FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – What began as a field trip for 13 Berean Academy students to learn from Select Honor Guard Soldiers, turned into an Army experience many won’t soon forget.
On Thursday, May 18, cadets from the academy’s Military Common Core (MCC) program spent the day experiencing the ins and outs of the official Honor Guard duties and what it might be like to be an enlisted Soldier in the Army.
“We understand the struggles the Army has had with recruitment and retention,” said Capt. Connor Gaumond, commander, U.S. Army Garrison, Headquarters & Headquarters Company. “Hosting trainings like this can show younger people what they can expect prior to joining the military.”
The cadets learned about the field trip two weeks ago when their program advisor, Retired Capt. Ralph Garren, told them they were going to learn from Soldiers at Fort Huachuca.
Garren said word of the field trip quickly spread and a few more students decided to join the group so they could attend the trip, learn from the Soldiers and be a part of the MCC program.
“I joined the program one week ago,” said ninth-grade student Silvestre Garcia. “I was excited to come to the fort and the program is fun, I really like it a lot.”
When the cadets first arrived, it was a mix of excitement and nerves. Garren said they were looking forward to learning how to do drill and ceremony from the active-duty Soldiers.
Those nerves quickly went away as the cadets dove headfirst into the instruction they received and were picking up on the new skills being thrown their way.
The training began with the Honor Guard providing a brief demonstration of the proper procedures for folding the American flag and how to present a folded flag.
Following the demonstration, cadets were split into groups and took turns practicing what the Soldiers taught them. Despite a few struggles, the Soldiers were there to provide guidance and answered any questions.
The highlight of the day came when cadets experienced operating the canons. They learned how to take apart and put together the firing mechanism, how to do a function check, and the hand and arm signals used to direct them when to fire.
“The cannons were fun,” said Brad Colvin, student commander, MCC Company. “It was definitely my favorite part of the training. We didn’t know we were going to fire them, so it was a cool surprise.”
Each cadet was given the opportunity to fire the cannon. After firing, the smiles on their faces stretched from ear to ear as they walked back to join the rest of the group before another cadet eagerly rushed to take their turn.
Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, the Soldiers taught the cadets proper marching techniques and how to post the colors during formal events such as graduations, sporting competitions and various other ceremonies.
This was the first time the cadets received formal training on the step-by-step process of posting the colors. On May 19, the cadets are scheduled to post the colors at Berean Academy’s graduation ceremony.
While this learning experience was great for the cadets, the Soldiers also benefitted from teaching the students and spending the day with each other doing things they don’t always get the chance to practice as a group.
“We enjoy having outside groups come on post and train with us,” said Sgt. Jake Nowaczyk. “These trainings build more cohesion for us, and we don’t always perform color guard operations or cannon training.”
Garren said he is hopeful the cadets will take the skills they learned here with them and that their excitement will continue as they partake in more experiences and learn more about what the military has to offer.
“We have four high school students who are looking at the Guard, Reserves or Active Duty,” Garren said. “I think it’s important to give them a wide, diverse background of military experiences that can be used as a recruitment tool.”
While there are no future plans in place for the cadets to make another trip to Fort Huachuca, Garren said he is always open to offering more learning opportunities and would like to work with different organizations on post to offer new experiences for the cadets.
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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