Staff Sgt. Akellius Lorden shows children from AIEC International Preschool the fire truck and his firefighting gear inside a hangar at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Japanese and American preschoolers and their parents got an inside peek at a UH-1N helicopter, C-12 aircraft and fire engine during a tour of Yokota’s 459th Airlift Squadron on Friday. (Christopher B. Stoltz / S&S)
Staff Sgt. Akellius Lorden shows children from AIEC International Preschool the fire truck and his firefighting gear inside a hangar at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Japanese and American preschoolers and their parents got an inside peek at a UH-1N helicopter, C-12 aircraft and fire engine during a tour of Yokota’s 459th Airlift Squadron on Friday. (Christopher B. Stoltz / S&S)
First Lt. Danny Bolin shows Zion Omorefe the cockpit of a helicopter inside a hangar at Yokota Air Base. (Christopher B. Stoltz / S&S)
Staff Sgt. Akellius Lorden helps Ron Ohno, 5, get out of the fire truck inside a hangar at Yokota Air Base. (Christopher B. Stoltz / S&S)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The 459th Airlift Squadron threw open its hangar door on Friday for a group of Japanese and American preschoolers from nearby Fussa.
About 40 children ages 3-5 and parent volunteers from the Association for International Early Childhood (AIEC) International Preschool got an inside peek at a UH-1N helicopter, C-12 aircraft and a fire engine during a tour of the Yokota unit.
The visit was arranged through Capt. Thomas Higgins, a UH-1N pilot, and his wife, Anna, a key organizer of the event. Their daughter is a student at the school.
“It’s been awesome. We probably had more fun than they did,” said 1st Lt. Danny Bolin, 25, of Knoxville, Tenn., also a UH-1N pilot with the squadron. “When I’m not flying, I’m behind a desk all day. We don’t fly all the time. This is a trip.
“Some kids jump in the pilot’s seat and go crazy. Others get up there, then start looking for mom. … It’s been great.”
About 20 children from Yokota attend the school, which features an all-English curriculum. The students have taken part in several exchanges with base residents, including field trips.
