J.W. Norton was excited about his Wednesday visit from SIUC student members of the Arnold Air Society. For Norton, a patient at Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Marion, his new visitors provided him with a new experience.

I just enjoy the company, he said. It is something different and interesting.

Norton was one of a group of 30 veterans at the hospital visited by cadets from the SIUC branch Arnold Air Society, an honorary service organization of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.

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Cadets spent their visit talking with veterans even playing Bingo with them as part of Veterans Awareness Week activities.

Fred Grosshans, a senior in aviation management from Fairbury, enjoys taking time to sit down and talk with the veterans at the hospital.

Spending time with the veterans really makes me want to go, he said. They are the people who gave the ultimate sacrifice and made it possible for me to do this.

AAS takes part in a number of service projects to benefit the campus, the corps and the community. Besides the opportunity provided to participate in service projects, AAS is a way for ROTC cadets to receive additional training in leadership and management skills that will benefit cadets in their military career.

Enrollment in a six-week candidate class is the only requirement to become a member of AAS. The class must participate and plan a service project, learn AAS history, pass a national AAS test and appear before a board of active AAS members. The board prepares military cadets for rigorous board examinations that they will encounter during their career.

Shanti Riise, an undecided freshman from Chicago, said appearing before the board is the hardest part of the candidate class.

We were all freaking out before we had to go before the board, Riise said. You didn’t know what to expect. It’s so formal and there are only certain ways you can answer.

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AAS was organized in 1947 when a group of AFROTC cadets wanted to create a honorary squadron. The group was named in honor of Gen. Henry H. Arnold, a five-star general and retired commanding general of the U.S. Air Defense Council.

Twenty new squadrons were formed after copies of the AAS constitution were sent to universities throughout the United States. AAS became a part of SIUC’s AFROTC program in 1952. Since then, more than 700 members have preceded the squadron’s present 32 active members.

Grosshans became involved with AAS because he appreciated the group’s commitment to service.

Service it’s like volunteerism, he said. We don’t have to do this. We are trying to do something good for others.

Riise realizes the importance of helping others. For her, lending a helping hand can brighten someone’s day.

Not every body is as lucky as you, she said. Volunteering lets you know you can do something to help someone even put a smile on their face.

Because of all the time he spends working with veterans, Grosshans has used their experiences to motivate him in his future military career.

These men and women were brave and courageous enough to fight for the freedoms in this country, he said. If they can do it, I can do it.