Australian, US and Japanese personnel paid a goodwill visit to the Hokkaido International School in Sapporo, Japan, during Exercise Yama Sakura 85 (YS85).
For many of the students at the bustling four-storey campus it was their first time meeting a soldier.
Linguist Captain Jack Baker and Sergeant Richard Maconochie represented the Australian Defence Force, from Headquarters 1st (Australian) Division, alongside two sergeants from the US Army 11th Airborne Division and two members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).
The military delegation was quizzed by members of the senior politics class about current regional issues, giving them the chance to explain why YS85 is important for trilateral interoperability.
"I think the school visit was a great opportunity for the students to better understand what the Australian Army, US Army and JGSDF were doing in Hokkaido," Captain Baker said.
"It allowed us to tell them how our partnerships fit into the wider strategic regional environment, which they are learning about in their classes."
As well as participating in strategic conversations, the students were keen to try Aussie favourites such as Vegemite and Tim Tams, before taking on all three contingents in a push-up challenge - which ended in a four-way tie.
"We were able to explain that life in the Army isn't exactly like what you see in the movies, but is filled with lots of challenging opportunities to grow as individuals and as a team," Sergeant Maconochie said.
"The kids were interested to know about jobs in the Australian Defence Force and were surprised to hear that the ADF employs many technical and non-technical trades, employing people from all backgrounds."
At a Q&A session with some younger students from the primary classes, they showed that though smaller in stature they were big thinkers when it comes to military matters.
"It was great to stand alongside our partners and answer some often very complex questions," Captain Baker said.
The visit concluded with group photos, an impromptu gift-giving session, with patches and all manner of mementoes changing hands, before fond farewells and promises to visit the school and its students again.
"Doing the school visit with our American and Japanese counterparts helped us all break the ice with the kids and also among the participants of YS85," Sergeant Maconochie said.
At the end of the day, there were valuable lessons learned by all, he said.
