WEBVTT 00:01.152 --> 00:04.319 (inspirational music) 00:07.638 --> 00:09.115 - [Male Narrator 1] Every time you work with someone else 00:09.115 --> 00:10.452 you gain something. 00:10.452 --> 00:11.593 - [Male Narrator 2] Passing on the knowledge 00:11.593 --> 00:13.972 and the experience that we've seen through the years, 00:13.972 --> 00:16.891 it's the most fulfilling part of my year. 00:16.891 --> 00:18.632 - [Female Narrator] Here at FERL, I am having 00:18.632 --> 00:21.499 that opportunity to mentor 00:21.499 --> 00:23.555 the future leaders of the Air Force. 00:23.555 --> 00:25.174 - [Male Narrator 3] I came to the Air Force Academy 00:25.174 --> 00:26.239 to be a leader, and I think 00:26.239 --> 00:29.213 civil engineering is the best place to do that. 00:29.213 --> 00:31.796 (light music) 00:33.164 --> 00:34.482 Being down here at the site, 00:34.482 --> 00:35.754 coming out of the classroom, 00:35.754 --> 00:37.470 getting the hands-on experience, 00:37.470 --> 00:38.523 is really unique. 00:38.523 --> 00:41.583 - They've seen it on paper, but actually putting their hands 00:41.583 --> 00:43.706 to the ground and actually placing concrete, 00:43.706 --> 00:45.856 doing asphalt, running heavy equipment, 00:45.856 --> 00:48.152 they work hand-in-hand with civilian and military, 00:48.152 --> 00:50.533 so when they go over to actually do the work fighting 00:50.533 --> 00:52.920 they have all the knowledge and the skills. 00:52.920 --> 00:54.655 - So FERL is about three different things. 00:54.655 --> 00:56.899 One is education, educating our cadets so 00:56.899 --> 00:58.556 that they're prepared as a civil engineer 00:58.556 --> 00:59.851 in the Air Force. 00:59.851 --> 01:01.518 Two, it's training, training our mentors 01:01.518 --> 01:04.859 so that they return to their unit even more ready 01:04.859 --> 01:07.441 for those activities where they're experts. 01:07.441 --> 01:09.401 And then also about mentorship, 01:09.401 --> 01:11.308 I bring in those enlisted mentors here 01:11.308 --> 01:14.258 and aligning cadets to them daily. 01:14.258 --> 01:15.604 - [Male Narrator 4] The cadets, they like to get 01:15.604 --> 01:18.418 their hands dirty and get the experience of the job, 01:18.418 --> 01:21.012 and they're eager to step into any position 01:21.012 --> 01:22.550 that we put them into. 01:22.550 --> 01:25.565 - They are our future managers, so having them 01:25.565 --> 01:29.318 come out here and see hands on what we're doing 01:29.318 --> 01:32.075 and appreciating every different craft, 01:32.075 --> 01:35.647 they see, they understand what it takes 01:35.647 --> 01:37.541 to get a project going. 01:37.541 --> 01:39.705 - Whether it's going into deployed locations 01:39.705 --> 01:42.061 and developing early infrastructure, 01:42.061 --> 01:44.448 or if it's just maintaining regular base operations, 01:44.448 --> 01:48.027 they have a really big part to play in the Air Force. 01:48.027 --> 01:51.829 - My favorite FERL project has been the (mumbles) project. 01:51.829 --> 01:53.178 They're just kinda going to throw you in the project 01:53.178 --> 01:56.047 and they'll actually explain the process 01:56.047 --> 01:57.700 of what you did and how you got to where 01:57.700 --> 01:59.783 you were supposed to get. 02:01.178 --> 02:04.033 - The FERL motto, Build First, Design Later, is based 02:04.033 --> 02:06.928 on a systems approach and a hands-on approach 02:06.928 --> 02:09.752 that bridges the gap between theory and practice. 02:09.752 --> 02:11.248 - This really switches is up, 02:11.248 --> 02:13.973 allowing you to do or construct something first, 02:13.973 --> 02:15.848 and then understand why you did something 02:15.848 --> 02:17.501 the way you did later. 02:17.501 --> 02:20.640 - While FERL is a graded course, the focus isn't really 02:20.640 --> 02:22.397 on the grade, it's on the learning. 02:22.397 --> 02:24.018 They know they haven't learned this stuff yet, 02:24.018 --> 02:26.387 so they're willing to try things. 02:26.387 --> 02:29.250 - It's the first look that the cadets get 02:29.250 --> 02:32.758 at real Air Force civil engineering. 02:32.758 --> 02:35.212 I'm a little bit biased, but the enlisted force 02:35.212 --> 02:38.529 is the heartbeat of the Air Force. 02:38.529 --> 02:40.676 - As a senior officer, obviously I will have 02:40.676 --> 02:44.017 enlisted people under me and by working with them here, 02:44.017 --> 02:46.102 asking them, what do you want from an officer, 02:46.102 --> 02:48.059 because when I get to that position, 02:48.059 --> 02:50.824 I want to be that person that they wanna see. 02:50.824 --> 02:51.702 - No matter what they're doing, 02:51.702 --> 02:53.987 whether it be the (mumbles), heavy equipment, welding, 02:53.987 --> 02:55.382 they're right beside them the whole way. 02:55.382 --> 02:56.848 They're telling them what to do. 02:56.848 --> 02:58.460 They like to tell them stories, war stories, 02:58.460 --> 03:02.247 what makes successful officers in the Air Force. 03:02.247 --> 03:03.780 - They'll tell you straight up, they'll tell you 03:03.780 --> 03:05.399 you're wrong and show you how to do it right. 03:05.399 --> 03:08.040 These mentors are bar-none, the best people 03:08.040 --> 03:10.230 I've dealt with so far here at the academy. 03:10.230 --> 03:12.702 - I can't say enough the fact that 03:12.702 --> 03:14.448 FERL does not exist without the mentors. 03:14.448 --> 03:17.098 They bring that experience from the operational Air Force 03:17.098 --> 03:18.408 that they can share with these cadets, 03:18.408 --> 03:20.409 who are aspiring to be second lieutenants. 03:20.409 --> 03:21.856 - This is my ninth year doing it. 03:21.856 --> 03:24.349 That's six to seven hundred future officers 03:24.349 --> 03:26.404 that I've had a chance to work with. 03:26.404 --> 03:28.499 They're young, but they're brilliant. 03:28.499 --> 03:30.314 They're hard workers, they're energetic. 03:30.314 --> 03:32.654 They're very enthused about this program. 03:32.654 --> 03:34.958 - It's been a rewarding experience because 03:34.958 --> 03:37.741 of all the cadets that have reached back and said, 03:37.741 --> 03:40.917 hey, you're program is absolutely amazing. 03:40.917 --> 03:43.262 - Through the years of talking to all the officers 03:43.262 --> 03:45.106 that I have that have been through FERL, 03:45.106 --> 03:46.064 it was the best experience 03:46.064 --> 03:47.899 in their whole time at the academy. 03:47.899 --> 03:51.031 So just to see that and help them have that memory, 03:51.031 --> 03:52.281 it's fantastic.