While I was there we served as the host to the USAF RAF exchange talks so got to meet a number of folks such as Tony Mason that went on to be senior leaders in RAF. We also served as consultants to the Warrior Prep Center at Einsiedlerhof. I was in Checkmate when we did the 31 Initiatives between AF and Army. Joe Redden led that effort with Lance Smith helping.
We did the yearly swap thing with the RAF AWC. First they were at RAF Bentley-Priory and then moved to the Thompson Building at RAF Waddington.
Air Commodore Harwood is a good guy, always took good care of us. . .and we them when they made their US visit.
Took them on a tour of the White House.
Had a friend that was the USAF mil aide to Gore. The tour started at 1930hrs and he escorted us around then all of a sudden there was a lot of commotion and we were hustled into a narrow long closet and told to hush, to not make a sound. All of use were in there, too include a Royal Navy Captain, an RAF Group Captain and an RAF Air Commodore, huddled in a closet, silenced and wondering what was going on.
We heard muffled voices and soft steps going by and then shortly thereafter were allowed out. We asked, ‘What the he**?”
We were then told it was the Hidebeast. She was walking from the East Wing to the West Wing and she had a policy that she was not to see ANYONE or HEAR anyone when she walked the halls of the White House. Therefore when she was on the move the Secret Service went into over-drive to clear the hallways.
Welcome to the states, our dearest allies, and here is the inside of a West Wing closet.
Embarrassing.
Oh, and we met Lance during our visits to Maxwell.