 The Three Rivers Flight conducted the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Grape Creek Cemetery on 11 December, 2010. Members of the Grape Creek community attended and witnessed as Three Rivers Flight cadets placed ceremonial wreaths and assisted community members in placing wreaths associated with their respective service.
Windy conditions did not damper the spirit of the ceremony, the first of its kind in the Grape Creek community. Following the laying of the seven ceremonial wreaths, the Three Rivers Flight cadet corps and local members of the community placed wreaths on veteran graves throughout the cemetery.
For more information, please click here to be taken to the Three Rivers Flight website.
Three Rivers Flight encourages everyone to celebrate our veterans by ordering wreaths to participate in next year's national Wreaths Across America campaign. You may order a wreath for a grave anywhere in the United States, by visiting the "Wreaths Across America" website. For more local information call 325-245-8312.
James J. Goodfellow, Jr. Post 32
 The James J. Goodfellow, Jr. Post 32 of the American Legion donated a check for $250 to the Three Rivers Flight for our Aerospace Project. The money will be used to purchase materials to get our project "off the ground." We are very appreciative of the American Legion donation to our STEM project.
SWR-TX-023 First Promotions
1st Lt. Les Roblin and Cadet Airman Jonah Griggs were the first members of SWR-TX-123 to receive promotion in our unit. Cadet Airman Jonah Griggs completed his Curry award through rigorous study and hard work at getting his physical training completed. 1st Lt. Les Roblin was promoted from Senior Member to 1st Lt. through completion of his General Radio Operators License.
San Angelo Amateur Radio Club Field Day
Eight members of the Three River Flight participated in the San Angelo Amateur Radio Club (SAARC) “Field Day”, conducted overnight from noon 26 June through noon 27 June, 2010 at the Twin Buttes Reservoir Spillway, southwest of San Angelo, Texas.
 Three Rivers Flight cadets and seniors were provided an opportunity to observe SAARC members erect three different types of radio communication antennas, and were then allowed to participate with SAARC members through the “Get On The Air” (GOTA) station. Using SAARC radio equipment, each Three Rivers Flight member used the equipment to scan the 20-meter radio spectrum for stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Once a station was heard broadcasting, the member then used proper radio techniques to contact the broadcasting station, get the broadcasting station's call sign and type station, and provide the GOTA station call sign and type station information. The collected information was then recorded on a form for submission to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) for calculation of performance during the Field Day.
The Field Day is a contest conducted by the ARRL for amateur radio clubs and operators to contact as many stations as possible within the 24-hour period. Contest points are assessed based on the different communication methods by which stations can contact other stations, the different methods of powering communications equipment to make these contacts, and the number of different antenna arrays used to make contact. Also, each non-SAARC member contacting another station through the GOTA station, garners the SAARC a specific amount of points.
Three Rivers Flight members participating in the Field Day were able to make contacts as far from Texas as Canada, California, and Alabama. The members were briefed on proper radio terminology, radio-telephone etiquette, and use of the particular equipment. Members were exposed to the different methods of radio communication including voice, Morse, and Packet (computer-based application) to transmit and receive messages, and three cadets successfully completed the Basic Communication User Training prior to participating with the SAARC during the Field Day. The majority of members spent the night by pitching camp near the SAARC radio club operation.
Three Rivers Flight members in attendance were Commander Capt Johanna Augustine, Asst. Communications Officer 1st Lt Les Roblin, Communications Officer 1st Lt Dave Augustine, Senior Member Lauri McCallum, Cadet Technical Sergeant Nathaniel Ferguson, and Cadet Basics Taylor Leavelle and A.J. Augustine.
CERT training
Seven members of the Three Rivers Flight of Grape Creek completed all requirements for Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), or IS-317. Topics included introduction to CERT, fire safety, hazardous material and terrorist incidents, disaster medical operations, and search and rescue.
After the requisite 16 hours of classroom instruction, Bea Ramsey, San Angelo CERT Coordinator, distributed CERT backpacks to each student. Each backback included leather gloves, flashlight, helmet, goggles, wrench, dust mask, duct tape, first aid kit, and a CERT vest.
Students then spent 4 hours demonstrating their practical skills. Everyone demonstrated using a fire extinguisher to put out a small fire, while Wesley Mobley, assistant instructor and a Grape Creek Volunteer firefighter, did the honors of lighting and relighting the fire despite the high afternoon temperatures.
The students moved back indoors to complete the remaining practical requirements. CERT instructor and Grape Creek Volunteer firefighter Jose Rivera demonstrated transporting a person by chair, blanket, and backboard; how to transport a person to reduce causing further injury to neck or back; and removing trapped victims using cribbing.
The last exercise of the day involved the students entering a darkened building in teams, locating injured or deceased persons, and safely removing them from the building. Donning full CERT gear, all students entered the building in teams of two, methodically searched the building, located both victims, and successfully removed them.
Commemorative Air Force "Open Cockpit" Day
The Midland Composite Squadron and Three Rivers Flight assisted the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) with the "Open Cockpit" day held at the Midland International Airport.
The cadets assisted viewers with entering, exiting, and viewing of five aircraft, the C-46, C-47, T-28, OV-2, and Ju-52. Cadets provided information on the aircraft capabilities and operations, while ensuring the viewers enjoyed safe maneuvering around and inside the aircraft.
Shannon AirMed1
 Members of the Three Rivers Composite Squadron, Grape Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Quail Valley Fire Department, and Citizen's Emergency Response Team gathered at the Cloud Country Airport in Grape Creek, TX for helicopter landing zone (HLZ) training provided by Shannon Hospital's AirMed1 helicopter service.
The helicopter flight and ground support crews provided instruction on the requirements of a HLZ, orientation of lighting for night-time use, how to identify obstructions, contact information with both the helicopter crew and their dispatch, situations to request helicopter support, capabilities of the helicopter and crew, and ground safety when approaching the helicopter during landing and takeoff preparations.
Approximately 25 personnel attended the training hosted at the Cloud Country Airport. Mr. Doug O'Connor, airport owner, and Mr. Leroy Ingham, private pilot, graciously donated their time and the facility to promote the advancement of training in the community.
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