Meet The Commander

The Illinois Wing Summer Encampment Commander, Lieutenant Colonel John Wenzel, joined Civil Air Patrol as a cadet in 1981.  During his tenure as a cadet, Lt Col Wenzel attended three summer encampments, Blue Beret, two Illinois Wing Flight Encampments (now the Johnson Flight Academy), and the International Air Cadet Exchange, in addition to numerous local activities.  He proceeded through the entire cadet program, earning CAP’s highest cadet award, the General Carl A. Spaatz Award, in 1985.  

Lt Col Wenzel attended the University of Illinois from 1985-1989, earning a bachelor’s degree in history. He enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in 1986, completing infantry basic and advanced training at Fort Benning, GA.  After completing his infantry training, Lt Col Wenzel enrolled in Army ROTC, completing the ROTC Advanced Camp at Fort Riley KS, followed by the Airborne Course at Fort Benning.  Following his commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1989, Lt Col Wenzel served as the battalion heavy mortar platoon leader with the 2/130 Infantry in Urbana and completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning.  Lt Col Wenzel transferred to the inactive ready reserve in 1990 and was honorably discharged in 1997.            

Lt Col Wenzel joined the Illinois State Police in 1989, serving and advancing through the ranks until he retired as a lieutenant in 2017.  Upon his retirement, Lt Col Wenzel was serving as the District 10 (now Troop 7) operations officer with additional duties as the regional hostage/crisis negotiator team leader and regional crowd control team leader.  During his tenure with the ISP, Lt Col Wenzel graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy.   

Lt Col Wenzel has attended twenty encampments, serving in various leadership positions.  He was appointed the encampment commander after the conclusion of the 2024 encampment.  Lt Col Wenzel also serves as the commandant of cadets at the Johnson Flight Academy and serves concurrently on the Wing Staff and in the Illinois Legislative Squadron.  Lt Col Wenzel’s encampment mantra is “provocantes sed non videam” (challenging but not overwhelming).