POPE ARMY AIRFIELD,N.C. -- Over the summer of 2024 cadets from the Air Force Academy came to Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, to gain a new perspective and knowledge on the operational Air Force. A class from the Air Force Academy visit an operational Air Force base or airfield every summer to gain insight on their future roles in the Air Force. Members from multiple different Air Force Specialty Codes from across Team Pope toured the 13 cadets around the installation in two different groups during the weeklong event.
It is Congressionally mandated the cadets between their second and third year of school to go to an operational base and learn from current officers. Air Force Academy Cadets receive their Air Force occupation between September and December of their senior year, and events such as this allows them to see the differences and similarities of textbook and operation application of Air Dominance.
While at Pope, the cadets learned from enlisted leaders and officers alike. Cadets also spoke with Army leadership to gain a perspective from other branch and to get an idea about how joint leadership works.
Eris J. Dugan, Air Force Academy Cadet, spoke of different the reasons as to why an event like this is important. While at Pope, leaders from the 82nd Airborne Division gave Dugan the advice that a leader’s first job is to make more leaders. She also spoke of how important communication is.
“It is important to interact with officers before commissioning because they are doing the job and have the freshest insight into what future officers should know,” said Dugan.
Capt. David J. Days, 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group executive officer to the commander, and Master Sgt. Brian D. Hickel, 43rd AMOG enlisted executive to the commander, organized the event with the cadets and members of Pope. Days and Hickel planned this event by working with multiple squadrons’ leadership and Army leaders with the goal of ensuring the cadets understand the reality outside of what they read. Leadership is more than what is read in a book, and events like this are meant to show cadets what can’t be learned in a classroom.
“Be humble and learn from everyone,” Hickel said, “While trying to become an officer, you will be leading the enlisted force and must understand what their mission is.”
JoLee Klingeisen, Air Force Academy cadet, explained some of the lessons she learned during this unique experience.
There were a lot of tidbits of information on the family aspect, moving, and taking care of ourselves and other people that really resonated with us,” Klingeisen said, “One of the lessons that stuck the most was not just how to be good officers, but how also to be a good human while in this line of work.”
Pope not only offered the mandatory lessons that the Academy required but extra knowledge from 43rd AMOG leadership was passed on to the cadets. Pope is unique being an Army Airfield overseen by the Air Force. Being able to see how the partnership between branches works a way for the cadets was to observe how joint operations are conducted.