation.com/article/189264/ See more

Dear Fellow California Wing Members, I am very proud to announce a most unique event in California Wing. Two brothers took and passed the Spaatz Te...st on the same day at the same time and place. I wish to congratulate C/Col(s) Andrew Hockel and Peter Hockel in this great achievement. The General Carl A. Spaatz Award is Civil Air Patrol’s highest cadet honor. It is presented to cadets who have demonstrated excellence in leadership, character, fitness, and aerospace education. Cadets qualify for this prestigious award after devoting an average of five years to progress through sixteen achievements in the CAP Cadet Program. Along the way they develop self-discipline, a strong sense of personal responsibility, the ability to lead and persuade, and the foundation necessary for pursuing a career in aviation, space, or technology. The final step a cadet must complete to earn the Spaatz Award is a rigorous four-part exam consisting of a challenging physical fitness test, an essay exam testing their moral reasoning, a comprehensive written exam on leadership, and a comprehensive written exam on aerospace education. On average, only five cadets in one thousand earn the Spaatz Award. C/Col Andrew Hockel joined Civil Air Patrol in 2013 and has fulfilled many important and prestigious leadership roles in the Cadet Program. Some of these roles include Cadet Commander of Squadron 44; numerous Encampment staff position such as Deputy Director for Mess, Flight Commander; 143rd CTS Commander and 5th ATS Commander; SNCOS Commander; National Cadet Competition Team Captain; PCR CAC Chair and NCAC Representative; and SNCOS Commander. C/Col Hockel was also a distinguished graduate of NESA. C/Col Peter Hockel joined Civil Air Patrol in 2011 and he too has fulfilled many important and prestigious leadership roles in the Cadet Program. Some of these roles include: Cadet Commander Squadron 44; Deputy Commander Squadron 44; numerous Encampment staff positions such as CTG Commander and 137th CTS Commander; Cadet Commander COBC; Commander NCOS; Deputy Commander NCOS; Seminar Leader NCOS; and Seminar Leader COS. These two fine gentlemen are inspirations to us all by virtue of their dedication to excellence, their service, and their persistence in the pursuit of their goals and aspirations. We are all very proud of them and congratulate them both! Very respectfully, Col Ross E. Veta, CAP California Wing Commander

On September 5, 1882, New York City union leaders organized what is now considered the nation’s first Labor Day parade. Ten thousand workers marched along city ...streets in an event culminating in a picnic, speeches, fireworks, and dancing. Organizers proclaimed the day a general holiday for the workingmen of this city. They continued to host the parade in the years after, and in 1884 the event was fixed on the first Monday in September. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to designate a Labor Day holiday, followed later that year by Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York! Happy Labor Day to our wonderful CAWG members! The work and dedication you put into this program will never be taken for granted! Have a safe and happy holiday! #civilairpatrol #cawgcap To read the full story: https://www.nationalgeographic.com//ho/history-labor-day/

In an effort to prepare for the 2020 wildfire season, California Wing has started training with multiple high tech equipment in our aircraft. Both the WaldoAi...r package and the DAART Sensor package are seeing use and training. The WaldoAir photographic pod in July (see below for more information on the WaldoAir pod). has a sense of urgency, when multiple lighting generated fires broke out in Northern California. This situation also provides an opportunity to train and demonstrate the capabilities of the CAP/Waldo imaging platform. Members of CAWG had experience with the equipment from the Camp Fire in 2018. This week, CAWG aircrews took high-resolution photos of fire damage in two areas. One near Hollister CA and the SCU Complex fires in the mountains East of San Jose. During both of these sorties, CAP aircrews stayed outside the temporary flight restrictions areas and in constant contact with air traffic control. Damage assessments assist FEMA and other agencies in recovery after the disaster. Also this week, CAWG teamed up with the Arizona Wing, who flew a specially equipped Cessna 182 to the Fresno airport. The aircraft, fitted with a Domestic Operations Awareness and Assessment Response Tool, or DAART package, is from the Deer Valley Composite Squadron 302 near Phoenix, Arizona. Maj. Pat DeWees, from the Merced County Composite Squadron 147, trained alongside the crew from the Arizona Wing. Maj. DeWees is a Green Flag Mission Coordinator and Sensor Operator, and one of only a few CAWG members that have experience with this kind of DAART equipment. The training with Arizona Mission Pilot, Maj. Chris Shehi, and Airborne Photographer, Maj. Roger Yaeger, was productive as DeWees and the crew found a hot spot in the forest, more than likely started by lightning. Immediately, the team reported the fire to the Forest Service. #CAPmissions #GoFlyCAP #CAWGCAP #1AF #CALOES #SCUComplexfires #CivlAirPatrol #NationalGuard #USForestService

4th straight year for 100+ lives saved. Our AFNORTH Air Force Rescue Coordination Center assigns the Search & Rescue missions & the AF auxiliary, Civil Air Patr...ol finds those in distress as part of an interagency team. >90% of AF Aux saves occur with the support of the cell phone forensics. U.S. Northern Command, Civil Air Patrol Air Combat Command See more

This morning California Wing started spooling up for their role in the 2020 Fire Season. Aircrews from California and Arizona Wings are flying training sorties ...in advance of tasking from Cal-OES, Cal-Fire and California ANG. If you are a CAWG aircrew member, make sure you're ready to go. If you want to work these important missions and are not a member of CAP, contact us on messenger or chat and we will connect you to a squadron. #goflycap #cawgcap #CAPMissions. Semper Vigilans! See more