SQUADRON NEWS

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The Squadron held its annual Christmas Party at the First Baptist Church of Lilburn Saturday, 13 December 2008.  Over 130 people attended. 

During the program, John Veverka, Commander of VFW 5255 in Lawrenceville, and Mike Fitch, Senior Vice Commander, presented the squadron with a donation of $500.  The squadron enjoys a good relationship with the local VFW chapter, and the donation is very much appreciated.

Maj. Jim Weed, squadron commander, and Lt. Col. Deb Schmid provided a recap of some of the year's activities.

• The squadron participated in 5 ELT missions
• Gwinnett aircrews and ground teams participated in HURREX 08, GEMA's hurricane preparedness exercise
• Two Gwinnett members completed their Mission Pilot qualifications
• Gwinnett hosted a Counterdrug training day with approximately 75 attendees from wings around the region
• Twenty-one cadets received their first stripe in 2008
• There were a total of 96 cadet promotions during the year
• Two senior members, Tod Quarles and Paul Wilson, were promoted to Major
• Three senior members, Deb Schmid, Tom Schmid and Patrick Zarnik, were promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, the highest rank achievable without a special appointment
• Gwinnett hosted 3 Search and Rescue Exercises
• Gwinnett raised over $800 in fund raising activities associated with the Ford Tri-Motor and B-17 aircraft that visited the Gwinnett County airport

Also during the program, Maj. Weed announced the appointment of a new Deputy Commander for Seniors, Lt. Col. Patrick Zarnik.  The outgoing Deputy Commander, Maj. Michael Wegner, held that position for 8 years, and will be focusing on the CAP glider program in Georgia while remaining active in ES operations.  Lt. Col. Zarnik has held numerous staff positions in the squadron including, most recently, Director of Operations.

Maj. Weed presented Certificates of Appreciation to the following people for their work on behalf of the squadron during 2008:

Becky Barnes SM David Torres Lt. Col. Will Hargrove SM Don Zindorf Lt. Col. Patrick Zarnik Maj. Paul Wilson Capt. Scott Westbrook Maj. Michael Wegner

SM Robert Stafford 1Lt. Robert Smith Maj. Preston Sewell Lt. Col. Deb Schmid 1Lt. Wayne Sanders Maj. Harry Robinson 2Lt. Linda Rawsky Maj. Tod Quarles

1Lt. Harold Popham 1Lt. Robert Padovano 2Lt. Sharon Meason 1Lt. Michael Lyday SM George Guerin 1Lt. Blaine Cole Lt. Col. Paul Branson 2Lt. Alan Branan

Thanks to all of these individuals for helping maintain the squadron's excellence.

The cadets attempted to break a record for promotions at one time, but fell just shy.  Sixteen cadets were promoted, missing the record by one.  The cadets are listed below with their new rank:

Thomas Feeney, Cadet Staff Sergeant John Williams, Cadet Airman Kris Connelly, Cadet Staff Sergeant Aaron Bohan, Cadet Airman First Class Michael Karsten, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Samantha Aldana, Cadet Airman Jeff Wells, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Joseph Peterka, Cadet Technical Sergeant

Matt Sorcic, Cadet Chief Master Sergeant Robert Lyday, Cadet Major Austin Jones, Cadet Airman First Class Joshua Stultz, Cadet First Lieutenant Daniel Millard, Cadet Airman First Class Taylor Lartigue, Cadet Airman First Class Ryan Tatum, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Katie Barnes, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant

Congratulations to each of these cadets for their achievements.

The activities were concluded with a reading of the Christmas story by Chaplain, Capt. Scott Westbrook.