NERPA505 Update

Greetings to everyone from 505! Hope you're enjoying the winter! Unless you can afford to "fly south," just stay safe, have fun, and make the best of it. Spring will come before you know it!

(1) Tuesday night is Safety emphasis and testing night. The uniform of the day is BDUs. The Safety Briefing is necessary for participation in anything but classroom activities. You cannot even take the Cadet Physical Fitness Test or participate in drill without signing off on the safety briefing. If you cannot be there Tuesday, be sure you read the safety briefing that wil be posted on the bulletin board and sign the roster that is with it. Testing will be made available to everyone who needs it. If you need PT, come prepared to take it in the gym.
(2) Polish your military bearing. Be sure that your uniform is as complete as possible. We understand that financial constraints may slow our purchase of uniform items, but everyone should have at least name tape, CAP tape, reverse flag, PA Wing patch, and appropriate grade insignia. All of us should make an effort to complete our uniform items as soon as possible. Even if we don't have everything we need on our uniforms, there is no excuse for not having them clean and pressed, and shoes/boots shined. When you are in uniform, you represent the CAP, the USAF, and your country! Be sharp and stand tall.
(3) Exercise your knowledge of CAP / USAF customs and courtesies. Know your chain of command. Address senior members and cadet officers as "Sir" or "Ma'am." Address enlisted and non-commissioned officers by their rank. Practice saluting and reporting to officers. Hardly anything looks worse than a limp salute that looks like someone waving a noodle. When saluting, the lower rank renders the first salute and holds it until the higher ranking officer returns a complete salute. Enlisted and non-commissioned ranks do not salute each other. This may seem like "silliness" to some people, but in an emergency or crisis situation, the self control learned through developing military bearing and rendering customs and courtesies can mean the difference between success and failure. Familiarity can cause us all, seniors and cadets, to get a bit slack, but we need to hold one another accountable for the sake of the squadron, the mission, and those we serve.
(4) If you need help with anything pertaining to CAP, ask for it. CAP programs are designed to allow seniors and cadets to advance at their own pace. Challenge yourself! It is amazing how much there is to learn and how much fun it is to learn it!

Semper Vigilans! See you Tuesday!
Randall F. Matheny, 2 Lt.
Deputy Commander for Cadets
NERPA505
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kb3mom