WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets from around the country spent some time with two Air Force Reserve units here to get a first-hand look at the different missions and people as part of an annual summer immersion program.
On June 14 and July 26, cadets participating in a program known as Operation Air Force visited the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Wing and the 445th Airlift Wing to learn more about the potential professions they could select and be immersed in the work associated with those jobs. The cadets met with junior officers and enlisted from various career fields, and also spent time with the wing commander to learn about his career journey.
“We enjoy taking the opportunity to host cadets and introduce them to the variety of career opportunities available in the ISR field,” said Col. Philip Warlick, 655th ISR Wing commander. “This also gives them a glimpse at other avenues they can take if they eventually transition into the civilian sector so they can continue serving their country as a Reserve officer. Hopefully, sharing our experiences and insights helps inform their future decisions, and serves to inspire the next generation of leaders.”
After spending time at the 655th ISR Wing, the cadets also had the opportunity to tour a C-17 Globemaster III and speak to the aircraft’s crew.
“We enjoyed having the cadets visit the 445th Airlift Wing to get a prospective of what the Air Force Reserve can offer,” said Stacy Vaughn, 445th AW Public Affairs command information section chief, who organized the tour. “During their C-17 tour with us, the group was able to talk with an officer and an enlisted maintainer, a pilot and a loadmaster, getting their feedback on what it’s like on both the officer side of being a reservist and the enlisted side. They also learned about the teamwork involved between the operations and maintenance sides.”
USAFA Cadet 2nd Class Grace Dailey, the cadet in charge of one of the groups, said all the cadets enjoyed the experience to learn more about what life as an Air Force officer is like and shadowed officers at the military personnel flight, operations support squadron, and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.
“Speaking on behalf of the cohort, we had a really great time exploring Wright-Patterson [AFB] and learning all there is to know about the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air Force Research Lab, Air Force Material Command, Security Forces, and so much more,” she said. “Our favorite experience was getting to shadow an officer with our desired AFSC (career) so we could see what an average active-duty day looked like. Overall, our time spent at Wright-Patt was engaging and gave us a pretty good idea of what life might be like post-USAFA.”
Ops Air Force is a two-and-a-half week summer program that allows cadets entering their junior year of school visit Air Force bases to spend time with active duty and Reserve Airmen to experience operations prior to their commission. Roughly 1,200 ROTC and Air Force Academy cadets participate in the program each year.