Commentary: PCS reflection

  • Published
  • By Maj. Michael Benitez
  • 492nd Fighter Squadron
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  As the days wind down and another assignment draws to a close, I recently took a moment to reflect on my time at RAF Lakenheath.

One particular day, I was waiting in line at the main gate and, it hit me.

For three years, I had been entering the base, greeted by our unwavering gate guard. I'm not talking about our stalwart security forces. I'm talking about the plane on a stick; the F-100 Super Sabre.

Until now, I hadn't given much thought on why it was there. After some digging, I learned that on Jan. 1, 1960, the first F-100s from the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing left their base in France and landed at their new home on RAF Lakenheath.

This F-100 is symbolic of the relationship between the base and the wing. For 56 years and counting, we have been guests in a welcoming country, our adopted home away from home. Over the decades, we have stood together through periods of deterrence, training, adversity, and action. As I looked at these events in more detail, something else became apparent that was truly humbling.

The F-100, while symbolic, is not really history. The history of RAF Lakenheath isn't embodied in a plane on a stick; it's on the flightline. The 76 F-15C Eagles and F-15E Strike Eagles of the 48th Fighter Wing have called this place home since 1992, replacing the wing's F-111s. In the 24 years since Desert Storm, our jets have completed an astounding 31 combat deployments supporting 11 named operations.

Seventy-six F-15s, thousands of combat missions supporting our nation's call, all credited to the millions of hands that played their role. Each one of those missions is a story itself, a tale of the culmination of herculean efforts that are difficult to measure but easy to see. All the while, our local community has cared for thousands of our families when we were away.

RAF Lakenheath's history is not in the past; it's among us now. It is us. Today, the wing has relevancy by proximity, the epicenter of on-call combat air power to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. That's not propaganda. It's a fact. Observed through a larger aperture of time, I'm confident history will look back at the 2011-2016 period of the 48th FW with great significance and pride. I know I will.

The next time you're interrupted or bothered by the noise from formations of F-15s taking off in 20-second trails, think about this: that noise is literally the sound of freedom. Take a pause, and look up. That's Lakenheath history, and you're seeing it first-hand. It's just another day at Lakenheath, and I am humbled and fortunate to have been part of it.