Arriving at the U.S. Army Operational Test Command mid-morning on Jan. 26, two Killeen Independent School District students saw everything from a re-enlistment ceremony to combatives training to processing test documentation photos. They also got advice from the command's deputy commander/chief of staff, the staff attorney and the director of test technology.

Krystal Alvar, an Ellison High School senior, is interested in the fields of communication and speech pathology. She spent the day with Capt. Vicki Stauffer, G-3 operations officer, who is responsible for coordinating events, ceremonies and conferences for the command.

Stauffer, a graduate of Texas A&M University, is a logistician and will take over as the Operational Test Command headquarters and headquarters command company leader in May. She initially was worried that her job would not be interesting to a high school student, but Alvar quickly put that worry to rest.

"I really enjoyed my day at OTC with Captain Stauffer," said Alvar. "She showed me a lot of things that I had no idea existed within the Army, even though my mother is in the Army and I've been around it all my life."

Alvar also got some one-one-one time with Col. Kenny Crawford, unit deputy commander/chief of staff. With four children of his own, Crawford said he is a huge supporter of programs that mentor students of all ages.

Andrea Clifton, a Shoemaker High School junior, is interested in law and psychology. She said she was pleased to spend time with Pat Lisowski, the command's staff attorney.

Capt. Jonathan Pride, aide-de-camp to Brig. Gen. Don MacWillie, Operational Test Command leader, was Clifton's mentor for the day.

Pride is a graduate of Norwich University and his branch is military intelligence. He deployed to Iraq with the 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion in 2009. He was involved with the Big Brothers Program in New York.

"I spent our time driving from the Killeen Civic and Conference Center, where I picked up Andrea, to OTC, explaining the Army to her," he said. "And toward the end of our time together, I gave her a short quiz, which she passed with no problem."

This was the 15th annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day for Killeen, co-sponsored by the city of Killeen and the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce.

"We paired 130 students from our four high schools with doctors, lawyers, soldiers and businessmen from Killeen, Harker Heights and Fort Hood," said Wil Brewster, Killeen volunteer services director.