Enterprise High School JROTC visits home of Army aviation

FORT RUCKER, Ala. — Enterprise High School students visited the home of Army aviation during a "Meet Your Army" event Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.

Twenty-six Army JROTC cadets, primarily seniors, experienced a busy day engaged with Army aviation soldiers, trying their hands at flight simulators, an MRE lunch, an Army Aviation museum scavenger hunt, and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flight.

"It exposes cadets to all the job opportunities and different careers in the aviation field," said Sgt. Maj. (ret.) Gary T. Price, Enterprise High School Army JROTC instructor, including civilian opportunities.

Between 15-20% of Enterprise JROTC senior cadets join the military, and senior Amelia Ruhle hopes to be one of them.

"I definitely want to join," said Ruhle, whose father is an Army pilot at Fort Rucker.

"Everyone seems to enjoy their visit," said Ruhle. "Being able to come on base...is a new experience for some students. It can be a turning point, and post-high school plans can change after seeing this."

Capt. Fernando Rincon, an aviation proponent officer in the Organization and Personnel Force Development Directorate (OPFD), coordinated the event for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.

"We are introducing them to Army aviation, increasing awareness of our branch and what we do for the Army and the nation," said Rincon. "We do that by introducing them and exposing them to role models, experiences, and equipment."

While OPFD hosts annual JROTC events, also available to Civil Air Patrol and Boy Scout programs, other area youth civic programs can request a Meet Your Army event through the community engagement section of the Fort Rucker public affairs website at https://home.army.mil/rucker/index.php/publicaffairs.