MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- As Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 "Red Devils" trained aboard Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Lt. Col. Byron Sullivan, the commanding officer of VMFA-232 and a Havelock, N.C., native, invited poolees with Recruiting Substation Boise, Idaho, to learn about the squadron, July 29.
A poolee is anyone who is in the delayed entry program with a recruiting substation but has not yet reported for recruit training.
The Boise poolees learned about military occupational specialties in the aircraft wing from noncommissioned officers in the squadron and saw an F/A-18C Hornet up close.
"It always good to shape young minds; I love doing that," said Cpl. Tyler Wegerle, an ejection seat mechanic with VMFA-232 and an Amery, Wis., native. "It's good to see the faces of the incoming Marines and maybe someday I’ll be working with them."
Marines of the squadron saw this as an opportunity to show the important role of the air wing within the Marine Corps.
"We put in a lot of work that isn’t seen by a lot of people," said Wegerle "The air wing supports the aircraft, the troops on the ground and we get everybody where they need to be."
With some poolees leaving for recruit training the next month, meeting with the Marines may help them better understand their future role in the Corps.
"Hopefully, in the back of their head when they're going through their training, they remember what they learned today and it will stick with them throughout their career," said Cpl. Abraham Bernardo, a power plant mechanic with VMFA-232 and a Fairfield, Calif., native.
Poolees took away not only knowledge, but a taste of the pride Marines in the squadron have for what they accomplish.
"They are so dedicated to the job they are doing and it shows," said Jefferson Rynewart, a poolee from RSS Boise and a Boise native.
In the end, the Marines wished the poolees luck with recruit training and their future careers.