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Tar River Comp Squadron Celebrates a Great Night of Awards and Promotions

Print presentation to Viventi
2 of 5
Col R. Jason Bailey (right) presents Lt Col Dion Viventi with his personal award of appreciation. Photo Credit: 2d Lt Liz Dunster, CAP (click image to view full size)
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NC Wing Commander presents awards to squadron members

1/2/2018––Final awards and promotions for 2017 for the Tar River Composite Squadron were presented at the squadron meeting on Thursday, 14 December 2017. Eight senior members, including North Carolina Wing Commander Col R. Jason Bailey, 13 cadets and 2 visitors were in attendance.

Cadet Commander C/Capt Richard Green called the cadets to order and they recited the Pledge of Allegiance and cadet oath. Maj William Hess introduced the NC Wing Commander, Col Bailey, to the meeting. Col Bailey explained that he was in attendance to present the Amelia Earhart Award to C/Capt Green and asked the cadets what they knew about Amelia Earhart and how they would describe her. C/TSgt Justin Newcomb described her as a pioneer, which Col Bailey agreed with. Col Bailey read from the Amelia Earhart factsheet. The Earhart Award is the third of five milestone awards in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadet program and is named in honor of Amelia Earhart, the pioneering aviatrix who was lost while attempting to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. In order to receive the Earhart Award, cadets must have passed comprehensive leadership and aerospace exams, a physical fitness exam, completed a staff duty analysis and met specific leadership expectations. 
 
Col Bailey then congratulated C/Capt Green and presented him with a framed award certificate. Col Bailey spoke to the cadets about the significance of Earhart’s role in aviation and went on to say that cadets who earn the Earhart Award are eligible to apply for the International Air Cadet Exchange. He also asked the assembled cadets if they knew which milestone came next (the Ira C. Eaker Award) and what the first milestone award was (the Wright Brothers Award).
 
Col Bailey next presented Commander's Commendation awards to C/Capt Green, 2d Lt Nicholas Green and 2d Lt Liz Dunster for their work on the slide shows for the CAP North Carolina Wing's 75th Anniversary Cadet program dining out, which was held on Saturday 28 October 2017. He mentioned that the slide shows had also gone through to NHQ. These awards came as a surprise to the three CAP members, who were not expecting them. 
 
Col Bailey also presented Lt Col Dion Viventi with an award for “sincere appreciation from the Wing Commander” for service as the Wing DOV. Viventi was the Wing DOV for four years. The award was a framed print of the "Total Force Partners" CAP 75th Anniversary Commemorative Painting, together with the NC Wing Commander's coin.  Lt Col Viventi then surprised Col Bailey with the presentation of a gold Tomahawk pin for soloing in a Tomahawk. This was the last of the awards presented by Col Bailey.
 
Three members of the squadron were then promoted. Maj Hess called Senior Member Ray Haas first, who was promoted to 2d Lt. Maj Hess called on C/Amn Noah Haas to assist with pinning 2d Lt Haas, who is his father.  The next promotion was that of Cadet Haas, who was promoted to C/A1C. Now 2d Lt Haas assisted with the pinning of his son. C/Amn Christopher Hess was the final promotion for the evening, also to C/A1C. He was pinned by his father, Maj Hess and C/TSgt Dean Jackson.

Maj Hess explained that he was starting a new tradition at Tar River around the cadet oath and called new cadets Keyron Taylor, Joshua Sessoms and Levi Graham to take their cadet oath publicly, led by Cadet Commander C/Capt Green.

Cake was provided by the family of C/Capt Green to celebrate the evening and 2d Lt Dave Hopewell brought a tray of cookies for everyone to enjoy.