THE NORTHEASTER
The Newsletter of the Northeast Region
Fall 2002 issue - 26 August 2002
Col. Richard Greenhut, NER/CC
Lt Col Constance O'Grady, NER/PAO
THE NORTHEAST REGION MISSION:
"To serve our nine state region and our nation by developing the potential of our youth; accomplishing local, state and national missions, and educating our citizens on the value of aerospace power."
THIS NEWSLETTER IS SENT TO THE NINE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS AND IS TO BE COPIED AND DISTRIBUTED TO THE UNITS WITHIN THE WING.
COMING EVENTS: See Calendar
PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL NORTHEAST REGION CONFERENCE
This year, our Annual Northeast Region Conference is being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 10 Lincoln Square, Worcester, Massachusetts, on the weekend of 13 - 15 September. Won't you please join us in hearing about ALL WE DO FOR OUR BELOVED COUNTRY and much more. An application is attached on the back sheet of this newsletter
DIRECTIONS: I-290, exit 17 eastbound; exit 18 westbound, 0.3 miles south to 10 Lincoln Square.
MEMBERS OF THE NORTHEAST REGION WIN AWARDS AT NATIONAL BOARD & CONFERENCE, 2002
Senior Member Brewer Award, Capt Toni Henderson
Pennsylvania
Capt Toni Henderson has put her teaching and leadership skills to good use for the cadets in the Pennsylvania Wing, and has received national recognition for her work in aerospace education. Recently, the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, invited Capt Henderson to deliver a presentation on the protein crystal growth experiment conducted in the International Space Station. Capt Henderson also ran a Space Camp at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland last year, exploring the flight pattern, assembly sequence and experimentation being conducted onboard the International Space Station. She completed a major workshop for her squadron on shuttle flight and demonstrated the effectiveness of the high-and-low temperature reusable surface insulation (the black and white shuttle tiles that surround the belly of the orbiters to make space travel safer). As part of that demonstration, she made the extra effort to obtain from Houston, as actual tile that had flown in space.
For other squadron presentations, Capt Henderson created 11 lectures about aircraft used for military operations, as well as those designed and built in cooperation with NASA. She has a lunar certification and was cleared by Goddard Space Flight Center, last year, to oversee a moon rock exhibit and presentation to her squadron.
First Time Award for Distinctive Achievement in Mishap Prevention:
- Connecticut Wing
- CAP Mission Awards:
- Search & Rescue, Rhode Island Wing
- Disaster Relief, New York Wing
- Counterdrug, New York Wing
- Aerospace Education, Maine Wing
Cadet of the Year, C/Col Jennifer Neville
New York
Cadet Colonel Jennifer Neville personifies the highest leadership qualities, and inspires other cadets with her integrity, service before self, accountability and trustworthiness. Though a CAP member for only four years, Cadet Neville's accomplishments reflect her hard work and ability to lead effectively. She serves her squadron as cadet commander and has been chairman of the New York Wing Cadet Advisory Council for two terms.
Cadet Neville has learned, she says, that being an officer is not about power, but rather about a balance of responsibility and authority. In her current assignment, she has shown that she feels a keen responsibility for all the cadets in her unit.
This past year, Cadet Neville attended the CAP's premier National Cadet Special Activity, the International Air Cadet Exchange, representing the United States in Austria. Upon her graduation from Cadet Officer School last year, she was named Honor Cadet of the Honor Flight. Outside her unit, Cadet Neville worked with the New Jersey Wing Ground Search & Rescue School and attended the National Flight Academy, Hawk Mountain Ranger School, the National Military Music Academy and the Air Force Space Command Familiarization Course. She was selected as the Catskill Mountain Group Cadet of the Year three out of four years she was a member.
While accomplishing so much for CAP, Cadet Neville also maintained a weighted scholastic average of 95+ with a very demanding course load and many extracurricular activities.
Cadet Neville's future looks bright. She has received a nomination to the U.S. Air Force Academy, a letter of assurance from the U.S. Military Academy and a four-year Naval ROTC Scholarship to Virginia Tech.
Senior Member of the Year, Lt Col Diane Wojtowicz
New York
Lt Col Diane Wojtowicz joined CAP in the Rochester, N.Y. area in 1984 to teach a variety of aerospace education courses and serve as a pilot. However, for almost a decade she has assumed far more responsibility as the commander of the Condor aviation education and training for all cadets.
Lt Col Wojtowicz encourages senior personnel to become active in the squadron and serve as aerospace education instructors, local tours of FAA facilities and military installations. As well as field trips to Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, to tour the Air Force Museum. Under her command, the squadron was awarded an AFA Aerospace Education Grant during 2001.
Lt Col Wojtowicz accepted the role of flight operations officer for the New York Wing's leadership encampment, where she scheduled and organized orientation rides for more than 150 cadets in a three-day period using seven CAP aircraft.
To support activities throughout the New York Wing, she developed a Web site, automating Web scripts to allow groups to log on to the wing Web page and submit data. Because of her work, data is automatically forwarded to the Operations, Finance and Liaison Office staff. As a result, the New York Wing is able to respond to CAP national needs in a timely manner.
As a SAR/DR mission pilot, Lt Col Wojtowicz has participated in missions for more than 15 years. She is rated in aerial radiology, counterdrug, communications, disaster relief, and search and rescue. She is also a rated CAP incident commander (mission coordinator). Under her leadership, the New York Wing received outstanding ratings for its performance.
Lt Col Wojtowicz worked her way through private, instrument, and commercial and certified flight instructor pilot ratings. As a CAP check pilot, she has given numerous hours of highly respected flight instruction time to CAP pilots from throughout the Finger Lakes region in both CAP and member owned aircraft. She has helped many CAP members obtain their FAA Pilot Proficiency Wings, thus contributing to overall aviation safety. She regularly serves as a cadet orientation pilot and mentor pilot to those seeking a mission pilot rating.
Lt Col Wojtowicz is a graduate of the CAP Squadron Leadership School, Corporate Learning Course, Northeast Region Staff College and U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College. She is a recipient of the Loening, Garber and Gill Robb Wilson awards.
Those who have worked with her know that when a call comes to the New York Wing, whether for training or an actual mission, Lt Col Wojtowicz is ready to respond in any capacity.
