Fort Belvoir, VA -- A dentist, surgeon, marine biologist, civil engineer, teacher, and veterinarian -- these are the careers some of the students from Fairmont High School JROTC said they aspire to be when they met with the U.S. Army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF) on April 24, 2019.
The REF is a small organization in the Army, but it has a unique mission to provide innovative materiel solutions to meet the urgent requirements of U.S. Army forces employed globally. The organization also informs materiel development for the future force and, upon request, expands to meet operational demands.
The REF team showcased a few items from its portfolio of equipment. Students learned about the latest technologies through a hands-on demonstration with unmanned aerial systems, counter unmanned aerial systems, and virtual reality training, encompassing the DroneDefender, DroneDefender Virtual Trainer, InstantEye, and PD 100. The DroneDefender Virtual Trainer, a non-kinetic counter unmanned aerial system accompanied by a headset that mimics a video game simulation with a 360 degree view, was the group's favorite.
It was a unique opportunity for the REF to host over 20 students and faculty members visiting from the Fairmont High School in Robeson County, N.C. to engage directly with Soldiers who not only educated the group about a unique mission and its capabilities, but also shared their own Army experience and discussed why they joined. For many JROTC students, the main reason for joining the service would be to help pay for their education. "Many of the students are already thinking about how to pay for college and the Army has many avenues to facilitate that," said MAJ Stephanie Flowers, Requirements Section Chief for the REF and a former JROTC student herself.
Among the attending faculty members was Shawn Langford, a retired Army Major and Professor of Military Science at Fairmont High School. Mr. Langford, who once worked at the REF as an Operations Officer, was the one who reached out to COL Joe D. Bookard, Director of the REF to arrange the visit as part of the JROTC's mission to motivate students to be "better citizens." Following the event, Mr. Langford stated "Fairmont High School JROTC greatly appreciates the Rapid Equipping Force for providing our cadets with a capabilities overview from a science perspective. This was an excellent educational opportunity for our students to gain an appreciation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from the organization. The capabilities displayed current and emerging technologies that broadened their perspective of STEM."
Following the technology demonstration, COL Bookard talked to students about the Army's offerings in terms of career choices, what it means to be a Soldier, and the recruitment process. "You are the future, and we are here to help you be successful. But don't forget that you also have to put in the hard work to accomplish your dreams," said COL Bookard.
The students left with Army patches awarded by REF Soldiers as well as informational materials to help guide them toward making an informed decision regarding a future in the Army.
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