HomeMy WebLinkAbout1944-06-00 Byrd Wing (1)honor and a special mass was given for the
thirteen St. Thomas graduates who have al-
ready given their lives in this war.
Group '5
Continuing many interviews with prospec-
tive cadets for possible recruitment in the
CAPC. Two training missions were flown
this month on May 7 and May 22 with
eighteen planes participating in each. Lt.
Hanson from Brooks Field is now aiding in
the instruction of navigation to the squadron.
Extra classes are being held in military drill
and members are rapidly becoming adept in
this field.
Group 6
Old Jupiter Pluvius played a dirty trick
down at Benavides May 27, 28 and 29. A
nine -and -one -half-inch rain cut short the
maneuvers planned by the Group for CAP
members from Corpus Christi, Alice, Kings-
ville, Robstown, Calallen, Refugio and Ben-
avides. Plans called for the elaborate ma-
neuvers to include mass flight and exhibitions
by officers and for a strict Army schedule to
be followed, but the heavy thunderstorm
forced Capt. McDaniel, commanding officer
of the Group, to ground all planes and to
cancel most of the other ground work. The
fifty boys who came from Corpus Christi,
Alice and Kingsville and other surrounding
towns were moved into the Benavides school
gymnasium late Saturday afternoon after the
high water flooded the small pup tents to
which they were assigned. The girls were
assigned to three large tents, protected from
the downpour by hastily constructed drain-
age ditches, while the officers bunked in the
supply and medical tents and in the Army
trucks.
The rains started soon after the last plane
was flown into the camp Saturday afternoon
and by 5 o'clock the kitchen was ankle deep
in water. The parade grounds were partially
flooded during the night and early morning
hours, and the cadets and officers sometimes
waded through water waist deep to carry out
camp details.
Planes at the maneuver had to use the
highway as a runway in order to take off
late Sunday.
Members of the Wing Staff, who attended
the maneuver were Major R. L. Bowen, Ex-
ecutive Officer; Capt. Jim Camp, Operations
and Training; Capt. Mary Royse, Wing Ad-
jutant, and Capt. James Sorenson, Army Air
Liaison Officer to the CAP.
Group 7
Fifty-five CAPCs were given rides in the
liaison ships this month and regular classes
in navigation and meteorology are continuing
as in the past. Through the efforts of Lt.
Sobrino, Group training officer, the entire
ground school work has been incorporated in
the school system and is now a regular ac-
credited subject in the schools.
Group 8
Regular ground school classes are being
held in each squadron. A survey of the sur-
rounding towns has revealed the possibilities
•e4p
CAP HEADQUARTERS EIGHTH SERVICE COMMAND
1209 Jackson St., Dallas, Texas
TEXAS WING STAFF OFFICERS
Wing Commander - - - - - -
- - - LT. COL. D. HAROLD BYRD
Executive Officer - - - - - -
- - - - MAJOR R. L. BOWEN
Adjutant - - - - - - -
- - - - CAPT. MARY ROYSE
Special Service Officer - - - - -
- - - CAPT. MARION CHURCH
Medical Officer - - - - - - -
- - MAJOR W. GORDON MADDOX
Operations and Training Officer - - - -
- - - CAPT. JAMES L. CAMP
Assistant Operations and Training Officer - -
- - - LT. HOWARD N. SMITH
Public Relations Officer - - - - -
- - MAJOR GEORGE E. HADDAWAY
Supply Officer - - - - - -
- - CAPT. LONNIE O. WILKERSON
Assistant Supply Officer - - - - -
- - - - W. H. MANSFIELD
Transportation Officer - - - - -
- - - CAPT. S. G. VANDERWEIDE
Communication Officer __ - - - - -
- - CAPT. JOHN M. ASHBURN
Personnel Of {icer - - - - - -
- - CAPT. E. WILSON GERMANY
Engineering Officer - - - - - -
- - - CAPT. CHRIS C. STRONG
Intelligence Officer - - - - - -
- - - CAPT. P. B. GARRETT
of increasing the cadet membership and a
recruitment drive is being put into action to
visit approximately seventeen towns in this
Group.
Group 10
Schools at Hillsboro, West, Reisel, Marlin,
Clifton, Lorena, Bruceville, Eddy, McGregor,
Gatesville, Hamilton; Valley Mills, Meridian
and Iredell were interviewed this month. A
definite interest was shown by members of each
of the schools in these towns and many new
cadet units are in the process of being formed.
A detached flight has been organized at
Hamilton with A. G. Thompson acting as
Flight Leader, and V. M. Santy as Deputy
Flight Leader.
Training programs are continuing on reg-
ular schedule. Contacting the various schools
and giving screening tests to cadets has en-
livened the activity of this Group. Good
work, boys!
Group 14
Receiving a lot of help f rom the Army in
Cadet recruitment drive and reports show a
nice gain in membership. One forty -plane
raid was flown against the State Guards, which
proved very effective as well as exciting. The
supply columns were completely destroyed and
the effect of air power was strongly im-
pressed on the members.
The urgent request for the `Strength Re-
port" of individual units is still not complete.
Unless you have sent in these reports, as re-
quested by National Headquarters through
Wing Headquarters, your unit will not be
placed on the mailing list at National Head-
quarters to receive the new training aids to
be released soon!
BARE FACTS
The Texas Wing needs 12,500 Cadets by
December, 1944! At present our reports show
that we have about one-fourth of the amount
of Cadets that we need. According to the
latest group strength reports, we have 3,158
CAP Cadets and 265 Army Air Corps en-
listed reservists, making a total of 3,423, just
one-quarter of the amount that we should
have.
There are forty-four towns in the State of
Texas active in CAP programs. According to
the population, this is only 10 per cent of
what we should have.
The enormous wealth of population of this
State has hardly been touched. Recent radio
broadcasts, sponsored by the Army Air Corps,
announcing the CAP training programs in
many cities, have brought letters from many
interested persons in various communities that
have never heard of the Civil Air Patrol here-
tofore. It will be the duties of Group Com-
manders in the vicinity of these towns to
contact these people and explain the purpose
of CAP. In some towns there are not enough
prospective members to form a squadron, so
it may become necessary to form detached
flights. At any rate it is imperative that
these people be contacted and made CAP
conscious.
With the wonderful co-operation that we
have from the Army in furnishing us training
aids and also liaison officers to give us con-
structive ideas and putting forth a little effort
of our own, it shouldn't take us long to
reach our quota.
Let's get to work today, time is short.
4 BYRD WING