Forty-four Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and history students from Desert High School visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Feb. 10. The library is a nationally recognized historical landmark and the site of President Reagan’s tomb. At the library, students studied Ronald Reagan’s legacy and the Cold War events that occurred during his presidency. Students also took part in a special role-playing program at the Discovery Center, based upon the military action “Operation Urgent Fury” on the Caribbean island of Granada in 1983. Each individual played a different role within three venues: The Oval Office, the National Command Center, and the White House Press Room. Cadet Elizabeth Pluta played the main role as president, with Cadet Jaci Good playing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Cadet Ronald Welch played the White House Senior Correspondent. Other cadets played roles such as the president’s cabinet members, military personnel in the Command Center and reporters in the Press Room. This fast-paced simulation was to give students a great appreciation of how the Executive Branch works and how decisions are made within the narrow time constraints of an international crisis. Cadet Jasmine Drummond organized the trip and The Ronald Reagan Library funded the students’ transportation as way a of reinforcing the students’ studies in American History, giving them a personal connection to these events.
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