Chief Warrant Officer 4 Shane E. Gingrich, center, CH-47 Chinook standardization instructor pilot, Company B, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, reveals access to the CH-47’s main cargo hook to Air Force Junior ROTC cadets from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, Oct. 20, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. Gregory T. Summers)
By Sgt. Gregory T. Summers
4th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
Air Force Junior ROTC cadets from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, visited 4th Infantry Division Soldiers and the Mountain Post Oct. 20, 2016.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Blake Fentress and his cadets chose Colorado Springs to partake in its unique surroundings of mountains, history and military community as part of an enlisted and officers career field trip, which takes place every three years.
“We take our kids on a trip to explore different military career fields and different military bases,” Fentress said. “We call it the ‘Monster Trip’ because it’s a big deal and a wonderful opportunity to spend time with various enlisted and officer career fields and learn more about them.”
An Air Force Junior ROTC cadet from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, looks inside the cockpit of an AH-64 Apache helicopter from the 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Oct. 20, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. Gregory T. Summers)
Hosted by leaders and Soldiers with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, the cadets received a hands-on tour of Butts Army Airfield and the brigade’s airframes including the AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. They also received a course on how AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots and unmanned aircraft systems work together to acquire and engage targets.
“We are honored and very excited to host these kids and show them our equipment and share our vital role here on Fort Carson,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Shane E. Gingrich, CH-47 standardization instructor pilot, Company B, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th CAB.
The cadets had lunch with 4th CAB Soldiers at the Warfighter Dining Facility.
The tour also included a visit to the Army’s oldest tank battalion, where Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div., introduced the cadets to the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank.
“We had a distinguished opportunity to converse with these cadets and they wanted to know everything that we do. It left me, as I’m sure it did others, with a great feeling of accomplishment,” said Gingrich. “It was a great time with these kids today.”
Although the cadets were only able to experience the Mountain Post for one day, the visit will be a memorable and possibly life-changing one, according to Fentress.
“The magic in this trip is that there will be kids with us who will ultimately decide what they want to do in life after this trip,” Fentress said. “Just having the opportunity to connect with one of our nation’s Soldiers is something they will never forget, and it may just click for them and help them decide whether a path in the military could be right for them.
“Fort Carson was amazing, and we got exactly what we asked for which was a taste of Army life,” Fentress said. “We loved our hosts.”
The cadets concluded their trip to Colorado Springs with visits to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Olympic Training Center and Garden of the Gods.
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew assigned to Company B, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, pose for a photo with Air Force Junior ROTC cadets from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, Oct. 20, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. Gregory T. Summers)