{"id":2325,"date":"2014-09-21T22:39:30","date_gmt":"2014-09-22T02:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=2325"},"modified":"2015-03-26T16:11:54","modified_gmt":"2015-03-26T20:11:54","slug":"students-at-grhs-and-grc-learn-life-lessons-from-the-blue-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/students-at-grhs-and-grc-learn-life-lessons-from-the-blue-angels\/","title":{"rendered":"Students at GRHS and GRC learn life lessons from the Blue Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think Blue Angels,<\/i><\/b> you probably envision a high-performance Navy and Marine Corps Squadron of F\/A-18 Hornets performing graceful, split second aerobatic maneuvers in formation to the applause and amazement of audiences.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re right.<\/p>\n

But the more than 450 students at Green Run High School and Green Run Collegiate learned there\u2019s much more to these pilots than their precision flying and unmatched tactical operation of combat aircraft.<\/p>\n

LT CMDR John Hiltz, a 14-year Navy officer, began his day meeting with the NJROTC students at the school before moving into the auditorium to greet the schools\u2019 ninth through 12th<\/sup>-graders.<\/p>\n

Students listened closely as the Right Wing Pilot in the #2 plane explained the mission of the Blue Angels to showcase some of what the Navy and Marine Corps do overseas on our country\u2019s behalf and the critical role that each member of the squadron plays to ensure that each flight is orchestrated to perfection. To demonstrate the importance of mitigating the risks of the mission by trusting each other to do their jobs, Hiltz asked students to extend their arms in front of them.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8185\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s approximately 13 inches between you and the person in front of you, right? Now look to your left and right. You have about 6 inches between your arm and your neighbors\u2019. That\u2019s the distance between the wing tips of the jets when we are in flight. Each of us takes great pride in the job we perform and this teamwork is what keeps us safe and able to accomplish our objective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hiltz then shared his own high school and college experiences that led him to the Naval Reserve Officers\u2019 Training Program to prepare him for his present career as a naval aviator.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all bring different things to the table, some we can control and some we can\u2019t. The key to success is understanding how to maximize your efforts to focus on what you CAN control,\u201d Hiltz said. He went on to tell students to pursue their dreams by finding out what they needed to accomplish their goals. He encouraged them to stay motivated and focused and to take action to aggressively overcome obstacles they would encounter; to constantly analyze what\u2019s ahead to have a plan in place.<\/p>\n

AM2 (AW) Coralice \u201cCora\u201d Vezza, an aviation instructional mechanic responsible for the precision of the paint scheme on the jets used as cues and checkpoints for the Blue Angel pilots, then addressed the group. From San Juan, Puerto Rico, she told students that she couldn\u2019t control the fact that she grew up speaking another language or that no one in her family had ever gone to college, but she did plan and take the necessary steps to do something important in life. Learning English, getting good grades, playing sports, joining the band and staying focused and out of trouble enabled her to graduate from college, join the Navy, travel the world and continue her education to prepare her for a 20-year career doing a job she loves.<\/p>\n

After answering several questions from the audience, LT CMDR Hiltz really hit home for many students explaining being successful was important but they should also strive to be happy. He mentioned the recent loss of one of our nation\u2019s most successful comedians who couldn\u2019t seem to find happiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay involved with your family and get involved in your community,\u201d he stressed. \u201cWhen you give of yourself to better the lives of others and help them to be successful, the rewards are tremendous and you will find happiness in what you have accomplished. It will help you to stay motivated and positive and keep a healthy attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you think Blue Angels, you probably envision a high-performance Navy and Marine Corps Squadron of F\/A-18 Hornets performing graceful, split second aerobatic maneuvers in formation to the applause and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[93,36],"class_list":["post-2325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-green-run-collegiate","tag-green-run-high"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2325"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2332,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325\/revisions\/2332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}