Well, I'm thrust into leadership of this great wing once again. A few thoughts before I'm off to yet another evening activity... My role as your interim commander is simply to keep the wing running smoothly until our leadership picks another "permanent" commander. That means I don't plan any major changes in policy, programs, or wing calendar activities. Activities will continue as scheduled, with the exception of the wing conference which has been cancelled for this weekend. (We have already had discussions about re-scheduling the conference... stay tuned.) For those of you who aren't familiar with how I operate, in brief, I have an "open door" which means any of you are free to contact me about CAP matters. However, I ask that you keep your commander informed when you do so. Typically, the first thing I will do in response to an email is send it back to your commander and ask for their input. So, keep them in the loop and the "reaction" to your email will happen quicker. Wing staff, you may of course come direct to me. Likewise, if anyone feels the burning need to email direct to someone at Region or higher, I'd ask that you keep me in the loop because they will typically come to me first. Wing staff, you may go direct to your counterparts at Region or Wing, but please info me. My job situation has changed since I last held command in the wing. I no longer have the spare time I had previously. I've also taken on other volunteer commitments that take my time. As a result, do not expect me to email respond to you the same day you've sent me an email. Please do not call me during work hours, unless you need an immediate response. Since I now sit in front of a computer all day at work, I do take occasional evenings off from the computer. Thanks to all the squadron commanders and wing staff who continue to do what you do to support CAP. And, more importantly, thanks to all our members who volunteer when asked to support our programs. Keep it up. We are all doing what we do because we are volunteers. To some extent, volunteers are held to a higher standard than those who "are paid" to do a task. Anyone can be paid... VOLUNTEERS do it because they love the organization (we hope). Finally, keep me in your prayers to keep us moving forward. Mike Beason SD Wing Interim Commander