Destin Sandlin, Redstone Test Center engineer, welcomes children participants to RTC's Bring Your Child to Work Day on April 23 in Heiser Hall. Children spent the day touring the test center and learning about the significance of the work their paren...

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (May 6, 2015) --- Some of you may remember going to work with your parents for national "Bring Your Child to Work Day." Maybe you sat by your mom's desk as she typed away or helped your dad nail shingles on a house. Regardless of what you did, it was special and Redstone Test Center tried to carry on that tradition on Thursday, April 23 when more than 100 children visited for "Bring Your Child to Work Day."

Mike Krause, Missiles and Sensors Test Directorate chief, kicked the day off at Heiser Hall where he welcomed students and briefed them about what was in store for the day. Destin Sandlin, mechanical engineer at RTC's Missile Flight Test Division, single-handedly brought the house down. As he used his children's toys from home to explain the significance of the work being conducted at the test center. Using a Captain America toy, he explained to the children that everything they see at RTC is for the direct benefit of the Soldier.

"Captain America is fake but take a look at your mom or dad because they are the real heroes," said Sandlin.

It's also worth noting that a child in the audience also said 'ninjas protect America...then parents.'

As the welcome concluded the RTC caravan journeyed to the Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Test Division to learn the importance of the external environment and how it can directly affect Soldiers in the field. First on the agenda was a tour of the anechoic chamber and a lightning demonstration. This demonstration was a highlight of this visit as a watermelon was disintegrated with small pieces hitting the shoes of the some of the children from a safe distance away.

Next, the group saw a Bradley fighting vehicle, a robot operation and a live fire demonstration at the Missile Flight Test Division. Last on the agenda was the Aviation Flight Test Directorate who, as always, brought out the big guns with a fixed wing T-34C, CH-47F Chinook and a UH-1H Huey.

"It was a super awesome day!" said 5-year-old Wesley Wasserburger.

RTC, a subordinate command of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, provides technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and capabilities to plan, conduct, analyze, and report the results of test on missile and aviation systems, sensors, subsystems and components.