Attention! Army calls at school

Even with their multi-terrain camouflage uniform, there was no hiding the fact that the Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles were at Stratford High School on Thursday.

The school was the regiment's last stop on a tour around the region celebrating its 150-year anniversary.

Sergeant David Priore, who has been in the army for 11 years, says visiting schools is a great way for students to get first-hand experience of what the military can offer as a career.

"It offers them a chance to travel, to be part of something, as well as teaching them discipline and a trade or skill."

With some of the students already seriously considering careers with the New Zealand Army, the morning gave them the opportunity to ask questions of those who are actually serving.

Roger Foote (16), Jamie Chapman (16) and Daniel Chapman (16) are all looking at joining up and were taken for a ride in the LAV III armoured vehicle the regiment had brought along.

While the three young men chatted happily as they buckled in, they soon stopped talking as they took in the experience. With an LCD monitor directly connected to the vehicle's external cameras, the boys were able to see real-time images as they travelled the streets of Stratford.

All three took the opportunity to ask questions and learn as much as possible about their options with the army, a career path Jamie says he has always been interested in.

"My uncle is in the territorials, and it is something I have always wanted to do really." He is considering a career as a rifleman, which is also the area Roger is interested in. Daniel would like to train as a field engineer.

Zak Smith (15) took the opportunity to handle some of the weapons the military work with, with Private Houston talking to him about the army's general-purpose light machine gun, the 7.62 LSW Minimi LMG. "It can fire 680 to 800 rounds a minute, and by the time you have added side torches, ammo etc to your load, you are carrying upwards of 13kg."

Viv Milner, the school's careers advisor, says opportunities for students to get close to some of the army's tools and machinery, "is a great way for them to see what it really is all about, not just what they see on television".

Regimental visit, P2