This past weekend, our Wing went through the Biennial CAP-USAF Evaluation of our ability to respond in a variety of Emergency response situations in an efficient, effective and safe manner and to do so in compliance with the Air Force standards. The results of the evaluation can have an impact on the level of support we receive in assets, budget and mission assignments. Needless to say, this is a very important event for all wings when they are evaluated.
All members must be well trained, knowledgeable and present their "A" game. The Command staff must be able to use the assets available to him/her in an efficient and effective manner to achieve the outcome. The Evaluators are looking for a "Successful" rating but because we always strive for Excellence, we want to see more of these. The highest rating of "Outstanding" is over and above and rarely seen. Each Section evaluated is given a rating of one of five: Unsatisfactory, Marginal, Successful, Excellent or Outstanding. Then the overall rating for the Wing is derived from the sum of these.
The final written report will be received by the wing Commander in a few weeks but the preliminary report given on Sunday was very good. The team of evaluators identified opportunities for improvement - something we always need to be doing, but the overall rating was "Excellent" with 2-3 "Outstanding" areas and NO Unsatisfactory.
The team had a lot of positive feed back but one thing that every evaluator credited the wing for was the outstanding use of Cadets throughout the operations and the situational awareness and knowledge of those cadets. They also were very impressed that the cadets were able and allowed to be involved by providing input and the staff recognition that cadets can and do contribute when given the opportunity.
The team was impressed that from the time they drove in the parking lot in an non-government vehicle, they were challenged by a cadet who confidently instructed them to park in the next lot over and even when challenged, stood their ground based on the instructions and training given. However, when the Eval Team leader sitting in the back seat showed credentials the cadet knew when to stand-down.
On multiple occasions in the morning, the Eval team members tried to enter the building without having received proper Mission Credentials and were stopped by cadets who politely and professionally directed them to the proper location. On one occasion an Evaluator who identified himself as "PRESS" and told to wait for the PAO realized he forgot his cover in the office and slipped past without even thinking. He was followed down the hall and intervened by a cadet and closely behind, that cadets supervisor. It was not part of the test but it was certainly part of the scoring.
When Evaluators interviewed the Section leaders, the cadets were not only allowed to be present but they were answering questions. Cadets where present in almost all areas from the command center to the front doors and the parking lot. You could not walk around without seeing a cadet.
This was impressive but does not happen without time and effort on the part of the Cadets, their squadron leadership and the Senior Members who work with them both in SAREXs and the EVAL. In some cases the cadet had worked previously with a more experienced Senior Member than the one who was working the SAREval and was able to provide a knowledge link between the two because of what was learned before.
Those cadets who participated in previous training and were invited to and participated in the Evaluation have demonstrated both excellence in what they do, a dedication to the mission of CAP and the ability to properly walk a line between giving input without thinking they are all knowing, regardless of the prior experience of the Senior member or themselves. In short they are confident, respectful and a joy to be around. The cadets were:
C/2nd Lt Gaudin (022), Communication Section, Lead MRO
C/MSgt Townsend (022), Communication Section, MRO
C/A1C Borders (010), Flight Line Marshaller
*C/SSgt Christian (022), Commander's Admin Assistant, Sat at far end of the table and received/relayed info to IC, Served as Scribe
C/MSgt Nogueras (088), Primary Scribe and back up for Commanders Assistant.
*C/MSgt Woldt (010), Operation Section, Commanders Status Board. Reported status of all assets every half hour, monitored SPOT
C/A1C Brinson (088) Backup Operation Section, Commanders Status Board.
* C/SSgt Pike (022) Safety Section, Assisted Safety Officer with constant ORM, Checking Flight line, number of other Safety tasks
C/Sr Amn Rome (022) Safety / Security posted at front door of Operations Building checking for credentials, back up Parking Security
C/Sr Amn Clayton (010) Safety / Parking lot Safety and Security
C/MSgt Sturm (088) Safety / Security posted at front door of Command Building checking for credentials, back up Parking Security
C/Sr Amn Whorton (008) Safety / Security posted at front door of Command Building checking for credentials, back up Parking Security
*C/Amn Wellman (088) Admin/Finance Section. Maintain sign in and out of vehicles and Staff and credentialing.
*C/SMSgt Hodge (022) Cadet Coordinator Assistant - With so many cadets wandering around the buildings, cadet safety is key. Assisted with ensuring cadets were buddied, rotated for breaks and lunch, on task and maintaining professionalism. Conducted regular radio calls to check on cadets he had not laid eyes on. Assisted in Operations building with credentialing.
(*) indicate Mission Staff positions not traditionally staffed by cadets.
Oh, lets not forget C/CMSgt Sturm who came in from College and participated on an Air Crew! He too was willing to work were needed and had been trained previously on RoboGeo.
The MRO cadets and those marked with Asterisk were selected for these Mission Staff positions based on previous training at SAREXs and Practice Evals and demonstrated knowledge of CAPSTAR, WIMRs, Mission Operations as well as those things that appear on the 101 Card AND demonstrated ability to be professional and show that they understand the words of the Cadet Oath in a practical way. What you do on paper at the Squadron level is not enough, you have to come and show it. Even though only a select number of units are represented, all of these cadets made the effort to get to SAREXs and Eval Practices to be trained and all cadets had equal opportunity to be invited to participate There were others who qualified, were invited but due to other obligations could not make the Eval. We do appreciate their participation in Eval preparation and know you wanted to be there: C/SMGt Camacho (022) and C/Amn Joseph (022)
We GREATLY appreciate those cadets who were open minded and willing to do whatever duty they were needed for in order to make the mission a success. We recognize that "office work" or standing at a door is not as adventurous as Ground Team or Radio Operations but every one of these cadets listed above had the attitude that they would do WHATEVER job they were assigned to and do it well. They all deserve Commendation for that attitude alone.
At the end of the day, the entire Wing worked together and achieved an "Excellent" rating. The Lead Evaluator awarded Southwest Liason Region Challenge Coins to 9 'Outstanding Performers' 7 of those went to cadets. He also said they would have given more coins but between the evaluators, that was all they could pull together. Additionally, Lt Col Healey (father of seven) stated that he would be pleased if his kids grew up to be like any of these LA Wing cadets. What an honor! 
