Photo By Staff Sgt. Sarah McKernan | U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Timothy Frigano, a medical technician at the 106th Rescue...... read more read more
Subscribe
FRANCIS S. GABRESKI AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. – Over 130 Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) cadets and Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) students from across Long Island visited the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing for the unit’s tenth biennial Open House at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base on May 9.
Coordinated by the 106th Rescue Wing Recruiting office, the event provided attendees with an inside look at the unit’s mission and daily operations.
“It is really important to host events like this to demonstrate to high school students the many different opportunities that are available to them in the Air National Guard,” said Tech. Sgt. Jaelene Mendez, 106th Rescue Wing recruiter. “It’s also important for us to show our community a little bit more of our mission.”
During the visit, students engaged with personnel from various units across the Wing, gaining insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of 106th Airmen. The hands-on interaction allowed students to ask questions and connect directly with service members.
Participating units included Security Forces, Pararescue, Vehicle Maintenance, Aircrew Flight Equipment, the Fire Department, Medical Group, and HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter crew chiefs. Each unit showcased their equipment and explained their unique contributions to the wing’s overall mission.
Zuleika Herrera, Cadet Commander, Riverhead High School, said that her visit to the base was very informative.
“I didn’t really know much about the Air National Guard before coming here today, so being able to be on base and see the different career paths and opportunities that there are, definitely brought light to something that I hadn’t looked into before,” Herrera said.
Senior Master Sgt. Wayne Hanna, senior aerospace science instructor and JROTC program director for Brentwood High School, emphasized the value of attending the open house for his students.
“Forty-five years ago, I was here at the 106th as a cadet at Brentwood,” Hanna said. “As I explained to the cadets, they got to see real-world things that a lot of people take for granted. They didn’t just see one aspect of the base, it’s a community within itself, so they can see how they can serve the nation, and that there is a career path forward for them,” Hanna added.
Herrera noted that her favorite part of the visit was seeing what a regular day looks like on base.
“It’s not something that you get to see on a regular basis, so seeing what the day-to-day looks like here on base is definitely something that I loved to see and made me more interested in choosing a military career path,” she said.
Mendez emphasized that the open house doesn't just benefit the students, it strengthens the wing as well.
“Events like this benefit the Wing because it increases our community engagement, and it has a big impact on our base members too, because they get to see and interact with the future generations,” Mendez said.
The 106th Rescue Wing, based at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, operates and maintains the HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft, and the HH-60W Jolly Green II rescue helicopter. The 106th Rescue Wing is home to a special warfare squadron with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers, specializing in rescue and recovery, and deploys for domestic and overseas operations.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2025 12:25 |
| Story ID: | 499497 |
| Location: | WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 106th Rescue Wing Hosts Biennial Open House, by SSgt Sarah McKernan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
