GREAT FALLS — High school students got a first-hand look at military life and the high-tech world of aviation on Tuesday when the Montana Air National Guard (MT ANG) hosted them for an "open hangar" tour.
Alexander Brody, a senior at C.M. Russell High School, said he grew up hearing about MT ANG, but getting to see it in person allows a different perspective.
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“I have two parents that are both in the Guard, so I just wanted to see what other opportunities were there. Like services helping with packing things for the planes, that sort of stuff, just to see what options there are,” explained Brody.
The purpose of the ‘Operation Open Hangar’ visit is to allow students to learn about both part-time and full-time job opportunities they have.
Alyssa Lepore, a recruiter for MT ANG, said, “It's really important for them to know how many different job opportunities we have here and that it can be part time, and they can fit it into their regular schedule if they want to go to college or whatnot.”
“I can hear what positions are opening as that's developing, what it's looking like currently, what their experiences with the different areas of work are, just to hear it,” Brody said. “Rather than from someone explaining what their job is, I can hear what it's like to work the job rather than just what the job is. It's helpful.”
This is the fifth year that MT ANG has done this open hangar visit for high school students, and starting next year, it will look a little different.
“What's really special this year about this open hangar and what we're really excited about is that this is everyone's kind of last chance and farewell to our C-130 aircraft because we're actually getting the C-130J model later this year,” Lepore explained.
This was the first time since the announcement of the 120th Airlift Wing's C-130 conversion that students got the chance to be on base and learn about the new mission and jobs available.
Later this year, the unit will begin working with the C-130J.
Lepore added, “This helps because they can actually see; they're not just being talked up and hearing a bunch of military acronyms that they might not understand. [We] want to make it accessible for everybody in the community to come up and actually see what it looks like.”
