s/Friendship /Friendship FEATURES
Onwards to Odiham; a little older and a little wiser but, none the less daunted by the prospect of leading my own section. Had I realised that I would be going to war within 4 months of arriving I might not have been so keen to join the Joint Helicopter
Force!! The 2 years that lay ahead were the most challenging and sometimes the most terrifying I have known. Sitting in a tent in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert when the alarms
sounded for the first scud attack sounded concentrated ones’ mind. Yet the camaraderie I discovered with 18 Squadron was unique. Reminiscences of exceptional people surrounding me during sandstorms and baking hot temperatures linger even now…
The time came for a sojourn to Brize and the Transport fleet. Life behind a desk instead of living in a tent but, times were no less testing. The demands of scheduling the transport fleet made my head ache with the never ending logistical puzzle of matching assets to task. I was only too happy when the desk officer rewarded me with a posting to Naples to work with NATO Maritime Patrol aircraft. The difficulty of accepting the work ethics of the different nationalities was challenging but, the biggest test was traveling to work, which was so much more than I bargained for. ‘Wacky races’ would be one way to describe a journey on the Tangeziale! (Neapolitan
equivalent of the M25). Cheekily some of my friends pointed out that my driving style came to match the locals (and they would be right!!). Yet the ‘Italian Job’ in Bella Napoli was exceptional and thoroughly enjoyable not to mention the Vino Rosso and gelato consumed!
The Mediterranean odyssey came to abrupt end with my selection to become an Aide de Camp at RAF High Wycombe where Cappuccino’s were to be replaced with endless cups of tea. Jesting aside this privileged role allowed me to see the senior machinations of the service. The challenges of senior level decision making and the work ethic required to reach the highest echelons. However, it is often who you know rather that what you know so the friendships I’d made through my service to date were of great assistance to me as I escorted AOC 22 Gp the length and breadth of the land; his remit being so large!
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