***THE WALTON FLYER***

**February 2000**

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**TEAMWORK**

By Cpt. Dolores Thrash

The first trash pick-up of the New Millennium was a great success! On
Saturday, January 8^th^, 18 members from the squadron cleaned up our
almost 2 miles of Spring Street that we have adopted!

Over 60 bags of trash and other miscellaneous items such as signs, metal
and even some unidentifiable objects were collected.

 

 

 

 

GREAT JOB TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED!!!!

 

 

 

 

**PERSEVERANCE**

By Lt. Stephen A. Brown, MLO, CAP

To persevere is to persist in spite of opposition or discouragement,
according to Webster\'s Dictionary. Note that persevere is a *verb*, it
denotes action. First, you must set a long-term personal goal, and then
follow with short-term goals; all designed to achieve success. Without
objectives you cannot measure your progress. For example, if you desire
to serve in the military as a career, retirement would be your long-term
goal with each higher rank as your short-term goals. Both in the
military and corporate structures, each member is evaluated and given
promotions based on service and demonstrated ability. Performance
evaluations assist both the superior and subordinate in the examination
of assigned daily duties. Such written evaluations serve as a report to
emphasis both strengths and weaknesses. A smart person will work to
perfect personal strengths; and to improve on weaknesses. I encourage
you to learn your special talent and use it to serve others. We just
celebrated the Birthday of Jesus, the greatest servant in world history.
\'JOY\' means Jesus first, Others second, and You last. That\'s an
excellent formula for living. There is always room for improvement.
Write out your personal goals and periodically conduct a self-exam to
determine if you are on track.

Second (remember persevere is a *verb*), do not quit! Keep on keeping
on. This is why it\'s so important not to start something without first
investigating the costs. You can name those that thought they wanted to
be a cadet. Where are they now? You\'ve got to want it. Most people
don\'t know that Michael Jordan was cut from his 10^th^ grade basketball
team. It takes real courage to complete the course. The Bible speaks of
running the race to win (New Testament: Hebrews Chapter 12: Verses 1 &
2). I am encouraged when I hear or read about others who persevered to
the end. My father, at age eighteen, along with a hometown friend
enlisted in the merchant marines. Three weeks into the ten-week basic
training camp, my dad\'s friend quit and returned home. How proud I was
to learn my father finished the training. I remember my uncle saying,
\"Anything worth having is worth working for\". When I was eight years
old, my uncle asked me what time it was and when I told him I couldn\'t
tell time, he pointed to his gold watch and said that when he returned,
if I could tell him the time, the watch was mine. Yes, I wore that watch
to church for everyone to see. The end result of perseverance is pride.
It\'s a good feeling to be proud of those things you accomplish.

Third and finally, learn to adjust personal goals as the circumstance
dictates. An Olympic long distance runner, who was disabled following an
auto accident, learned to race in a wheelchair. The road to success is
always under construction. There will always be potholes, detours and
delays. I love those signs that say: Life is a gift from God. What have
you done with your gift?

**JANUARY PROMOTIONS**

C/TSgt Jennifer Mabry

Congratulations!

 

 

 

 

The Walton County Squadron is proud to announce its newest \"Grandpa\"
and \"Uncle\". On January 6, 2000 Angie and Robert Rouzee were blessed
with the arrival of a little girl, Elizabeth Sadie. Elizabeth weighing 7
lbs. And 3 oz. and 18 inches tall is a real \"Looker\" according to
\"Grandpa\". The proud \"Grandpa\" is Lt. Raymond Goza, and the proud
\"Uncle\" is Lt. John Goza. Congratulations to the whole family!!!

**CHARLESTON AIRLIFT - 3^rd^ TIME A CHARM!**

By Capt. Dolores Thrash

The airlift to Charleston is finally a moment in History. On January
21^st^, Cadets Christopher Bowles, Chris Henry, Jennifer Mabry, Thomas
Nay, Timothy Peppers, Brian Spears, Kevin Spears, Jason Stribling, and
Daniel Thrash along with Senior Members Lt. John Goza, Capt. Dolores
Thrash and Air Force Reservist Major Jeff Bland boarded an Air Force
C-17 Globemaster III which would take everyone to Charleston, South
Carolina.

 

For most of the cadets this was their first time on a Military Plane and
for quite a few it was also their first ride ever, on any kind of
aircraft! Everyone seemed excited and took to the flight really well.
The flight made 2 stops in North Carolina before going on to Charleston
and between stops everyone got a chance to go up into the cockpit.

We arrived in Charleston at about 9:30 p.m. An Air Force bus was waiting
to take everyone to the terminal and after picking up our luggage and
getting our van we went to Midnite Mess. The cadets were amazed not only
at how good the food was, but also at how inexpensive it was. Some went
back for seconds and even thirds and probably never spent over \$2 or
\$3 total. After Midnite Mess, we checked into our Hotel and settled in
for the night.

Saturday morning, after everyone filled up on Shoney\'s Breakfast Bar,
we headed off to Patriot\'s Point where we first toured the USS
Clamagore. The Clamagore was commissioned in June of 1945 and continued
in service as one of the U.S. Navy\'s last diesel-powered submarines
until decommissioned in 1975.

Next was the destroyer USS Laffey, which was commissioned in February
1944 and 4 months later participated in the D-day landings of allied
troops at Normandy. In April 1945, after being transferred to the
Pacific off Okinawa, 5 Kamikaze planes and 3 bombs attacked her during a
single hour. Her gallant crew not only kept her afloat, but shot down 11
planes during the attack. The Laffey was decommissioned in 1975.

Continuing on we next explored the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham, which was
one of the most decorated vessels in U.S. Service. The Ingham received
18 ribbons during a career that spanned more than 50 years. The Ingham,
which was commissioned in 1936, participated in 31 convoys during WWII,
was credited with the sinking of a Nazi Submarine and continued her
valorous service, receiving a Presidential Unit Citation for duty off
Vietnam and ending her career with \"major\" victories in the \"war
against drugs\".

Last on the tour was the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. The Yorktown
played a leading part in the war in the Pacific, receiving a
Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars for her service in WWII.
The Yorktown was converted for jet use by the addition of an angled
flight deck. She served as an anti-submarine carrier in Vietnam and
before being decommissioned in 1970 played a historic role in the space
program, recovering the crew of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to
orbit the moon.

Saturday afternoon was the boat ride out to Fort Sumter. Thankfully, the
boat was enclosed because the wind out on the water was showing no mercy
that day, but we all managed to survive. The first engagement of the
Civil War took place at Fort Sumter on April 12 & 13, 1861. After 34
hours of fighting, the Union surrendered the fort to the confederates.
From 1863 to 1865 the confederates at Fort Sumter withstood a 22-month
siege by Union forces. During this time, most of the fort was reduced to
brick rubble.

After a short trip back to the hotel, we again had dinner on base and
went bowling afterwards. About all I can say for the bowling is, it\'s
amazing we all survived! Let\'s just say there were some \"very unique\"
bowling styles and techniques! The Pro Bowlers Association definitely
has nothing to worry about!

We ended the evening in downtown Charleston where we were taken on a
guided walking tour past cemeteries and old houses. Our guide, Jeff,
regaled us with tales of Ghosts, Goblins, Pirates, and Mayhem.

Sunday, we were taken on a tour of the 81^st^ Aerial Port Squadron,
which is responsible for moving anything and everything that the Air
Force needs. That can be anything from tanks to Paratroopers. We were
shown how they move items and how they load it on the planes.

From there we were taken on a tour of the Base Fire Department where we
got to see all the different types of trucks and equipment that they
use, heard about how they were used, and also saw a demonstrations of
the Fireman\'s Carry.

As we were finishing up the tours, then came the news that our flight
was canceled. After going over all our options, the decision was made to
rent some cars and make the drive home. While that meant our trip home
would be about twice as long as originally planned, in the end we ended
up getting back to Monroe ahead of schedule!

So...after all was said and done, was the 3^rd^ time a charm? I\'d say
so! Remember, the first time, thanks to Hurricane Floyd we never even
made it to the airport. And the second time, even though we got to hang
out at the airport for a \"few\" hours, we did have to head back home
before making it on board the plane. So, the joke was that we would make
it to Charleston the next time, but thanks to a freak blizzard we
wouldn\'t be able to get home. Well, despite how close that came to
becoming reality......we got creative, took matters into our own hands
and as I said before, got home before scheduled!

One last final comment....I\'d just like to say how PROUD I was of
everyone! Civil Air Patrol and the Walton County Composite Squadron can
be proud of the way you represented them in Charleston. And the best
part was....I never had to use \"any\" of the memos!!!

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**CADET STAFF CHANGES**

Effective immediately.

Cadet Commander - C/TSgt Jennifer Mabry

Cadet Deputy Commander - C/2Lt Aaron Bignault

First Sergeant - C/TSgt Thomas Nay

Flight Commander - C/2Lt Jason Stribling

Flight Sergeant - C/Amn Christopher Bowles

 

 

**FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS**

26^th^ - C/2Lt Aaron Bignault

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!

**CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY**

3^rd^ - \*Meeting 7 pm - PT clothes - Bring water!

10^th^ - \*Meeting 7 pm - BDU\'s - Testing/Moral Leadership

17^th^ - \*Meeting 7 pm - Class B\'s - Awards/Promotions

24^th^ - \*Meeting 7 pm - BDU\'s

 

**\*MEETINGS WILL BE HELD AT THE MONROE CITY AUDITORIUM DURING THE COLD
MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

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