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Student Flight at the Mission

By Senior Airman Nikolas Asmussen, 120th Airlift Wing / Published May 04, 2015

Airmen from the 120th Airlift Wing student flight volunteered at the Great Falls Rescue Mission, a non-profit Christian organization committed to caring for hungry, hurting and homeless men, women and children of North Central Montana. (Montana Air National Guard photo/Senior Airman Nikolas Asmussen)
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Airmen from the 120th Airlift Wing student flight volunteered at the Great Falls Rescue Mission, a non-profit Christian organization committed to caring for hungry, hurting and homeless men, women and children of North Central Montana. (Montana Air National Guard photo/Senior Airman Nikolas Asmussen)

Airmen from the 120th Airlift Wing student flight sweep the sidewalk outside the Great Falls Rescue Mission Nov. 1 as part of their drill weekend activities. (Montana Air National photo/Senior Airman Nikolas Asmussen)
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Airmen from the 120th Airlift Wing student flight sweep the sidewalk outside the Great Falls Rescue Mission Nov. 1 as part of their drill weekend activities. (Montana Air National photo/Senior Airman Nikolas Asmussen)

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GREAT FALLS, Mont. -- Lindsey Elliott's first day with the 120th Airlift Wing was at the Great Falls Rescue Mission.

Elliott and 11 other members of the student flight spent one day of the November unit training assembly demonstrating the core value of service by volunteering.

Elliot joined the Montana Air National Guard to take better care of her daughter by using the medical benefits that come with her service.

"I was not really sure what to expect from my first weekend," Elliot said.

"Student flight members usually spend the drill weekend learning about the Air Force core values, rank structure and conducting physical training," said Senior Airman Robert Padmos, 120th Airlift Wing student flight liaison. "All of these lessons prepare new members to put on the uniform once they begin basic military training."

"For my first guard drill we came here and helped people," said Elliot. "I'm pretty excited that we got to come in and help other people instead of (staying on) base learning about different things."

For several hours during the November UTA, Elliott and the other members of the student flight gave the Great Falls Rescue Mission Men's Shelter a thorough cleaning, Padmos said. The trainees scrubbed walls, vacuumed and steam cleaned the carpets, swept floors and cleaned showers.

"One of the principal tenants of the student flight is to teach the trainees the Air Force core values, and of course one of those core values is "service before self,'" Padmos said. "What we really wanted to do is to get the trainees out into the community and actually serve."

Serving is something that Elliot and the rest of the stu-dent flight members will do thought their career, Pad-mos said. Members of the Air National Guard are ready to serve their nation or state anytime, anywhere.

"I've never been to a rescue mission before and just learning about how they help people out really changes your point of view," said Airman 1st Class Cedar Martin, a member of the 120th Airlift Wing Student Flight.

This is Martin's second drill. Martin said he joined the Air National Guard to help people.

"We're out here helping the community of Great Falls," said Elliot. "It makes me feel good that I'm helping other people."

While they are serving they are also learning the meaning of clean.

"Today they saw what a real deep clean was," Padmos said. "Granted, we weren't yelling at them like (the instructors will) in basic training. They are definitely going to get their expertise in cleaning."
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