Members of the 730th Air Mobility Squadron teamed with the base Child and Youth Centers to host a squadron immersion tour from Dec. 19-20, to educate children of the base community on how the unit contributes to the airlift mission across the region.

More than 70 dependents, from the age of 5 years old to 16 years old, got a firsthand look at the squadron’s operations during the two-day long event.

“The purpose of the tour is to give some kiddos information on what goes into the different portions of the maintenance and transportation side of things in the military,” said Tech. Sgt. Cary Wickersham, 730th AMS passenger services supervisor. “We want to give back to the community and provide children with a better idea of what their parents might be dealing with daily.”

During the event, the children were able to learn about the squadron’s mission at Yokota Air Base and their role as part of Air Mobility Command’s en-route system to provide fixed and deployed maintenance, aerial port and command and control support to deployed forces.

Squadron subject matter experts guided the children through a tour of the Yokota Passenger Terminal, introduced them to new technology maintenance personnel use to perform maintenance, taught them how to communicate with aircraft by radio, and showed them what goes into building kits used by aircrew.

“This tour gives them insight into the importance of the jobs in a relatable way, and what mom and dad do,” said Yolette Loredo Huff, Yokota Child & Youth Program assistant. “Furthermore, it shows uniformed members how much these kids understand about military life.”

Wickersham said the event was a rewarding experience and hopes his squadron’s efforts provide insight into what it takes to serve at the transportation hub of the Western Indo-Pacific.

“I hope that everyone that comes through gets some kind of understanding that there is much more that goes into planes moving around to make the mission happen,” Wickersham said. “If anything, we just hope we made their day, and this sparks some kind of interest for them.”

Events like these are one way Team Yokota helps give back to the base community, and Wickersham hopes the experience has a positive influence on those who attended.

“They are the leaders of the future,” said Wickersham. “You never know what impact you may have on somebody, or how a young person sees you in uniform or the way you carry yourself. It’s important to give back when we can.”

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This piece is written by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal from the 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. Want to feature your story? Reach out to us at [email protected].