100th ARW commander welcomes newly-elected local civic leaders

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rachel Waller
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Col. Christopher Kulas, 100th Air Refueling Wing commander and his wife, Nicole, hosted a New Mayor's Barbecue for the newly elected mayors and chairmen of the parish, district and county councils at their home Aug. 20.

The New Mayor's Barbecue began in the early 2000's as an informal event where the new leaders are educated on the base's mission here to further their understanding of what happens at RAF Mildenhall on a daily basis.

"By providing education, we empower them to answer basic questions and more importantly, counter misinformation," said Sal Davidson, 100th ARW community relations adviser.

The wing commander briefed the mission overview which included history on RAF Mildenhall's World War II involvement, the current air refueling mission and an overview of the tenant units' missions.

Kulas said during the briefing that between RAFs Mildenhall, Lakenheath and Feltwell, more than 20,000 active duty Service members, civilians and their dependents live in the East Anglia communities.

"I think all the civic leaders will agree that it was good to have this brief, so we know what's actually going on at RAF Mildenhall, because we do get asked about it," said Councillor John Powley, Cambridgeshire County Council. "It was very useful to have had this brief."

After the mission overview, the civic leaders were invited to the wing commander's house for a line-dancing demonstration and a Tex-Mex style lunch.

"Thank you, Chris and your staff at RAF Mildenhall for your hospitality," said Powley.