Photo By Senior Airman Kevin Nious | Students from the Mountain View Whisman School District take a tour of the 129th...... read more read more
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MOFFETT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. - Wearing lime green T-shirts and smiles just as bright, a group of 50 elementary school students raced to the cabin door of an HH-60 Pave Hawk, hoping for their chance to sit in the pilot’s seat. The helicopter walkthrough was the culminating event of a base tour on July 11, organized through Mountain View Police Department’s Dreams and Futures program.
The summer day camp provides elementary and middle school students in the Mountain View Whisman School District an opportunity to learn about the various career fields their community has to offer.
“Some of these kids may not have the resources or opportunity to go to college,” said MVPD school resource officer James Guevarra who runs the program. “Some (students) may not have thought they could be pilots, or work on an aircraft, or be on a crew, but having this exposure and seeing this is in their backyard, they can come over here and start a career.”
MVPD initially developed Dreams and Futures as a small gang intervention program in the 1990s, but Guevarra said the curriculum has evolved into teaching kids how to become leaders and explore opportunities outside of their comfort zone.
“We want them to just be open minded to try new things and not feel uncomfortable,” Guevarra said. “I always tell kids, ‘Don’t be afraid to fail,’ because when you fail that’s when you learn.”
This summer, Guevarra brought nearly 100 kids on two different visits to Moffett Field, where they learned the basics about the 129th Rescue Wing’s search and rescue mission.
“Getting to put your hands on a helicopter and a plane, I picture myself as a kid and that would have been the coolest thing for me,” said U.S. Air Force Captain Blake Donovan who helped lead the tour.
The visits began with a capabilities brief, educating students about the HC-130J Combat King II, the HH-60 Pave Hawk, the duties of a pararescue specialist and how all three work together to conduct search and rescue missions anywhere in the world.
After the briefing, Airmen leaders escorted the students onto the airfield where they watched a takeoff and peppered flight crews with questions on how it all works. The tours ended on the flightline where students got a chance to board an aircraft and see what the world looks like from the cockpit.
“This is an awesome opportunity for (kids) to see people in their communities who are working in public service and to show them examples of people who are on a good path in life doing good things,” Blake said.
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.13.2023 15:52 |
| Story ID: | 449146 |
| Location: | CA, US |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Next Generation: Mountain View Students Visit 129th Rescue Wing, by SrA Kevin Nious, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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