Academy cadets get first glimpse into AF Published June 19, 2006 By Airman Stacy O. Garcia 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Twenty-two Air Force Academy students are getting a chance to set aside their academic lives and step foot onto the operational Air Force by observing Edwards accomplish its mission. The first of three groups of “Operation Air Force” cadets arrived June 4 and will be here for three weeks receiving tours of Edwards to gain a better understanding of the base and to see the responsibilities of the Air Force Test Flight Center, said 1st Lt. Scott Vines, 95th Communication Group executive officer. They have been assigned to work in several different workcenters in the 95th Air Base Wing and 412th Test Wing. “Operation Air Force,” is a program that places responsibility upon the cadets and introduces them to an independent life in the Air Force, said Lt. Col. James Wertz, Deputy Operations Group commander and program sponsor. The program gives cadets hands-on experience that focuses on different areas of cadet deployment. Cadets are also introduced into the social life of today’s Air Force. “The program is a chance to ground the cadets in Air Force life and give them some operational experience, especially for those who weren’t prior enlisted,” Lieutenant Vines said. This is real exposure for some cadets, he said. “I remember when I was a cadet going through the program; the Air Force Academy is not a normal Air Force life,” Lieutenant Vines said. “Academy life involves a lot of academic and military studies, and athletics. The program gives cadets a different picture of what life’s going to be like after they commission.” “There are three grade levels of cadets and three focuses for their time here,” Colonel Wertz said. The seniors fall under the Brevet Lieutenant program, and are going to be fulfilling tasks closely related to their jobs such as pilots and navigators, Colonel Wertz said. The juniors are in a program called Third Lieutenant that focuses on getting the cadets close to the senior NCO corps and company grade officers, it is designed to broaden their understanding of enlisted and officer support for the Air Force mission. The sophomores are part of the noncommissioned program and focus on junior enlisted duties, certifications and the broad backbone operations of the Air Force. “Cadets get a taste of the operational Air Force and a chance to see what it’s like,” said Cadet Brett Vongroven Air Force Academy senior. “I look forward to flying in an Air Force aircraft.” The three-week training will shape the cadet’s understanding of what it is like to be an officer and to see what responsibilities they must take, Lieutenant Vines said. The cadets will also get a sense of what it is like on the enlisted side. “I now have a great sense of appreciation for all the officers and enlisted members,” said Cadet Brad Henicke, Air Force Academy sophomore. “This is a great way for me to get a better perspective of the Air Force.” Lieutenant Vines and Colonel Wertz commend these groups of Air Force Academy Cadets. “I knew from the moment they got into the vehicle at the airport that these cadets were a very sharp group,” Lieutenant Vines said. “These cadets are very self sufficient, and one day they are going to make great officers.” The overall objective is to provide experience for the students that will stay with them throughout their military careers, he said. Operation Air Force is a three-week training that can’t be taught in academy classrooms, but can only be taught through hands on experience of what is yet to come in the future of these cadets.