Day Seven - August 1, 2008

The last full day of encampment started out hot but clear. It was going to be a hot day with a heat warning in the afternoon. But no excessive heat could dampen the cadet’s excitement – the Huey was coming!

Today’s main event was the highlight of the entire encampment: Huey helicopter orientation flights. Only five Vietnam-era Huey helicopters are still flying; and two are in Springfield, Missouri (this helicopter was build originally in 1974). This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the senior staff breathed a silent sigh of relief when the weather remained clear and the word was soon passed that the Huey was in-bound. And there it was! Coming in low along the tree line, the Huey circled the assembled cadets once and then settled down in a nearby field.

The entire cadet cadre formed a half circle around the helicopter to receive instruction on how to board, how to exit, and how to secure the seatbelts. The Missouri National Guard crew consisted of a Chief Warrant Officer pilot, a full Colonel as copilot, and a crew chief flight sergeant. Very quickly, it was time to fly. The cadet cadre split into their two squadrons with First Squadron flying first while Second Squadron’s Flights performed their drill competition maneuvers on the nearby drill pad (hoping their constant practicing would shine during the competition where points would go towards the overall encampment Honor Flight award).

The Huey could only hold eight passengers, so each Flight was split into two elements that flew separately one after the other. The helicopter flew a total of fourteen flights overall, flying all cadets (including the cadet staff) as well as several senior members on the last flight. The day remained hot but everyone kept well hydrated and waited in the shade of a nearby building. The big smiles and high-fives when the cadets were back on the ground was a clear indication that the orientation flights were a big success! The cadets were now part of aviation history.

The rest of the day consisted of several interesting classes, including an Introduction to the U.S. Army by Second Lieutenant Don Cochran (an active duty Drill Sergeant at nearby Ft. Leonard Wood), a discussion of encampment staff opportunities by Major Oldham, the Omnimax movie “Red Flag”, and a unique presentation on the evolution of the U.S. Air Force uniform by Master Sergeant Mike Mudry (Assistant to the Encampment Commander) using actual uniforms from his own personal collection as modeled by members of the cadet staff. The afternoon’s final event was a traditional question-and-answer “Quiz Bowl” where Flights competed for Honor Flight award points.

After changing into their “blues” (the more formal U.S. Air Force uniform), the cadets arrived by Flight at the dining facility for the evening’s Banquet. Mess Sergeant Charline O’Neill and staff prepared a wonderful meal of steak and shrimp, baked potato, and veggies. Desert consisted of a large chocolate and vanilla sheet cake that disappeared rather quickly.

The head table consisted of Colonel John Mais, Missouri Wing Commander; Lieutenant Colonel John O’Neill, Encampment Commander; Major Troy Greenbank, Encampment Executive Officer; Major Julie Oldham, Commandant of Cadets; and Cadet Colonel Nathan Scalia, Cadet Commander. Honored guests were Russell and Kay Hively of the local Neosho Daily News newspaper. The evening’s emcee was Cadet First Lieutenant Joshua Carr, Cadet Executive Officer.

Col Mais, Lt Col O’Neill, and C/Col Scalia all spoke congratulating the cadets on their accomplishments throughout the week, as well as reminding each cadet to take their knowledge gained during the encampment back to their individual squadrons. C/Col Scalia also encouraged the cadets to return next year as cadet staff, indicating his desire to return next year as a Tactical Officer.

The Banquet concluded with several awards. First were two traditional awards from the encampment medical staff: the Star Patient Award went to Cadet Judah Smith for “illness or injury above the call of duty” and the Medical Honor Flight Award went to Alpha Flight whose members were seen the least by the medical staff.

Individual Honor Cadet Awards for each Flight were: Cadet Senior Airman Eric Workman, Alpha Flight; Cadet Master Sergeant Kara Reifschneider, Bravo Flight; Cadet Airman Ethan Farr, Charlie Flight; Cadet Technical Sergeant Ashley Cornett, Delta Flight; Cadet Airman First Class Jonah Beadles, Echo Flight; and Cadet Master Sergeant Lucian Myers, Foxtrot Flight.

The Lion Heart Award went to Cadet Airman Jeremy Held. This award, first given in 2006, is given to the cadet who is the most enthusiastic, that tries the hardest and shows the greatest motivation at all times.

The Most Improved Cadet Award went Cadet Airman First Class Jesse LeClair. This award recognizes the cadet that impresses the staff with great improvements during the course of the encampment.

The Honor Cadet Award went to Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Nathan Hassett. This award recognizes the cadet that has done exceptionally well during encampment and has proven him/herself as a good follower with a positive attitude, great self discipline, and a team attitude. They have exceptional attention to detail.

The Top Cadet Staff Member Award went to Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Lauren Faulkner, First Squadron’s First Sergeant. This award recognizes the cadet staff member who has shown outstanding excellence in the job capacity assigned. He/she has fulfilled his/her role in an exceptional manner, is dependable and reliable and a great example for all the cadets.

Finally, the Top Senior Staff Member Award went to Technical Sergeant Charline O’Neill, Mess Sergeant. This award recognizes the senior staff member who has shown exceptional dedication and the encampment simply would not have occurred without him/her.

Today’s Honor Flight was Foxtrot Flight under the command of Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Mason Bruza and Flight Sergeant Cadet Staff Sergeant Wyatt McHaffie.

Tomorrow: Graduation and the announcement of the encampment Honor Flight!

Today’s photographs can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mocappix/MOWGEncampmentSeventhDay8108?authkey=NZK2DtquSO8