Soldiers assigned to 3rd Infantry Division attended a career fair hosted by George Washington Carver Elementary School in Richmond Hill, Ga., on Feb. 7.
The career day gave students a chance to learn about various jobs in and out of the community. Carver Elementary invited officers from the Bryan County Sheriff's Office, the local fire department and emergency medical services, and military personnel from the Coast Guard and Army.
"It's good for the Soldiers to interact with the students, so they can understand it's not just about them, but it's about the community who supports us just as much as we support them," said Sgt. 1st Class Scott Cothren, a counter fire noncommissioned officer for 3rd ID Artillery.
Booths from each career field were set up in the cafeteria and emergency vehicles and Army tactical vehicles were on display outside. Students were released by class to view all the booths.
"For the kids who are military dependents, it's nice for the Soldiers to come in and show them all the different jobs they have, and that at the end of the day, they are regular people just like them," said Molly Welsh, a 5th grade teacher at Carver.
Welsh said this is her first year teaching, and she has a good number of military children in her class. She is from Pennsylvania where there is a small military presence, so when she came down to Georgia, she didn't really know what a strong military presence was like.
"I was quickly able to tell the military has a great presence here, and my kids love to talk about their parents," said Welsh. "There is even a military counselor that comes to the school to talk to the students about the obstacles they face, and it really shows the kids there is a lot of support for them."
The 3rd ID will continue to support the Marne community and is scheduled to attend more school fairs in the months to come.
"Continuing to do community outreach will help us in the future, because the more we interact with kids and the community, the better it is for a positive impact on Soldiers and the community itself," said Cothren.
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