HighSpeedTimes
(Formerly known as the DailyDrum)

A publication of the 2001 New York Wing Leadership Encampment Public Affairs Office

Volume 8, Issue 6                                                                             Thursday 2 August 2001

Encampment is Base for ELT Search

Early this morning, an ELT went off in the Watertown area, and the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) assigned the mission to New York Wing. The wing alterting officer contacted Capt Tim Holteen, one of our TAC officers, who took command as the Mission Coordinator. Maj Malcolm Dickinson served as Mission Coordinator Trainee.

The encapmment logistics office was converted into a mission base, and two ground teams were assembled from available members of encampment staff. An aircrew from Utica was tasked to track the ELT signal.

The ground teams arrived in Watertown just as the signal was fading. They searched all over the area but could not hear it again. Meanwhile, the aircrew took off from Utica followed the ELT signal to the south – right down to the Pennsylvania border – before it disappeared.

After investigating with the local FBO in Watertown, and with AFRCC, it was determined that an airplane with a faulty ELT took off from Watertown around 0900 and was headed for Baltimore. This explained the odd fading signal to the south. Perhaps Maryland Wing will find the ELT when it gets there!

Thanks to all the members who participated. The cadets who helped (on Ground Team 2 and in the comm section) were C/Maj Anderson, C/Col Couts, C/Maj Cucchiara, C/2d Lt Hirsch, C/SSgt O’Neal, C/TSgt Rossbach, and C/2d Lt Smith.

Daily Poll

Have you been frustrated? (80 cadets polled)

Yes – 62%                  No – 38%(

Are you homesick? (82 cadets polled)

Yes – 18%                  No – 82%

MED Tips

·   If you have the opportunity to deblouse, then deblouse.

·   Stay hydrated. Drink a lot of water. Drink ¾ to 1 canteen every hour.

·   Try to keep in shaded areas.

·   Try to drink 2 glasses of water at every meal. Try to drink something that won’t dehydrate you.

Family Vacation?

You may not know it, but there are several entire families at this encampment. That’s right, mom, dad, son, and daughter! But why would anyone want to have a “Fort Drum family vacation?” 2d Lt Lucy Stamatinos, a TAC who happens to also have a son and husband at the encampment, has some ideas:

  1. Free room and board for the parents (senior members go for free)
  2. You never see each other long enough to argue.
  3. Invigorating (early) cool air family aerobic fitness program (1st Sgt Arie’s PT)
  4. Free security patrol in the evenings (AKA: CQ)
  5. No clean-up after meals (Mess Ops and the KP flight do that)
  6. Lovely pastel-colored accommodations.
  7. 24-hour access to family counseling.
  8. Nightly entertainment (formation).
  9. Constant song and dance (flights marching to jodies).
  10. If your kids misbehave, you don’t have to punish them - just send ’em to C/Col Couts’s high-speed PT). (

Trivia Question of the Day

Which member of our command staff was baptized today?

Letters to the Editor

This year, the O-flights were a huge success. With the exception of 3 cases of puke-o-rama, I’d say the cadets had fun. All cadets in Bravo through India got flights, including flight staff! Even senior members got to fly in the aircraft. Only one plane (11L) had maintenance problems, and guess which group it belongs to in the wing - mine! (go Finger Lakes Group! HOOAHH!)

Thank you to the 11 pilots who volunteered to help out. We really appreciate your time and the use of the aircraft. Lt Col Wojtowicz and Lt Col Hughes were wonderful to work with. Thank you cadets for being easy to work with - you made you made my job a whole lot easier. Being the NCOIC of Air Ops was much fun this year. Now it’s off to bigger and better things for me as staff: Mess Ops! Lol.

C/SMSgt Katie Wieczorek
Flight Ops

Today Delta and Echo flights attended a class on the Marine Corps.  The instructor of the class was Lt Moll. He taught us how it first originated, the activities they do, their core values, and the meaning of the colors in their uniforms. The class was very informative and useful. Lt Moll was great and the knowledge he shared with us was outstanding.

C/SrA Carmen Aquino
Delta Flight

Today we had KP duty after breakfast. After India Flight left we had to clean up the mess hall for lunch. We all did a good job and worked well as a team. Using teamwork is the best way to get all the things done. Even though the garbage and dumpster smelled really gross, we still got the job done and was on our way. Later, when we went to lunch, sadly the mess hall had been put back to its original state. We hope the people with KP duty for lunch will make it new again.

C/SrA Jenniffer Camp
Hotel Flight

TOP TEN LIST WINNER!

Submitted by C/SrA Jennifer Camp and C/A1C Nicole Bradley from Hotel Flight.

You know you’ve been at encampment too long when:

1.       Everything is “high speed.”

2.       When asked if you understand, you grunt.

3.       When showing pleasure or excitement, you respond with a HOOAH!!

4.       You find yourself asking to sing Jodies in chorus class.

5.       You visit a sick relative in the hospital and you find yourself critiquing the hospital corners on the bed.

6.       When inanimate objects like clothing seem to be smiling at you.

7.       When you clean your room and everything ends up in a pyramid.

8.       Even on your flip-flops, the toe and heel are shiny.

9.       You find someone else in the shower with you… and you don’t seem to mind.

10.   You check your room to see if your mom has left you sticky notes.

Here are some excerpts from our runners up, C/Amn Stragler (Echo flight) and C/SSgt Ceccarelli (Delta flight).

·    You go to Lt Moll for words of wisdom.

·    You accidentally call a senior member “mom.”

·    Polishing your boots becomes an art, not a job.

·    You’ve been a victim of the phantom flusher.

·    You start singing a cadence on the school bus.

·    When your teaches asks you for your report that’s due you start yelling “ZERO CQ, ZERO SICK CALL, ZERO ACTIVI-TAY!”

·    When you wake up your friends at a slumber party you yell “get on my line!”

Thanks to all who turned in submissions - they were all great! Q

SrA Joshua Couts

C/Col Couts’s brother, C/Lt Col Joshua Couts, is also in the Air National Guard. He has attended National Blue Beret and was a flight commander at the 1999 NY Wing encampment. He says he “feels privileged” to be in the Air Force because he gets to travel to places like Greenland. SrA Couts is older than his Spaatz brother by two minutes. They come from a long family tradition of military service. Q

The HighSpeedTimes is brought to you by your Public Affairs Office:

C/2d Lt Jacob Uriel, OIC
C/MSgt Jenniffer Frye, Reporter
C/SSgt Danielle Ayala, Reporter/Photographer
C/SSgt Daniel Cocozzelli, Reporter/Photographer
Maj Malcolm Dickinson, Mentor