Photo By Sgt. Michael Roach | Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley acting senior commander,...... read more read more
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Students from Kansas State University’s Quest Freshman Honorary organization got an up-close look at Army life when they toured part of Fort Riley as guests of the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade March 10.
More than 30 students were welcomed on post for a tour that began with static displays of UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Students were guided by members of the 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, as they were allowed to climb onto the aircraft and ask questions of nearby crew members.
A student organization at K-State, Quest’s goal is to develop freshman students into leaders by having seniors from the Blue Key Honor Society mentor them.
“It could pique an interest,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Scott Wallace, a pilot with 3rd AHB, 1st Avn. Regt. Wallace considered the tour a broadening experience for the students, which could help to show them more of what the Army does and is capable of.
Wallace, who accompanied the group for the entirety of their tour, also noted the event was mutually beneficial for the Soldiers in his unit. The unit assigned Soldiers of the same age group to brief the aircraft to the students before they climbed on, giving the Soldiers an opportunity to talk with their peers and highlight their area of expertise.
Following the helicopter displays, the group got to view the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system. They were given a quick tour of the hangar before going out to the flight line and viewing the control station before watching one of the aircrafts take off.
“This is probably one of the most exciting experiences that we’ll get to go on in Quest,” said Luke Curran, a freshman at K-State majoring in computer science who had previously considered joining the Army. “This is by far the most exciting thing. It has expanded my expectations, that’s for sure.”
The group then proceeded to the Demon Diner dining facility for lunch before receiving a guided tour of Victory Park at 1st Infantry Division Headquarters. The students were then led into the building where Brig. Gen Patrick D. Frank, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley acting senior commander, took the opportunity to sit down with the group and discuss the regional partnership that 1st Inf. Div. has with K-State.
After laying out the unit’s ongoing activities and deployment schedule to give the students an idea of what the division’s workload looks like, Frank encouraged the group to feel welcome on the installation and fielded the students’ questions.
To complete their visit, the Quest group was then given the chance to train on the installation’s flight simulators, a portion of the tour which is typically considered a highlight in the Quest group, according to Curran.
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2017 18:02 |
| Story ID: | 226700 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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