Academy cadets visit Keesler for summer learning Published Aug. 3, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Duncan McElroy 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Twenty-one U.S. Air Force Academy cadets visited Keesler as part of Operation Air Force, July 15-30. The program, available to ROTC and Academy cadets, is an opportunity for cadets to experience the operational Air Force and learn about different career fields they may be a part of as a future officer. Three groups of Academy cadets have visited the base for OAF this summer. “Operation Air Force is a graduation requirement for Academy cadets,” explained Maj. Billy Pope, 81st Communications Squadron commander and Keesler OAF project officer. “During their time here, they immerse themselves in the mission and their prospective careers, based on what they’re going to school for.” Keesler’s unique training mission gives the cadets a diverse look at how broad the Air Force’s reach is, Pope said. “Several cadets have showed interest in cyber operations, and some others are interested in flying,” he said. “Our base is the perfect place to learn about those careers with our cyber school and great relationship with the 403rd Wing, where they can learn about the mechanical and aviation sides of flying. “The idea of the program is to give them an idea of what’s it like day-to-day to be an officer in the Air Force,” he added. During their two-week stay, the cadets visited units within the 81st Training Wing, go on an orientation flight with the 403rd Wing and visit the John C. Stennis Space Center and the Naval Oceanographic Office to learn about joint capabilities. “We have a tremendous mission here,” Pope said. “Our job is to train Airmen, Marines and Sailors who then go out and do great things for our military. If we don’t do that right, then the overall mission suffers. This is an opportunity to shed light on what Keesler Airmen do, how they fit into the mission of the wing and why it’s so important. It also gives us a chance to set these cadets off on the right foot as they work toward becoming our emerging generation of Air Force officers” Throughout the tours, the cadets were immersed into different squadrons and given opportunities to interact with both officer and enlisted personnel. At the Keesler Medical Center, they got hands-on time at the medical simulation and clinical skills center, where Air Force doctors train on lifelike mannequins. During the 81st Mission Support Group tour, the cadets received a military working dog demonstration and had the opportunity to experience being hit with a stun gun with the 81st Security Forces Squadron. In the 81st Training Group, they talked with instructors and toured the schoolhouses where some will come for technical training once they graduate the Academy. Cadets also had interactive panels with the Col. Michele Edmondson, 81st TRW commander; Maj. Gen. Mark Brown, 2nd Air Force commander, and a group of senior NCOs. “I think my favorite part was how every person we talked to could show us how their job fits into and is an important part of the mission,” said Cadet 2nd Class Jime Torres. “Everyone told us that without them the mission doesn’t get done, and I really like getting that perspective. Being here has really given us a realistic view of what it’s like to be in the operational Air Force.” Team Keesler came out in full force to show off the diversity of the base, Pope said. By giving interactive, experience-based tours instead of briefs and presentations, it shows what the cadets can and should expect from their future in the Air Force. “Every career field they see here has marketed themselves to the cadets,” explained Capt. JD Frazier, 335th Training Squadron operations director and 81st TRG liaison. “Between the 81st TRW and 403rd Wing, they get to see six different groups. And a seed planted now, be it by a public affairs officer, a weather instructor or pilot, may help them decide on a career once they get back to the Academy. What we’re doing here with OAF is helping to shape the next generation of Air Force officers.”