by Gina Randall
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
8/13/2015 - RAF MILDENHALL, England -- For
some serving their country means long hours away from loved ones while
fixing aircraft, flying missions, cooking meals for Airmen or moving
cargo.
It's often a worry for many service members with young family members
what to do with their children so they can concentrate on the job at
hand. Who do they trust to nurture and develop the next generation?
One local national direct hire staff member has devoted 30 years of her
life to care for American children, and their parents, while they are so
far from their own family in the states. The child development center
is here to provide a safe place for military children while their
parents are at work.
Maureen Morley, 100th Force Support Squadron Child Development Center
room leader from Beck Row, Suffolk, retired July 31, 2015 after many
years caring for others.
"She works with infants and we're overseas, so there are parents who
have no one here such as a normal support system of mums or grandparents
to help them," said Nicholas Batey, 100th FSS assistant director from
Brandon, Suffolk. "So people like Maureen, who have been here for so
long, help mentor the parents and well as the staff."
On July 29, 2015, Col. Thomas D. Torkelson, 100th Air Refueling Wing
commander, presented Morley with a pin and certificate to commemorate
her 30 years of service to a country not even her own, but one she has
grown to love.
"I didn't think I was going to last the first six months because it was
completely different back then," Morley explained. "Ratios back then
were 15 children to one caregiver. I came from being a social worker to
this sort of establishment and it was very different."
What began as an uncertain time turned into 30 years of service that she'll miss after her retirement.
"I came straight in as a room leader to teach other people and, to be
honest, I didn't know what I was doing myself," Morley laughed. "These
30 years have gone quickly. It's time for me to go, but I don't want
to."
Base leadership recognizes the benefits of experience and knowledge of
local people, and what they give to their Airmen and families.
"Maureen has become the person you look to for advice," said Torkelson
as he presented the pin. "She is the continuity as military members come
and go. You are caring for our kids so our single parents, and other
parents who both work, are able to serve their nation knowing their
children are in good hands. There are also military dependents you have
cared for over the past thirty years who are now old enough to serve
themselves."
There have been many changes in childcare during her time on base. Her
leadership is proud of the changes in the childcare system, a system
Morley has helped develop.
"Maureen is one of our best employees," added Batey. "She has been here
since before the Child Care Act came in. The Child Care Act was brought
in for the Air Force to improve childcare safety. There were not a huge
amount of regulations before the act. We were more like a
babysitting-type service. Now we can improve the children's education,
improve what they can do, to achieve while they are here, rather than
just us caring for them and making sure they are warm and clean."
The lasting affect this caregiver has had on the children in her care transcends the generations.
"Maureen has worked with many different age groups," said Batey. "We
have parents who she looked after when they were little who have
children of their own now, who still send her pictures. So she keeps in
touch with a lot of people as they enter adulthood across the world."
by Senior Airman Christine Halan
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
8/5/2015 - RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Whether
assisting transient aircrew members or 100th Air Refueling Wing aircrew
members, the 100th Operations Support Squadron's combat crew
communications Airmen have it covered.
Their main mission is to ensure all KC-135 Stratotanker crew members
have the required communications security material required for their
training, along with the correct materials and equipment for secure
communications while flying missions.
COMSEC is cryptographic material, both electronic and physical, that is used to communicate via secure means.
"We provide COMSEC material to all 100th ARW aircrew members," said
Senior Airman Brett Leary, 100th OSS combat crew communications
technician from Hohenwald, Tennessee. "If they have a mission that
requires them to communicate securely, they have to get a kit and take
it with them. We train them on how to use those kits when they're in the
air, so that they can communicate and identify themselves in a secure
manner."
Each kit consists of a security key loader, fill cable (to connect the
SKL to the actual radios) and a binder containing all relevant books,
paperwork and checklists.
The three-man shop is tasked with a variety of responsibilities,
including giving annual training to 351st Air Refueling Squadron Airmen
on how to use their communication kits.
Providing the correct material to aircrew members is vital in helping
aircrew members, communicating securely or identifying themselves
correctly as a friend or foes to other U.S. air NATO forces.
By trade, these Airmen are specialists, but at RAF Mildenhall they work
solely alongside 100th OSS and 351st ARS aircrew. This allows them to
focus all their attention here, rather than making it an additional
duty.
Acting as a COMSEC responsible officer, an individual appointed by the
commander of a unit to manage the local COMSEC material, the Airmen are
responsible for maintaining and disposing of all COMSEC material and
paperwork, such as hand receipts, destruction reports and inventories,
which are issued from the base COMSEC office.
"Our job as crew communications is as detailed as a COMSEC-responsible
officer, which is essentially what we are," Leary said. "In most units,
the job is very involved but it would usually be an additional duty as a
COMSEC custodian. Here, they wanted people to actually deal with COMSEC
on a daily basis, which means we just take care of the aircrew. Having
that specific knowledge and experience means there are fewer issues."
Every day, the communications trio ensures all kits are in place, inventories are checked and correct, and paperwork is updated.
Being in the 100th OSS means the communications Airmen see the real impact of their job.
"I enjoy the direct mission involvement here," Leary said. "At my last
base I worked in the communications squadron, and although we supported
the entire base, we didn't always see the big picture. Working in the
100th OSS means we work directly with the boom operators and pilots, see
the missions going out and coming back, and have a better idea of
what's actually going on."
by Senior Airman Christine Halan
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
7/28/2015 - RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Teaching
others is something Master Sgt. Joseph Blakley, 351st Air Refueling
Squadron operations superintendent and chief boom from Strawberry
Plains, Tennessee, has always wanted to do.
Enlisting September 1998 and now 36-years-old, he has been stationed at RAF Mildenhall for almost two years.
As an instructor boom operator, Blakley teaches Airmen a variety of
necessary tasks while on the ground or in the air, eventually resulting
in their ability to fly as the only enlisted person on a KC-135
Stratotanker.
"I take students and teach them ground classes that are associated with
flying, aircraft systems, boom knowledge, refueling and egress
knowledge, and passenger considerations. Then I take them up in the
airplane and allow them to practice so that they can do it themselves,"
said the instructor, adding he often flies with experienced boom
operators to evaluate them and ensure their qualifications or up to
date.
Blakley has gathered his experience both on the job and while teaching as a technical school instructor for four years.
"I wanted to be an instructor and I enjoy it so much that I went to the
school house. Now I get to fly and still instruct," he said.
In 2014, Blakley orchestrated U.S. Air Forces in Europe's new boom
simulator requirements, managing a six-figure temporary duty assignment
plan amidst surge operations that included multiple deployments while
ensuring Airmen were combat ready. He also instructed over 100 hours in
the aircraft for combat mission capability.
"This award meant a lot to me because it meant someone had seen the work
I was putting in. I was pleased to get the award because I knew [my
leadership] supported me.
"I might have received this, but there are probably at least six people
here that could have received the same award who can do just as much or
more of what I gave on the instructor side," he said. "What makes me
pleased is to know that when I go home I know I did my best at the end
of the day."
by Senior Airman Kate Thornton
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
7/17/2015 - RAF MILDENHALL, England -- The
Hungarian air force hosted U.S. and Swedish air force personnel between
June 21 and 30, 2015, at Kecskemét air base, Hungary, to learn
air-to-air refueling for the first time.
Following a recent tasking to perform close air support for global
operations, the Hungarian air force made this new capability a priority.
The NATO allies and partners met for a two-week familiarization period
enabling the Hungarian JAS-39 Gripen pilots to perform air-to-air
refueling in a safe and controlled environment before applying the new
skill in combat.
"To get the right mission strength, we need to have air-to-air
refueling, that's why we turned to the U.S. to get some AAR capability
and initial training," said Hungarian air force Brig. Gen. Csebe Ugrik,
Kecskemét AB commander.
As the only permanent U.S. Air Force air refueling wing in the European
theater, the aircrew and tanker assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing
at RAF Mildenhall, England, was the go-to unit to provide practical
training after the classroom portion.
"Now we could finally start this training and get this very important
force multiplier capability for the Hungarian Gripen fleet," said
Hungarian air force Lt. Col. Tamas Szvath, Hungarian AF fixed wing
training commander.
Although the Gripen aircraft has the ability to air refuel, the Hungarian pilots needed training.
Three instructor pilots from the Swedish air force Gripen Operational
Testing and Evaluation unit were responsible for the training syllabus,
basic training and the Hungarian instructor pilot training.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Benjamin Kline and Tech. Sgt. Daniel Maas, 351st Air
Refueling Squadron instructor pilot and boom operator, instructed the
Hungarian students using the KC-135 Stratotanker as the training
platform, which gave them an idea of what to expect when communicating
and air refueling with the U.S. tanker.
After three days of academics taught by representatives from the two
guest air forces involved, the pilots took flight for hands-on
familiarization.
"In the beginning of the training we're trying not to focus on [a quota
of successful contacts]," Swedish air force Capt. Fredrik Borgström,
Gripen instructor pilot said. "We want to make sure the performance is
safe, corrections are made after feedback and they continue to improve.
Then in the end we want them to handle those corrections by themselves
and analyze their own behavior."
Along with learning air refueling, the Hungarians needed instructor
pilots to maintain the new skills. The Swedish instructor pilots trained
two individuals after they had completed their basic air refueling
training.
"You have to start somewhere," Borgström said. "It is not ideal to
become an instructor when you've just recently done your basic training,
but we show them the tool box so they have a way to move forward with
training."
The tanker and Gripen aircrew flew approximately six hours daily for six
days to ensure the pilots understood their new capability. The training
event also developed better interoperability between the air forces.
"Our job is to sustain and project air power," Kline said, "We're here
to enable the Hungarians with this new military skill set."
After days of performing only dry contacts with the tanker, the pilots
were confident enough and took fuel for the first time, proving they
were ready to perform air refueling safely and correctly.
"For the future of the Gripen fleet, it means we have a capability the
Hungarian air force has never had before," Szvath said. "Our partners
who provided this help to us have written their names in the history of
Hungarian military aviation."
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