By Brian Boyce
TERRE HAUTE — Planes were mostly grounded on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon.
But inside the Civil Air Patrol’s office, spirits were flying as high as the recent awards won by the Terre Haute Squadron of the Indiana Wing.
“It’s not a freebie organization, you put a lot into it,” Lt. Col. Tom Pickett, squadron commander, said, noting several times how much harder he works now than he did before retiring from the work-a-day world.
But the rewards, he said, make it worth every minute.
This April at the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol’s 2010 Indiana Wing Conference, members of the Terre Haute squadron and the group itself will be honored for outstanding service. Lt. Col. Reginald Paul, the Indiana Wing’s counter-drug officer, has been named Senior Member of the Year.
Capt. Adam Springmeyer has been named Safety Officer of the Year. And the Terre Haute Senior Squadron, Indiana’s 93rd, will be recognized as Senior Squadron of the Year.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally-chartered community service organization which performs missions in conjunction with state, local and federal agencies as an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Nationally, it is the primary airborne search-and-rescue agency for the country.
The Indiana Wing has about 711 cadets, members ages 12 to 21, and 635 seniors, or members over the age of 18. The Terre Haute Squadron has about 33 senior members.
Pickett, Paul and Springmeyer proudly showed off their home-away-from-home inside the main hangar at the 181st Air Intelligence Wing of the Air National Guard. The three credited Col. Jeffrey Hauser, commander of the 181st, as a great host who allows CAP to operate there.
Pickett said one of the reasons the local squadron wins awards is that it accepts every mission offered. “Terre Haute goes,” he said, adding that the group’s policy is to never turn down a mission if aircraft is available.
In addition to coordinating search-and-rescue operations, CAP also provides an aerial platform for counter-drug operations and surveillance. CAP pilots are not law enforcement officers, Paul explained, but rather act as pilots and specialists for surveillance missions between May and October. The group works with Indiana State Police and Drug Task Force agents throughout the state. In 2009, the Indiana Wing, which he directs, was attributed credit for the discovery of 2,506 marijuana plants valued at about $3.7 million. Total flight cost for that year’s operation was held to $51,350 as only fuel and maintenance costs are factored into the all-volunteer project. In 2008, the group helped find 2,758 plants, scoring a big year in 2006 with 3,232 plants.
Paul said the Indiana Wing has topped the six-state Great Lakes Region in counter-drug operations seven of the last eight years.
Paul himself graduated from high school in Georgia before joining the Air Force and attending radio school in Biloxi, Miss. After serving eight years, he took a position with the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency for which he would work 30 years, including a stint as assistant air traffic controller in Terre Haute. A qualified mission pilot and instructor, Paul said he’s been in CAP for more than 30 years.
Pickett said the wing’s success in counter-drug missions and Paul’s involvement to that regard both “rub off on” the local squadron and its reputation. A Vigo Count native, Pickett served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War before earning a college degree on the G.I. Bill and becoming a school teacher. Pickett taught at Garfield High School as well as Indiana State University and the University of Evansville while serving in the Army National Guard. A Vigo County School Corporation retiree, he now serves as a “full-time volunteer” with CAP, having joined the organization in 1984.
In addition to the counter-drug missions, the local CAP squadron flies Military Training Routes (MRTs) for the Air Force. These runs, Paul explained, follow the same routes flown by the Air Force and are used to check for new towers or obstacles that might interfere with military flights in case of an emergency. The group also participates in the Air Force ROTC program, offering cadets a chance for in-depth, hands-on experience in the air with a military syllabus and orientation materials.
Nationally, select CAP squadrons participate in “intercept programs” with the Air Force, something in which Paul said he’s excited to get Indiana involved. “Intercept programs” are simulated drills where CAP pilots play the role of suspected terrorists while F-16s scramble to intercept them.
With dozens of pilots logging hundreds of hours in-flight, safety is always a concern.
Springmeyer not only serves as the squadron’s safety officer, but also the Group 12 Safety Officer, which is responsible for CAPs in the southern half of Indiana. He’s also the Assistant Wing Safety Officer, ensuring that members are properly briefed and trained.
“You often hear that phrase, ‘safety first’,” the Batesville-native said, adding that the local squadron has been mishap-free since an ankle was sprained in April of 2005. “Here it’s more than talk, it’s a way of life for this organization.”
Springmeyer graduated from ISU in 2008 with a degree in aviation and currently works as a private pilot in Seymour. A six-year member of CAP, he’s also a mission pilot and instructor for search and rescue and counter-drug operations.
Pickett said CAP is always interested in new members, but pointed out that a lot of work is involved. Pilots just looking for free air time should go elsewhere, he said, explaining the detailed regulations involved in authorized missions and flights.
Still, there’s plenty of flying to do and opportunities to advance one’s instrument rating and training.
“You can get a lot of out of it,” Pickett said, noting how much he loves to fly.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
Civil Air Patrol’s 2010 Indiana Wing Awards
• Senior Squadron of the Year: Terre Haute Senior Squadron, Indiana 93rd
• Senior Member of the Year: Lt. Col. Reginald Paul, Counter-Drug Officer
• Safety Officer of the Year: Capt. Adam Springmeyer
Civil Air Patrol’s 2010 Indiana Wing Awards
• Senior Squadron of the Year: Terre Haute Senior Squadron, Indiana 93rd
• Senior Member of the Year: Lt. Col. Reginald Paul, Counter-Drug Officer
• Safety Officer of the Year: Capt. Adam Springmeyer
