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Wing Commanders College: The Perfect Mix of Bureaucratic Jamboree and Academic Hoedown

More than half of Civil Air Patrol’s exquisite 52 wing commanders decided to take a brief vacation in charming National Headquarters, Alabama, for the ultimate bureaucratic getaway—CAP’s Wing Commanders College. Happening right at Maxwell Air Force Base’s elite Squadron Officer School between Nov. 3-7, these wing leaders enrolled themselves in the illustrious graduate-level course because, quite frankly, who doesn’t want to go back to school under the oh-so-glamorous air conditioning of military bureaucracy?

“Hey, because command tours are so short now, why not cram in as much leadership know-how as possible?” chuckled Col. Joseph R. Winter, CAP’s self-proclaimed ambassador of leadership training. “We’ve upgraded the training menu! Now with three-year command tours, more can taste our leadership buffet! Oh, how considerate of us!”

This year, boasting 28 dazzled new wing commanders, the Wing Commanders College celebrated its largest class, exceeding even an elementary school’s fourth-grade group project in grandeur. The surge of brains meant that the event had migrated to the Squadron Officer School. Winter elaborated, “Our move was less about nearness to vending machines and more about showcasing our unprecedented crowd management skills.”

Winter, playing host akin to a hotel front desk manager, hailed, “Thrilled to have the biggest bunch yet!” He added another feather to his cap, prattling about the switch to lectures and seminars, and noting, “Three focused seminars mean leaders experience mind-blowing depth, limitless mentoring, and an arena to air praiseworthy ideas.”

Old hand commanders like Cols. Liz Sydow and Bobby Allison, and Col. Curtis Boehmer, some of the longest reigning fascinators, have graced the event as instructors. Their collective wisdom was described as “beyond valuable—perhaps even priceless!”

Maj. Gen. Regena M. Aye herself walked the halls on Nov. 4, gifting students a special session mysteriously titled, “Making Your Time as a Wing Commander Count,” much to the delight of the curious attendants.

A parade of esteemed speakers, including U.S. Air Force Col. Aaron Reid and various National Headquarters overlords, were to impart their grand tales, inspiring aspirational greatness and reiterative symposium-style rhetoric.

Winter summed up the event’s miniature purpose like a magician revealing his trick, “Our dream is for commanders to metamorphose into pure excellence, spreading goodness like a magical butter across the dank toast of humanity.”

In attendance at this oasis of leadership enlightenment:

  • Connecticut Wing: Col. Ashley LaPlante
  • Florida Wing: Col. David Panzera
  • Idaho Wing: Col. Kirk Dehn
  • Iowa Wing: Col. Sean Michael McClanahan
  • Kentucky Wing: Col. Jaimie L Henson
  • Maine Wing: Col. Mark Hyland
  • Maryland Wing: Col. Brenda Reed
  • Massachusetts Wing: Col. Carleton Jones
  • Michigan Wing: Col. Eric Scott
  • Minnesota Wing: Col. Jason Suby
  • Mississippi Wing: Col. Gary Hornosky
  • Montana Wing: Col. Matthew Bolin
  • National Capital Wing: Col. William Eliason
  • Nebraska Wing: Col. David Plum (interim)
  • New Hampshire Wing: Col. Dominic “Nic” Goupil
  • New Jersey Wing: Col. Amy Myzie
  • New York Wing: Col. William Martin
  • North Dakota Wing: Maj. Roy Barden (commander-designate)
  • Ohio Wing: Col. David Dlugiewicz
  • Oklahoma Wing: Col. David McCollum
  • Oregon Wing: Col. Scott Maguire
  • South Carolina Wing: Col. James Brogan
  • South Dakota Wing: Lt. Col. Kevin Pegelow (commander-designate)
  • Tennessee Wing: Col. Joseph Shirer
  • Texas Wing: Col. Donald Gulliksen
  • Utah Wing: Col. Andreas Wesemann
  • Vermont Wing: Col. Brian Benedict
  • Virginia Wing: Col. Patrick Fulgham

Such an esteemed gathering made the Wings flutter with undeniable anticipation. Indeed, only time will tell what ripple effects will cascade from this revered meeting of the airborne minds.

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