READY FOR FLYOVER
Students with Banks County High School’s JROTC program took a ride in this C-130 transport plane as part of a flyover of the area on October 19. The plane took the students up to 1,500 feet, and passed over the high school. Photos by Brandon Reed
Banks JROTC program flying high in first year
by Brandon Reed
It was a rainy morning at Ben Epps Airport in Athens. Stormy weather had passed through the area hours earlier, but all the precipitation in the world couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the students that poured off of two Banks County school buses.
These were members of the Banks County High School’s new JROTC program. A little over 80 students had traveled to the airport to take part in a fly-over of their school on a C-130 transport plane, stationed out of Savannah.
First Sgt. John D. Wilson (Ret.) is an instructor with the program, and says the response to the new NDCC/JROTC program at the high school has been positive.
“With a student body of 845 students, they’d like for us to have around 10 percent,” Wilson said. “We ended up starting out with about 104. It’s been well received, and there’s several students that have asked if a second semester would be started in January so they could get involved with it.”
Wilson said the program tries to do some sort of events like the flyover at least once a semester.
“It’s not necessarily always acting with the military,” Wilson said. “Sometimes it’s taking a hike on a portion of the Appalachian Trail, or going white water rafting, to look at the safety aspects of it. But we do things with some of the other JROTC units in the area. Nov. 3, at Sandy Creek, the first national raider competition will be held. Next year, we plan to have a raider team, and they will interact with other schools and other school’s JROTC programs and instructors. That way, they’ll get a little immersion into what some of the military styles are. There’s Army ROTC, there’s air force, marines, and navy ROTC units in our area. So they get a chance to interact with different cultures of the ROTC program.
“We have recruiters from different areas ask if they can come speak to our kids. We want them to come speak to our kids on opportunities, not requirements. For example, if you’re interested in engineering, the army corps of engineers comes under the army, which is something a kid could use that could become a job for them in life.”
The group was split into two smaller groups to allow for two flyovers. About 43 students, along with school officials and two members of the Banks County Board of Education, made their way across the tarmac to the massive transport plane.
Once aboard and buckled in, Sgt. Michael Dikes told the students about the emergency passenger oxygen system, and how it works. After pulling the red knob, you place it over your head like a hood to get oxygen. Put it over your head, and breathe normally.
Dikes also informed his passengers where the airsickness bags were.
Fortunately, strong stomachs and constitutions prevailed, and there was no loss of breakfast made by anyone onboard. Once the plane was off the ground, the students were able to move around, look out the windows at the ground below, and go to the cabin to see the pilot’s view of the world.
Wilson says that the program’s goals are to help children make decisions, and to understand that education should be their major focus in life.
“We don’t look at getting them to join the services or anything like that,” he said. “That’s the furtherest thing from our mind. Our mission is to make young students better citizens, or to develop their citizenship. We want them to understand their duties and responsibilities in life as citizens. We teach educational areas. We teach courses in physical education, health and wellness that could help cut back on the number of kids in other classes, and help them get through their courses and get credit.
“We focus on education. Whatever we can do to help our kids through high school and into college. There’s several different programs out there that will help these kids get into college, and help pay for it.”
Wilson said the program is meant to be diverse.
“We have kids from all the different areas, FBLA, band, color guard of the band, football players, it’s a diverse program. That’s the way we want it, so everyone feels like they can come here and be at home.”
As the kids move around the cabin, they react to the plane banking in a turn. They look out the windows, peering through the clouds to the land below. They snap photos of buildings, roads, and rows of chicken houses from 1500 feet above.
Soon, the students were told to return to the their seats and buckle up. Moments later, the plane made a relatively soft-landing back at Ben Epps.
Melinda Brown, a JROTC student that went up with the first group, admitted to being nervous on the take-off and landing, but was moving around the plane while it was airborne.
“The take off was a little scary, but everything else was all right,” she said. “I felt like I was floating.”
Brown says she felt there would be positives to being part of the JROTC program.
“I though it was a good program for me, for my college education,” she said. “I got into it for that reason. And I figured it would help me build a better character for myself.”
Brown says she has learned leadership skills as part of the program.
Wilson says he wants his students to develop their maturity, and increase their learning capabilities as part of the program.
“One day, they’re going to wake up and say ‘there’s no more school’, whether it’s high school or college, and it’s time to get out in the world. You’re better prepared by making sure you understand people, understand society, understand your capabilities, and understand how to change your capabilities.”
If the response to the beginning of Banks County High School’s JROTC program is any indication, many students will be able to do just that in the future.
