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

The course is regarded as one of the toughest to pass in the Tri-Cadet Forces. Learning skills such as navigation, L85A2 weapons handling, field craft and executing section attacks on enemy positions are all challenges that Cadet Fight Sergeant Wood has faced 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. One of the biggest challenges was an 18km Forced Route March across the Yorkshire Dales to raise money for the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation.

The training for the Junior Leaders course was extremely arduous, both physically & mentally demanding. Consisting of 9 weekends held from September to March, Flight Sergeant Wood was taught the skills he needed to complete the 10 day "Test Week", where he had to operate in a simulated operational environment as a Junior Leaders Squadron, completing various fighting, recce and clearance patrols, with having a stint of being a section commander, 2IC as well as being a subordinate, even being visited by Air Commodore Ian Stewart, the head of the Air Cadet Organisation! Once back in West Tofts Camp, he had to complete a formal 15 minute presentation, written examination on air power before finally being presented with his Junior Leaders Drop Zone Flash by Officer Commanding Junior Leaders.

Having successfully completed the course, Flight Sergeant Wood is now a Qualified Junior Leader and has been awarded the Junior Leader Drop Zone (DZ) patch. He also attended a Graduation Silver Service Dinner in RAF Honington Officers Mess, the home of the RAF Regiment to celebrate the completion of the course. He is now one of less than 400 people to ever pass out from the Junior Leaders Course, and one of 6 Warwickshire and Birmingham graduates of Junior Leaders 11 Course.

Flight Sergeant Brandon Wood said “Completing the Junior Leaders Course has been one of the proudest moments of my ATC career, simply due to all of the effort put in over the last 8 months of training weekends. Test Week was one of the toughest experiences of my life, you don't really know what its like to be completely tired out until you've completed the final day! I look forward to bringing the leadership skills learnt on the course back to the squadron, and I hope to return to the course next year as a Qualified Junior Leader to help of JL 12".