SAN DIEGO, Calif. – South Kitsap High School educators attending a workshop hosted by the United States Marine Corps took a trip out to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Wednesday.

They had a chance to poke around in a couple of the aircraft, including a V-22 Osprey and an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet. As the workshop’s attendees examined the Osprey, flight crews and a pilot were on hand to field the group’s questions.

“This has been my favorite experience,” Tami Lester-Dame said, before explaining that she grew up in a Navy family and that her father had worked on aircraft while stationed aboard aircraft carriers. As the educators examined the aircraft, two F-18s roared down the tarmack at the far side of the runway. The roar of the jets was deafening as the pair took off and soared out of sight.

The final stop of the day was at the Command Museum at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, where the educators were treated to a guided tour by one of several docents. The museum was a wealth of historical information related to Marine Corps history, involvement and culture. One of the more notable exhibits was the Vietnam War area of the museum, which contained a replica of a Vietcong tunnel system, complete with a wide array of booby traps.

At the end of the day, South Kitsap online credit recovery teacher Chris Korbel mentioned that the workshop was warming his previously tepid opinion of the armed services.

“I didn’t know much about the Marines, and I thought of them just as people that would probably be hotheads and want to fight. And it was probably the service that I would’ve least [recommended],” Korbel explained. “I’m pretty impressed by them now. I think it would be a great option.”

-Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter with Kitsap News Group. Nick can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com