ANSBACH, Germany (Aug. 14, 2013) -- Several children from Stadt Bruckberg visited Katterbach Kaserne Aug. 6 where they toured U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach's fire station as well as two 12th Combat Aviation Brigade helicopters. The students are involved in Bruckberg's Ferienprogramm, which is a summer activity club that takes children to see sites and perform activities they would not usually get to do during the typical school year.
The fire department, part of the Directorate of Emergency Services, arranged the visit, and 12th CAB participated
Two Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, guided the children. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kathleen Madden of A Company, pilot of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and Spc. Donald Bowers from B Co., crew chief of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, showed the children around their respective helicopters at the kaserne's airfield. In addition to giving the children a tour of the equipment, they described the missions of the two aerial vehicles and the responsibilities of their jobs.
The two crewmembers felt that showing the children around their helicopters was rewarding.
"I think they enjoy it more than adults," said Madden. "You can see when they sit in the cockpit, they have the visions of 'Hey, I might be a pilot too.'"
"Any time you get to interact with the local nationals, especially the kids, it's always good," said Bowers. "They get to see what we do and see that we're still good people and that we're here to help and support. It builds a bond.
"I have two little daughters at home, so any time the little kids come around, I always volunteer," continued Bowers.
The two pilots were impressed by the children's questions.
"I was surprised by some of the questions they came prepared with," said Bowers. "They were asking questions I would not have thought kids their age would ask."
After seeing the helicopters, the children visited the fire station, getting a tour of the facility's garage, its equipment and its fire engines. The department gave a brief demonstration of the water cannon on its newest vehicle. After which, they opened the truck up so the children could see the advanced hydraulics system that pumps the water. The children also got the opportunity to sit in the cab of the different vehicles.
"I like it very much because we got to see the helicopters and the rescue cars," said Lukas Vogel, one of the students. "The people in this kaserne are very nice."
"It's great to see the smiles and [hear the] questions," said Madden of the young visitors. "They're going to have a really awesome story to tell when they get home."
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