Page 28 - Cadet Review Spring 2025

 CEY Wing ATC
EXERCISE
MAROON
EAGLE
By Civilian Instructor Ben Haslam
On the 25th October 2024 I had the incredible
opportunity to travel to Washington DC on Exercise
Maroon Eagle, with 10 other Qualified Junior
Leaders (QJLs) from Junior Leaders Course 24,
for 10 whole days. This was only made possible by
funding from The John Thornton Young Achievers
Foundation (JTYAF), with Junior Leaders and
the JTYAF supporting each other for 15 years,
JL24 Course managed to raise £29,000 for them,
a testament to the strong relationship between
both organisations. The opportunities that this trip
provided were second to none.
We were allowed into areas most Americans
struggle to gain access to, and we spoke to many
inspirational individuals in positions of authority
about high level leadership topics. We learnt and
gained crucial experience from these individuals in
order to better ourselves, ready for the challenges
and future careers that await all 10 of us in the
foreseeable future. The group had the chance to
28 CADET REVIEW SPRING 2025
explore the heart of the nation's history, visiting
iconic landmarks like the Washington Monument,
the White House, Arlington National Cemetery
and an incredible number of memorials. Each stop
offered valuable lessons in leadership, history, and
responsibility. At almost all of these stops, one of the
QJLs would talk about a leader they have researched
offering even more insight into not only current
leadership, but also prominent positions of authority
throughout history. Throughout our time in America,
we had several VIP tours of buildings such as the
Pentagon, seeing the 911 chapel and monument
alongside many different departments and
individuals; the Capitol Building and the Supreme
Court, a massive insight into both the Legislative
and Judicial branches of the government; FBI HQ,
which offered a look at the FBI’s history and purpose;
the FBI Academy Quantico, an exclusive view at the
state-of-the-art facility which trains FBI Agents
and so many more unique, and ultimately off-limits,
buildings just to name a few.
Exposure to such powerful institutions, thought-
provoking memorials and iconic landmarks, all
laced with the brilliant talks by my peers (and
myself I suppose?) all gave us new knowledge and
strengthened a sense of purpose in each of us. Above
all, It fostered a far deeper understanding of what
it means to be in a position of leadership in today's
world. The trip was not only educational but also