352nd SOW secretary provides extra support to commander, Airmen

  • Published
  • By Gina Randall
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  (Editor's note: This is the second installment of a two part series on commander's secretaries and their importance to the mission).

With the recent transition from group to wing, the 352nd Special Operations Wing is growing. It's unique and bustling mission takes a myriad of individuals working together on a daily basis to get the job done.  For one office in particular, that workload has seen a significant increase.

"We stood up March 23 and have been very busy getting practices settled and adjusting to becoming a wing, rather than a tenant unit on base," explained Marlene Teekell, 352nd SOW commander's secretary and protocol liaison officer.

With the new wing, the commander has increased responsibilities, so he turns to his secretary for extra support, and at the 352nd SOW, the secretary is happy to step up for her leadership.

"This is a great time to be a part of the 352nd as we establish how to become a wing with our policies and procedures," Teekell said. "We have an amazing group of people working here, and we're getting the mission done while also working everything from performance reports and scheduling appointments, to general taskings that come through the commanders for review."

Running a wing can be a complicated job and equates to a full day for the commander, and this trickles down to his staff's workload.

"It's very hectic and things change from day to day. There is no normal day here," Teekell said. "We do a calendar review, take phone calls and normal secretary duties, but there are so many other things I do. I handle all the travel orders, and the commander travels quite frequently in his dual roles as the commander of both the Joint Special Operations Air Component for Europe, and the 352nd SOW."

Teekell is not alone in her tasks, but her uniformed coworkers must take time to keep their skills in their primary duty current to ensure they are mission ready at all times.

"We have two executive officers and they are amazing," Teekell said. "They are both flyers, so they fly twice a week and rotate out as needed. We have a great team, and I absolutely love working with them."

It's her love for people that made her apply for this demanding role.

"When the position came available, I thought 'That's my job, I want that job!" Teekell exclaimed. "I love the dynamics of working with people and the coordination of events. I love working with the commanders, seeing the new families arrive and witnessing retirements -- I get to see the beginning to the end of careers, and I enjoy being a part of it."

She has a strong tie to the military -- past, present and future family members call the life of service home.

"My dad was retired military, my husband is active duty, both my boys are serving in the military, as well as my daughter-in-law," Teekell said. "My oldest son has been in for a year this month and my youngest son is currently in basic training. My daughter-in-law is in public affairs technical school. So our entire family is in the Air Force."

She enjoys the military lifestyle but was unable to join due to health reasons. As a civilian, she's able to serve in a support capacity. The role of a secretary is demanding, but for Teekell she has an additional role she gives 100 percent.

"I am the wing secretary and also the protocol liaison officer, so I am dual-hatted," she said.

Her role as secretary takes the majority of her time, but she's committed to providing her unit quality support in all her tasks.

"Then you bring in the protocol piece," she laughed after explaining her duties as secretary. "We don't have a protocol office, so I'm the focal point for the 1,200 personnel in the wing to coordinate all the protocol taskings."

She enjoys the responsibility to her unit and her leadership as they take care of their job.

"Working here in the 352nd SOW has been my favorite job," she added. "I love the camaraderie here; we're like a family. I can't explain the dynamics of how special it is here, seeing the mission. This is why it's important I make sure I'm taking care of the people in my unit."

Her leadership sees the value of their support system each day.

"Marlene is a great Airman," said Col. William Holt, 352nd SOW commander. "Her guiding hand in our wing front office is very much appreciated. As an Air Commando organization, we are by definition, lean, and the tireless support Marlene provides keeps us balanced and mission ready. In other words, Marlene is our secret weapon!"