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Academy cadets visit Eglin for Operation Air Force

  • Published
  • By Capt. Josie Stewart
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Nearly 75 Academy cadets will call Eglin Air Force Base home for three weeks this summer as they participate in Operation Air Force, a summer learning program to provide cadets with day-to-day experiences and knowledge of the Air Force.

The first wave of 25 rising sophomore, junior and senior cadets arrived here June 4 to begin their three-week session shadowing active duty personnel to get first-hand knowledge of the various organizations of the base.

"Shadowing the active duty people and seeing what goes on here really opened my eyes," said Cadet 3rd Class Mackin Delgado, a rising sophomore from Miami, Fla. "It gave me a better idea of what to expect."

The Operation Air Force program has two primary objectives. The first objective is to focus and orient the cadets on missions and culture through direct exposure to and experience with Air Force units.

"This program is a great idea to let the cadets see what it's like first-hand and get them immersed in a typical Air Force day in the maintenance world," said Tech. Sgt. Eric Campbell, PMEL team leader.

The second objective is to utilize gained skills and knowledge to contribute to host unit mission accomplishments.

According to 1st Lt. Molly Stowers, 46th Maintenance Group executive officer, the program point of contact at Eglin pairs rising seniors who already know their Air Force Specialty Codes, or jobs, to that career field. Rising juniors are partnered with an AFSC of their interest and the rising sophmores shadow senior non-commissioned officers.

Cadet Delgado recognizes it's not just about the jets. It's about not forgetting the obscure jobs and people behind the scenes that make it happen, he said.

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Karen Weis, 96th Medical Group clinical research director, said all the participating units and Airmen make this program successful.

"This program would not be possible without the sponsoring units," she said. "I want to thank everyone for the phenomenal support to the program and opportunities they provided for the cadets. The first session cadets leave Friday and the three weeks went by very fast. The cadets are extremely grateful for everyone's support to make this program successful."

The next session begins Monday and the last session begins July 13.