More than 90 local high school students from the Coffee County area participated in a career day at the Tennessee Army National Guard Armory in Tullahoma on Thursday, April 6.
Two groups of students, from Coffee County Central and Tullahoma High Schools, who volunteered to attend the event, spent the day learning about what the Tennessee National Guard does for the community and the opportunities available to them following high school.
“I have been looking forward to attending this career day for some time,” said one of the students. “I have been wanting to learn about the military equipment and get an up-close experience with the Guard.”
Throughout the day, students and school faculty met and talked with current guardsmen, toured the facilities, and were rotated through multiple stations to learn about the equipment and the many missions that the National Guard can do.
The first station the students visited highlighted military vehicles which included a HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, and an M-ATV or Mine-resistant, ambush-protected, All-Terrain Vehicle. The HIMARS is a wheeled system designed for launching rockets offensively and defensively. The M-ATV is a well-armored, multi-purpose vehicle utilized in different ways depending on the needs of the troops and mission. Students toured each vehicle and received an in-depth explanation of the function of each one.
Next, the students were bused to the aircraft drop-zone training area where they were introduced to an M-109 Paladin, which is a self-propelled Howitzer, an M-60 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge, and an M1070 tank-transporting vehicle. Each student was given tours of the vehicles and then watched a demonstration by National Guardsmen as they launched the M-60 bridge layer.
At the final station, the students toured the Tennessee National Guard maintenance facility, where they saw where most of the weapons, vehicles, and equipment is maintained and repaired. Here, they were also able to climb aboard an M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, an armored backhoe, and a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck or HEMTT wrecker.
“To be able to talk to these high school students and their faculty about the career opportunities available in the Army Guard, and what benefits the Guard brings to their community, is a privilege,” said Staff Sgt. Erik Brown, the event organizer. “We hope that each of these students left today knowing a little more about what we do and how we support our communities, state, and nation.”
Date Taken: | 04.14.2023 |
Date Posted: | 04.14.2023 09:59 |
Story ID: | 442629 |
Location: | TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE, US |
Web Views: | 34 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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