AHS AFJROTC take first overnight trip to Fairchild Air Force Base

From left, Master Sgt. Alvin Moore, cadets Chris Taylor, Hayden Lamie, Noah Delossantos, Abi Schranck, Ariel Taylor, Hannah Dinero, Eddie Garcia, Robert Kephart, Dana Canaria, Rodney Fowler, Megan Manzano, Martin Zimmerman, David Balyko, Ashley Cordova, Alvin Abes, Alice Moore, Daniel Abbitt, Travis Hurd and Leticia Saldana, Maj. Mike Blue and Cadet Kriszl Pineda visit Fairchild Air Force Base for the first time as an overnight tour group. - Photo courtesy of the Arlington High School Air Force Junior ROTC.
Photo courtesy of the Arlington High School Air Force Junior ROTC.
From left, Master Sgt. Alvin Moore, cadets Chris Taylor, Hayden Lamie, Noah Delossantos, Abi Schranck, Ariel Taylor, Hannah Dinero, Eddie Garcia, Robert Kephart, Dana Canaria, Rodney Fowler, Megan Manzano, Martin Zimmerman, David Balyko, Ashley Cordova, Alvin Abes, Alice Moore, Daniel Abbitt, Travis Hurd and Leticia Saldana, Maj. Mike Blue and Cadet Kriszl Pineda visit Fairchild Air Force Base for the first time as an overnight tour group.

June 25, 2012 · 10:41 PM

ARLINGTON — Arlington High School's Air Force Junior ROTC made history before the end of the 2011-12 school year, by taking their first overnight trip to Fairchild Air Force Base.

Retired Air Force instructors Maj. Mike Blue and Master Sgt. Alvin Moore accompanied 20 AHS AFJROTC cadets on the trip, which left on a charter bus on the evening of Thursday, May 3, and stayed in Fairchild Air Force Base's Survival School billeting with a parent chaperone.

On Friday, May 4, the cadets spent the day touring the base and its air traffic control tower, as well as exploring areas such as the Survival School itself and watching demonstrations from the law enforcement dog handlers. Cadets were able to practice parachute landing and helicopter retrieval lifts, allowing them to get a taste of the training that Air Force personnel receive.

Cadet Hayden Lamie plans to enlist in the Air Force after graduating AHS, and hopes to become a Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion Specialist, so getting to tour the Survival School was the highlight of the trip for him.

"Meeting a SERE Specialist was a peek into the future for me," Lamie said. "It has definitely inspired me to do all I can to achieve my goal of one day joining those 400 other airmen who have completed the journey of becoming a SERE Specialist."

After their tour at the base, the cadets spent their evening exploring downtown Spokane, and on Saturday, May 5, the group enjoyed the opening weekend of Silverwood Theme Park, in spite of the overcast skies, heavy wind and occasional rain.

According to Blue, cadets continued to talk about the fun they had right through graduation.

"The field trip was awesome," said Alice Moore, a fourth-year cadet. "We got to experience and see a lot of things that some people won't get to experience in their lifetimes. If you didn't go, you missed out."

"The field trip was really fun," agreed Noah Delossantos, a first-year cadet. "I had a great time with all my friends in the cadet corps. I wish I wasn't moving so I could go on another trip with all my friends, because it was one of my favorite moments of high school."

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.