General visits the MHS Aeronautical Dolphins

On May 31 a first happened at Marianas High School: U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John Doucette arrived on campus with his wife Janette and son Grayson. The purpose of the general’s visit was to get to know our aviation class, The Aeronautical Dolphins. When the general arrived, he was greeted by Mr. Garrison and a group of very excited Aeronautical Dolphins. (Mr. Garrison has supported the class since the very beginning. He even let us use his personal vehicle when the van was unavailable.)

After a warm welcome in the parking lot, we promptly escorted the general and his family to Room F101, which is the home of the Aeronautical Dolphins. We were seated in a circle and the general asked each Aeronautical Dolphins what their goal in life was. Some students told the general that they wanted to be pilots, since the general is a proven ace fighter pilot. Other students expressed a desire to become engineers, computer specialists, and nurses.

The general reminded each student about the value of having passion in whatever career path they choose to pursue. He said the Air Force offers a lot of benefits for those who have the passion to serve and he explained how they could get a college degree through the U.S. Air Force. However, one should not join the Air Force strictly for the benefits that are offered, he said. Rather, one should join the Air Force for the passion to excel in his or her chosen career path. That path could be a pilot engineer, computer specialist, nurse, etc. He said that he wanted each of them to have options, even if they decide not to join the Air Force.

The students asked the general about his personal experience flying the F-15C fighter aircraft. The general was very forthcoming when he talked about his first time flying in the F-15C. He told us that, as he set inside his F-15C aircraft on the runway, five stages of afterburner filtered through, which felt like something slapping your back five times. Then the aircraft accelerated very quickly on the runway and before he knew it, he was flying straight up. This was an experience that he would never forget, the general said.

Some students asked the general’s wife questions about how it was being the wife of a general. She explained that she has lots of duties. She said that she could be considered the mother of Andersen Air Force Base. Furthermore, certain ceremonial activities and functions require her presence, which in essence makes her a vital part of Team Doucette.

Grayson, the general’s son, was also asked some questions. The one question that I recalled was how it was being the son of such a famous man. Grayson seem shy, but I could tell that he was proud of his father and mother and they look good as a family unit. Grayson, by the way, is an engineering student at Virginia Polytechnic University.

Finally, the general answered the last question and then he signed our aeronautical dolphin’s banner. After signing the banner, he and his family took time to take some pictures with us. I walked the general back to his car and he shook my hand and told me that I had a great class. He then told me that if we ever made it to Andersen Air Force Base, he would give us the red carpet treatment. There will also be a possibility of the students flying on a KC-135 Aircraft. This means that they could actually witness air-to-air refueling. The KC-135 is also the aircraft that I crewed when I was in the U.S. Air Force.

Janette and Grayson Doucette left after the general because they were still talking with some of my students. Of course, we didn’t want this experience to end, but the Doucettes were on a tight schedule and they had already surpassed their time limit at MHS.

On Monday, Congressman Kilili Sablan visited the home of the Aeronautical Dolphins. The purpose of this trip was to give aeronautical material needed to enhance the education of our students. We expressed the possibility for future appointments to the Air Force Academy to come from this program. We are justifying this request, under the premise that our program is supported by a U.S. Air Force General who, by the way, is a commander of a large Air Force base, the commander of the 36th Wing, and one of the best darn fighter pilots in the U.S. Air Force.

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