Airmen visit schools as part of Air Force Week Atlanta

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Ben Gonzales
  • Air Force News Agency
ATLANTA (AFPN) --  They came from the air. They came with spinning rifles. They came showing the best they have to offer.

Air Force Week Atlanta continued Oct. 9 through 11 as Airmen traveled to three Atlanta-area schools to show students from Marietta, Etowah and Lovejoy high schools what the Air Force is all about.

An HH-60 Pave Hawk showed the service's mettle by demonstrating how the Air Force performs rescues while the Air Force Honor Guard rifle dream team showed what precision and professionalism mean. Also on hand for the students to see were the Air Force NASCAR, the Air Force motorcycle, a mini C-130 Hercules, security forces equipment, aircrew gear, recruiters, an F-16 Fighting Falcon engine trailer and explosive ordnance disposal items.

This is the sixth Air Force Week of the year. The program is meant to increase the awareness and support of the public by informing them and involving them in activities that showcase the Air Force's diverse capabilities and missions, its accomplishments and the sacrifice of its Airmen.

Atlanta hosts Air Force Week Oct. 8 to 14. The theme for the year is "Heritage to Horizons," celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Air Force, its history and the future of the world's greatest force in air and space.

"The Air Force is doing great things today," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley, who attended the events at Marietta High School in Marietta, Ga., along with more than 300 students. "Airmen are proud of what they do, and they are getting out there and telling the Air Force story to the public.

"Events like visiting these high schools is great exposure for the Air Force and helps the youngsters in high school see their Air Force," Chief McKinley said. "Being here shows there are options when they graduate high school, and we hope they'll want to join the Air Force."

Seeing the military members and equipment helped show the opportunities of the Air Force, something that David Gilbreath tells the students at Marietta High School. As the diversified cooperative training instructor for the school, he helps students get work-based learning jobs where students earn high school credit for working.

"I've told the students the benefits of the Air Force," Mr. Gilbreath said. "It makes me proud to see the best the U.S. has to offer, and today's events help me link to something I teach my class. It helps them see the real world and I get to tell them the benefits and opportunities of the Air Force. This really gives them the breadth and depth of what the Air Force has to offer."

"It is essential to give the students a visual image of the Air Force so they can learn about it," said Amy Gee, a business education teacher at Etowah High School in Woodstock, Ga. With 2,000 students and hundreds coming out for the Air Force Honor Guard performance and the HH-60 demonstration Oct. 10, students got a firsthand look of the Air Force they normally don't get to see.

"This is really cool," said Patrick Harper, a 16-year-old junior at Etowah High School. "It is a lot more than I expected. I've wanted to be a helicopter pilot for years and we can talk to pilots and recruiters and the Airmen to get a feel for the Air Force and see what it is all about."

Just two years since graduating from Etowah High School, Senior Airman Matt Halstead returned to his high school Oct. 10, but this time he was wearing a uniform and talking to the students about his job in the Air Force.

"I was in the junior ROTC program here and it helped me prepare for drill and with customs and courtesies," said Airman Halstead, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with the 94th Civil Engineer Squadron at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. When not serving in the Air Force Reserve, he works with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and lives in Woodstock.

"We are giving them insight into the different careers in the Air Force and encouraging them to join the Air Force because it is a great way of life," he said.

Watching the Air Force Honor Guard drill team performance intently Oct. 9 was Juan Martinez, a 15-year-old freshman at Marietta High School. He and more than 300 of the 2,000 students on campus witnessed the precise execution of the Honor Guard Airmen performance with rifles.

"It was awesome and inspired me a lot," he said. "I'm on the junior ROTC armed drill team here and I want to be just as good as them one day. I'm already planning on joining the Air Force."

Events for Air Force Week Atlanta included a proclamation ceremony, performances by the Air Force's premier entertainment unit Tops in Blue, and a legal symposium at the University of Georgia at Athens. Airmen and equipment demonstrations will be on hand this weekend at the Great Georgia Air Show, and an Air Force ball concludes the week. 

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