RAF MILDENHALL, England --
The 95th Reconnaissance Squadron troops are no strangers to helping the local community.
More than 30 Airmen from the squadron - which performs one to three community projects a year - volunteered their time and service Dec. 6 and 7 at Riverside Middle School in Mildenhall.
They cleared underbrush, removed dead and overgrown trees, leaves and rubbish from an area at the rear of the school which had five year's worth of undergrowth. The aircraft maintenance and aircraft supply troops also filled six skips (dumpsters) with the rubbish, wood, branches and leaves, and put in a total of 243 man-hours to help the school.
"It's important to have a strong, positive community relationship, which strengthens U.S. and U.K. bonds," said Chief Master Sgt. John Matthews, 95th RS Maintenance Operations superintendent. "We normally select a school that needs help because often they don't have funding to complete many projects.
"We collectively decide to do a project after an Airman suggests a project," he said. "We'll start with a survey and then discuss the feasibility and importance, such as children's safety."
The 95th RS team found many items in the overgrown area that could have caused a hazard to the schoolchildren, including an old wire fence, steel framing and concrete slabs, and said the area was an eyesore in the local area.
According to staff at the school, by taking on the project, the servicemembers saved the school about 4,000 pounds.
Editor's note: For video coverage, click here.