Airmen mentor

From left to right: 2nd Lt. Shawn Avery, 72nd Force Support Squadron; 1st Lt. Michael Fischer, 963rd Airborne Control Squadron; Maj. Sean Fazande, 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron; 1st Lt. Joseph Mollenkamp, 963rd AACS; and Staff Sgt. Kavious Manley, 964th AACS, judge the drill competition of the Junior ROTC at the Jim Norrick Arena Feb. 18. There were 240 students from nine high schools competing. Some 56 volunteers from across Tinker Air Force Base mentored and judged the competition. Staff Sgt. Joshua from the 552nd Operations Squadron served as the event director and said, “Mentoring the next generation is laying the ground work for success. When you see those you’ve mentored become what you were driving them to become, all the work, long hours, and moments you wanted to give up, but didn’t, become worthwhile and you feel a true sense of achievement.” The awards were presented by Col. Michael Green, 72nd Mission Support Squadron commander. “Precision is what makes the performance great, and sometimes it is focused on the individual but sometimes it is focused on the unit,” said Colonel Green. “Precision doesn’t just happen. Think about how your routine looked the first time you tried it. Now think about how you performed this evening — you persevered.” The colonel told the students they could be proud of their accomplishments and encouraged them to always do their best. (Air Force photo by Kimberly Woodruff)