Cadets experience operational Air Force

  • Published
  • By Airman Adawn Kelsey
  • 82dn Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Nine cadets from the Air Force Academy came to Sheppard May 31 to get a taste of what it is like to work in the operational Air Force. 

The academy breaks the summer up into three, three-week periods. One of those weeks is used to travel to a base either state side or overseas Cadet Tech. Sgt. Joel Sanders said. 

Cadet Sanders said cadets have limited contact with enlisted members and this gives them a greater opportunity to work with them. 

"Being at Sheppard I actually get to see action. I get to see people actually doing their jobs and it makes me feel more hopeful because sometimes it can be hard to see academics as a job," Cadet Sanders said. 

The cadets are scheduled to visit different areas of the base and see the how the enlisted force and officers work in their respective job areas. 

"We have been all over base getting to see all sides of the Sheppard mission. We saw a lot of the Airmen in Training and then we saw the officer side as well. Here we got to see the reality of the 80 percent to 20 percent of the enlisted versus officer. It was a new experience and educational," Cadet Master Sgt. Glynnis Quern said. 

Another positive aspect that the cadets saw at Sheppard was the reality of what it is like to work towards a mission. 

"It's a different world at Sheppard. It's a different way of learning and different experience. Here you get to really see the mission and helps you keep your eye on the goal to finish school," Cadet Tech. Sgt. Vitalliy Benz said. 

Maj. Chad Hillberg a former Academy graduate and instructor of the 459th Flying Training Squadron, agreed that visiting an operational base can help students understand what it is like to work in the operational Air Force. 

"The cadets never see all the different jobs, so it gives them a better appreciation for the Air Force mission and how they fit into it," Major Hillberg said.