The Wheel for November 8, 2018
Listen to Colonel Craddock – Commander 99th Air Force Wing, Nellis Air Force Base – The Complicated Organization Behind Nellis Air Force Base
The Wheel
Colonel Craddock – Commander 99th Air Force Wing, Nellis Air Force Base – The Complicated Organization Behind Nellis Air Force Base
Colonel Cavan K. Craddock is the Commander, 99th Air Base Wing, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and Installation Commander for Nellis AFB, Creech AFB and the 2.9 million-acre Nevada Test and Training Range. He is responsible for three Groups and 15 Squadrons providing installation support for operational testing, tactics development, and advanced training in Air, Space, and Cyberspace as well as global Remotely Piloted Aircraft operations. He is responsible for all installation support, providing communications, contracting, engineering, environmental, law enforcement, logistics, medical, security, services, supply, transportation, and mission support for more than 11,000 assigned service members and 313,000 family members, retirees and veterans.
In addition, the Wing supports the U. S. Air Force Warfare Center, 53d Wing, 57th Wing, 432d Wing, 505th Command & Control Wing, 926th Wing, 363d Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, the NTTR, 52 tenant units, over 250 rotary and fixed-wing aircraft plus nearly 1,500 visitors and temporary-duty personnel conducting business daily across the installation.
Colonel Craddock was commissioned in 1995 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has served in a variety of flying and staff assignments and has commanded at the flight and squadron levels.
Colonel Craddock is a U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course graduate and a command pilot with more than 2,300 flight hours in the F-22 and F-15C. He has flown combat missions in support of operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch.
Prior to his current position, he was the Vice Commander, 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii.
Message From The President
Since its inception, the United States of America has maintained a military force to defend itself. The US military is currently composed of the Air Force, the Army, the Coast Guard, the Marine Corps, and the Navy. The US military has been maintained through both conscriptions and by volunteers. The US military is currently a volunteer force consisting primarily of young people. It takes courage for a soldier to risk life and limb for his country. The vast majority complete their service and return to civilian life expecting nothing in return.
On November 11 of each year, we celebrate Veterans Day. Veterans Day is often confused with Memorial Day. We celebrate Memorial Day to remember those who died during military service. Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day. The holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. Armistice Day was celebrated to commemorate the end of World War I. We celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 because WW I officially ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
In today’s climate of celebrating active military members and veterans, it is hard to believe that they were not always praised for their service. Veterans of the Viet Nam war came home to jeers, taunts, and protests. They were vilified and shunned for decades because the war was unpopular. Adding insult to injury is the fact that most of them were conscripted into the war. Whether we agree with the political reasons that send our young men and women to war, we should remember to thank those who served our country this Veterans Day and every Veterans Day to come.
James A. Kohl
Member Highlights
PP Sharon McNair missed her opportunity of winning the pot by pulling 9 of spades and not the Joker.
President Jim Kohl presents Chris Rodenfels with his ticket for a 4 hour exotic car Rental.
President Jim presented our speaker Bill Laimbeer with our “Share What You Can Award”.
Toni Kern announced plans to increase mentorship in spread the word Nevada.
At President Jim’s head table were August Spicer, Coach Bill Laimbeer and PP Jim Hunt.
Bob Barnard won something he did not need…Lucky Guy.
Jaime Goldsmith led us in singing “Blowin’ in the Wind”.
Jerry Engel explained how to donate to the JA Tiberti Fellowship program that already has 131 donors from our Rotary Club.
Jerry Engel won the Lawry Bucks to dine with an extra $50.
Mary Wilson with Spread the Word Nevada explained the need for mentor volunteers.
Michael Williams led us in prayer.
Our birthday table from LtoR was Russ Swain, Ed Lepere, Adam Hommey, Tina Bishop, Kazim Fathie and Tom Thomas.
Our Sergeant At Arms Arleen Sirois was joined for lunch by her husband Mike.
PP Jim Hunt poses with August and Aces Coach Bill Laimbeer.
PP Michael Gordon and Jim Hunt present August Spicer with a Paul Harris Fellow for her participation in our Santa Clothes program.
Scribe – November 1, 2018
Las Vegas Rotary Club Meeting: November 1, 2018
- President Jim Kohl called the meeting to order.
- Michael Williams asked for a moment of silence in light of the events of the week and gave the invocation.
- Jaime Goldsmith led the club in singing Blowin’ In The Wind, followed by President Jim leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
- The Sergeant at Arms was Arlene Sirois.
- There were (1) International Rotarians, (1) visiting Rotarians and (20) Guests of Rotarians introduced including sales and marketing team members, and others of the LV Aces.
- President Jim encouraged members to share the live stream of our meeting on social media to share our message and our Club with others;
- PP Jim Hunt presented a special and well-earned Paul Harris Fellow to former UNLV Community Relations, now with the LV Aces team, August Spicer; Paul Maffey provided a history of J A Tiberti and the Fellowship created and how more members can join the current 131 Tiberti Fellows, with Jerry Engel explaining ways to donate;
- Toni Kern announced renewed efforts to increase mentors for Spread The Word Nevada’s ‘Books With Buddies Program’ for 2019, with STWN representatives Mary Nelson and Jan Habura in attendance; PP Russ Swain reported a successful UNLV tailgate, with great food provided by Anil Melnick and about 25 attendees; Luci Parodi reported a great Halloween Party, thanking Anil Melnick, Deb Granda and Janice Lenke, which raised $498 for an updated total of $5,744, a bit shy from last year’s numbers, for the Canned Food Drive; the special Halloween raffle prize of a 4 hr rental of an exotic car from one of Deb Granda’s clients, Diplomat Auto, was held and raffled off at the lunch for $500 to Chris Rodenfels; Deb Granda reminded members the Holiday Party is 12/6 at Treasure Island, members free and spouse/friend $75;
- The weekly drawing began at $3,535 plus this week’s donations. The Ticket Winner was PP Sharon McNair, who received a prize of $10, and the Lawry’s Bucks Winner was Jerry Engel. An additional drawing for tickets to a golf tournament was donated by Rosalee Hedrick;
- PP Jim Hunt introduced our program speaker, Coach Bill Laimbeer, President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the LV Aces, who provided an interesting and informative history of how he was contacted following the MGM acquisition and transfer of the San Antonio Women’s professional basketball team to Las Vegas, and how he had to build it all from scratch, from re-doing the arena at the Mandalay Bay (including a JumboTron), securing/re-doing a training camp on the campus of UNLV, to marketing, ticket sales, TV time, and of course drafting what is the ‘youngest team in the League’, getting first pick in the next year’s draft for the 3 rd year in a row and making the whole ‘in-game’ experience just that – after all, as Coach Laimbeer said, ‘This is Las Vegas’;
- President Jim presented our speaker with a “Share What You Can” award to benefit a veteran in need and then adjourned the meeting.