5 minute read
Ex Bletchley Encoder
Spt Wg SUPPORT WING
RAF/USAF JOINT LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT FORUM
By Cpl Ashley Lewis, JNCO Station Armoury
On the 12th of May 2022 I, along with a group of 18 Sergeants and Corporals from RAF Honington, travelled to RAF Lakenheath to take part in a leadership and management forum organised by the USAF.
TSgt Stefan Watkins-Krokowski (USAF) and I organised the event to allow NCOs from both Forces to sit down and compare different techniques used within the respective services.
The hope was that each person would be able to learn new techniques that could help develop them as NCO’s.
The day started out with a history brief from the 48th Fighter Wing historian who told us about the complete history of RAF Lakenheath as a camp, explaining that it was originally set up as a decoy installation during World War 2 with the hope that the Germans would attack it instead of RAF Mildenhall which was the active airfield.
We then travelled across camp to the Liberty 5/6 club which is the private organisation for the NCO cadre of the USAF. There we sat down to an incredible buffet lunch put on by the catering staff at the club. Southern Fried BBQ. I think this was the highlight of the day for most people!
Following lunch we had introductions whereby each person took it in turns to stand up and say a little bit about themselves. This was an eye opener for some of the RAF personnel, just to see the amount of different trades within the USAF compared to the RAF. This was followed by a non-stop discussion for around 2 hours on how we manage things differently between the 2 services and between different trades. Undoubtedly I think people may have strayed off topic a bit and turned to more informal discussion, however I think this made the event even more successful. In fact I think the biggest success for me was that people were exchanging contact information with their counterparts which was my biggest goal for the event.
Hopefully this was a good starting point for what will become a long and enduring friendship between RAF Honington and RAF Lakenheath. Next, we hope to host the USAF here at Honington for a similar event with new people from both services.
From the feedback I have received so far, I would consider the day to be a huge success.
EASTER 50 CHALLENGE
By Chris Pattle, Civil Servant, Logistics Support Flight
For this year’s Easter 50 Challenge hosted by Action Challenge, my family and I decided to take up the 25K walk for our chosen charity; Guide Dogs for the Blind. To get our challenge off to a good start, a bake sale was held in the RAF Honington Community Centre on 8th March. To raise the profile of Guide dogs and how much they matter to people with sight loss we were fortunate enough to be joined by members of the Bury St Edmunds branch of Guide Dogs.
The numbers were drawn in by no other than our very own four-legged cheerleader, a former Guide dog courtesy of owner Geraldine from the local branch.
Our efforts were rewarded with cash being splashed in purchasing delicious home baked goodies. The proceeds from our bake sale notched up a total of £150 for Guide Dogs. This is all thanks to our bakers, Es Pattle, Carol Pattle and Geraldine from the Bury branch. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Warrant Officer Mark Steward and Mrs Amanda Bailey for their warm welcome and support in our endeavours.
On Saturday 9th April , my family and I joined 3,500 other participants at Windsor Great Park to take part in the 25k challenge. Against the stunning backdrop of Windsor, we set off from the start line in good spirits sharing encouragements with fellow walkers doing their bit for good causes. With a blend of tough cross-country challenges, we all managed to complete our walk in five and a half hours crossing the finish line at Windsor racecourse. As a former Guide dog owner myself, I am extremely proud of our achievements and for that we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who kindly sponsored us achieving a grand total of £954 raised for Guide Dogs.
Ex BLETCHLEY ENCODER
Station personnel have once again taken advantage of the Force Development opportunities available to them, this time to Bletchley Park where they will have learnt the significant part it played in the Second World War.
THE AIM?
1: Identify and explore the lessons learnt from codebreaking during WW2 in order to apply them to today's operations.
2: Explore the wider aspects of the operations at Bletchley Park including leadership, welfare and Whole Force co-ordination, and how these apply to the RAF today. They explored the buildings and grounds and learn about the morale, courage and fighting spirit of the codebreakers.
Station personnel interested in organising a trip should contact the Learning Centre or check the Force Development page on Sharepoint for more information. Pre-approved days include:
Battle of Britain Bunker Bletchley Code Breaker Churchill War Room Discover Duxford Hillside Explorer Imperial War Museum
Registered Charity No: 295564
STANTON PRE-SCHOOL
EARLY EDUCATION FOR 2 TO 4 YEAR OLDS
