San Francisco Educators Learn About Naval Aviation

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Chris Fahey, Naval Air Forces Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- A handful of San Francisco Bay-Area high school and college educators participated in an Educators Orientation Visit (EOV) with Sailors from a San Diego helicopter squadron April 6, gaining better insight to what a career in naval aviation offers.

While visiting the "Wolfpack" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75, the nine educators received a mission brief, a search and rescue demonstration and were allowed to climb through a Wolfpack MH-60R "Seahawk."

"We were happy to have the educators visit and to demonstrate what we do and why that's important," said HSM-75 Training Officer Lt. Cmdr. Barr Kimnach. "We have great Sailors here at the squadron, all working hard to accomplish a challenging job … that's what makes the Navy a great place to be."

For the educators, the opportunity to talk to Sailors, and see the training and operations in action, allowed them to mold a perception based on real experience.

"My opinion of the military in general has always been 'middle-of-the-road,'" said Willow Glenn High School Teacher Carrie Campion from San Jose, Calif. "I'm seeing there's a lot of opportunities to have a good life in the military – they can provide for your entire life. There's structure in place that can help guide a support a person their whole career."

For Tracy High School Vice Principal Rashmi Ahuja and Guidance Counselor Gloria Miller, the experienced reaffirmed an already positive opinion, in addition to raising some possible ideas for allowing their school to act as precursor to qualifying students for military recruitment.

"If the district allows, we would like to experiment and use are school as a platform to administer the [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery] test," said Ahuja.

The ASVAB test determines what jobs a person entering the military is qualified to perform – the higher the score, the higher the possibilities. Currently, there are more than 1,000 jobs employing officers and enlisted personnel. For Miller, these jobs represent possible futures for her students.

"Many already know the military is a good option after high school," she said. "Now that I've experienced how well the Sailors are taken care of and how many education options there are while serving, I feel confident suggesting it to my kids."

Thousands of Education Orientation Visits are conducted across the nation each year. They are designed to provide a glimpse of Navy life to educators, so they are better prepared to discuss military opportunities with those interested.