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Cadets fly with McConnell Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jose L. Leon
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  More than 50 Wichita, Kan., Junior ROTC cadets experienced the 22nd Air Refueling Wing's mission and witnessed as McConnell Airmen refueled an A-10 Thunderbolt II in flight on March 15, 2012.

The Army, Air Force, and Marine cadets were from West, East, Heights and Northeast Magnet High Schools.

Before their flight, the cadets toured the 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron individual protective equipment warehouse. After learning about the base's mobility mission, the cadets learned about the KC-135 Stratotanker and it's air refueling capabilities.

"[The flight] showed us what the Air Force actually does," said Dillon Hurd, Heights High School Junior ROTC cadet.

Hurd, a sophomore, plans on enlisting in the Air Force as an aerospace propulsion technician. Aerospace propulsion technicians maintain and repair jet engines, such as those on Stratotankers.

Team McConnell Airmen showcased the Stratotanker's ability to air refuel other aircraft, such as the A-10s, which are directly involved with combat operations. The cadets also learned about several career fields the Air Force offers, including logistics Airmen, boom operators, navigators, pilots and crew chiefs.

"The incentive flight is a way to see the military way of life," said retired Air Force Capt. Veronica Parnell, Heights High School senior aerospace science instructor.

Students not already in the program are motivated to join Junior ROTC by the prospect of an incentive flight, and those who experience it are motivated to join the Air Force, said Parnell.

Capt. Dick Durstein, 22nd Operations Group chief of plans, said his personal experience in Junior ROTC was "incredibly positive and it directly influenced me to join the Air Force."

Durstein was the passenger monitor on one of the two KC-135s used for the orientation flight. He answered questions from the cadets ranging from the occasional, "what is that?" to the more probing, "how much fuel can this jet burn?"

While the cadets learn the military philosophy in school, it is important for these kids to see the actual mission, and they were excited about everything, said Durstein.

According to a DoD statistic, an estimated 40 percent of Junior ROTC cadets will eventually join the one of the military services. Among Wichita high schools, there are eight Junior ROTC programs available.

Durstein said he appreciates sharing his experience with the cadets as Airmen once did for him. 

"It's a payback," he said. "I feel like I was returning the favor to them."