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An Article by Major Kathriner

The International Air Cadet Exchange tour of California 2000

September 2000

By 1st Lt Scott Young

First let me say a big Thank You to all of those members and parents that supported us in our endeavor to make this year’s International Air Cadet Exchange one to remember. California Wing hosted 8 Cadets total, 6 from Canada, and 2 from the Netherlands, and one adult chaperone who was also from Canada. The cadets were really great, and they made the whole experience very special.

Now let me introduce you to the cadets. Starting with Krysta (with a y, thank you) in the Red tank top, she is Canadian and had an opinion on everything. Then, working left to right, is Rens (please roll the “R”) from the Netherlands, all 6 feet 8 inches of him. Next to him is André (Canadian) in the “oh so cool” shades. He was the shyest of the group. The short one next to him is Diane (Canada again) who was the escort of the group, and nothing fazed her. Next up is Julian (French Canadian) who was the brains of the group, and then there’s Rutger (Roll that “R” again, it must be a Netherlands thing), the troublemaker of the group. He got so tired of trying to explain his name that he told everyone to call him Roger. Across from Krista, is Eric (French Canadian) whose English was not the best, but we developed our own language and that worked great. Lying on the ground next to him is Katie (Canada) who was the most easygoing of the bunch; she was just along for the ride. And last but not least is “Princess” Lillian, Her title, not ours (Canada). She was the most accomplished of the group, and may have been our favorite.

DAY 1: Our trip started in San Diego where Lt. Young and Major Kathriner met them at the airport. Earlier that afternoon Major Kathriner had “WELCOME IACE” hand painted on his baldhead. I think they all realized right then and there that this was not going to be any ordinary trip, and Major Kathriner was no ordinary host. We whisked them to Horton Plaza, one of the coolest malls in Southern California and let them shop till they dropped, hoping to tire them out as we had a long week ahead and we wanted them to get to sleep early. Then it was off to meet their host families who graciously agreed to put them up while in San Diego.

DAY 2: The next day began early with a beach party at Mission Bay arranged by our San Diego area host, Lt. Gina Martyn-Gray. All members of the Civil Air Patrol were invited to come and meet the group. We had lots of food and drink, games to play and of course all that blue water to swim in. There was an old time amusement park with a roller coaster right next door, so that was a must. André wanted to find a skateboard shop, so we checked one out, and he gets new wheels for his board back home. Then it was off to Sea World to meet Shamu and the rest of the aquatic gang. More rides, dinner with the dolphins, a couple of shows, and yikes my feet hurt. Is it time to go home yet? It is, and our first full day ends.

Day 3: Military day. We arrive at MCAS Miramar early, and we get a tour of an F-18 Fighter Squadron, and meet and mingle with the pilots. They were so great. The group gets to go out on the Flight Line, to watch Captain Dave Berke, USMC (retired CAP Cadet) suit up and get ready to fly. Everyone is jazzed and it’s off to the next event. Lt Gray has arranged for us to tour the USS Stennis, a nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier, which she has had the privilege of serving aboard. We have lunch aboard the ship, (the chow was, um, edible), and we get the full tour from bow to stern. Our heads are full as well as our stomachs and we are off to the San Diego Air Museum, where Lt Gray has arranged for veterans of World War II to take the cadets around. Dinner in Old Town’s best Mexican restaurant caps off the day and everyone is off for a good night’s sleep.

Day 4: Non-Stop Fun Day. After saying goodbye to the host families, and thanking Lt. Gray for all she had done, we set off for Disneyland. Along the way Diane says she would be interested in seeing a Mission while here in California. Since San Juan Capistrano is on the way we take a brief detour, and walk through the mission. The cadets and I have a great discussion about religion and the different beliefs throughout the world, and then we pile in the van for the short ride to the happiest place on earth. Lillian comments on how the castle looks so much bigger on Television. Major Kathriner and Diane go off to do the adult rides (read, big wimp out) while the cadets and I peruse the map and decide on the best way to get all the cool rides in before the park closes. (Yes we stayed all day and all night!) Splash Mountain, The Matterhorn, Space Mountain (Lots of mountains in this place) Indiana Jones and so many more. We have an encounter with Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore, who happened to be Katie’s favorite and everyone has his or her picture taken. We meet for lunch, and then we are off again. Haunted Mansion, Tarzan’s Tree house (you get the idea). We meet for dinner, and then the parade, and then the laser show, then the fireworks. (Did I mention my feet hurt?) Finally a bit of shopping and its time to go. M I C, see ya real soon, K E Y, why, because we like you, M O U S E. We leave for Los Alamitos where we are staying for the next two nights, and fall into a deep sleep.

Day 5: We are up at 7 and ready to go at 7:45 to meet our tour guide for the day. First stop: the MedFly Eradication program at Los Alamitos Reserve base. Initially we were a little skeptical, after all dealing with Larvae right after breakfast is not pretty, but as the tour progressed we found ourselves fascinated. Turns out those little flies are quite friendly, and they took a real liking to Julian. Afterward we all agreed it was a highlight of the day. A tour of the Fire Station on base was next with the biggest question on everyone’s mind being “Who does the cooking?” That led to lunch, and then to the Helicopter simulator, where time was set-aside for us to fly. Rutger (remember to roll that “R”) does the best and impresses the instructor. Lt. Col. Jim Welliver has arranged Glider rides next and the rest of the afternoon we were airborne. Major Kathriner opted to stay on the ground (big surprise there). A short nap and then the CAP unit at Los Alamitos put on a potluck dinner, followed by their squadron meeting and a true exchange between Civil Air Patrol cadets and our IACE visitors. Each group demonstrated their drill movements, and then we joined the meeting, followed by a question and answer period. Krysta being voted the spokesperson for the IACE group, and then the exchanging of souvenirs. A very full day and one enjoyed by all. We want to thank Major Don Bragg and Lt. Harriet Wong for all their hard work in making it a very special day.

Day 6: We are on the road to stardom, Hollywood Boulevard style. We check our footprints against those in cement at Graumans Chinese Theatre. We find that those movie stars had little tiny hands and feet back then. We stroll the boulevard hoping to be discovered, but all we get is a few people asking for change. We decide that it’s not going to happen and we depart to meet Major Bernard Wilson, chief of police for the Los Angeles Airports (retired cadet). He hosts a lunch for us at the 94^th Aero Squadron, a great place overlooking the runway at Van Nuys Airport. Gifts are exchanged and we pack the cadets off to their flights to northern California. Civil Air Patrol pilots have donated their time and airplanes to fly them there. Lt. Col. Chris Lee is waiting in San Jose to meet them and take them home for a barbecue and swimming. Major Kathriner and I remain behind to drive the van to northern California, as we have all the luggage, and we will meet them the next day to continue our journey.

Day 7: And we are singing “San Francisco, open your golden gates.” Walking tours of Union Square and Chinatown first , a trolley ride to Fisherman’s Wharf, more walking and a little shopping and its off to a luncheon hosted by veterans of the Royal Canadian Air Force. This takes place at Fort Mason, with an amazing view of San Francisco bay. Then it’s a boat ride over to Alcatraz. I try to get someone to lock up the whole group, but they stopped doing that a while a go, so instead we take a tour and ooh and ah at all the right places.

The cadets are really into this, as this was the one place they all agreed they had to go. Back to the mainland and we take a scenic drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. (Photo OP!) And then into Sausalito for dinner overlooking the bay. A lot of walking, and yes, my feet hurt…a lot! A big thanks to Captain Matt Johnson for his coordination of the Bay Area tours.

Day 8: We depart for Travis Air Force Base where Major Kathriner has arranged for KC-10 Simulator rides for all. The latest technology makes this a very realistic ride, except of course when Eric decides it would be fun to fly the plane through the buildings to see what would happen. Chaos ensues and Eric is demoted to the back seat. After everyone gets a chance (guess what, Major Kathriner opted out of this one too) it is off to the American River where Lt Col. Lee has arranged for us to go rafting. Sunscreen on and we are off. Mild rapids and scores of other boats armed with lethal water weapons leave us soaked, but as it is a hot day, it feels good. We are in 3 boats, and soon it is a race to the finish, with underwater tactical maneuvers being performed by the Dutch boys. Soon it is an all out war. ”We will take no prisoners” shouts Krysta and Lillian in unison. We laugh until we cry as we reach the drop off point, calling the battle a draw. This was a lot of fun. We have light dinner, ice cream cones for dessert, a quick game of Laser Tag (we were slaughtered) and we drop into a coma for the night.

Day 9: Our last full day together. We have arranged to take everyone to a special place in Napa, a 1200-acre ranch. Two lakes, vineyards, wild turkeys, cows and rolling hills greet us as we drive onto the property. Our hosts have arranged a barbecue, and we spend the afternoon eating and swimming, having canoe races and lazing in the sun. Too soon it is time to leave. We say our good-byes, and as the dog follows us to the gate we comment on what a great place it is. We want to give special thanks to Michael Patton and Michael Tabling for their efforts at the ranch. In San Jose we have tickets to an IMAX screening of “Wild California”. The movie depicts almost everything we experienced with the group. We realize all we had to do was bring them here. We could have saved our feet a lot of pain. Afterwards we walk to a great restaurant, where the director of Cadet Programs, Lt. Col. Ned Lee is waiting for us. We have our farewell dinner and turn in early.

Day 10, our final day: We begin breakfast early, and after we order, we exchange gifts and souvenirs. Everyone tells us they had a great time, and they thank us for all we did. Eric has given us each a journal and we ask all the cadets to write something in them for us. We exchange email addresses and phone numbers and regular addresses so we can exchange pictures and keep up on how everyone is doing. We pile into the van and drive to the airport, where there are hugs all around and wishes for a safe flight home. It’s a little sad to see them go. But I know we will keep in touch. It was a lot of work, but worth every moment. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.