Cadet Flight Sergeant Brandon Wood from 2438 Squadron is the first member of 2438 (Bishop Ullathorne) Squadron to be selected to attend the Junior Leaders Course.

The course is regarded as one of the toughest to pass in the Cadet Forces. Learning skills such as navigation, weapons handling, field craft and executing section attacks on enemy positions are all new challenges that Cadet Fight Sergeant Wood will have to face during the 6 month course.

In order to get onto the course Flight Sergeant Wood had to pass selection weekends, where leadership, presentation skills, interview skills and physical fitness are all tested by the Junior Leaders Directing Staff and external assessors. Having being successful Flight Sergeant Wood is now training to become a Qualified Junior Leader has been issued with all the kit he needs to complete the course.

Already he has completed a day and night navigation exercise, a 10km Timed March across the Yorkshire Dales, as well as learning about writing patrol orders, creating an effective presentation and how to build shelters in the field and complete administration such as cooking and field hygiene.

The training for the Junior Leaders course is extremely arduous, both physically & mentally demanding. Consisting of 9 weekends held from September to March, the students are taught the skills they will require to complete the 10 day "Test Week", where they will operate in a simulated operational environment as a Junior Leaders Squadron, with each member having at least one stint of being a section commander.

Between training weekends students are also required to complete some home study, written assignments, improve their fitness and prepare them-selves for the next stage of the course.

On successful completion of Test Phase, Flight Sergeant Wood will be a Qualified Junior Leader and awarded the Junior Leader Drop Zone (DZ) patch. He will also attend a Graduation Silver Service Dinner in an Officers Mess.

Flight Sergeant Brandon Wood said "It's really an honour to be the first member of 2438 Squadron to embark upon the course, and so far it has shown that my limits, both physical and mental, are much larger than I ever though they could be. I look forward to bringing the skills I learn on the course back to the squadron"