325th SFS reach out to troubled youth

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Andrea Valencia
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Sixteen young men and six chaperones, from the Twin Oaks Juvenile Education Program, received a tour of Tyndall July 20.

The Twin Oaks program is dedicated to providing troubled youth the chance to change their lives from the path of a habitual offender to that of a successful, productive, law-abiding citizen.

The tour was sponsored by the 325th Security Forces Squadron, who has had a partnership with the program for three years.

"We wanted to outreach and mentor our next generation in the community," said Master Sgt. Chris Alamo, 325th SFS reports and analysis noncommissioned officer in charge.

The first stop was to aerospace physiology where they visited the altitude chamber and experienced the Barany chair. The chair is used to demonstrate spatial disorientation effects. Volunteers spun in the chair while asked to perform tasks, such as determining the direction of the rotation while blindfolded.

Next the group went to the F-15 Eagle flight simulators, where they flew a simulated jet around the Panama City area, under the Hathaway Bridge, and even had the opportunity to shoot down another plane.

After lunch at the Berg-Liles Dining Facility, the group traveled to the small arms firing range. At the range, they were introduced to different weapons and each took a turn in the simulated firing range. Cries of "put the weapon down and get on the floor" could be heard as they went through the various interactive scenarios.

Next, the participants had a bus tour of the flight line, where they saw the F-22 Raptors, F-15s and the T-38 Talons.

The final stop of the day was the Fire Department. The group explored the different fire trucks and then picked sides on which Airmen could get their gear on fastest during a demonstration.

The squadron does at least one event with the Twin Oaks program per quarter, including tours and various outdoor activities.

"Having the off-site tours really gives them drive and incentive," said Alamo. "They get to see what good decisions can do for their future."

The squadron and Twin Oaks communicate often to follow up on the young men's progress. They continuously stay involved with the program's intent to mold the young men into positive role models and law-abiding citizens of their communities.