The 183d Wing hosted students from the Capital Area Career Center, Wednesday March 6th. More than 100 students came out to see what the 183d has to offer.
The Wing Recruiting staff, led by Master Sgt. Travis Littig, provided lunch for the students while they briefed them on Illinois Air National Guard health and education benefits, pay structure, and incentive bonuses offered for specific career fields. Following lunch, they received a mission brief on both state and federal missions, in order to give them an understanding of how the unit supports the citizens of Illinois, and the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Department of Defense (DoD).
The students then broke into smaller groups and toured various organizations around the base.
During their stop at the 183d Maintenance Squadron (MXS), they learned about the differing aspects of the four different types of aircraft engines that MXS maintains, and how that impacts the USAF and the DOD.
The 183d Security Forces Squadron (SFS) briefed the students on proper handling of several types of weapons, wear of tactical gear, and hands on baton training.
Members of the 183d Communications Squadron, talked about the the importance of cyber security, maintaining network infrastructure, and the growing need for new members to support that mission.
During a tour of the Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS), They were shown how to properly don the Joint Services General Purpose Mask (JSGPM), and the wear of Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear. The combination of MOPP gear and the JSGPM protects military members deployed in an environment where chemical weapons may be present.
The 217th Engineering Installation Squadron (217 EIS) offered a display of heavy equipment and machinery used to install communication network infrastructure. 217 EIS engineers and installs large scale, sustainable communications systems for the DoD, and its partners around the world.
The 183d Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) briefed the students on maintaining the mechanical and electrical infrastructure of the base, and maintaining the support functions that sustain day to day operations. They were also treated to a display of Emergency Management equipment, and briefed on the missions of Air National Guard Emergency Management both at home as well as deployed.
This is third year the 183d has hosted CACC students. The goal is to continue this annual tradition. Thank you to the CACC staff for helping make this a event a success.
If you, or someone you know, is interested in joining the Illinois Air National Guard, please contact our 183d Wing Recruiting Staff, at (217) 971-2764.