By Spc. Katie Mazos
Public Affairs Office
Fifty-four Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from Shawnee Mission North and Shawnee Mission West high schools started the school year off right with a ride in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on Sept. 4. The event was supported by pilots and crew chiefs from Company A, 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation.
'We do these recruiting and
retention flights so we can show these kids how the aircraft works and what we
do as crew members,' said Staff. Sgt. Robert Patrick, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew
chief. 'This gives them a close-up experience.'
The weather proved to be a great
day for fun, flying, and talking about their future plans. The morning started
off with a presentation from Kansas Army National Guard recruiters about what
options they have after they graduate, then moved onto orientation flights in
the Black Hawks. Even though the students come from different high schools,
they could all agree on one thing: It was an experience they won't forget.
'The view was beautiful,' Jordan
Dorton, a senior student from Shawnee Mission North High School, said. 'I don't
think pictures could even describe how wonderful (the view) was.'
'Watching what they do was so
awesome,' said Laila Marie Long, a student from Shawnee Mission North High
School. 'I want to do that one day eventually!'
'I wanted to be a pilot for a long
time, and this makes me want to do it [the career field] even more now,' said
Carlee O'Neill, a senior at Shawnee Mission North High School. 'I'm so
fortunate to have this opportunity presented to me.'
The cadets weren't the only ones
that had a great time riding in the helicopters. Retired Marine Chief Warrant
Officer Dennis Grayless, the senior NJROTC instructor for Shawnee Mission North
High School, said he had just as much fun as the cadets.
'The cadets had an absolute blast,'
said Grayless, 'and so did an old guy like me.'
'I think when most of these kids
join ROTC, they initially have some sort of interest in joining some branch of
the military,' Grayless said. 'This [the recruiting event] just enhances that
even more.'