Former Cadets Update

Robert Alfonso moved to Tucson, Arizona. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in June 2011 and is shipping out November 8th to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. He will be doing Integrated Avionics.

C/Major Trung Tran currently a senior at the University of Central Florida, majoring in Aerospace Engineering and minoring in Mathematics. I stayed active in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program through college, going on to command an encampment (Winter 10-11) and serve on the FLWG Cadet Advisory Council (vicechair). I plan on staying at UCF for a masters degree and staying active in CAP as a senior member.

C/Col. David Terris, CAP, a former NTLCS cadet and am currently living in Morgantown West Virginia. I am currently a Spaatz cadet in the West Virginia Wing and am the CAC wing Chairman as well as the cadet advisor for my squadron. Last year I was the wing encampment commander and received the cadet of the year award for WV Wing. I am a Junior at West Virginia University studying Business Administration with an emphasis in management. I am also in AFROTC and just completed AFROTC Officer Field Training and am looking forward to commissioning as a 2nd Lt. in the Air Force in 2 years.

Cadet Martin Lohn Company G-4 is still at West Point in my final year here. I just got off of 2 months of
training this summer and a little leave. Things are going great so far, I
hope yall are doing good. This picture is about the best I could find of me
in uniform, hope it works.

2d Lt Jackson Goss, USAF is stationed at Travis AFB, California and works in the 60th Civil Engineer Squadron.

Attached is a photo of me, center, at Tyndall AFB, FL putting together Folded Fiberglass Matting (used for runway repair). I was in CAP in around 2000-2002. Now, I'm in the Air Force.

I am Joshua Harkins, I was a Cadet Senior Airman in SER-FL-243 North Tampa-Lutz Cadet Squadron. I am now Private E2 Harkins of the United States Army. I am currently undergoing training in Ft Lee, Virginia to be come a 91H, a Tracked Vehicle Mechanic. I was awarded marksman on my rifle qualification in basic. Civil Air Patrol helped me by for one getting in some sort of physical fitness, Drill and Ceremonies, and Dicsipline. I graduated basic training 2010 May 19th, at Ft Benning, Ga, Home of the Infantry. HOOAH!

Private Kenneth Bradford joined the Marines the 28th April 2008 and came to visit the Squadron on the 29th of July 2008 after boot camp. During his last days as being Cadet Second Lieutenant Kenneth Bradford he attended the Lutz Relay for Life with the Cadets. It was wonderful to hear how much he enjoys the Marine's.

Our Squadron was fortunate enough to have two people come to our meeting on the 24^th June 2008. Jared Baxley is a former Cadet that has just graduated from the Air Force Academy and spent a year on the Air Force base in Tallahassee. After graduation he applied for flight school. The Flight School chooses first from the Air Force Academy and then other branches of service. Over four hundred graduates from Air Force Academy will attend flight school.

During his visit to the Squadron he spoke of the Academy and stated that he will soon going to Texas for pilot school. He will be learning to fly the T6 and it has only been a short six years since he left. Jared said, “Civil Air Patrol helped him in the Academy and in basic training.”

Long time no hear I know. I'm apologize for not keeping in touch more often, but I can see that the squadron has been keeping busy. I am currently in Afghanistan in the last month of my Deployment. I am stationed in Clovis , New Mexico which leaves something to be desired after growing up in Tampa . As you know, North Tampa Cadet Squadron has done a lot for me and has been instrumental in getting me to where I am now. I am currently flying the MQ-1B "predator, which is a unmanned aircraft. I launch and land them from here in Afghanistan and then hand them off via Satellite to my Squadron in New Mexico . The rest of the mission is accomplished from New Mexico (hunting down taliban and assisting friendly forces) they will hand the plane back to me here in Afghanistan once the plane get low on fuel, which could take as long as 22 hours. I then land the plane Via Radio signals at the airfield I am deployed at. Crazy Huh!?!?!?

Jared loved playing for the junior varsity football team the first year and played Varsity team Jersey #26 until he graduated. Jared was home schooled, but attended Chamberlain High School during his last years school and played football for the Chamberlain Chiefs and won the State of Florida Academic Achievement Award. Jared joined the Squadron when he was 13 and achieved the rank of Cadet Captain after completing the Amelia Earhart Award at the age of 18 he joined the Academy. Jared also received the Brewer Award for Aerospace. We loved having him visit our Squadron again and we wish him the best in flight school.

Pvt. Aaron Polster is stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii --25th Infantry

CJ and Kirsten Rivenbark were married and December 2006. CJ attended College at Harding University and Graduated with degrees of Bachelor of Science with a Physics minor and Bachelor of Science in Public Administration on 10th of May 2008.

John Erpelding is a pilot in a NH-90 helicopter (aka "Big Baby), and loving it. I have been in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) now for 3 years, and have been stationed in both Iraq and Kosovo. I have changed my mind though about moving to Australia to take criminal justice courses to be a police officer there, although sometime in the future I may still do that, but as of right now I am happy with being a pilot here in Germany. I lived in Florida for 13 years and was in Civil Air Patrol in Lutz for about 2 years before moving. I'd like to go visit the Squad again where I was at just to really say hello and maybe share some of my experiences in the Air Force to everyone there, to give something back to the Squad, just like they did to me. All of my other friends, I'd like to meet them again as well, haven't seen them in a few years now and it's been pretty tough.