Serving kids at the fair

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POCATELLO -- There were no Ferris wheels or bumper cars at the North Bannock County Fair.

But thanks to the soldiers in the Army National Guard and their high-tech toys, the fair still boasted some of the most unique rides and activities a child could ever hope for.

Sgt. Andrew Santillanes, 41, is no carny.

But he and the other National Guardsman who volunteered at the fair had a ball teaching children how to ascend a climbing wall, escorting them through the fairgrounds in an LMTV Troop Transport and taking them off-road in the most modern Hummer the Army has.

When a problem surfaced Thursday with a climbing wall the National Guard brought to the fair, Santillanes and his colleagues started offering the rides.

Friday afternoon at the fair, Santillanes opened the back of a troop transport that pulled up after a tour and helped a large group of smiling children exit.

The brief excursions lasted about five minutes each.

"I think people in the community are really happy being able to sit in the seats and see what we see and feel what we feel," Santillanes said. "Seeing these kids smile is worth it, I'm telling you."

The public was also afforded the chance to ride in the National Guard's new Humvee, which weighs 12,800 pounds -- about 4,000 pounds more than the previous model -- and is completely covered in armor.

The vehicle also had 2-inch-thick, bulletproof windows.

"We have a lot of veterans come by, and they like to compare stories of the old Jeeps, used not too long ago actually, and what we've got now," Santillanes said, adding that he spent a full hour on Thursday visiting with a veteran at the fair.

Santillanes said supplying entertainment at the fair is also a good recruiting tool for the National Guard.

"We're mainly here to show the community we support the community, and we support the fair," he said.

Santillanes, a Pocatello native, graduated from Highland High School in 1985 and then joined the Marine Corps.

He now works for Bechtel at the Idaho National Laboratory, where he loads nuclear waste to be shipped to New Mexico.

But he joined the National Guard about three years ago, believing he still had more to offer his country.

"I missed the military, and I thought I could still give to the military and the country," Santillanes said.

Santillanes also serves on the local honor guard, which performs military rites at the funerals of veterans.

He's among the state's trainers for honor guards.

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