FORT DRUM, New York (WWNY) – Hoping to help with Army recruiting, Fort Drum hosted a career day of sorts for high schoolers on post on Tuesday. It was an eye-opening, interactive day of what it’s like to be a soldier.
“I’ve never seen coming out of the helicopters, dropping down like that. That was amazing,” said Izabel Marcy, a sophomore at Adirondack Central School.
It’s called Mountain Mentors. Nearly 1,000 students were on post Tuesday for the first-of-its-kind event.
“Twelve schools across Jefferson, Lewis, and even one school in Oneida County,” said Jefferson-Lewis BOCES Superintendent Stephen Todd.
“Having a day like this for high schoolers to come out, understand the opportunities that the Army has to offer, enjoying the day freely speaking with soldiers,” said Cpt. Dennis Howard, 6-6 Cavalry, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade.
“I like talking to people about recruiting, about the different opportunities you have in the Army and what you can go and experience in the Army. So it’s nice that the school has this opportunity to go see everything like this,” said Marcy.
The event, a partnership of Advocate Drum, schools, and Fort Drum, aims at improving Army recruitment levels. The morning took off with a live helicopter demonstration, followed by hands-on displays and giving students a chance to speak face-to-face with soldiers.
“They don’t really tell you everything you can do at school; it doesn’t really get advertised that well. Having one on one experience talking to people, I think that will really help,” said Marcy.
Organizers hope the event grows each year and leaves a lasting impression on students and soldiers.
“Not a lot of kids have that face-to-face with the military so I think it’s very important that I represent the Army well, represent Fort Drum well, and then hopefully, if I’m not in uniform and these kids see me in Walmart in Watertown, they’ll remember my face,” said Howard.
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