Here we can all share our encampment experiences. Great training opportunities, fun times, friends made, lasting impression, anything. My experience was amazing. NH wing encampment was held in Norwich University. The entire facility was open to us, pools, tracks, obstacle course. The nearby woods allowed for SAR training. Whatsmore, we got to use the weapons simulator, tour the nearby airbase, and ride on blackhawk helicopters over Lake Champlagne. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot.
I missed staff training for the annual airshow, but definitely want to go next year, even if darksiders are delegated to support roles. Sounds like a lot of fun and a great opportunity to aid your Wing's cadet program.
Summer of 1988 at the now defunct McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA.
Hot.
Miserable.
Worst days of my entire life.
Or so I thought. Looking back, it was great, and it sure gave me a different opinion of myself as I entered High School.
I also remember that day in Army Basic Training a few years later, when I thought to myself "that CAP encampment wasn't all that bad"...
Which day was that? Hmmmmmmmmm.
I think it was somewhere towards the end of DAY #1!!! (when I was also thinking "Gee, I shoulda joined the Air Force").
Glad I did it...all of it. If you are a young cadet and are thinking about it...just make the decision and get it done. You'll be glad you did when you are done with it.
(and for the record...although we did get to fly in CA Army Guard Hueys along the Sierra Nevada foothills of CA's Gold Country, it sounds like our encampment was nowhere near as cool as SgtParent's)
we got to stay at Fort Stewart, Savannah. I swear that everyday we had something to do. We got to go to Hunter AAF and watch a UAV on the airstrip, and then we went to CGAS Savannah and met with some AST personel and got to check out a HH-65 and talk with a pilot. We also got to go to a place where they had Abrams, Bradley, and Humvee sinulators and got to use them and mess around on them. Then, we got to go fly Apache and Vlack Hawk simulators. We attended a change of command, Had some sports competitions, had some cool classes, got to eat in a National Guard Mess hall, stay in Barracks, saw some MP's and their dog put on a show, and the best thing of all, we got to go on a 20-25 min flight in a CH-47 Chinnook!!!! here is the video on youtube of our helo rides.
Of course it wasn't all fun lol, at one point we had to change into blues and get a ride in the bus to a spot they were taking pictures. Then the bus left and didn't come back so we had to march like 1.5 miles in our blues in the blazing heat to the mess hall. Not to mention we were already tired, sweaty, and really really hungry. I hate that place! it was so hot and humid all the dang time. When I serve in the military, I know never to request that place lol. It gave me a lot of good times, experience, and most of all it tought me more about leadership.
i had my encampment in 2002. my squadron was CO22. Vance Brand cadet squadron.. Since i live in colorado my encampment was held at the air force academy.... Good times... got to ride in a huey...
Jbott is right although i was on support staff we still did just about everything he did in addition to all the paper work we had to do *sigh* i hated that desk job except we were supposed to be invisible and we didn't do a very good job of it
Sounds like a lot of fun and a great opportunity to aid your Wing's cadet program.
