LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Air Force Academy cadets visited Langley June 23 through July 11 to gain perspective on day-to-day life as Airmen.
The 11 cadets participated in Operation Air Force, a three-week summer program that pairs cadets with enlisted senior noncommissioned officers and field grade officers giving cadets a first-hand experience that cannot be replicated in a classroom.
The goal of the program is to familiarize cadets with the operational Air Force, enhance their academic learning experience, enhance retention, and increase cadet effectiveness as leaders of character in the operational Air Force, said Lt. Col. Todd Pennington, director of Operation Air Force at the Academy.
"This program allows cadets to see and experience different career fields that they are not necessarily exposed to while at the Academy," said Colonel Pennington.
Five cadets finished their stay here June 20. The second group of cadets arrived June 23 and stayed until July 11.
"This experience has shown me that the Air Force is completely different from the Academy," said Cadet 3rd Class Matthew Barattino, on his recent visit. "Every decision made can be life or death if something is not executed properly."
Operation Air Force consists of three summer courses: Noncom, Third Lieutenant and Brevet Lieutenant. Each course focuses on a different area of a cadet's development And prepares them for future leadership roles.
The Noncom course focuses on teaching Academy sophomores the enlisted, or noncommissioned, role in the operational Air Force. Cadets are paired with senior NCOs in different career fields and directly participate in an enlisted job.
"I learned a lot of valuable things from Operation Air Force," said Cadet Barattino. "The enlisted part of the Air Force is the backbone and they do so many important things to keep things running smoothly."
The Third Lieutenant course allows Academy juniors to explore different career fields before making a career decision in their senior year. Throughout the course, the cadets will complete company grade officer tasks in a real-world environment and learn the roles of operations and support units here.
Cadets in their senior year enroll in the Brevet Lieutenant course. The course is designed to prepare future first lieutenants for their selected or assigned career field. Cadets work with field grade officers who train them on expectations and responsibilities in their career field.