Saturday, January 13, 2018

Wreaths Across America - December 2017

By Lt Col Juan Tinnirello 
Squadron 18 Color Guard

The writer left home very early in the morning of 16 December, 2017, to arrive at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, in San Bruno and be there by 08:15 hrs. The weather was clear, sunny and very windy.  Many more people than last year attended the event, and 8,000 wreaths were placed on the tombs of the fallen soldiers.

From Senior Squadron 188, Oakland Airport, Lt Col Tinnirello, Maj Fridell, Maj Brown, Capt Hayes, Capt Stevulak and SM Jones participated in this year’s ceremony. In addition, members of the East Bay Cadet Squadron 18, based in Hayward, attended.
Silicon Valley Chapter Sons of the American Revolution.





The musical prelude was provided by the Stuart Highlanders Pipe Band, and they set the mood for the event. The Master of Ceremonies was Kevin Graves, Founder & President of Some Gave All – The Joy Graves Foundation.
Commander Sergeant Major Blaine Houston.







The presentation of the colors followed, conducted by the Civil Air Patrol East Bay Cadet Squadron 18’s Color Guard, and accompanied by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Afterwards, the National Anthem was sung by Regina Gonnella, from the Avenue of Flags Committee.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Kristen Matthias from the San Andreas Lake Chapter, District 6 Director, Daughters of the American Revolution.

At exactly 9:00 AM Pacific Time, a moment of silence was called to remember all fallen American soldiers. The time was the same for ceremonies occurring simultaneously across national cemeteries throughout the country.

Sq. 188 Commander, Capt Hayes placing
a wreath on a tomb.

There was an invocation by Father Tony Vallecillo, from St. Robert’s Catholic Church.

After the opening remarks, representatives of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as the Merchant Marines and POW/MIA placed wreaths in designated spots close by. The Keynote Speaker was Command Sergeant Major Blaine Houston from Camp Parks, Reserve Forces Training Area.

Sergeant Major Houston's speech left an impression on me went he said (paraphrasing) “Lets us remember the fallen, not just by their ultimate sacrifice, but also for all the good things they did during their lives.”

After the closing remarks by Kevin Graves, everyone was instructed in how to place the wreaths in the sections determined for this year.
Capt Hayes (L) and Capt Stevulak (R)
in a minute of silence.

Taps was played by Frank Dorritie, from Bugles Across America.

Everybody proceeded to pick up wreaths from the many cardboard boxes and place them in front of the tombstones. It was a moving ceremony that in my opinion helped to teach younger generations not to forget about all the people that preceded us and made such a sacrifice to keep America free.
A small section with people placing wreaths.
A small section with wreaths.
(L) to (R) Capt Stevulak, Lt Col Tinnirello, Maj Brown, Capt Hayes, Maj Fridell, SM Jones.

Another small section with wreaths.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Happy New Year - All Hands Meeting January 2018

By 1st Lt Karin Hollerbach, photos by 2d Lt Alexei Roudnev

Happy New Year to all!

Better Pilot Series – Safety Update

1st Lt Choate gave this month’s safety talk, in another installment of the Better Pilot Series on aeronautical decision making (ADM). The presentation included a discussion of Single Pilot Resource Management (SRM), the art and science of managing all resources (both on-board the aircraft and from outside resources) available to a single pilot (prior to and during flight) to ensure the successful outcome of the flight is never in doubt.

Even though most of our sorties are flown with more than one crew member aboard, as pilots, we all need to be able to safely handle SRM. Other crew members may or may not themselves be pilots; even when they are, there is only one Pilot in Command (PIC) at a time. So with or without crew, Single Pilot Resource Management is a critical skill.

1st Lt Choate talking about aeronautical decision making.

The FAA talks about the six “pillars” of SRM, including
  • Aeronautical Decision Making
  • Risk Management
  • Task Management
  • Situational Awareness
  • CFIT Avoidance
  • Automation Management

Lt Choate also discussed in more detail this month’s topic, some of the specific ADM models used:
  • The 5 Ps – plan, plane, pilot, passengers, programming  - to be evaluated before the flight and at regular intervals and specific points throughout the flight 
  • The 3Ps – perceive (hazards using the PAVE model), process (asking why you CARE about these hazards), perform
  • The DECIDE model – detect the problem, estimate the need to react, choose a course of action, identify solutions, do the necessary actions, and evaluate the effect of the action  

Fly safe! 

Squadron monthly recap

December was a quiet month in terms of missions, with 3 ELT / EPIRB missions that squadron members participated in:
  • Rancho Cordova, with Maj Luneau (MP), Capt Rivas (MO) – resulting in a Find
  • Alameda Marina, with Maj Luneau (MP), Capt Rivas (MO, 1st Lt Ettingoff (UDF), and 2d Lt Roudnev (UDF) – resulting in a Find
  • Napa, with Maj Luneau (MP), 1st Lt Hollerbach (MO), and 2d Lt Campbell (MS), 1st Lt Devine (UDF), SM Jones (UDF) and others from outside of Squadron 188

SM Vazquez Gonzalez (standing) talking about her experiences at the o-ride event at Byron. Other squadron members
pictured: SM Jones (L), 2d Lt Sharma (2d L), Lt Col Matarrese (R). 
In other events,
  • Capt Hayes gave a presentation to Berkeley CERT
  • Lt Col Tinnirello, Maj Fridell, Capt Brown, Capt Hayes, Capt Stevulak and SM Jones participated in this year’s Wreaths Across America ceremony at Golden Gate National Cemetery
  • Capt Hayes, 1st Lt Choate, 2d Lt Booth; SM Vazquez Gonzalez participated in the glider and powered o-ried flights at Byron

Congratulations to the following members for continuing to develop their skills and ratings:
  • 1st Lt Hollerbach added G1000 endorsement to F5
  • 1st Lt Ettingoff completed UCC 
  • 1st Lt Fall completed ICS-400
  • 1st Lt Spears completed Technician in Aerospace Education
  • SM Binninger completed GES

Upcoming events

Please join us at one or more of the following events coming up in the next few months:
  • 9 and 23 January: G1000 Training for Mission Observers – see Capt Hayes for more information 
  • 27-28 January: Group 2 Night SAREX
  • 30-January: 30th Anniversary Celebration of Squardon188's CAP Charter
  • 24-25 February: AP Ground School – see Capt Eichelberger 
  • March: Mission Scanner School – to be determined