USAFA cadets visit Nellis

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Laura Balch
  • Nellis Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  A group of 29 cadets from Cadet Squadron 38 at the U.S. Air Force Academy visited April 1 to get a firsthand look at how different units here operate.

The 66th Weapons School hosted the cadets and, during the day-long tour, showed them many of the unique facilities and organizations that set Nellis apart from most Air Force bases.

Fifteen of the 29 cadets traveled to the Nevada Test and Training Range to observe a close air support mission, which involved multiple A-10 aircraft, helicopters and joint terminal attack controllers conducting attacks on simulated enemy positions.

The remainder of the cadets stayed on base and visited the Threat Training Facility; the Phase Barn, which houses A-10 and F-15 aircraft undergoing repairs; the 66th Rescue Squadron; the 820th RED HORSE Squadron; the Thunderbirds and the 433rd Weapons Squadron.

"My favorite part of the tour is seeing everything up close, like the SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) in the TTF and the A-10 in the Phase Barn," said Cadet 4th Class Christopher Juno.

Maj. Marty Garrett, 57th Operations Support Squadron director of operations, U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduate and former Academy Air Officer Commanding for CS-38, lead the base tour and, drawing from his many experiences and extensive knowledge, educated the cadets on many of the aircraft and weapons systems employed at Nellis.

"These cadets are getting a thorough briefing on different aircraft, which is good for the four-degrees [freshman cadets]," said Master Sgt. Jesse Chervinka, Academy Military Training NCO for CS 38. "They aren't committed to a career field yet. This trip helps open their eyes and might pique their interest in something."

One of the cadets on the base tour was Cadet 1st Class Marcus Rosenthal. He will graduate this spring and is slated to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training.

"This trip is great," Cadet Rosenthal said. "We get to be around somebody like Major Garrett who's so knowledgeable and is truly interested is showing us all that Nellis has to offer."

This type of sponsor-based trip is a special opportunity for a cadet squadron to make a short visit to an Air Force base, but its impact on the cadets is long-lasting.

"The real purpose of this trip is to motivate these cadets to pursue a career in the Air Force," Major Garrett said. "Nellis is an ideal place to take them because we can showcase almost every Air Force platform and mission. We provide real examples of how we support the war effort and we give the cadets an opportunity to speak with officers, hear their personal stories and get excited about what they will be doing after graduation."