Photo By Staff Sgt. Nicholas Swift | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kate Allen, 351st Air Refueling Squadron boom operator,...... read more read more
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ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England-- In an organization of more than one million people, it can be hard to stand out. However, those truly committed to excellence are often given the best opportunities to shine amongst the rest. To many non-commissioned officers, mentoring a new airman is a challenging task, but to Staff Sgt. Kate Allen it comes as second nature.
“I remember as a young Airman sitting in the sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) class and noticing that all of the other people in the class weren’t really engaged,” Allen said. “I thought that if I could just teach it that maybe I could make it interesting enough that people would want to engage (more).”
This moment in her career was when Allen knew that she wanted to become a mentor to younger Airmen. Not only to her unit, but to all of the new Airmen who came to base.
“As soon as I got to Mildenhall I emailed our SAPR office asking how I could get involved, and how I could teach it,” Allen said. “I just really wanted to be involved so that I could make a difference.”
Allen officially works as the NCO in charge of the 351st Air Refuelling Squadron’s developmental flight, also known as the “A-Flight”. This means she instructs any new Airmen on how to perform job duties, and basic Air Force knowledge that Airmen often have questions about.
Allen explained that all new Airmen in the 351st ARS attend the A-flight’s mission continuation program to get them fully ready and deployable. She added that, “this allows me to help them because when they get here with their training folder, they may not know or understand how to do the tasks they’re given.”
Having earned a bachelor’s degree in teaching English, and using her background knowledge as a cross-flow boom operator, she uses her skills to lead the next generation of Airmen in the right direction.
“I love mentoring. In addition to SAPR I became a First Term Airman Course instructor for RAF Mildenhall,” Allen said. “I like getting to directly influence people, getting to talk to them and hearing their different perspectives and opinions.”
Typically, Airmen who work with a particular aircraft like boom operators tend to stay with a single air frame for the duration of their career. Allen, however, is unique having started on KC-10 Extenders at Joint Base McGuire, NJ before transitioning to RAF Mildenhall’s KC-135 Stratotankers.
Switching aircraft whilst maintaining one’s job is referred to as cross-flowing, or cross-flow airmen, and is a rarity in the Air Force. This is due to the amount of time and funding required to have an Airman cross-flow.
In Allen’s case, she attended training at Altus Air Force Base, Okla. for months before she could relocate to RAF Mildenhall. Allen’s family had to remain at McGuire during this period, which included her newborn son.
“My son was only seven months old at the time when they asked, 'Do you want to go to 135s?’,” said Allen. “I had originally wanted to cross train, but this was an opportunity so I took it.”
Being a new mom and halfway across the country didn’t stop Allen from teaching new Airmen as much as she could. Using her prior experiences she was able to stand out as a class leader in the training course.
“It helped a lot because I knew pretty much all the information, I just had to learn a different aircraft,” said Allen. “I was able to mentor all of my classmates on how to talk over the radio, how to control fuel flow and really just help the younger Airmen who didn’t know how to be a boom operator.”
Whether it’s at home, or beyond, Staff Sgt. Allen has distinguished herself as someone who strives to lead.
“It’s just such a cool opportunity to have, because you’re basically getting to shape new Airmen,” said Allen. “Giving them the support and guidance helps me feel like I’m leading them down the right path.”
| Date Taken: | 10.25.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2021 04:55 |
| Story ID: | 408181 |
| Location: | ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, ENG, GB |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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