‘It’s not something that every person gets to do’: AMYA Cadets ride in Chinook helos

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Military Youth Academy’s (AMYA) cycle is coming to a close. Five months of discipline and hard work are set to pay off soon, as cadets will walk the stage at Alaska Airlines Center for graduation in a few weeks.

Before graduation, cadets are treated to special activities that not many have the opportunity to experience.

On Friday, more than 100 cadets made their way from the AMYA barracks to the Chinook helicopter hangar on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson.

“We’ve known about it for maybe a couple of months now,“ said Kira Katie Marie Egoak, a cadet with AMYA.

“We tried to do this before, but they cancelled it. So it got held until now.”

Egoak said the anticipation of the flight has been tremendous.

“I’ve never been on a helicopter, so I thought it was kind of cool,” fellow cadet and friend, Serenity Bernard said.

“It’s not something that every person gets to, which is pretty cool,” Egoak said.

Before the cadets took to the skies, a safety briefing was held by members of the Alaska Army National Guard.

“They just told us to listen to the people that were telling us what to do and not going into certain areas so these [rotors] didn’t hit us,” said Egoak.

“And to wear earplugs,” Bernard added.

With safety in mind, it was time to fly. The cadets say their favorite part was at the beginning of the journey.

“I thought it was cool when they took off when we just started floating,” Bernard recalled. “And then we sat there hovering over the ground for a second.”

“I kind of liked the whole thing,” Egoak said of her favorite part of the flight. “I just liked it. I had butterflies in my stomach.”

Bernard, who’s from the Seattle-Tacoma area, said she really enjoy the scenic trip.

“It was cool seeing the mountains and the view and all the mini houses like around the area and the frozen lakes,” she said.

Both girls were keeping an eye out for wildlife the whole time.

“I was trying to look for some,” remembered Egoak, a native of Bethel. “I was trying to see some bears and some moose, but I didn’t see anything.”

The AMYA is a program for high school-aged students who commit to a rigorous five-month program the promises early mornings, daily bed-makings, structured schooling and so many pushups.

“I think that the program is pretty cool and that some people should come and join just to get their credits and have that type of experience,” Egoak said.

When asked what they enjoyed most about the AMYA program, they said it was the experiences provided and the confidence instilled.

“We went down a rappel tower, which is kind of really scary, considering that I’m afraid of heights,” Egoak said proudly. “We did some wilderness training. We learned how to build fires and shelters.”

“And then we do a lot of like community service, like picking up trash,” Bernard added. “When it was Halloween, we set up games for the kids.”

The Chinook helicopter ride provided another unique experience for the young cadets, one that will stick with them for years to come.

“It was really fun. It was just really fun. It’s really relaxing,” Bernard said.

“Yeah, I was about to fall asleep, but I couldn’t cause it was so cool,” Egoak added.

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