Cadets tour Barksdale

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Allison M. Boehm
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Nineteen cadets from the Air Force Academy will tour Barksdale Air Force Base as part of the Operation Air Force program starting May 31 through June 18. 

The cadets came to Barksdale from the academy in order to gain experience that will guide them in their future Air Force career. 

The OAF program consists of both the Air Force Academy and Reserve Officer Training Corp, although for this particular tour, only academy cadets will be attending. 

"The OAF program is important because it not only enhances the cadets understanding of how operations work together to accomplish the mission, but it also provides the cadets with hands-on experiences performing duties in both operation and support units," said Capt. Ken Sterling, 20th Bomb Squadron B-52 radar navigator and schedule coordinator for the OAF tour. 

Although the cadet tours happen each summer, new cadets filter in every year. 

"This is my first time touring a base as part of the Ops Air Force program," said Cadet 1st Class Joshua Cousins, who will be a manpower personnel officer. "I'm very excited to be here, I talked to cadets who have come in years past and they informed me the base is very impressive and I will learn a great deal of how the Air Force operates." 

The cadets follow a thorough schedule of events. The 19-day tour will be broken down into two sessions, one with 12 cadets and one with seven. 

The cadets will tour the base, meet with wing and senior non-commissioned officer leadership to gain insight and also shadow officers who work in the cadets chosen or predicted career. 

"I was definitely looking forward to getting outside the academy and see how the Air Force is run outside of these walls, I've heard it's very different," said Cadet Cousins.
Cadets will also take part in B-52 Stratofortress and A-10 Warthogs simulations and tours. 

Although each cadet will most likely end up in a different career, the reason for touring Barksdale is the same. 

"By touring Barksdale, the cadets get a better understanding of how the operational Air Force works," said Captain Sterling. "They will get to see the nature of enlisted personnel and their impact on mission accomplishment, as well as the enlisted corps' expectations of officers."