Annapolis and the bay

Hello everybody

Two days ago we left Carroll County and moved to St Mary’s County..We said goodbye to the Reeds, which were sooo amazing and took a really good care of us. I have to say (and all the group agreed) that was one of the best things that happened to us: meeting them (did someone mention “meeting the best that U.S can offer”?..:)

Till now, everything here is just great and we all have had a lot of fun. Those O-flights were REALLY one of the best things, and yeah, as usual, i took so many pictures (but you know me by now..).

After we said goodbye , we met Dave, and we discovered new things at St. Mary’s, such as Amish carts (which was the first time i saw one for real). We went to a great pool party to get to know the other cadets and to relax a bit (you all know, of course, that we have a lot of stress in that journey..).
We met there our new host families. I don’t know if all the people in the U.S. are like this, but if that is so, i might come visit much more often…

As for me, I’m staying with the Myers, which, in my opinion, are one of the coolest families that there are: They really love to have fun, going to water sport, flying planes and the room I’m staying at has a lot of surf-boards, which made me think about extending my stay in the U.S…  Dan, the cadet, is one of the coolest guys that I’ve ever met: He really likes all those extreme sports, he knows a lot about real great things, and he loves to have fun, even if on the edge (which i like the most..).

I have to admit that at the first night i crashed because i was so exhausted, but then the morning came..:

At first, we met at the air-field, where Bob McCall showed us were the squadron meets and operates from, I really like that air-field.  After that, we went to Annapolis, a charming place with great bay. We went to see the U.S. Naval Academy, which was very nice: a lot of impressive buildings that inspired lots of movies.
After that we needed to get our “air supply”, so we went (yeah yeah..) to do some shopping.

But then came the real thing: We went on jet-ski at the bay, and it was soooo cool!!!! riding it and going on knee-boards (when Dan, of course, leads the way..) was soooo great!!  Have to admit, at this point, that i didn’t do so well with the knee-board, but hey, i had great time there.

After that we went to Bob’s house for a birthday party to his daughter, which was great, and yeah, he knows how to do BBQ…I’m telling you all: There are not enough miles on earth for me to run afterwards to burn all the calories..;)

So, as you see, we keep on having tons of fun

I will write again soon, and for now: i want it to keep on like that

Bye for now

Nate (the escort, yeah..)

Andrews Air Force Base

Friday would be the last day we would see the IACE group (they head south to St Mary’s for the remainder of their stay in Maryland after today’s activity).   Our guests have become part of the family and it would be very quiet around the house without them.

We met them early in the morning at Maryland Wing headquarters (they had spent the night at Col. Weiss’ home and he brought them down to Wing).  Today’s activity was a tour of Andrews Air Force Base, thanks to 2nd Lt. Don Ells (SSgt, USAF) who coordinated the event.  We were joined by members of the Fort McHenry Composite Squadron — Lt Col Jim Steinmeier, Lt Col Gussie Bouldin, TSGT Moore, Lt Chris Striker, C/Maj Charlie Frater, C/Amn Watson, C/Amn Bennett, and C/SSgt Gleichauff.

Our guests with members of the Fort McHenry Composite Squadron

We drove down to Andrews and waited at the gate…and waited…and waited…   Since we were a group, we were told to go to the side gate where all the trucks enter — all the trucks gets searched.  And, since we were headed to the flight line, we had the extra search with the K9 unit.  We all got out of the two vans and watched as the dog searched our vehicles (note:  we would see this dog later in the day).  Our tour guide boarded the first van and gave us a windshield tour of the base, pointing our various buildings along the way.

Our first stop would be at the 1st Helicopter Squadron where we received a briefing and a tour of the hangar with a up close hands on experience with a UH-1N Huey helicopter.  As was our custom by now, we took lots of photos while there.

Yariv, Sharon, and Tom at the Huey

Since we were ahead of schedule, our tour guide took us to the base Starbucks for some refreshment before heading off the the K9 demonstration.   We learned about the training of the dogs and their mission of searching for bombs, drugs, or whatever else they are trained to do.  The dogs (and their handlers) demonstrated how they would arrest a suspect (including the dog pulling the suspect out of the car window!).  Nate got suited up in a well padded jacket for training — but they were kind and didn’t tell the dogs to attack.  In all, we saw three different dogs (including the one we had previously seen at our vans doing his job!).  The K9 unit personnel were very patient as we asked many, many questions.  (While the USAF personnel were in the full sun and heat answering our questions, the dogs were in the air conditioned police vehicles — they are the true masters of the K9 unit!).

K9 demonstration at Andrews AFB

By this time our stomachs were telling us that it was lunch time so we headed off for the base club for their buffet lunch.  We were joined by Lt Col John Knowles, the Maryland Wing vice commander, who works nearby.  Lt Col Knowles had already heard stories of our IACE group from his daughter, Rachel, who had spent the day with them Sunday.

Refreshed from both the food and airconditioning, we stopped at the base uniform supply before heading to our next destination — Operations and the control tower.   Here we had briefings on the operations of the flight line, weather, and met Bree, the bird chasing dog that keeps the geese off the flight line.   We then went up to the top of the control tower.  The views were spectacular, with a good view of the Air Force One hangar.  While in the tower, we air traffic controllers spent a lot of time with us explaining how they track aircraft and communicate with them.  We were treated to some up-close and personal views of Hueys and a Blackhawk as they made a close pass by the tower.  All too soon it was time to head down and meet up with the rest of the group.

Eddie in the control tower

From there we said good bye to the Fort McHenry squadron as we headed south.  We met 1st Lt Dave Webster and C/2nd Lt Peter Webster at a mid-way point, where we introduced them to our IACE guests.  It was difficult to say good-bye to our new friends and watch them head south on the next leg of their journey.  We have had a great time with them and have memories that will last a lifetime.  We all became Facebook friends and promised to keep in touch.

Saying goodbye before the group heads south

They plan to keep up with the blog while in St. Mary’s before returning to Washington, DC, on Monday.

~Brenda

Warfield, Weide, and Weiss

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

Chocolate World

Wednesday was a day of fun…and what could be more American than Hershey Park!  The group made the journey to Hershey, Pa., for a full day of roller coasters and water rides.  We were joined by Capt Joanna Weiss of the Harford Composite Squadron, Jennifer Reed, and cadets Leah Fournier and Mike Schuster of the Carroll Composite Squadron.

After acquainting ourselves with the layout of the park, the general thought was to ride as many roller coasters as possible before it got crowded and the lines got long.  We divided into two groups, each going to opposite ends of the park. The weather was hot and sticky but it was sunny all day.  We were fortunate that there were not as many people at the park as expected so the longest anyone waited for a ride was about 40 minutes.   The IACE cadets (and Nate) patiently waited for the front seat on each coaster.

Half way through the day we met at our predetermined spot to eat a picnic lunch followed by a visit to Chocolate World, where we rode the short ride with music (did I hear comments that the music reminded some of “It’s a Small World”?).   The exit to the ride brought us to the huge gift shop with everything Hershey.

We regrouped and went back for the remainder of the day at the rides. Tom and Nate played a few games and won stuffed lions, which they were both very proud of, while Harry won a Penn State basketball – which Joanna was very proud of (Penn State is her school).

The day ended with water rides and a good soaking for Nate and Leah by Eddie and Yariv.

The day was long and full and we ended tired but happy.  It was back in the van for home for some sleep before another busy day.

~Brenda

O-Flights, Ravens and Cows

Today we stayed close to home (it was nice to sleep in) and experienced Carroll County culture. With Brenda not home to prepare breakfast (she had to go to work), the group took advantage of the moment and ate their cheesecake for breakfast.

Cheesecake for breakfast?!?

The day started with the IACE cadets and escorts flying Orientation flights in Civil Air Patrol aircraft.  I want to thank Capts Pat Aaron and Marty Sacks for flying our guests and providing them a terrific experience.  All of them stated what a great time they had and how much fun they had. During this time Sharon got in some more shopping with assistance from Becca Gnau.  They visited Walmart, Old Navy and Marshall’s.  We met up with Lt Rick Stuart while at the airport and he joined us for lunch at Panera Bread.

Yariv, Nate, and Marty Sacks after a CAP orientation flight

We were later joined by Leah Fournier and Joey Mack, both from Carroll Composite Squadron, and drove over to the Baltimore Ravens training camp’s afternoon practice.  While the actual practice didn’t hold much interest to the cadets, the Ravens fun zone was a hit – as were the cheerleaders (at least for Nate and myself).  We also had our first injury consisting of a sore wrist.  After some first aid (ice) provided by Leah and some conversations with Dana (a Raven’s Cheerleader) the sore wrist was forgotten.

American football with the Baltimore Ravens

A short drive to the Carroll County Agricultural Center got us face to face with Carroll’s farming heritage and lots of cows, sheep and goats.  When the schedule was first created we weren’t sure if this visit would go over well but as the pictures attest everyone seemed to have a good time.  A visit to the ice cream shop also helped. (Be sure to look in Photo Gallery 2 on the blog header for the photos).

Sharon at the 4H Fair

Then it was back to the Reed house to have another home-cooked meal which included corn on the cob from the garden.  Everyone then got into their uniforms and headed over to Carroll Composite Squadron’s weekly meeting.  During the meeting, our guests participated in the monthly moral leadership discussion before taking part in a question and answer session, where the CAP cadets were able to ask all kinds of thing of the IACE group.  Questions ranged from military specific, accourtourments on their uniforms, to what kind of TV shows do they watch.  During closing formation the IACE delegation was presented gifts from the squadron and Wing.

Cadets of Carroll Composite Squadron (IACE in center)

Several of the Carroll cadets and officers wanted to spend more time with the IACE group, so we wandered over to Chik-fil-A for something to drink.  Everyone relaxed and the discussions were varied.  Eddie and Harry showed us how to text message on their cell phones using Chinese characters.  A quick stop to Wal-Mart for batteries and a few other supplies, and we were on our way home to get a good night sleep in preparation for the next day.

Tom Reed

O, say can you see (part 2)

Today is just similar to the days before- an excellent day which is full of fun. All of us including 2 CAP cadets who are Becka and Zuly went to the Fort McHenry followed by the Harbor walk.

As Yariv and Sharon mentioned above, we did go back to the 18^th century visiting a military base and this time, I had tried to join our “famous” Nate to check out all the check-points there. Designs there were all impressive, especially their military buildings and tools, such as, ravelin and cannons. All of us enjoyed it so much!!!

After we stepped back to our century- the 21st, we had a walk along the Harbor and targeted the CHEESECAKE FACTORY… There were incredibly many kinds of cheesecakes offered and we were really hard to have our decision since most of us would like to have more than one of them. =D

Last but not least, we went to Joe Winter’s home to have our enjoyable “digging” party which I always love. (Exactly, we’re all digging again, esp. one of our escorts… *in that point Nate adds that apparently he did really good job since everybody actually stated do that..) Guess what, the first feeling came up from my mind once the main door was opened- UNBELIEVABLE. Joe’s house was really classical and I liked it very much* Not only had we a memorable barbeque which was made by Joe, but also chatted lots (mouths kept opening…. =D). Friends from different countries gathering together undoubtedly made lots of fun. And I spoke much “funny” Herbal tonight, e.g. ‘Shalom’, “Ani Of Otacv”, ‘Lama”, etc…

Time to go right now***

(To Be Continued…)

Harry Mintono @ Hong Kong

O, say can you see…

As we planned the itinerary for our guests, we wanted to give them a well rounded experience — some history, some aviation, some culture, and lots of fun. Monday’s schedule had history, culture and fun all in one day (the aviation comes on Tuesday). Our cadet hosts for today were Becca Gnau and Zuly Ruiz, both of the Carroll Composite Squadron.

Yariv, Sharon, and Harry pose at Fort McHenry.

We began our day with a trip to Fort McHenry in Baltimore — for those not up on their history, this is the site that, in 1814, provided Francis Scott Key with the inspiration to write the poem that eventually became our national anthem. Our guests were familiar the the song and learning about the history and what the words actually mean was important to them. Nate had commented that he always thought the words related to something more recent but now has some context for the next time he hears the anthem.

After a morning of history, it was time for lunch and some fun. We made the short trip to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor – a great place for food, fun, and shopping. After lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, we toured the National Aquarium and saw the 4D movie. Nate, an avid diver, absolutely LOVED the creatures in the museum and used up his camera batteries taking photos.

Sharon and Zuly at Hard Rock Cafe.

Yariv and Harry found a little bit of heaven in the nearby ESPN Zone after finishing their tour (we left Nate to continue his picture taking!), while Sharon, Zuly, and Becca did some shopping.

Everyone seemed to have one common bond — cheesecake! So a stop at the Cheesecake Factory to pick up tomorrow’s snack was added to our itinerary. Our guests had difficulty choosing from the many varieties, but in the end they all found something they liked.

Our day ended at Maj. Joe Winter’s beautifully restored home in Baltimore for dinner and relaxation. Harry commented later that it was his favorite part of the day; he enjoyed just sitting and talking with everyone. It has been great to watch how each day the Maryland cadets form a bond with our IACE guests and by the end of the day, they have become good friends. People from around the world are so different, yet so similar. It has been an awesome experience getting to know our guests.

~Brenda

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Back to the 18th century! (27.7.08)

On Sunday our guests were off to western Maryland with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Composite Squadron, led by Capt. Mike Crockett, who went with IACE as a cadet and has been involved in several IACE Maryland hostings. They were joined by 2nd Lt. Matt Cauthen, and cadets Rachel Knowles and Kyle Slemmons.

Mike first took the group to the C&O Canal for some Maryland history and then it was off for the day Sharon had been waiting for — shopping! They went to the Montgomery Mall and then out to Hagerstown for an afternoon at the Prime Outlets. For all the teasing the guys gave Sharon, it was rewarding to see that they actually bought more than Sharon!

We picked our guests up from their travels after their meal at the Cracker Barrel in Frederick.

Feel free to leave comments to our guests on the blog posts or on the photos. We have a photo gallery started with more pictures — you can find the link on the header of this page.

~Brenda

* * * * * * *

Sunday morning, we woke up to a good american breakfast at the Reed’s.

We drove to the Montgomery Air Park, there we met our escorts for today: Mike,Matt,Kyle and Rachel.

After a short brief about their duty in the CAP they took us to the c&o canal. It was interesting to go back to the 18Th century and to see how people lived their life in those days. Nate seemed very amazed from this experience and answered to the guides questions before they could complete asking(he can be a guide too).

After this experience we had a picnic at the park…while Nate continued his daily digging and Eddie continued photographing everything (such as: grass,birds,restrooms and food).

From there we drove to the Mall…Sharon was on her best and bought lot’s of cloth’s and yariv bought a Victoria’s secret underwear for his girlfriend (not for himself,like Nate did).

We continuedour shopping at the outlet center, and from there we drove to great american restaurant, where we ate all kinds of meat (except for Sharon “The vegetarian”).

We had a good day, especially because of the care and treatment that Mike,Tim,Kyle and Rachel gave to us (thanks).

Brenda & Tom was amazing as usual. They making us feel like we are at home.

We got back to the Reed’s at 11pm, tired but satisfied.

Waiting for your comments,

Sharon&Yariv

Gettysburg and Beyond…

This morning took us just over the Maryland border into Pennsylvania to Gettysburg National Battlefield.  Our IACE group was joined in their travels today by Capt. Janice Watson of the Easton Composite Squadron, who is an IACE veteran having traveled to Singapore and Canada as a cadet, Cadet Maj. Wayne Mowery of the Osprey Composite Squadron, and Cadet Col. Jake Reed of the Carroll Composite Squadron.  Lead tour guide and driver was Capt. Tom Reed.

Read along as they share their view of the day’s activities…

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The IACE cadets started off today by traveling to historic Gettysburg.  We first took them to the visitor’s center where they wandered through a small museum.  There, they learned all about the American Civil War and the history behind the Battle of Gettysburg.  After the museum, they went out to the battlefield itself to take in the scenery.  After posing with cannons and meeting a few reenactors, the cadets headed off to climb on the rocks of Little Round Top.  Overheated and tired from climbing about, the IACE contingent decided that it was time for lunch.  After a bit of discussion, the cadets decided that Pizza Hut would be our destination.

- Janice Watson

* * * * * * *

Nate, the Israeli escort, seemed to really enjoy the Visitor Center’s Museum and was a difficult task dragging him out of there to tour the actual battlefield.  After a all American meal at the Westminster Pizza Hut it was off to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail based on the commendation of the tour guide – me!  After walking for three miles with the sound of thunder growing ever louder, we turned up toward the mountain and proceeded to climb straight up (well not quite straight up but try telling that to Eddy the other escort from Hong Kong).  The reward was well worth the effort and we had a gorgeous view of Western Maryland from High Rock.  It was then back to the Reed house for an excellent home-cooked meal and ice cream for dessert.

- Tom Reed (today’s duty driver)

* * * * * *

Well, i have to agree with Tom, regarding dragging me out of the museum.. in this delegation i think i discovered i have some weakness regarding historical places..Anyhow, after that it was really interesting seeing all the battle fields (in a great shiny day). Have to admit that in some point i thought I’m going to have more fun than the cadets.. All the group decided today about a new slang word: “Hafirot”, which is in Hebrew:”to dig”, and that word is said each time someone is talking to much. as you may imagine, that word had been said quiet few times this day, but as long as we are having fun..:)

After that going to hike a bit was nice, with very good scenery from a mountain that i don’t actually remember the name of, but, we managed to escape the rain that came seconds after we finished the hike, and even had some nice snacks when we got back.

The dinner at the Reeds was great (as usual..) and the chat we are having right now is quiet fun, though it involves some “Hafirot” (you can see that i learned something today;)

Bye for now

- Nate, the escort

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I must say that Tom is a very good driver. He drove all day for, I think over 50 miles, where most of us can fallen asleep in the CAP van without notice that we had arrived at our destinations. Although after a heavy lunch at Pizza Hut I did try to remain awake, talked to Tom on our way to the start of the hike, so that Tom did not fall asleep himself. This was a very smooth.h.h.h. journey, as all the rest of the cadets were sleeping in deep silence after the heavy meal, with only Tom occasionally telling me where we are, the history of that little town etc. And of course, Tom was awake all the way through.

- Eddie, the escort from HK

* * * * * *

I was able to meet the IACE Cadets this morning before we set off on our journey. Despite the fact that these cadets (and military officers) were from places half-way across the world, it was extremely interesting to me to see how well they naturally worked together, and how well they got along with Janice, Jake, and me.

Our quest began at the site of historic Ghettysburg, where I believe Nate, the escort from Israel, enjoyed the learning about American History more than me even (I’m a history channel junkie). Although the musuem was very interesting, I think what was even more notable was the excitement that our I.A.C.E cadets had for the musuem itself. It was obvious when Janice and I finished the musuem, and believing that we were probably left behind, began to look for everyone else. To our astonishment they were still at the very beginning of the exhibit, payng attention to the minute detail of the displays, and absorbing the history that the musuem had to offer. For Nate, I believe that part of our trip was very rewarding.

After departing the indoor sect of the museum, we traveled to the outdoor battlefields to visit the many monuments that were placed  throughout the field. We traveled to Little Round Top where, after trying our hand at a little amateur rock climbing, we could overlook Devil’s Den and the rocky terrain that the faced the Confederates. I think that Sharon, Yariv, Harry, and Nate (my “digging body”) authentically enjoyed climbing the rocks, but that was before they knew what was up ahead. Our small treck on the Appalachian Trail would prove extremely taxing but rewarding.

After Sharon expressed her love and desire to experience the best of American Cuisine-Pizza hut-we all agreed to answer her request. For lunch, Pizza under the “red roof” it was.

The most exciting and rewarding feature of the day was not even the portion we were looking forward to or aware of. After lunch, Capt Reed (male)  told us that we were off to the Appalachian Trail. (Despite being an American Citizen, I was perhaps even more excited than our guests to set foot on this trail because I haven’t before) During the long hike,  Nate and I discussed/debated everything. I don’t think there was a single  topic that wasn’t addressed,  and it was really intersting to see that his way of thinking, logic, and ideology was nearly identical to that which would be expected from an American.

The fun really began when it became apparent that there was a thunderstorm dawning on the mountain. In an effort to “save time”, Jake and I learned that perhaps taking the most direct route was a horrible idea. (Take for example, rock climbing a small mountain over taking the trail…) What can we say? “It sounded like a good idea at the time” (But it was Jake’s good idea, haha)

The hike was arduous but rewarding. When we reached the cliff, the thunderstorm was passing over the mountain and you could see lightning over the horizon. We were at an elevation that you would have seen on an Orientation Flight, without the plane. The interesting part was that we were almost level with the clouds so viewing the lightning gave us an interesting outlook that was unique and appreciated.

As the ride up was Operation “Do not sleep” (which we all failed) the ride back was filled with debate and discussion from all parties. The question: “Do people really want world peace?” And I’ll leave that answer up to the readers.

Tonight we plan to see the Dark Knight at Regal Cinemas. Sharon, apparently, has seen every American sitcom and movie so we’re trying to catch her with one she has not seen. I think we’ve got her.

Tonight should be fun.

C/Maj. Wayne Mowery

* * * * * * *

The day ended with the cadets (US and IACE) going to see the “Dark Knight” at the cinema.  The officers enjoyed some time on the town before all retired for the night.

Until tomorrow….

~Brenda

Israel and Hong Kong meet Maryland

Yesterday Maryland Wing members met our IACE guests for the first time.  Traveling down to the Crystal City Hilton, Maj. Joe Winter, Capt. Tom Reed, and myself were introduced to the group we will be hosting for the next ten days.  Quickly we all settled in as if we knew each other for a long time. Let me introduce you briefly to each of them.

Harry is a university student in Hong Kong and is a member of the Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps;
Eddie is the escort from Hong Kong and an active member of the Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps;
Sharon, one of two cadets from Israel, is an officer in the Israeli Air Force;
Yariv is the other cadet from Israel and also a member in the Israeli Air Force; and
Nate is the Israeli escort, who is a major in the Israeli Air Force.

Most of them have been to the United States before, although Maryland is new to everyone except Yariv, who has visited before.  They had just spent three days touring Washington, DC, as a group with the other IACE participants, visiting the Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, the State Department, along with some of the monuments and museums.

After meeting our group at the hotel, we gave them a briefing on Civil Air Patrol, Maryland Wing, and an overview of what they can expect during their stay with us.   All are very interested in aviation so the possibility of flying opportunities and seeing military aircraft excited them.  Of course, they also liked the fun stuff we have planned and Sharon was very interested in the shopping opportunities.

Maj Joe Winter briefs IACE members

We left the hotel and drove through Washington, DC, to our first stop — a tour of Fox News in D.C.  The tour was conducted by Rick Yarborough, an investigative reporter with Fox who is familiar with CAP and the Maryland Wing.   The timing of the tour was to coincide with the mid-day news broadcast which we were to see live.  After a quick tour of the building, our group was divided in two — half sat in the studio during the live news broadcast and the other half were in the control room.  At the commercial break we quickly switched places to see the other side.  It was very interesting to watch all that goes into the broadcast and to see the numbers of people that make it happen.

Yariv, Sharon, Nate, Eddie, and Harry (back left to right) pose with the Fox News anchors after the broadcast.

Following the broadcast, Rick introduced us to one of his photographers that accompanies him on his investigations.  We were shown the equipment used and learned more about how reporters go undercover to get the real story.

It was lunch time and we were all getting hungry so we said our good-byes to Rick and walked down the road for a bite to eat before proceeding on the next leg of our journey.

We next traveled to McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., where the CAP Honor Guard Academy was wrapping up its two week event.  We watched the graduation practice and our guests were able to observe three flights perform their rifle presentations.  Both Nate and Yariv remarked on how impressed they were with the discipline and teamwork demonstrated by these cadets given their ages and were amazed at how much they had learned in just two weeks.  I was glad they had the opportunity to experience a CAP National Cadet Special Activity and see 100 cadets from around the nation in one spot.  After the practice, several of the cadets met with our guests and exchanged questions and answers.

Cadets practice for graduation at the Honor Guard Academy

Eddie talks to Honor Guard Academy cadets about Hong Kong.

We headed to the Reed home for dinner and to settle in for the evening.  Sitting out on the deck, everyone continued to get to know each other and the conversations lasted well into the night.  The cadets checked emails and watched TV with C/Col Jake Reed, while the escorts took advantage of the opportunity for some well needed sleep.

Sharon and Yariv discuss life in the Israeli Air Force.

And today it begins all over again!    Tonight I hope to have them write on the blog about their experiences so far.

~Brenda Reed