As a child growing up in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, the recently designated Air Force director of staff said he wanted to be Mickey Mantle.

When he returned to his old neighborhood Feb. 9, he told the children at Sacred Heart Grammar School he was proud to serve his country in the military instead. 

“It’s important to remember where you come from and to give something back to the community,” Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte said. “Every time I come home I try to visit the schools and give the kids encouragement.”

When the general arrived at the school, second-graders welcomed him at the front entrance with a rendition of “God Bless America” while holding a banner signed by each child.

“I’m always impressed by the kids,” General Lichte said. “They never fail to ask surprising questions.”

The middle-school-aged children did not disappoint the general, peppering him in the auditorium for nearly 90 minutes with questions such as: “What’s the hardest situation you’ve been in?” “How much do you get paid?” “Did you get sent to the principal’s office?” “Did you make the honor roll?”

“The things you learn here in school are the same values we have in the Air Force -- integrity, service and excellence,” General Lichte said. “You may not think of it now, but when you get older and look back, you’ll see you learned very important values that will help you in life.”

“We were thrilled to have General Lichte come to talk with the kids,” said Kevin Smith, the school’s principal. “The children got to hear and see a great role model who came from their neighborhood, and made something quite remarkable of his life.”

General Lichte also visited the other schools he attended while growing up in the Bronx -- Cardinal Spellman High School and Manhattan College, where he received his commission through the ROTC program.

Besides returning to his alma maters, the general also watched a live taping of the CBS Evening News with Bob Schieffer.

Minutes before airtime, Mr. Schieffer took time between taping an interview with the Baghdad correspondent and making the final edits on that night’s script to welcome the general to the studio. Mr. Schieffer recalled his days in the Air Force where he honed his journalism skills as editor of the Travis Air Force Base newspaper in California.

Mr. Schieffer, who also anchors the longstanding program “Face the Nation” in Washington, D.C., plans to participate in the upcoming dedication of the Air Force Memorial later this year, as the master of ceremonies.