Villages Honor Flight. Squad Leader s Guide

Villages Honor Flight Squad Leader s Guide SqLGuide.doc 1 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS Purpose 2 Introduction 3 I Squad Leader Role and Responsibilities 5 II Pre-Flight Activities 6 First Preflight Meeting 6 In between 7 Second Preflight Meeting 8 Appendices A-1 VHF Organization 10 A-2 Preparing for a Mission 11 A-3 Typical Itinerary 15 B-1 Transportation Issues 16 B-2 Squad Event 17 C Flight Crew 18 D Sound Off 19 E Key Forms and Documents 20 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 2.2 Flight Planning 2.3 Preflight activities 2.4 Flight day activities 2.5 A typical itinerary 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 at the first preflight meeting. A second Squad Leader Orientation may be held at the second preflight meeting. 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} SqLGuide.doc 2 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

Introduction The Honor Flight Network (HFN) is a national initiative that arranges for war-service 1 US Armed Forces Veterans to visit Washington, D.C. memorials free of all charges. HFN consists of local hubs that are staffed by volunteers who arrange for and carry out trips from their respective geographical areas to the D.C. Veteran Memorials and back. The relationship between HFN and individual hubs is quite loose with most hubs being independent, incorporated organizations. Villages Honor Flight, Inc (VHF) is the local hub that serves the Florida counties of Lake, Marion, Sumter, Citrus and Hernando, and some of the immediate surrounding areas. It is not formally affiliated with The Villages, the retirement community. The Mission: VHF carries out multiple Honor Flight Missions each year during the spring and fall months. The actual flight to Washington, DC is the key event in the overall Mission which consists of preflight activities, the actual flight and post flight activities. At present, a given mission consists of 25 veterans, 25 guardians (or escorts) and a flight staff consisting of a Flight Director, a Flight Medical Coordinator, a Photographer, a Mission Executive Officer (MXO) and usually a Special Staff Assistant or Media Representative or VIP The Team: each veteran is paired up with a guardian and together they make up a team. See Section?? for more information on this pairing. The Guardian is a volunteer who acts as the guide and escort for a specific vet for the entire mission. The Squad: the 25 teams are organized into 5 color-coded squads of 5 teams each The Squad Leader (SqL): the most experienced guardian (escort) in the squad is the Squad Leader who is in charge of the squad. This is not automatic; rather the experienced guardians who are next to fly are asked if they are willing to be squad leaders. Most of this document is concerned with the duties of squad leaders. The Squad Medic (SqM): each squad consists of at least one guardian who is also a trained medical professional and is designated as the Squad Medic. Appendix B of the Guardians Guide has more information on the Squad Medic and the SqM s duties. Flight Crew: each flight has a crew of VHF staff members that are in charge of the flight. See Appendix C for more information on the Flight Crew 1 The national HF organization identifies 6 war periods (see Villages Honor Flight web site FAQs for the precise list); vets who served at least one day of active service during any of those periods are eligible for a free honor flight. SqLGuide.doc 3 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

Master Squad Leader: Mentor Guardian: Once a Guardian has flown, they have very useful experience that they can pass on to new Guardians. Our Mentor Guardians are experienced Guardians who have volunteered to work with new Guardians to help them learn the ropes. Mentor Guardians attend preflight meetings and may meet with new Guardians out side of meetings Mentor Squad Leaders: squad leader requirements include experience flying with VHF. Experience with VHF is quite important because much of what a squad leader does is based on his/her knowledge of how things were done on previous flights, key processes, where things are in DC, etc. Our mentor Squad Leaders are experienced Squad Leaders who have volunteered to work with new Squad Leaders to help them learn the ropes and be more effective. Stand In Guardian (SIG): At almost every preflight meeting there are Guardians who cannot attend for one reason or another. To ensure that their vet does not feel left out, we assign a Stand In Guardian (SIG) to the vet for the meeting. The SIG knows about our organization and flight model so he/she can easily help the vet understand the basics, answer questions, etc. SqLGuide.doc 4 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 or Master Squad Leader the need and utility of a Mentor Guardian or Mentor Squad Leader to work with them during the mission. If the SqL desires, and sufficient Mentor Guardians or Mentor Squad Leaders 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 Discuss with the FD or MXL or MSL 3 Contact each guardian in their squad (list will be provided) to briefly talk with them (introductions) 3.1 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 3.2 Explain to the guardian that he/she will have been matched up with a vet prior to the first meeting. The matching process considers:gender 3.2.1 service branch if the guardian is also a vet 3.2.2 physical ability (200 pound vets who will be in a wheelchair most of the day need a husky guardian) 3.2.3 medical background of the guardian (we try to match vets who are quite sick with a guardian who has some medical background) 3.2.4 location: if may be beneficial if the vet and guardian lives in the same general area SqLGuide.doc 5 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

3.3 assure the guardian that if he/she is uncomfortable with their vet, we will try to remedy that but they must tell us 3.4 answer any preliminary questions the guardian might have 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 2 nd preflight meeting. Only 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 2 nd 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 SqLGuide.doc 6 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

First Pre-Flight Meeting 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 and/or MXO and/or Guardian Trainer. 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 Ensure that the 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. 3 Ensure that all squad members are at the squad table during relevant times 4 Ensure that all squad members know that they have a copy of the Contact Data Sheet for the squad in the meeting packets and why that sheet of information is important: 4.1 Lists all members of squad with their email address and phone numbers 4.2 Lists all members of the Flight Crew 4.3 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. 5 Ensure that teams 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 6 Ensure that each Guardian is probing for any special needs the vet might have 7 Lead the discussion about squad activities and problem solving: 7.1 The squad should meet as a group (including vets significant others) at least once between the 1 st and 2 nd preflight meetings in a social setting. See Appendix B-2 for more info on this most important event 7.2 How to handle gender problems at restrooms 7.3 To what degree will the squad stay together at DC venues, e.g., the Mall 3 7.4 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. 7.5 If any vet wants his/her own backpack, the vet and guardian need to discuss who carries what. 7.6 Introduce the Squad Medic and have her/him provide a little background 8 Explain and practice Sound Off SqLGuide.doc 7 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

Between Pre-Flight Meetings 1 Follow up with Guardians to ensure that they are communicating with their vet 2 Follow up with Squad Medic to ensure that he/she has met with Medical Team 3 Ensure that the squad event described in 7.1 (above) actually happens Second Preflight Meeting SqLGuide.doc 8 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 2.5 Movement to gate area 2.6 Assembling for movement onto aircraft 3 Ensure that squad moves as a group if the squad agreed to do that at DC venues 4 Oversee designated squad wheel chair if one is used for transport of squad materials 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 SqLGuide.doc 9 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 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: President Admin, Internal Affairs and Special Projects Finance Marketing and Media Medical Affairs Operations Veteran Coordinator Guardian Coordinator Preflight Coordinator Ground Coordinator SqLGuide.doc 10 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 seats is a bit more difficult than booking one or two. VHF strategy is to have one mission per month during the spring and fall. Flight date targets are the last Saturday in March, April, May and June and the first Saturday in September, October and November 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, weather and similar. 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 with approx flight dates but 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 with approx flight dates but many other factors influence the guardian manifest for a particular mission. For example: a. each mission requires at least 5 experienced guardians to be squad leaders b. each mission requires at least 5 guardians with some medical background to be squad medics c. approximately 20% of vets request specific guardians (normally family members). These guardians fly as per the vet s priority not as per their place on the master guardian list. 03. 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 SqLGuide.doc 11 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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. 04. 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 people to man the various stations c. Assembling station materials 05. 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 Cemetary j. coordination with Orlando airport k. coordination with DC airport l. coordination with DC support groups 06. 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 SqLGuide.doc 12 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 date on each vet and guardian b. Medical screening of both vets and guardians c. Flight ID pictures d. Flight shirts e. Ensure that various forms have been filled out and signed f. Vet/guardian introductions g. Guardian training h. Socialization time i. Identify problems that must be sorted out before flight day 02. In Between 03. Preflight Meeting #2 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. 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 Follow up 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 squad leader role, VHF asks each squad leader to briefly comment on each guardian in his/her squad after each flight. 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 SqLGuide.doc 13 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

VHF is unusual (perhaps unique) within the Honor Flight Network in the level of effort put in to build a 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 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. SqLGuide.doc 14 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

Appendix A-3 Typical Itinerary Villages Honor Flight Itinerary for 22-Jun-2013 [provisional itinerary; can change due to weather, traffic, constructioin, etc] Time (military time) 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 SqLGuide.doc 15 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 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 Last First Street City State Transportation Local Arrangements Accomodations Blue 1 Blue 2 Blue 3 Blue 4 Blue 5 Squad, SO (Sound Off #), Last, First, Street, City and State 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. SqLGuide.doc 16 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 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 SqLGuide.doc 17 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

Appendix C: 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 2 nd 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. Flight Medical Team Leader (FMTL) Oversees all medical aspects of the flight: Assembly and training of flight medical team (squad medics) Medical equipment oversight (O2 concentrators, medical bag, wheel chairs, ) Key role in bus loading and unloading (joint with MXO and Transfer Assistant Asst Flight Medical Team Leader / Transfer Assistant Backup to FMTL as required Assists vets transferring to/from bus seats during loading and unloading of wheel chair vets Photographer Ensures that appropriate still photos and video are taken during the mission: Preflight meetings Reunion Squad events Coordinates with Gray Ghost Studios Actual flight regarding the official flight images and video SqLGuide.doc 18 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

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 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. SqLGuide.doc 19 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013

Appendix E Key Forms and Documents As part of preflight meetings and other events, VHF will distribute several forms and documents that should be useful: 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 guardian 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 5 separate pages, one page per 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. This is included in the 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 SqLGuide.doc 20 DateLastSaved: 23-Jul-2013