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Scott students celebrate Week of the Military Child

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Sarah Hall-Kirchner
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Scott Elementary School children roamed freely from one activity to another, smiling as they learned about what some members do in their military jobs, during a Week of the Military Child event April 11.

Several agencies across the base, including the Scott Honor Guard and firefighters from the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron, demonstrated their skills.

Students experienced the smoke of a mock fire, got temporary Air Force tattoos, met "Sparky" the fire dog, watched a military working dog demonstration, and saw the Honor Guard post colors.

"That's my daddy," said Natalee Holycross, Scott Elementary School pre-kindergartener. Her father, Tech. Sgt. Alex Holycross, 375th Force Support Squadron Honor Guard delta flight leader, participated in the Honor Guard presentation.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Gonzalez, 375th SFS military working dog handler, demonstrated the capabilities of his dog, Hapy. The children cheered as Hapy followed Gonzalez's commands perfectly.

"We do this to educate the children," he said. "We want them to know that these dogs can take down the bad guys, but that they are trained and they won't bite unless we tell them to bite."

His daughter, Arianna Gonzalez, is a kindergartener at Scott Elementary School. She smiled when she saw her dad at her school for the demonstration.

"My daddy is going to show other kids his dog," said Arianna.

After the dog demonstration, the children ended their day with a snack provided by the USO from Missouri.

The organizer of the event, Tech. Sgt. Felicia Callen, a 375th Dental Squadron dental logistics NCOIC, has done so for the past seven years.

"We hold this event to show the kids that we care about them," she said. "It's important because their parents put in a lot of hours and deploy. The kids sacrifice, too, and they deserve to know we care about them. At the end of it all, the smiles on their faces are rewarding."