Villages Honor Flight
Squad Leader’s Guide
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
I Squad Leader Role and Responsibilities
II Pre-Flight Activities
First Preflight Meeting
In between
Second Preflight Meeting
4
4
6
6
7
7
Appendices
A-1 VHF Organization
9
1
01
A-2 Preparing for a Mission
A-3 Typical Itinerary
A-4 Squad Movement on the Mall
B-1 Transportation Issues
51
71
81
92
B-2 Squad Event
C-1 Flight Crew
02
12
C-2 Managing Your Squad
D Sound Off
E Initial Conversation With Your Guardians
F Key Forms and Documents
22
32
4
Purpose of this Squad Leader’s Guide
This guide serves several purposes
1
Provide information on the roles and responsibilities of a Squad Leader
2
Provide additional information on Villages Honor Flight (beyond what is provided in
the Guardian’s Guide)
2.1 VHF Organization
2.4 Flight day activities
2.2 Flight Planning
2.5 A typical itinerary
2.3 Preflight activities
2.6 Special events
It is expected that a new squad leader will read through this guide and the Guardians
Guide carefully before the first preflight meeting and then use it as a reference for the
rest of the mission. All squad leaders will attend a Squad Leader Orientation prior to the
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first preflight meeting. Squad leaders will also meet for one half hour before preflight
meetings
Do Not Share With Vets
There are some sections in this guide that should not be shared with vets. These are
activities (mostly flight events) that should be a surprise to the vets. The items are
marked {Do Not Share With Vets}
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Introduction
For a description of the Honor Flight network, Villages Honor Flight and various
definitions used by Villages Honor Flight, please see the Guardians Guide.
I Squad Leader Requirements and SqL Role
I-1 Requirements to be a Squad Leader:
1. Squad Leaders are also guardians so all Guardian Requirements as listed in Section
I-1 in the Guardians Guide and on pages 1 and 2 of the Guardians Application apply
2. Squad leaders must be experienced guardians, i.e., they must have flown as a
guardian on at least one previous VHF flight
3. Each squad leader is asked after the flight which guardians might make good future
squad leaders. The Flight Crew for a given flight will ultimately determine the squad
leaders for their flight
I-2 Squad Leader Duties:
Prior to First Preflight Session
Squad leaders will be selected, contacted and will have agreed to be a squad leader at
least one week before the first preflight meeting. Squad leaders will be asked to
perform certain duties prior to the first preflight session:
1
Discuss with the Flight Director or MXO the need and utility of a Mentor Guardian
or Master Squad Leader to work with them during the mission. If the SqL desires,
and sufficient Mentor Guardians or Master Squad Leader are available, one will be
assigned to that squad for the mission. An alternative is for the SqL to work with
other experienced guardians in his/her squad (if available)
2
Contact each guardian in their squad (list will be provided) to briefly talk with them
(introductions)
2.1 Any new guardian will have attended a Welcome to VHF session at which
they will receive a copy of the Guardian’s Guide. These sessions will be held
at least two weeks before any first preflight meeting. Encourage the guardian
to read the Guardian’s Guide before the first preflight meeting. This is
important because “training” at preflight meetings will assume that each
guardian has already read the Guardian’s Guide
2.2 Explain to the guardian that he/she will have been matched up with a vet prior
to the first meeting. The matching process considers:
2.2.1 gender
2.2.2 service branch if the guardian is also a vet
2.2.3 physical ability (200 pound vets who will be in a wheelchair most of the
day need a husky guardian)
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medical background of the guardian (we try to match vets who are
quite sick with a guardian who has some medical background)
2.2.5 location: it may be beneficial if the vet and guardian live in the same
general area
assure the guardian that if he/she is uncomfortable with their vet, we will try to
remedy that – but they must tell us
answer any preliminary questions the guardian might have
2.2.4
2.3
2.4
Out-of-Town Guardians (OOTG):
Most guardians will be local, will live no more than an hour away and will be able to
attend preflight sessions. Some guardians are not local and could reside hundreds or
even thousands of miles away. For flights with two preflight meetings, all guardians will
be required to attend the first preflight meeting. On a case-by-case basis, VHF may
allow guardians from “out of town”, where the cost and logistics of preflight events are a
burden, to skip the 2nd preflight meeting. Only extremely unusual circumstances
and family members (of the vet) will be considered.
Each SqL will be told if any guardian in their squad is an OOTG. If the OOTG has been
approved to not attend PF#2:
1 the SqL will be asked to discuss with the OOTG how last minute information and
training (normally presented at the 2nd preflight meeting) will be done
2 The SqL should arrange for a one-on-one session with the OOTG at least 24 hours
before the flight at which any final “training” will be done, final questions discussed,
etc.
3 This session will normally be conducted jointly by the SqL and the Master Squad
Leader or MXO or Flight Director
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Pre-Flight Activities
Squad Leader Training
1
All new squad leaders and SqLs who have not flown in over 12 months will attend
the Squad Leader training session to be held approx a week before PF1
2
At that meeting, we will
2.1 Review the responsibilities of the SqL which are described in this guide
2.2 Identify anything new
3
Answer any questions
First Pre-Flight Meeting (PF1)
1
Squad Leader Briefing
1.1 Squad Leaders will be asked to arrive at PreFlight meetings 30 minutes early
for a short session with the Flight Director or MXO or Master SqL Leader.
The session will briefly cover SqL duties generally and for the PreFlight
session.
1.2 The Squad Leader will meet any Stand-In Guardians or Mentor Guardians
assigned to their squad (who will also have been asked to arrive early) and
sort out how things should work for that squad
2
At PF1, the Sql should:
2.1 Spend a few minutes to organization his/her squad table before things start
2.2 ensure that all squad members are at the squad table during relevant times
2.3 ensure that any “Admin Problems” e.g., photograph not taken, forms not
turned in, etc., for their squad are resolved or there is a clear plan for
resolution.
2.4 Ensure that each guardian is probing for any special needs the vet might
have
2.5 Lead the discussion about squad activities and problem solving:
2.5.1 Explicitly point out contact sheets and why they are important:
 Lists all members of squad with their email address and phone
numbers
 Lists all members of the Flight Crew
 Excellent opportunity for SqL to encourage vets and guardians to
program key telephone numbers into their cell phones
 NB: Some vets and Guardians do not even look at them – do not
let that happen.
2.5.2 discuss individual transportation needs to/from events and bring any
problems to SqL and, if necessary, to VHF staff. See Appendix B-1 for
assistance
2.5.3 Explicitly ask about “admin problems” (item 2 above)
2.5.4 Explicitly review transportation and accommodation needs (item 5
above)
2.5.5 The squad should meet as a group (including vets’ significant others)
at least once between the 1st and 2nd preflight meetings in a social
setting. See Appendix B-2 for more info on this most important event
2.5.6 Discuss how to handle gender problems at restrooms
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To what degree will the squad stay together at DC venues, e.g., the
Mall; see also Appendix A-4 for more information
2.5.8 Which wheel chair will be designated the “squad wheel chair” for
carrying squad materials (e.g., water, medical supplies, etc.) during
time when the squad is walking.
2.5.9 If any vet wants his/her own backpack, the vet and guardian need to
discuss who carries what.
2.6 Explain and practice Sound Off
Squad leaders will be asked to stay after PF1 to review, with staff and medical:
veteran mobility; transportation and any issues revealed during the meeting.
Actions plans will be developed
2.5.7
3
Between Pre-Flight Meetings
1
Follow up with Guardians to ensure that they are communicating with their vet
2
Ensure that the squad event described in 7.4 (above) actually happens
Second Preflight Meeting
1
All squad leaders will arrive 30 minutes prior to the regular start time to discuss any
new issues
2
Facilitate discussion around the table (similar to PF#1)
3
Ensure that all transportation and lodging issues are resolve
4
Squad leaders will be asked to stay after Preflight 1 to review, with staff and
medical, veteran mobility, transportation and any issues revealed during the
meeting. Action plans will be developed.
Flight Day / Send Off
1
Arrive at assembly point 15 minutes before general arrival time for Guardians and
Vets
2
Ensure that proper materials are laid out on squad table (will be discussed with
squad leaders by VHF staff)
3
Ensure that each Guardian and Vet get relevant materials (will be discussed with
squad leaders by VHF staff)
4
Check that everyone has their ID Pouch and their photo ID
5
Practice Sound Off
Flight Day / Actual Flight
1
Assist in bus unloading and loading by ensuring that squad is paying attention and
is loading or unloading in squad order when possible
2
Assemble squad to move to designated areas, for example:
2.1 After unloading at MCO and moving to restroom break area near Starbucks
2.2 Movement into Security
2.3 Assembly after Security
2.4 Movement to tram
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Movement to gate area
Assembling for movement onto aircraft
Ensure that squad moves as a group if the squad agreed to do that at DC venues
Oversee designated squad wheel chair if one is used for transport of squad
materials
2.5
2.6
3
4
Flight Day / Home Coming
1
Unload bus by squad (when possible)
2
Get squad to restrooms and then to seats
3
Any other items TBD by-squad activities
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Appendix A-1:
VHF Organization
VHF was formed in July 2011 as an official hub of the Honor Flight Network. The
original “flight model” was to fly large charters (70+ vets) a few times each year. By late
2011, over 100 vets had signed up and the first flight target date was April, 2012. In
early 2012 it became clear that the organization would not meet the 1 st flight date.
There were plenty of vets but few guardians had signed up and much of the structure
and logistics required to mount a mission was not in place. At that time, VHF
“reorganized” and redefined its flight model to be “fly small and fly often”, i.e., fly 25 vets
and 25 guardians on commercial flights approx once per month during the spring and
fall. VHC incorporated in May, 2012 as a not-for-profit corporation. VHF received
501c3 “certification” in 2013 backdated to May, 2012
VHF presently consists of two separate and distinct entities:
1. VHF, Inc the FL corporation with a small number of corporate officers
2. The VHF Community and VHF Club, i.e., the volunteer base that supports VHF, Inc
There is no legal connection between the two.
Long term policy and strategy are set by the Board
The day-to-day operations are handled by the Management Team which presently
consists of:
VHF President
Admin, Internal Affairs and Special Projects
Finance
Marketing and Media
Medical Affairs
Operations
Veteran Coordinator
Guardian Coordinator
Preflight Coordinator
Ground Coordinator
Photo/Video Coordinator
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Appendix A-2: Preparing for the Mission
An Honor Flight mission requires a substantial amount of time and effort. What the vets
and guardians see is just the tip of the ice berg. Each mission goes through a series of
stages all aligned with a particular flight date.
A. Mission Proposal:
Six to twelve months before the actual flight date, the date is proposed (date may
be shifted a few days in either direction due to flight costs or other considerations).
Flight dates are typically proposed in groups at least 6 months before the earliest
flight date. Reservations must be made as soon as the airline opens the flight for
reservations because obtaining 55 to 110 seats (depending on mission size) is a bit
more difficult than booking one or two. VHF strategy is to have two missions in the
spring and two in the fall. Flight date targets are the last Sunday in March and May
and the first Sunday in September and November.
SqL Responsibilities: None
B. Mission Approval:
The logistics of a particular flight are reviewed by the Management Team. The
discussion relates to # of vets, availability of guardians, availability of funds, current
ability of the organization to mount the mission, expected weather and similar.
SqL Responsibilities: None
C. Mission Planning:
Real planning for the mission starts 10 to 12 weeks before the actual flight date.
01. The list of vets for the mission is confirmed. VHF maintains a list of all vets.
Vets fly on a first come, first served basis but “the next 25 (or 35 or 50) is
never the next group that actually flies. Many things can happen between a
vet’s application and when his/her time comes to fly. About 1/4 of all vets do
not fly when their normal flight date arrives. Every vet is contacted to ensure
that they are available, to review the preflight process and to review their
medical situation. All vets are contacted by one of the medical staff if
appropriate
02. The list of guardians for the mission is confirmed. VHF maintains a list of all
guardians. Guardians fly on a first come, first served basis but many other
factors influence the guardian manifest for a particular mission. For example:
a. each mission requires 5 to 7 (depending on mission size) experienced
guardians to be squad leaders and an equal number of experienced
guardians to ensure that every squad has at least tow experienced
guardians.
b. The goal for any mission is 40% experienced guardians, two per squad
c. approximately 20% of vets request specific guardians (normally family
members). VHF does not encourage vet-specific guardians. They create
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03.
04.
05.
additional complexity and generally do not fulfill one of the mission goals
of having each vet acquire a new “best friend”. These guardians fly as per
the vet’s priority not as per their place on the master guardian list.
The vets and guardians are “matched up” in a process that attempts to pair up
vets and guardians. Considerations include:
a. vet request for a specific guardian
b. military service of vet and (if applicable) the guardian
c. gender: female vets are matched with female guardians
d. vet medical condition: sick vets are matched up with guardians with some
medical background
e. vet mobility: vets who will likely be in a w/c all day are paired up with
guardians who can probably push a w/c all day
f. location: all other things being equal, we try to match up vets with
guardians who live near each other. This may help vets get to/from
mission events and may encourage vet/guardian socialization during and
after the mission.
Preflight Event Planning
Each mission has two formal preflight meetings, one approximately 6 weeks
before the flight date and a second approximately 2 week before. Planning
these events is not trivial.
a. Verifying venues and times
b. Arranging for qualified people to man the various stations
c. Assembling station materials
d. Coordinating food and beverages
e. Coordinating Red Hats
f. Coordinating with other teams/groups that will be part of the check-in and
screening process, e.g., medical, photo/video,
Flight Logistics
Arranging for the many elements of the actual flight:
a. Itinerary development
b. airline reservations and tickets
c. medical forms and clearances
d. bus transportation from the Send Off location to the airport and return
e. breakfast, lunch and dinner on flight day
f. bus transportation in DC
g. wheel chairs for the flight
h. police escort in DC
i. coordination with Arlington National Cemetery
j. coordination with lunch venue (normally USAF Memorial)
k. coordination with Orlando airport: SW, GOAA, TSA, …
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06.
l. coordination with DC airport
m. coordination with DC support groups
Ground Coordination
All of the flight day activities that take place during Send Off and Home
Coming are the responsibility of Ground Coordination:
a. Itinerary development
b. coordinating with American Legion post for use of facilities and access
including hall, parking lot use, overflow parking lot, …
c. arranging for entertainment (Home Coming)
d. arranging for invocation and bugler
e. arranging for local motor cycle escort
f. arranging with local fire departments for lights, trucks and water cannon
salute
g. arranging with local police department for police escort in the AM and PM
D. Pre Flight Phase:
The preflight phase starts with the first preflight meeting (approx 6 weeks before the
flight date) and continues to approx one week before the flight:
01. Preflight Meeting #1
The preflight meetings have many goals including:
a. Verification that VHF has correct data on each vet and guardian
b. Medical screening of vets, guardians and staff
c. Flight ID pictures
d. Flight shirts (take sizes at PF1, provide shirts at PF2)
e. Ensure that various forms have been filled out and signed
f. Vet/guardian introductions
g. Guardian training (2015 change: only new guardians will be required to
attend guardian training at PF1)
h. Socialization time
i. General info on mission and flight
j. Identify problems that must be sorted out before flight day
02. In Between
a. The time between PF1 and PF2 is used to solve the problems that
surfaced at PF1 and anything new that pops up.
b. The Squad Social is also held between PF1 and PF2
03. Preflight Meeting #2
The second preflight meetings have many of the same goals as PF1,
including:
a. Verification (again) that VHF has correct data on each vet and guardian
b. Medical screening (again) of vets, guardians and staff
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c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Flight ID pictures (for anyone not at PF1)
Flight shirts (take sizes at PF1, provide shirts at PF2)
Ensure that various forms have been filled out and signed
2nd phase of Guardian training
Socialization time
Final info on mission and flight
Verify that problems identified at PF1 have been resolved or that there is a
plan in place to resolve them before flight day
E. Flight
01. Assembly/Send Off
02. Actual Flight
03. Return/Home Coming
F. Post Flight
01. Debrief
VHF has a mission debrief (after action report) a few days after each flight. All
guardians are invited, attendance by squad leaders is required. It is an
opportunity to talk through what went well and what needs improvement. The
scope is more than just the flight; it is the entire mission. Changes and
improvements are made to each successive flight based on feedback from
these sessions.
02. Guardian Assessment
Many guardians indicate a desire to fly again either as a guardian or possibly
as a squad leader. To understand if guardians did a reasonable job and if
they would be good candidates for a future guardian or future squad leader
role, VHF asks each squad leader to briefly comment on each guardian in
his/her squad after each flight. A simple form is provided for this feedback.
03. Reunion
Some time after the flight all participants are invited to a reunion. Presently,
VHF holds one reunion for the spring flights and one for the fall flights. Vets,
guardians (and their significant others) and both flight and ground staff are
invited
04. Maintaining Relationships
VHF is unusual (perhaps unique) within the Honor Flight Network in the level
of effort put into the relationship between vets and guardians. A substantial
amount of preflight time is focused on building that relationship. Both the vet
and the guardian benefit greatly.
It is our expectation that these relationships will continue long after the mission
is complete. Many guardians continue to socialize with their vets and their
families
G. Housekeeping
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Home Coming or even the reunion is not really the end of a mission. There is a
housekeeping phase where records are archived and any final flight details are
handled.
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Appendix A-3
Typical Itinerary
The flight day itinerary is driven by three key events:
1. Departure time of the AM flight to DC. Once known, times for all preceding events
are easily computed. The departure time also drives arrival time in DC
2. Changing of the Guard. Reservations for Changing of the Guard are required. The
in-DC portion of the itinerary must start when the AM flight lands, end when the PM
flight departs and fit around the Changing of the Guard reservation.
3. Departure time of the PM flight from DC. Once known, times for all subsequent
events are easily computed.
Flights are selected based on several key criteria
 Ground time in DC will be at least 9.5 hours
 Return flight from DC will allow group to get back to the American Legion post no
later than 2330 hours (the earlier the better)
 Average cost of tickets is less than $300 (this typical drives flights during the week)
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Villages Honor Flight Itinerary for 22-Jun-2013
[provisional itinerary; can change due to weather, traffic, constructioin, etc]
Time
Time
(military
time)
(civilian
time)
Location
Event
02:45
2:45 AM Am Legion Post 347
Staff arrives for setup
03:15
3:15 AM Am Legion Post 347
Vets & Guardians start to arrive
04:26
4:26 AM Am Legion Post 347
Depart for Airport
05:51
5:51 AM Orlando Airport
Arrive at Airport
07:35
7:35 AM Orlando Airport
Depart for DC on SW # 731
09:50
9:50 AM BWI
Arrive at BWI
10:35
10:35 AM BWI
Depart BWI
11:45
11:45 AM DC: USMC Memorial
view USMC Memorial (Iwo Jima)
12:05
12:05 PM DC: USAF Memorial
Eat lunch; tour USAF Memorial
13:30
1:30 PM DC: ANC
Changing of the Guard at 1330 hrs
14:10
2:10 PM DC: Mall
Tour DC Mall memorials (WWII, Korea, Viet Nam)
16:40
4:40 PM DC: Mall
travel to BWI
17:40
5:40 PM BWI Airport
Arrive BWI
20:05
8:05 PM BWI Airport
Depart for FL on SW # 3573
22:20
10:20 PM Orlando Airport
Arrive in Orlando
23:05
11:05 PM Orlando Airport
Depart for Am Legion Post 347
00:20
12:20 AM Am Legion Post 347
Home Coming
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Appendix A-4
Squad Movement at the DC Mall
How the squad will move about the DC Mall should be discussed at PF1 and PF2.
Each vet is provided with a copy of Jewel of the Mall (or an appropriate book for Korean
War vets or an appropriate book for View Nam era vets). One purpose of providing the
book early is so that the vet and guardian can review what is to be found at the
memorial and decide what is of most interest. It would be unfortunate to realize on the
flight back that the vet missed something of importance. It is unlikely that each vet will
want to see the same things, so movement on the mall may be driven by what individual
vets want to do. That said, we recommend that no vet/guardian team move alone. This
could cause problems at rest rooms.
For most vets and most guardians, the DC Mall is completely new. Our tour guides are
very familiar with the mall and are available for a “guided tour”. Further we expect to
have other “tour guides” or docents available such that every squad could have their
own tour guide. Thus moving around the Mall as a squad could be the right choice.
Further, special talks are provided by DC Mall docents at specific times during the day.
All squads will receive a copy of talk topics and times for flight day at PF2.
The squad should discuss what seems to make sense for them at PF1 and PF2 but no
hard decision is required. Immediately after the group picture is taken, squads will be
given a few minutes to decide what they wish to do.
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Appendix B-1 Local Transportation CheckList
All WWII vets are in their mid to late 80s or early 90s. They should not be driving at
night and certainly not after a 22 hour trip. VHF encourages each vet to make
arrangements for local transportation that is something other than them driving
themselves. As the distance from the vet’s home to Post 347 increases, so too does
the danger.
This will be initially discussed with the vet during phone screen that happens about 10
weeks before the flight when vets for a particular flight are identified and contacted to
ensure that they are available and that we understand any changes in their medical
condition. But we must ensure that we fully understand the transportation situation and
have something viable by the time we fly. This is one of the key issues to be discussed
during the preflight meetings.
Each Squad Leader will be provided with a Local Transportation Checklist at the
preflight meeting
Squad
SO
Blue
1
Blue
2
Blue
3
Blue
4
Blue
5
Last
First
Street
City
State
Transportation
Local Arrangements
Accomodations
Squad, SO (Sound Off #), Last Name, First Name, Street, City and State for each vet in
your squad (green shaded) and each guardian in your squad (blue shaded) will already
be filled in. It is the squad leader’s duty to ensure that the vet and guardian have an
explicit discussion about local transportation.
Transportation Volunteers are VHF volunteers who are willing and able to provide
transportation to vets (or others) on flight day. Normally this would mean a ride to the
Send Off / Homecoming location and a ride back after Homecoming. A list of these
volunteers is maintained by the VHF Transportation Coordinator (see Appendix I-2 in
the Guardian’s Guide) and will be provided to any Squad Leader or guardian on request.
See Appendix I-1 in the Guardian’s Guide for information about local accommodations.
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Appendix B-2 Between Meetings Squad Event
It is critical that the squad leader get to know every person in his/her squad, that each
guardian gets to know his/her vet and that the squad medic (if used) gets to know all
members of the squad. Some of this can be achieved at the preflight meetings. But
those meetings are typically noisy with lots going on. Casual conversation may not be
easy with 10 people talking at the table. Many vets are hearing challenged which
makes conversation in a noisy place even more difficult. There is never enough time at
the preflight meetings to adequately get to know each other and Vets’ Significant Others
(VSOs) are not often present.
Each squad will have a “between meetings squad event” at which all squad members
will have an opportunity to socialize. It is a good opportunity for the squad leader and
squad medic to observe mobility issues. It is also an opportunity for the VSO to meet
their vet’s guardian, the squad leader and the squad medic, and generally become more
comfortable with the whole process. This is important; the more comfortable the VSO is
with VHF, the more comfortable the vet will be and the better will be his/her experience.
Many venues and approaches are possible, e.g., picnic, informal lunch at one of the
squad member’s home, lunch at a restaurant (can be noisy and restricts freedom), etc.
It is not the squad leader’s duty to host such an event (although that is a good
approach); but it is the squad leader’s duty to ensure that the event happens.
In addition to the normal things that will happen naturally, the squad leader should
consider:
1. explicitly introducing him/herself, the squad medic and the relevant guardian to each
VSO that attends
2. Asking each person to introduce themselves and, if a vet, talk (a few minutes) about
their service experience
3. Asking vets if they have had an opportunity to look through The Jewel on the Mall
and, if so, what is of interest
The cost for this type of event can vary from “not much” for an afternoon coffee and
donuts session to “quite a bit” for a lunch at a restaurant where many VSOs are in
attendance. VHF will reimburse SqLs for any out-of-pocket expenses associated with
the session. SqLs should try and keep costs to no more than $100
(VHF082)_SquadSoci
al.doc
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Appendix C-1: Flight Crew
VHF uses a military model for a given mission (of which the flight is the key event) using
military nomenclature for the organizational structure of the mission, e.g.,, the use of
two man teams, 10 man squads, Squad Leaders and Squad Medics. In the military, the
two people who run an organization are the Commanding Officer (CO) and the
Executive Officer (XO). The CO is in charge and is ultimately responsible for everything
that the organization is and does. The XO is responsible for “making it happen”.
Flight Director / Mission Commander
For a given VHF mission, the Flight Director or Mission Commander
 Has overall responsibility for the mission.
 Has flown on multiple missions previously including at least one flight as a Squad
Leader and at least one flight as the MXO
Mission Executive Officer (MXO)
For a given VHF mission, the Mission Executive Officer or MXO
 Is 2nd in command for the mission (the flight is one element of the mission)
 All squad leaders report to the MXO
 While the Flight Director ensures that everything is in place to successfully execute
the mission (with a great deal of help from the MXO) and that the organization is
where it is supposed to be when it is supposed to be there, the MXO ensures that
everything else occurs as it should
On flight day, the MXO’s job is as important and possibly more demanding than the
FD’s because any detail could be the MXO’s responsibility if the FD has to deal with
some unexpected problem.
Bus Captains
If the number of mission participants requires two or more buses for transportation,
each bus is assigned a Bus Captain (BC). The BCs duties and responsibilities start
long before the flight
 Each squad is assigned to a particular bus for the entire mission; the BC for that bus
starts interacting with his/her squads as soon as possible. The BC is an
experienced member of VHF staff and should be able to answer questions
 The BC ensures that “things on the bus” are as planned including seat numbering,
water for passengers, food storage (if meals are carried on the bus), wheel chair
loading and unloading, wheel chair lift assistance (as required), …
Flight Medical Team Leader (FMTL)
Oversees all medical aspects of the flight:
 Assembly and training of flight medical team (all the medical staff that will fly on a
given mission)
 Medical equipment oversight (O2 concentrators, medical bag, wheel chairs, …)
 Key role in bus loading and unloading (joint with MXO, BC, and Transfer Assistant)
Asst Flight Medical Team Leader / Transfer Assistant
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

Backup to FMTL as required
Assists vets transferring to/from bus seats during loading and unloading of wheel
chair vets
Photographer / Videographer
Mission size dictates how many photographers or videographers can be accommodated.
For 25/25 missions, there is only room for a photographer or a videographer. For 35/35
and 50/50 missions, one of each is on the mission, possibly two of each (a pair for each
bus).
Appendix C-2: Managing Your Squad
Your squad will likely be composed of 5 vets and 5 guardians. Of the latter, two will
likely be experienced (you and one other) and three will be new. We try to cull out the
problem guardians so the chances are that the other experienced guardian will be easy
to work with and will understand what is required.
The new guardians may be perfectly fine and willing to do what you ask but it is also
possible that one or more may not. VHF does not have a good way to screen guardians
adequately before PF1 to weed out those that might be a problem. That is not to say
that they will be “bad guardians” and not look after their vet. Rather that there are some
people who are resistant to authority and “rules” and may turn out to require more time
and attention than others.
Although we certainly do not want adversarial relationships, you are the squad leader
and what you say goes within your squad. If you are reasonably firm in the beginning,
you will likely either not have problems or they will surface quickly and can be dealt with
promptly. It is your job to communicate clearly and often with your squad. You should
not have to follow up and nag.
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Appendix D Sound Off
Sound Off or Count Off is a practice used in the military to ensure that everyone is
accounted for. Each person in the group is assigned a number and when ever the
group leader wishes to know if everyone is there s/he asks them to “sound off” or “count
off”
VHF uses the Sound Off (or SO) process to ensure that we do not loose anyone during
the trip. Each vet/guardian team is assigned a number, groups of numbers are
allocated to each squad. For a typical 25/25 flight:
 Blue Squad
1 to 5
 Green Squad
6 to 10
 Orange Squad 11 to 15
 Red Squad
16 to 20
 Yellow Squad 21 to 25
For a typical 35/35 flight:
 Blue Squad
1 to 5
 Green Squad
6 to 10
 Lime Squad
11 to 15
 Orange Squad 16 to 20
 Red Squad
20 to 25
 Purple Squad 26 to 30
 Yellow Squad 30 to 35
The assignment of these numbers within the squad is not arbitrary. The Squad Leader
is assigned the first number in the squads allocation, the rest of the numbers are
assigned alphabetically by the vet’s last name
The use of this approach also helps the vet and guardian bond. They are assigned
something as a team to be shared by the vet and guardian.
SO numbers are placed on each vet’s and guardian’s ID badge. The number is upside
down so when the person looks down, the number is easily read.
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Appendix E Initial Conversation With Your Guardians
Prior to PF1, SqLs will contact each guardian in their squad (contact information will be
provided either via email or the initial SqL meeting). The purpose of this conversation is
to:
 Introduce yourself
 Remind the guardian about the upcoming PF meeting
 Answer any questions
If the guardian asks, the SqL may provide information on his/her vet but the guardian
should not contact the vet before PF1 nor should the SqL contact the vet before PF1
The vets have already been contacted by the Vet Coordinator (maybe more than once)
in the last month or so and probably by the medical staff to update medical information.
If too many people are contacting the vet, s/he may become confused and worried, and
may opt to drop out.
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Appendix F Key Forms and Documents
As part of preflight meetings and other events, VHF will distribute several forms and
documents that should be useful:
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
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Guardians Guide: a comprehensive guide to being a guardian. Contents lots of
useful information. A copy of the Guardians Guide is emailed to every guardian
before the first preflight meeting
Squad Leaders Guide: this document. A copy of the Squad Leaders Guide is
emailed to every Squad Leader before the first preflight meeting
Squad Sheets: spreadsheet that contains contact information on each squad. It is
set up as a single spreadsheet tab that prints out as separate pages, one page for
each squad. Squad leaders receive a copy of the Squad Sheets before the first
preflight meeting (via email) and another copy at preflight meetings
Form B1, Local Transportation CheckList: this is explained earlier in this
document
Packet Items: a “packet” is distributed to each vet and guardian at the first preflight
meeting:
o Flight Data, Itinerary, Next Steps
o Vet Data Form: contains information on each vet grouped by squad.
o Dos and Don’ts
o Flags of Our Heroes
o Local Hotels and Accommodations
o Family Members in DC
Also Available: forms and docs should they be needed/wanted
o How to Get a Replacement DD214
o WW2 related activities in the local area
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