Developing tomorrow's leaders

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Amy L. Neeves
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Fourteen students participating in the Junior Leadership Rapid City program sponsored by the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce, visited Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. Feb. 17 to gain a better understanding of the base's mission.

Junior LRC is a five-week leadership course for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors designed to help them develop their leadership skills and expose them to various aspects of the Rapid City community.

"We came to Ellsworth because the base is a significant piece of Rapid City, and it's important to expose the students to what Ellsworth does and the impact it has on Rapid City," said Jennifer Baloun, Chair of Junior LRC.

The tour began with the students visiting a B-1B Lancer, and experiencing the thrill of flight in the B-1 simulator. The students also had the opportunity to meet Col. Steven Hiss, 28th Bomb Wing vice commander, who gave them an overview of the base's mission.

A few of the students had never visited an Air Force Base before, and were surprised to find more to Ellsworth than they had imagined. "This is really cool," said Abbi Van Vliet, a student participating in Junior LRC. "It's like a little community and I didn't know that."

For Eugene Richmond, another student participating in Junior LRC, the visit to Ellsworth was his favorite Junior LRC session thus far. "The B-1 is one of the best planes ever."

The final stop on the students' tour of the base was the 28th Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Maintenance section. In a carefully supervised environment, the students had the opportunity to learn about the Security Forces Squadron's mission, and fire an M240B, a medium-sized machine gun capable of firing 950 rounds per minute.

For one of the students this was the first time she ever fired a real weapon. "I can't believe I did that," said Ms. Van Vliet. "I'm so proud of myself!"

Throughout the five-week course, students are exposed to many different aspects of leadership throughout the Rapid City area. The students previously attended sessions covering a wide variety of topics. Some of these events included a session on the arts, where they had the opportunity to meet with local artists, a healthcare session where they learned about careers in the medical field, and a five-course dinner during which they learned and practiced proper etiquette. And now, the students can add Ellsworth AFB to their list of unique experiences.

To qualify for the program, the students had to go through an extensive application process, which required them to submit two letters of recommendation and write an essay on the characteristics of leadership. "We only take the best of the best, so not everyone is selected the first time around," said Mrs. Baloun.

Mrs. Baloun enjoys the interest and enthusiasm shown by the students throughout their journey through the program. "It's rewarding because you can tell they're excited to be exposed to what the general public doesn't get to see."

For more information on the Junior LRC program, visit the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce web site at www.rapidcitychamber.com.