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.”