NO MEETING THIS WEEK

There will be no meeting this Saturday, 11 June.  The next scheduled meeting is the following weekend, Saturday 18 June.

RECENT EVENTS

TRAINING
Several cadets attended the Group IV SAREX/GTX in Bolivar recently.  The event was well attended and some quality training took place.  A special thank goes out to C/Capt Blake Burgess for spearheading the Ground Team training.  Also last month we were called on to participate in a practice evaluation conducted by the Air Force which was done in coordination with both Tennessee Wing and Mississippi Wing.  Thank you to Capt Rivers and cadets Littlejohn, Srock and Fleming for representing Millington.  The practice eval went well and a small ground team was acceptable, but we will need all hands on deck for the full Air Force Evaluation in July (8-9).

AFA RECOGNITION

The Air Force Association of Tennessee recently recognized Millington Composite Squadron as CAP Unit of the Year for Tennessee.  Representing MCS at their state convention were Squadron Commander Capt Ruben Barrett and Cadet Commander C/2d Lt Christian Littlejohn. The AFA is very supportive of Civil Air Patrol and we are thankful for all they do.

MODEL ROCKETRY

As part of our Aerospace Education mission, MCS is currently working through the Model Rocketry curriculum with hands on projects.  Our most recent class completed the construction on their rockets and we are looking forward to the next class when they will be launched.

APRIL SCHEDULE CHANGES

Please note a schedule change for April, that there will be NO MEETING on Saturday 9 April.  For anybody wishing to visit, we will be back the following Saturday.

Also, the SAREX in Bolivar that was planned for 23 April has been MOVED to 30 April.Squadron members watch your email for updates on specifics for that event.

March Milestones

This month the Millington Composite Squadron was visited by Hugh Lamar, a representative of the Everett Cook Chapter of the Air Force Association.  He presented one of our cadets, C/CMSgt Sean Srock with the Cadet of the Year Award from the AFA.  He also presented the certificate for the MCS CyberPatriot team, which scored first place in Tennessee within the All Service Division Gold Tier.

Orientation flights were scheduled but had to be postponed due to weather, and two cadets presented their Armstrong Speech (Srock and Boothe).  We also saw C/Capt Blake Burgess attain his rank and receive the Amelia Earhart Award.

As part of our aerospace education program the cadets continued their model rocketry program, completing the first stage.  These hands-on projects included building two very simple rocket designs (made of paper or styrofoam) to introduce basic concepts such as thrust.

February At-a-Glance

This month was a busy month for Millington Composite Squadron.  Here's a few highlights:

• Annual awards ceremony held at the Baker Community Center
• Joint drill with the Jackson-Madison County Squadron
• Cadet Lucas Shelton presented his Armstrong speech
• Four more cadet orientation flights were performed, bringing us to eight so far this year
• Color Guard presented the colors at the local Lincoln Day Gala, featuring Tennessee senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker
• The squadron began the Model Rocketry program
• The squadron began the new cadet physical fitness program

MCS CELEBRATES WITH ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY

Millington Composite Squadron recently held an awards ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments and activities of its members in 2015.  Nearly 100 people were in attendance for the evening, which included two Change of Commands, numerous awards and promotions.

Captain Ruben Barrett was formally recognized for his appointment as Squadron Commander 6 months prior, while Cadet Commander Blake Burgess handed over the reins to his successor Christian Littlejohn.  Littlejohn received the esteemed Billy Mitchell Award and was promoted to Second Lieutenant.

Chaplain Maj Don VonBuskirk was recognized for his 10 years of service to Civil Air Patrol, and Deputy Commander of Cadets  Timothy Rivers received the Achievement Award for his outstanding service to the cadet program at MCS.  He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain.

Five cadets were recognized as the squadron's first Cyber Patriot team: Blake Burgess, Christian Littlejohn, Lee Arnold, Sean Srock, and Haleigh Woodruff. Following the awards ceremony the team went on to 1st place in Tennessee for their division.

Numerous cadets received promotions, were recognized for having their first flight, and were presented with various awards.  Two cadets, Lucas Shelton and Shane Boothe, were recognized for outstanding service during a recent missing person search.  Captain Barrett praised the members for all their hard work and all the parents for their support of the cadets.

The event was held at the Baker Community Center in Millington.

Millington Composite Squadron is a unit of the Civil Air Patrol, the nation's US Air Force Auxiliary. It conducts search and rescue missions for missing aircraft, assists with disaster relief and missing person searches, promotes aerospace education, and conducts a quality cadet program.

ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY FEB 1st

The public is invited to join us this Monday, February 1st at 7pm at the Baker Community Center for Millington Composite Squadron's annual awards ceremony. Come celebrate as we honor our members for their service and accomplishments over the past year. Refreshments will follow. This is a great time to learn more about the programs of Civil Air Patrol and what we are doing here in the community.  Everyone is welcome.