Texas Wing Group I
Commander: Lt Col Debra Torres
8909 Parkland Dr., El Paso, TX 79925

In front of a crowd of 7,000, four Civil Air Patrol cadets from the Lubbock Composite Squadron performed a precision Presentation of the Colors to open the Slaton Air Show on the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day landing, June 6th, 2009. Building on their experiences of attending color guard competition at Camp Mabry in Austin during February as well as opening a Shallowater High School baseball game in May, along with dozens of practices, the team was able to put on a good performance.

That’s not to say the previous day had been easy for them or the rest of the cadets from the Lubbock Squadron. All of the cadets had served on aircraft fireguard the previous evening with each of them walking one hour shifts around the aircraft that had arrived for the Air Show. On top of that, a heat burst from a dissipating thunderstorm struck their campsite at 2:30 that morning flattening their tents with dusty 60 mph gusts and a dramatic increase in the temperature.

“My flashlight was like a short range laser because of all the dust,” said C/TSgt Robert Vernon. “The beam went out only a few feet.”

“First time that I’ve ever seen a tent roll by me with the person still inside, screaming,” added C/Amn Joseph Garcia, talking about the squadron’s newest cadet, 12-year old C/Basic Daniel Hernandez, who dramatically discovered the importance of a properly staked down tent.

The cadets stood tough during the windstorm, the first of many unexpected challenges they would face during the air show, and the challenges did not end with the Presentation of the Colors either. The Color Guard cadets quickly changed back into their utility uniforms and went to work keeping the crowd back behind the ropes.

“Crazy heat!” said C/SrA Dillon Holloway, “How could the airplanes move on the ground? Their tires should have melted and glued them down!”

During the air show the temperature quickly climbed past the century mark turning the light gray concrete tarmac into a frying pan. One air show patron fainted from the heat causing EMS crews stationed for the aircrews to scramble back across the airfield to provide assistance.

Then when the cadets thought it couldn’t get any worse, all of the air show food vendors ran out of food due to unexpected size of the crowd that turned out. Food tickets issued to the cadets were worthless except for a chance to get out of the sun when they were temporarily relieved of duty. It took a fast thinking Senior Member with a car parked outside the air show fence to solve that crisis.

“Happy meal heaven” joked Senior Member Christina Varner of Lubbock as she handed out the tiny bags of McDonald’s food to the cadets stuck on the aircraft ramp. With the highway nearly blocked from the show traffic and local law enforcement trying their hardest to keep the roads clear, SM Varner weaved her way into town and purchased twenty meals for the cadets. The cadets gulped down their food and drank their water while standing on duty wishing they could be somewhere else, but each cadet knew the job had to be done.

And still it worked. The show went on. The air show went ahead on schedule and the crowd was wowed by the twists and turns of the aerobatics. Aircraft soared and sped across the Texas skies. Rare aircraft to Texas, such as a Russian Antonov AN-2 still in its Aeroflot livery, or the trio of Japanese bombers that performed simulated attacks on the airfield complete with dynamite and kerosene explosions. The crowd was impressed and pleased by the performance.

Then it was over four hours after it began. The cadets left the ramp thoroughly cooked and tired, but satisfied that they had stuck together and toughed out the toughest air show they have ever worked. No one was seriously hurt on either side of the ropes.

“I did my job,” exclaimed C/CMSgt Varner, who supervised the cadets on the ramp, “I kept them conscious!” No small affair given the 105F ground temperature on the ramp with gusty thirty-knot winds. He saw to it that every cadet working the line drank a bottle of water every few minutes and organized relief from Seniors when a cadet so much as looked even a little pink.

“Mission First” took on a whole new meaning for the cadets from Lubbock, they have experienced it first hand.

Civil Air Patrol cadets fly, learn to lead, camp, get in shape, and push themselves to new limits. Each summer cadets can choose from one of over thirty USAF and State Wing activities. Other cadets from Lubbock will work toward their pilot’s license this summer while those younger than 16 will travel to East Texas to earn their Ground Team Rescue badges. For further information go to www.gocivilairpatrol.com or write kylevernon@yahoo.com.

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Lubbock Squadron

Lubbock Civil Air Patrol Cadet Earns His Wings

For most teenagers, time stuck in traffic is no big deal. That is unless you’re flying and it happens to be five commercial jets lining up behind your small plane. It didn’t take too long before the Approach Controller realized he had to get the single engine Cessna out of the way, but for nineteen year old Cadet Staff Sgt Evan Petrosky it proved to be one of many memorable experiences that occurred on the way to earning his pilot’s license with help from the Civil Air Patrol.

“I wonder if those commercial pilots realized that a student pilot was flying amongst them during a time of heavy traffic?” asked the Texas Tech student and current member of the Lubbock Composite Squadron cadet program. A few turns later and he was looking down on airliners flying their final approaches into Austin-Bergstrom Airport, from a vantage point that few ever get to see.

Petrosky’s path to pilot began in the summer of 2007 when he attended a Civil Air Patrol National Flight Academy, a program that works with cadet ages sixteen and over to learn enough about flying to solo in an airplane during two weeks of training. While he wasn’t able to earn his license that summer, the experience did open a door at Texas Tech University when he received a full scholarship from the Air Force ROTC program.

“Being in CAP helped to set me apart” said Petrosky about the Texas Tech ROTC selection process.

Petrosky’s training took 62 hours of which 44 were spent training in a Civil Air Patrol airplane, a real cost savings since CAP cadets only pay for the cost of the fuel because the instruction time is donated. What can cost someone outside of the Civil Air Patrol nearly $5,000 in expenses can be done by Civil Air Patrol cadets for half or even a third of the cost. It’s also a benefit that applies to cadets only, adult members are not allowed to train in CAP aircraft until they have their Pilot’s License.

“Thanks to CAP, I was able to get two-thirds of it done. Every instructor I had along the way helped me in the process of getting my license, in particular, the CAP instructors who dedicated their time to help me. I have also noticed that CAP members are there to help whether it’s with flight training, emergency services, public affairs or any of the other fields CAP is involved in. The opportunities are there, take advantage of them and you can accomplish anything.” Petrosky plans to move onto F-22 Raptor fighter jets once he finishes at TTU, but he will always remain a CAP member. “It’s given me so much opportunity. I can’t help but pass it along.”

The Civil Air Patrol is the Auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Civil Air Patrol cadets fly, learn to lead, camp, get in shape, and push themselves to new limits. If they want to, cadets from Lubbock stay particularly busy with events scheduled on almost every weekend during the year, including many summer activities. Each summer cadets can choose from one of over thirty USAF and State Wing activities. Other cadets from Lubbock will work toward their pilot’s license this summer while those younger than 16 will travel to East Texas to earn FEMA approved Ground Rescue Training. For further information go to www.gocivilairpatrol.com or write lubbockcc@gmail.com.

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Lubbock member earns Yeager Award

Capt Jed Taylor recently earned the Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager award from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). CAP has both an internal and an external aerospace education program. The internal program provides aerospace education to the CAP membership. The external program provides the general public with the aerospace education necessary to ensure the continuing development of aerospace supremacy. The Yeager Award is one part of the Aerospace Education Program for Senior Members (AEPSM).
Capt Taylor is a 2002 graduate of Wylie High in Abilene, received his Bachelor of Science in both Physics and Mathematics from McMurry University in Abilene in 2006, and is currently working on his Masters in Civil Engineering at Texas Tech University.
Capt Taylor is a former cadet, achieving the rank of Cadet Second Lieutenant. He was Cadet First Sergeant and later Cadet Commander of the Abilene Composite Squadron. Capt Taylor has since moved to Lubbock and became the Deputy Commander for Cadets and Emergency Services Officer for the Lubbock Squadron.

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Lubbock's Civil Air Patrol Squadron is located at Lubbock International Airport Lubbock, TX 79403. They can be reached by telephone at (806) 763-7477. For directions to their squadron, please click here. You can view their webpage by clicking here.