JROTC cadets see Air Force life up close at Travis

U.S. Air Force Col. Corwin Pauly, 60th Air Mobility Wing vice commander welcomes Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps students from five high schools in Northern Calif., during their tour at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 20, 2016. Students toured several aircraft, air traffic control tower, dormitories, and had the opportunity to talk with personnel about military life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

JROTC cadets see Air Force life up close at Travis

High School students from Northern Calif., walk across the tarmac at Travis Air Force Base, to tour a KC-10 Extender, C-5M Super Galaxy, and a C-17 Globemaster III., Oct. 20, 2016. Travis hosted Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps students from five high schools in Northern Calif. Students toured several aircraft, air traffic control tower, dormitories, and had the opportunity to talk with personnel about military life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

JROTC cadets see Air Force life up close at Travis

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jackie Justice, 21st Airlift Squadron, shows students from Oak Grove High School from San Jose, Calif., the tie downs used to secure cargo during their tour at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 20, 2016. Travis hosted Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps students from five high schools in Northern Calif. Students toured several aircraft, air traffic control tower, dormitories, and had the opportunity to talk with personnel about military life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

JROTC cadets see Air Force life up close at Travis

Students from Valley High School in Sacramento, Calif., take photos of themselves inside a Humvee during their tour at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 20, 2016. Travis hosted Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps students from five high schools in Northern Calif. Students toured several aircraft, air traffic control tower, dormitories, and had the opportunity to talk with personnel about military life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

JROTC cadets see Air Force life up close at Travis

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Taylor Finley, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron, shows students from Valley High School in Sacramento, Calif., how to use the F-6A Robot during their tour at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 20, 2016. Travis hosted Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps students from five high schools in Northern Calif. Students toured several aircraft, air traffic control tower, dormitories, and had the opportunity to talk with personnel about military life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

JROTC cadets see Air Force life up close at Travis

Published Oct. 27, 2016
By 2nd Lt. Sarah Johnson
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from five high schools in the surrounding area visited Oct. 20 at Travis Air Force Base, California, during Travis Tour Day, a biannual event for high school students interested in experiencing Air Force life.

Travis Tour Day is one of many events facilitated by the public affairs community relations program. The program seeks to inspire, educate and recruit young men and women to serve in the military. Through exploring the base, they are given the opportunity to experience the daily life of an operational facility and talk directly with military personnel.

The day began with opening remarks from Col. Corwin Pauly, 60th Air Mobility Wing vice commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Michael Thomas, 60th Air Mobility Wing Operations Group superintendent. Students then broke into small groups to tour various sections of the base, including an Air Traffic Control tower, military working dog demonstration, dormitory room tour and static displays of the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extenders.

They also had the chance to learn about different Air Force jobs from logistics readiness officers, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape trainers, bioenvironmental engineers, emergency medical services specialists and others.

“I think (Travis Tour Day) is a great opportunity for us to get out here and see the inner workings of the service that we’re based on,” said Matt Haven, a junior JROTC student from Cordova High School.

Haven has long had his sights on becoming an Air Force Combat Rescue Officer, and made sure to engage with military personnel at Travis to find out more about the field.

“It definitely gave me an idea of the kind of things the Air Force does and how life is on base,” he said.

The many cities and schools represented made for a diverse and dynamic student audience with all levels of military experience. While some had been around it all their lives, others were experiencing it for the first time. For cadets such as Yemilet Alvarado, a sophomore from Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California, Tour Day was about being inspired by opportunities in the military to make a difference.

“Today was a really good day. It was my first time being on a military base and I learned a lot,” said Alvarado.

She plans to go to community college before starting her military career.

Alvarado was interested to learn about the rigorous training and testing of career fields such as Air Traffic Control, as well as the wide array of amenities offered on base. What caught her interest the most, though, was learning about the emergency medical service ambulance and the men and women who operate it. She now hopes to pursue the medical field upon joining the military.

“It really fascinates me because (doctors) save people’s lives,” said Alvarado. “People’s lives depend on them and I want somebody to depend on me for their life.”

Whether as a combat rescue officer or a medical specialist, young men and women in the surrounding communities are ready to step up and serve their country. Students’ excitement and curiosity on Travis Tour Day proved exactly that and the impact will be seen for years to come.