Students pray for deliverance from their studies all the time, but few expect relief to come from the heavens as it did Wednesday at Kealakehe High School.
Their delivering angel took the form of a roaring Black Hawk helicopter that interrupted first-period classes by circling the school for a few dramatic minutes, swooping in from the north and hovering over the baseball field before finally coming to rest in left-centerfield.
“It’s huge!” shouted freshman Sefanna Charley over the roar of the aircraft as it buffeted her and other students in gusts of wind.
She and dozens of other students watched as a team of Hawaii Army National Guard recruiters, including a 2007 graduate of the school, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Wesley Carter, stepped from the aircraft and invited students over for an informal tour.
Students climbed aboard the helicopter and inspected the controls as Carter and his team explained its functions and the types of missions on which it is deployed.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said freshman Paul Iriarte, who is enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, like many of the students in attendance. “I thought we were going to fly in it, though.”
Senior Robert Weza didn’t get to fly in it, either, though he strapped on Carter’s helmet and flight vest and sat in the cockpit for a few exhilarating minutes.
“That was fricking sick!” he said afterward.
Weza, also a JROTC student, plans to enlist in the military after graduation, though he is still working with recruiters to determine the best career path for himself.
“When the recruiters started coming in last year, my junior year, they showed me some interesting stuff,” he said. “Now I’m pretty set on the Army, maybe even the National Guard after today.”
Like Weza, Carter himself was a senior at Kealakehe when he enlisted in the military. He began his career working on Black Hawk helicopters for a few years as a mechanic before attending flight school in Alabama.
“I knew I wanted to get my wings when I was 8 years old,” Carter said. “As a kid you have those dreams of having a super power and flying, but then as I got more mature and I understood the physics of it, that intrigued me.”
Carter grew up in Waikoloa, though he now lives in Hilo and works on the base there. Returning to his alma mater in such dramatic fashion was a memorable experience, he said.
“It was almost a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve gone back a few times, but to actually land at the baseball field was amazing.”
Flying into a school like this for a recruiting drive is rare, he said, because the logistics can be tricky. Typically, recruiting events involve visiting JROTC classrooms or setting up activities for students on campus, such as inflatable obstacle courses.
“Today was great. I did not expect that many kids to approach the aircraft,” he said. “Did we actually make an impression on the kids? Maybe; I hope so.”
