WINGTIPS — PLUS! - Minnesota Wing

PAGE 2 WINGTIPS PLUS MAY 2002
Major Thomas Vashro
1953-2002
- This Eulogy was written by Major Shannon Bauer& Lt
Col Stan Kegel, Wing Emergency Services Officer and
Former Viking Commander. It was delivered at Services
for Major Vashro on 22 May by Colonel Kegel.
Viking Squadron and Civil Air Patrol lost one of its most
valued and respected members Monday morning. Maj.
Tom Vashro was a member of our family, and we want
to thank Darla and his children for sharing him with us.
Tom joined Viking Squadron,
Civil Air Patrol, in 1964, when
he was 14-years-old. In his
own words, in a testimonial we
collected from him a month
ago for a recruiting brochure,
he said, “…Perhaps mostly
because my dad and older
brother were also members.
Dad flew TBM’s in WWII. …
CAP was a way to be around
airplanes, because we couldn’t
afford to otherwise.”
In 1966, Tom attended the
CAP national glider program
in Chester, S.C., for two
weeks and obtained a private
pilot glider license. Two years
later, he spent a month in
Reno, Nev., at the CAP national
solo encampment,
where he was able to obtain a
private pilot, single-engineland
license. After he graduated
high school, he left CAP
but returned to Viking 25 years later, in his own words
again, “…with the hope of enabling the same opportunities
I had for some of today’s youth.”
Many times, we heard him say that what kept him in the
organization was seeing a cadet’s face light up during
his or her first time at the controls of an aircraft. It
made the many hours of behind-the-scenes work to
keep a squadron running worth it, he’d say.
Since rejoining Viking in 1992, he served in almost
every squadron job there is, sometimes in five or six positions
at a time. At various times, he was the finance
officer, moral leadership officer, safety officer, emergency
services officer, standardization/evaluation officer,
aerospace education officer and deputy commander.
Major Tom Vashro and his wife Darla.
He served as commander for three years, from 1997 to
1999. Most recently, he was the squadron’s operation
officer, maintaining and supervising the flying operation
of around 35 pilots from three squadrons.
He was instrumental in implementing a flying program
for Viking, Valley, and the 130 th and Anoka squadrons.
He maintained Viking Squadron’s financial assets for
most of the last six years, which in the last few years,
as our budget ballooned, was no easy task. He was
unanimously voted as the 2000 Viking Squadron Senior
Member of the Year and the 2001 Minnesota Wing
Operations Officer of the Year. Tom gave his heart
and soul to Viking Squadron, and he was part of the
glue that holds us together.
Tom will be remembered by
most of us for all the free time
he so selflessly gave to CAP.
He flew hundreds of hours on
our behalf, providing toomany-to-count
check rides,
cadet orientation flights and
flight instruction opportunities.
He served as a flight instructor
at two Minnesota Wing flight
academies, and many cadets
over the years owe their pilot’s
license to him.
Tom was so popular with the
adult pilots in CAP that they’d
drive several hours just to get
a check ride with Tom. He
didn’t yell at anyone when they
made mistakes; he never
raised his voice. He was one
of the best instructor’s in the
state.
He often had check rides booked with individuals from
units from all over Minnesota for six months at a time.
At Viking, we worried he’d get burned out and advised
people to give him a break, but it didn’t work. Everybody
loved Tom.
And it wasn’t just in the air that he was appreciated.
Never once has anyone in CAP heard him say a bad
word about anyone. He was always willing to listen
and throw in a helping hand. He never complained,
when we’d call him two or three times a day. He was
gentle, kind and caring and one of those people you
only meet a few of during a lifetime.
He was a great friend to many of us, and he made an
impact for the better in most of our lives, as well as in
his community. We are thankful for the time we got to
spend with him, and we will never forget him.