“We have a high population of military students and what’s great about being able to partner with Fort Carson is how involved the families of the students get. These students actually get to see what their parents do, which is very powerful.”
— Retired Lt. Col. John Tatom
By Capt. Jake Valdick
4th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Helicopters were lined up and ready at Butts Army Airfield, along with 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Soldiers, awaiting the arrival of 60 cadets and cadre from Fountain Fort Carson high school Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Aug. 4, 2021.
JROTC is a high school elective program that serves to educate cadets on citizenship, leadership, character and community service.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Spc. Joshua Portsch, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, shows an MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system to Fountain Fort Carson Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets Aug. 4, 2021, at Butts Army Airfield. (Photo by Capt. Jake Valdick)
“We want to provide high school students with the chance to see what’s available in the Army, so over the next four years as they are making their decision what to do after high school, they can seriously consider Army opportunities,” said Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney Smith, a Fountain Fort Carson JROTC Army instructor.
The cadets were brought to Fort Carson to learn about Army aviation from an active-duty aviation brigade.
“Today we’re going to be introducing the cadets to three different aircraft, the gray eagle unmanned aircraft system, talk about army aviation mission sets, our capabilities (and) what we do on a day-to-day basis,” said Capt. Marcus Shands, the officer in charge of the event. “Afterward they will head to the flight simulator building to fly and see how we train. It’s definitely going to be a fun day.”
As the cadets moved from station to station, Retired Lt. Col. John Tatom, the senior Army Instructor for Fountain Fort Carson JROTC, reflected on the program’s strong ties to Fort Carson, the community and the importance of it all.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Capt. Conor Dolan, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, answers questions about the HH-60 Medical Evacuation helicopter-from Fountain Fort Carson Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets Aug. 4 , 2021, at Butts Army Airfield. (Photo by Capt. Jake Valdick)
“We have a high population of military students and what’s great about being able to partner with Fort Carson is how involved the families of the students get,” Tatom said. “These students actually get to see what their parents do, which is very powerful.
“Our class is unique. We have a lot of students whose parents are often deployed. We don’t get students for four years — we get students for a year or two, and we
get a lot of students who come in on their third year of high school, and that’s tough. JROTC gives these children a relationship with other cadets, which helps them integrate and ultimately helps the military family.”
In the end, over 60 cadets learned firsthand from subject matter experts about active-duty military life, Army aviation and professional development. Each ”Ivy Eagle” 4th CAB representative was open to fielding questions, explaining systems, and, naturally, trying to convince the cadets which of the types of helicopters was superior to the others.