| Col. Phillip Neuweiler Memorial Ranger Training Facility | |
|---|---|
| Hawk Mountain Ranger School | |
| Motto | These things we do so others may live |
| Established | 1956 |
| Type | Search and Rescue School |
| Affiliations | Civil Air Patrol |
| Founder | Colonel Phillip Neuweiler |
| School Commander | Col Herb Cahalen |
| Location | 218 Pine Swamp Road, Kempton, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Colors | Orange and Black |
| Nickname | 'Hawk' or 'The Mountain' |
| Newspaper | The Neuweiler News |
| Website | PAWingCAP.com/Hawk |
Hawk Mountain Ranger School (HMRS) is a Search and Rescue school operated by the Pennsylvania Wing (see Pennsylvania Wing Civil Air Patrol ) of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The school, located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, is a National Cadet Special Activity operated by Pennsylvania Wing; it is the only NCSA not operated by National Headquarters CAP (CAPNHQ).
On September 11, 2004, the school was rededicated as the 'Colonel Phillip Neuweiler Ranger Training Facility' in honor of its founder, Colonel Phillip Neuweiler.[1]
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The School is located on 77 acres (310,000 m2) of CAP corporate property Kempton, Pennsylvania. The school is on the side of the Blue Mountains, approximately a mile south of the Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary.[2]
The school's base camp is located in a clearing off of Pine Swamp Road. However, the school's activities make use of several hundred acres of state game land in the surrounding hills, including several sections of the Appalachian Trail and accompanying side trails.
After World War II, Civil Air Patrol shifted its focus away from patrolling sea lanes and anti-submarine warfare to enlarging its Search and Rescue operations. During the early 1950s, Colonel Phillip Neuweiler saw an increasing need for trained rescue teams for use by Civil Air Patrol's Pennsylvania Wing, which he commanded. He sent several teams to Westover AFB to be instructed by Air Force Pararescuemen. The Air Force instructors were so inspired by the dedication, motivation, and quality of the students that they called their students 'Rangers.'
Motivated by the success of the training, Col Neuweiler moved the school to a property he owned in Berks County in 1956. During this time, the school was staffed by both Civil Air Patrol members and USAF personnel.[3] In the early 1960s, a cadet staff training program was implemented, and, combined with expertise of CAP personnel, eventually replaced the need for extensive USAF personnel for training.
By the mid 1970s, several similar schools had appeared elsewhere in Civil Air Patrol. Other nationally recognized CAP Ranger schools were held in the Everglades of Florida, at Black River Mississippi, and in Puerto Rico, and a similar program was Washington Wing's Challenger School. All of these schools were called National Emergency Assistance Training schools, or NEAT schools, by CAPNHQ in 1974, and served as the basis for CAP's emergency services training.
In July 1996, Brigadier General Richard Anderson, the CAP National Commander at the time, visited the Hawk Mountain Ranger School and recognized its lasting contributions, and called it the Harvard School of Search & Rescue.[4]
In the 1998, a lighting strike injured several CAP Rangers at HMRS.
In the spring of 2004, the school began a major infrastructure reconstruction. Trees were cleared at the base camp, eight new operation huts were constructed on raised pedestals, new latrines and shower facilities were constructed. A new gravel road was constructed leading up to the memorial gardens and chapel area. The new construction was dedicated on September 11, 2004, and the training area was rededicated as the 'Col. Phillip Neuweiler Memorial Training Center'.[1][4][5] During the Summer School Field Training Exercise of 2005, base camp staff members built the chapel in only three days.
On April 14, 2007, members of HMRS broke ground on a new 60-foot (18 m) climbing and rappelling tower.[6] By 7 July the tower was mostly completed, but construction was halted for the duration of the Summer School. After graduation of the 2007 class, work on the tower was resumed, and the tower was completed by August.[4]
The Civil Air Patrol Ranger program was created at HMRS in the 1960s. A Ranger must advance through five classes to become an Expert Ranger. While attending the school, every student has the opportunity for advancement by proving their mastery of various crafts to a ranger of a higher class. To date, only 240 people have been awarded Expert Ranger tapes, the highest class of ranger. A running traditions holds that, upon receiving their Expert Ranger rating, the new Expert is thrown into a deep section of the stream that runs through the Obstacle Course at HMRS.
As a dedicated spin off of the Ranger Program, a Hawk Mountain is also home to the CAP Ranger's Field Medic program. This program is designed to further prepare Rangers in the areas of advanced wilderness medical care. Field Medic trainees learn not only how to care for members of their team by ensuring proper sanitation and hygiene, but also about trauma assessment and mass casualty triage procedures.
Several Courses are offered at the school. Course durations range from afternoon activities to week and a half long adventures.
The school staff prides themselves as being the cheapest of the National Cadet Special Activities offered by the Civil Air Patrol, and goes through tremendous efforts to remain cost-effective.
The Summer School is the largest training session at the school, and is offered in mid-July. The summer school is the nationally recognized cadet activity.
Upon arriving at Summer School, cadets are assigned to one of various squadrons. Each squadron has a slightly different curriculum; some are specially tailored to emphasize various areas of search and rescue (such as medical training or high-angle rescues), while others instruct students on a broader base of search and rescue skills.
After a few days at and around the school grounds, the entire school, goes on a multi-day field training exercise (FTX) to put recently learned skills into action. Most training is conducted on the nearby Appalachian Trail, but some training is conducted off-site at fire training facilities or other nearby locations.
Upon returning from the FTX, cadets are administered tests to achieve higher Ranger grades. After testing, squadrons perform skits that dramatize their experiences at Hawk, and a graduation ceremony is held prior to cadet's departures.
Winter School is a cold-weather survival school typically held during the month of February. Students learn through first hand experience how to conduct Search and Rescue in cold-weather environments. Advanced students learn about shelter construction and how to survive in a cold environment with minimal equipment.
Two sessions of Winter School are offered: one at Hawk Mountain, and one on the western side of Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh a few weeks later.
Teams of Rangers compete against each other in a simulated Search and Rescue scenario. During the competition, teams are evaluated on such areas as: individual equipment, team equipment, search procedures, communications, physical fitness, navigation, rescue and evacuation, leadership, fire building, and other search and rescue related skills. Winners of this event typically receive a monetary donation from the school for the purchase of team equipment.
The first aid weekend typically offers courses in First Aid, CPR, and AED use. Graduates are certified by the Red Cross.
Eight staff training weekends are held throughout the spring to train cadets to serve as staff members for schools. Cadets must participate in all eight weekends; the first introductory weekend is often held at Fort Indiantown Gap, while the remaining seven are held "on the mountain."
Navigation weekend is usually held in early September. It was originally created by John McGuire, former commander of CAP Pennsylvania Squadron 109, as the Escape and Evasion program.[3] This weekend instructs students in map reading, navigation, compass use, course plotting, mobility, aeronautical navigation, and team mobility.
This course, offered simultaneously with the Navigation weekend, instructs aircrew in the topics of survivability, aircraft survival kits, shelter building, signaling, water procurement, fire building, and the mental aspects associated with survival.[7]
ES weekend, held in the mid Spring, is an introductory course to the fundamentals of Emergency Services. Students learn a variety of skills, including: types of searches, search lines procedures, basic map and compass skills, litter and stokes tie-in and carries, operation of radio direction finder equipment, equipment needed for basic search & rescue, land navigation, basic health and medical skills, and knots.[8]
This 12-Hour adventure race is held annually in honor of a former staff cadet. Krista Greisacker had spent many years training and instructing at HMRS in the 1980s. The race encompasses orienteering, cycling, mountain biking, canoeing, and rappelling. Proceeds from this race are donated to improving the facilities at HMRS.
In an effort to rekindle interests in the Ranger program, several staff members from HMRS started the 'Hawk Mountain Distance Learning Center'(HMDLC). The HMDLC would send instructors and materials to other states interested in starting a school, and would provide logistical support to get the school running.
The first such expedition was to the Snake Creek Ranger Training Area in Miramar, Florida in 2004.[9]
In 2005, HMRS re-introduced a Staff Training squadron during their summer school to allows returning members from distant states the opportunity to become Ranger Staff.[4]
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!I PLACE THIS CURSE UPON YE! DISREGARD IT UNDER PAIN OF PUNISHMENT UNSPEAKABLE.
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, EACH YEAR. ON THE SATURDAY FOLLOWING THE FIRST MONDAY IN JULY, YE SHALL RETURN TO THE SWAMP OF THE PINES WHICH LIETH IN THE SHADOW OF HAWK MOUNTAIN IN THE EASTERN REACHES OF PENN'S WOODS, THERE TO REMAIN FOR NINE DAYS OF STRESS UPON YOUR SOUL.
THIS YE SHALL DO FOR THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL DAYS, AND FOR
SEVEN DECADES THEREAFTER.
Hawk Mountain Ranger School is physically demanding. Students are expected to carry both individual and team equipment on multiple treks through the backcountry. As such, the school offers various programs designed to prepare cadets for the rigors of the school.
Adjacent the parade field is an obstacle course that is maintained by the school. Daily inspections of the course ensures the course is prepared well before cadets begin traversing the course.
A traditional Physical Training event at the school is Three Ball Soccer. Played in the parade field, this variation of the game Soccer pits one team against another, with three balls in play simultaneously. Teams are allowed to field as many players as they are able. Games are officiated by Ranger Staff, who may join either team at their own discretion.
As an alternative to Three Ball Soccer, squadrons occasionally run up and down Pine Swamp Road. Cadets are encouraged to call jodies they may know as well as create some of their own.