RENO COMPOSITE SQUADRON CADET COLOR
GUARD
DAZZLES AMATEUR RADIO CONVENTION
by 1LT Judi Robins, Squadron PAO, Reno Composite Squadron,
Nevada Wing
RENO, NV
--- EmComm West 2003, one of the west coast’s largest amateur radio
conventions, offered the Reno Composite Squadron Cadet Color Guard a
chance to show their ability on Saturday, May 31, 2003. The radio
communications event featured representatives from numerous emergency
services organizations including FEMA, American Red Cross, and Army
Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) This year, the national American
Radio Relay League and the local Northern Nevada Amateur Radio Services
sponsored it in Reno.
The Reno Color Guard led the opening ceremony with the
Presentation of the Colors. The four Cadets who took time out of their weekend
to dazzle convention attendees were Airman 1st Class, David Akerson; Senior
Airman, Shane Akerson; Airman 1st Class, Chad Henshaw; and Cadet Commander,
Master Sergeant Matt Hearn.
You might wonder: How do these Cadets prepare for a Color Guard
presentation? I asked C/SMSgt. Shane Akerson, the Squadron’s Color Guard
Commander, this question in a post-event interview. Cadet Akerson responded, “I
think that we prepare for each Color Guard as if it were a competition and not a
public event. We plan and practice for every possible scenario that we can
possibly come up with, in an attempt to make ourselves proficient. We learned
early on that no matter what you plan for, the people planning an event are not
planning the same way we are. When going to a public event, we often are not
completely prepared until we arrive at the site of the event. I can honestly say
that every Color Guard performance is a new experience—never the same, and no
such thing as ordinary!” |
