April 2008 |
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February 2002 ArchiveAll the old garbage you can handle! |
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In January 1996 I transferred to a squadron that was struggling. I wasn't happy in the squadron I was in anyway, so I didn't have anything to lose. When I transferred it was with the understanding that I would assume duties as their Deputy Commander for Cadets (DCC) and try to salvage what was left of their dwindling cadet corps, which consisted of about five active cadets. With this in mind, what follows is some of the ideas and rules that I used to make this unit a successful, vibrant, and professional squadron.
There are few Civil Air Patrol groups that are surrounded by as much mystery as the Cold War era "77th Ranger Support Unit". Known to very few people outside of its own ranks, it was based in the wilderness of Drummond Island, Michigan, and conducted its training and developed its methods in seclusion.
What is the Thousand Yard Stare? How do you get it? What sets the men who have it apart from those who have been spared? One look at them and you see they're different; it's in the eyes. The Thousand Yard Stare tells of someone who's been places and seen things: things he'd rather not have seen and places he shouldn't have been. We knew that as much horror as each of us had seen over the years, we had to be within a few dozen yards of a thousand. We were determined to make it over that barrier: the barrier that separates the men from the boys. Winter School at Hawk Mountain Ranger Training Facility seemed like just the ticket...