Latin American cadets visit Dover

Photo By Senior Airman Christopher Quail | Cadets from the Latin American Cadet Initiative climb the troop compartment stairs on a C-5M Super Galaxy during their visit Oct. 17, 2019, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. The cadets were transported to the flight line to tour a static C-5M Super Galaxy after the briefings in the 3rd Airlift Squadron auditorium. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Quail)  

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DE, UNITED STATES

10.22.2019

Story by Senior Airman Christopher Quail 

436th Airlift Wing

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --
Team Dover hosted 22 cadets from Latin American countries in support of the Latin American Cadet Initiative Oct. 17, 2019.

Two of the top senior cadets were selected from 11 different Latin American air force academies to attend the LACI program. The chosen cadets hailed from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

“The deputy under the Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, on behalf of the Secretary, invites the top two cadets from up to 15 Latin American Air Force Academies for extended stay,” said William McKeever, deputy chief of the Americas/Africa Division of International Affairs. “We do this, because we believe that by inculcating an interest in and an appreciation of the United States and the United States Air Force, when these top cadets rise to positions of prominence 25 years from now, that it will help the relationship between the United States and those air forces.”

The LACI program was originally created in 2006 by the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. This allows the cadets to spend three and a half weeks visiting the United States to learn from different branches and bases of the U.S. military.

“Our office arranges all the flights from their countries to arrive in San Antonio on a designated day,” said McKeever.

He then said the itinerary consisted of the following places: Joint Base San Antonio; Dover AFB; New York City; Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Naval Academy; the U.S. Air Force Academy; Luke AFB and Vandenberg AFB. The trip concludes with a visit to Davis-Monthan AFB.

“Davis-Monthan AFB, which is the headquarters of Air Forces Southern Command, is the HUB of Latin American activity of the U.S. Air Force,” said McKeever.

The tour at Dover started off with a welcome from Col. Michael Peeler, 436th Operations Group commander, and a briefing by Master Sgt. Levy Menjivarsanchez, 3rd Airlift Squadron loadmaster, and Senior Airman Miguel Sastre Correa, 9th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, on the C-17 Globemaster III and the C-5M Super Galaxy, respectively. After the briefings, the cadets then loaded onto a bus to head to the flight line for a tour of the monolithic C-5M Super Galaxy static display, concluding with a farewell from Team Dover as the cadets loaded back onto the bus and headed to their next location.

“My favorite experience at Dover was being able to see the C-5 in person,” said Dayanara Ocampo, Ecuadorian cadet. “In Ecuador, I have seen the aircraft online only in photos, but being able to tour and actually go inside the aircraft is very different.”

• Date Taken: 10.22.2019
• Date Posted: 10.22.2019 15:50
• Story ID: 348665
• Location: DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DE, US