Spokane educators Aim High with Northwest military base tours

August 22, 1997
Originally published by Fairchild Connection (Fairchild AFB, WA)

Aim High Club of Public School District 81, a group of Spokane educators, recently took a two-day Military Educators VIP tour. The trip consisted of visits to Fort Lewis, Camp Murray, home of the Washington Army National Guard, Bangor Submarine Base and the Marine Security Force Company in Bangor.

The group was made up of seven leaders from the Spokane public school system: Dr. Walt Rulffes, associate superintendent of school district 81; Dr. Larry Parsons, northeast area director for the district; Dr. Laurie Dolan, northwest area director; Alison Olzendam, principal of Chase Middle School in Spokane; Pete Lewis, principal of Shaw Middle School, and co-founder of the Aim High program; and Ron Dolar, Aim High program founder and coordinator.

In a meeting with Army Brig. Gen. Lee Legowik at Camp Murray, the group talked of a need to stress the importance of setting goals and hard work to today's youth.

"Why do kids drop out?" asked Dr. Parsons. "They don't see the relevance of it all until they're further down the road, and by then it's too late.

"We have some of the brightest kids out there, and they're in trouble because they just get bored with the system too easily. We have to give them a connection to the real world or lose them forever," Parsons added.

All branches of the military should be active in making a better recruiting effort to attract today's youth, Dolar said.

Dolar is a disabled Navy veteran who served during the 1960s.

"The military gives a chance for kids to see a clean, healthy, active lifestyle. We want to show kids the technology and jobs being offered, but they have to realize they must be drug and alcohol free and have an education to be able to take advantage of the opportunities the military can give them," Dolar said.

The program's mission is to attract kids, especially from disadvantaged situations and give them ambition, Lewis said.

"We give kids a chance to see and do things that they may otherwise never get a chance to," Lewis said. "There are kids in this program who, until they got here, had never been on an airplane, boat or even out of their neighborhood."

Legowik was enthusiastic about the program's direction. "I welcome that kind of relationship," the brigadier general said. "There's so much more we can do besides warfighting. We have humanitarian roles to fulfill too.

"We will do everything we can to give the support that programs like this need. People look at things like this and say, 'That's the military in the community doing something,'" Legowik added.
Legowik then told the story of a Washington National Guard helicopter crew chief who picked up a woman in distress on a mountaintop, only to discover that the woman was a close-by neighbor. "She said, 'Oh my God, you're my plumber,'" Legowik added. "We are out there in the community."

Dolar said it is important for young people to have interest. "We tell kids: 'Look, if you meet certain criteria such as community service work, grades and recommendations, then we'll make sure you spend time with us.' We'll get it into their heads it takes a top-ranked education to have certain jobs out there. A whole world is out there, and you can go anywhere to find it."

Dolar continued: "We want to become part of the solution. We already know about the problems, let's focus on solutions for our kids."

"We need to show kids what is available," Legowik said. "What we're dealing with is the future of this country. Making a critical impact on today's youth is key." He noted that several things could be done, such as bringing in military speakers, tours, and facility use.

According to Dr. Parsons, the military holds as much opportunity to succeed as in the civilian world.

"Educators are sometimes not aware of what goes on outside of educational pursuits," Parsons said. "They think because it's outside of that realm, then it must not be practical. With real-world opportunities, we're not real aware."

"The truth is, just about every career goal you can think of can be found in the military. It's a myth that the military is just about 'go shoot somebody when they get out of line around the world,'" Parsons said.

Army Maj. Michael Johnson is a recruiter with the Washington Army National Guard. He said that the challenge of recruiting new young members into today's military is demanding and stressful.

"The demographics have changed in recent years. We're now competing with businesses and schools in addition to other branches of the service," Johnson said.

Johnson said the old recruiting way of arm-twisting has given way to requiring a recruiter to have extensive product knowledge. "Back in the 60s it was either join the military or go to jail. That's all changed. If you can just get them through the military entrance processing station without them being turned away, you're doing your job.

Dolar said today's military is much smarter than thirty years ago. "It's much more competitive at every level," he said. "If you're up for promotion, you better make it."

After the meeting with the brigadier general, the group traveled to Fort Lewis, then to the Naval Submarine Base in Bangor. Dolar commended the Marine silent drill team that put on a show.

"The people who are committed to serving in the military are top class people. They are the finest our nation--your nation--has to offer. These are the best in the country, the best we have to give," Dolar said.