JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-Randolph, Texas –
Students at Randolph Elementary School had an opportunity to experience one of their active-duty parents' most important missions.
Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Military and Family Readiness Center staff members, with the help of other Randolph organizations, introduced third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students to the deployment process as part of Operation FLAGS May 5 on the Randolph Elementary School campus.
Operation FLAGS, which stands for Families Learning About Global Support, is a means of educating families about what their loved ones go through when they deploy.
More than 300 students assigned to three 45-minute time slots during their physical education classes went through a four-step process that simulates an active-duty member's deployment experience.
The students started in the school gym to in-process, where they were provided with dog tags and their mission statement, then they received their gear, including helmets and ABU tops.
They proceeded outside to complete their missions such as locating an adversary and enlisting the help of a military working dog.
The final step after the students completed their missions, they reintegrated and turned in their gear.