On Thursday we had our official visits with the Maryland National Guard (MDNG), where our IACE guests learned about the CAP-MDNG relationship.  The day began with a visit to Warfield Air National Guard Base, followed by Weide Army Air Field, and ended at the Weiss home for dinner and a swim.

At Warfield, we received a briefing on the 175th Wing and its aircraft and mission from Maj. Joe Winter and TSgt Mark Prorock (a MDANG recruiter and CAP member).  Col. Neal, vice commander of the 175th, stopped in for a visit and answered some questions.   Following the briefing, we went out for a tour of the A-10 and C-130J.  The crew was very willing to answer lots of questions and our guests enjoyed seeing these aircraft up close.  Thanks to Col. Neal, we were able to try out flying the A-10 through the simulator.  Unfortunately, all but one of our guests did not have a successful landing (good job Harry!).

Our guests with Maj Joe Winter in front of an A-10

Before heading out to Weide Army Air Field, we had some lunch with Joe and Mark.  After lunch, our guests presented them with gifts and certificates for their hospitality during the visit.   In exchange, they were given a bag full of Air National Guard goodies to take home with them.

We arrived at Weide where we were greeted by Col. Jerry Weiss, Maryland Wing commander.  The IACE group had met Col. Weiss previously in Washington, DC, during the IACE introductory dinner.  Prior to heading in for our briefing, Col. Weiss presented each of our guests with a Maryland Wing challenge coin as a momento of their visit to Maryland.

After our initial safety briefing, Col. Charles Schultze, head of Maryland Army Aviation and former CAP cadet, spoke with our group about the history of the Guard and how the Maryland Wing and the Guard work together, most recently with a joint SAREX where the Guard flew the ground teams to West Virginia.

Harry and Eddie talk to Col. Schulze of Maryland Army Aviation

Then it was out to the flight line to board a UH-60 Blackhawk for a flight around Baltimore.  Col. Schultze took command of the flight plan and our guests were treated to 1 1/2 hours of fantastic views of the city and countryside.  They flew over sights that they saw from the ground earlier in the week — Fort McHenry, Ravens Stadium, and the Inner Harbor.   It was a remarkable and memorable afternoon for them!

Getting ready to fly

That evening, Col. Weiss hosted our guests for dinner and a swim at this home.  They were joined by Capt Joanna Weiss, who they had already met the day before at Hershey Park.

Nate relaxing at Col. Weiss' home

Another long and rewarding day was done.  Be sure to look in our two Photo Galleries at the top of the blog for more photos!

~Brenda