Airmen connect with students

Cannon Connections photo: Liliana Castillo Staff Sgt. Christopher Sandefur helps demonstrate the capabilities of Suk, a military working dog. Suk was told to attack Sandefur for a demonstration held Tuesday at the Clovis High School Freshman Campus.

The Clovis High School Freshman Academy campus went to the dogs Tuesday as Cannon Air Force Base Security Forces personnel showed off what their canines can do and talked about their own work.

Careers teacher Keith Ingram said the Cannon demonstration was part of a legal services unit at the school.

In several presentations throughout the school day, Cannon personnel spoke about their duties and the Air Force, both to groups of students and one on one. Two dogs and their handlers showed the canines’ ability to handle obstacles, sniff out substances and restrain and guard unruly individuals.

Students also had a chance to examine canine equipment.

Student Rhiannon Massey-Hill said she thought the demonstration was interesting.

“I can see that dogs aren’t just being used or forced into doing jobs like they show,” she said.

In the presentation, Sgt. Joe Dolph, a trainer, had said the dogs were trained with positive reinforcement molding their natural instincts. The canines went through their paces in front of the students with tails wagging.

Massey-Hill also said she hadn’t known the Air Force had police positions before.

Ingram said the most impressive thing about the airmen’s visit to him was their willingness to speak to individual students. Before one presentation, Ingram said, he pointed out at-risk students to airmen, and afterward he saw Senior Airman Chase Ryan interacting with one of those students.

“Of the 700 kids here, he took time to single out one,” Ingram said.

Ryan said he enjoys the presentations.

“I like to reach out to people,” he continued.

Ryan said he enjoys seeing people’s reactions and students might be more comfortable talking to someone young like him than to a recruiter or someone older. At the end of the demonstration, several students shook his hand and thanked him for the visit.

“We just came out here to show them, one, who we are, and, two, what our capabilities are,” Sgt. Ernest Revell of Police Services said.

Revell wanted to impart knowledge of the jobs the Air Force offers around the world.

Of the work in Security Forces, he said, the dogs best capture students’ attention and provoke their questions.

Ryan said the Cannon group also wanted to show that they would help the community.

Ingram said on top of the excellence of the demonstrations, the airmen took time from their busy schedule to spend a whole day with students. He said they were outstanding at their jobs.

“However, what I’m most pleased about is with their demonstration, we’ll never know perhaps, if they may have given new direction in life for some kids that are looking for a path to follow,” Ingram said.