In the U.K, She Serves Military Families—and Her Own Son
During the Month of the Military Child, RAF Mildenhall Exchange’s Susan Kolbe presents a Military Brat patch to her son, Jonathan. Jonathan is stationed 10 miles away at RAF Lakenheath. Both installations are in the United Kingdom.
RAF MILDENHALL, U.K. – Nearly 20 years ago while living with her Airman husband, and their three children in Sembach, Germany, Susan Kolbe began feeling like she and her military family were part of something equally as important—the Exchange family.
Her boys would ride their bikes to the Exchange shoppette for milk and treats. The Kolbes and associates knew each other’s names. Neighbors in their base housing worked at the post Exchange.
“As our family moved from base to base over the years, it was always welcoming to go to the Exchange facilities,” said Kolbe, who once worked at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., where her son, Jonathan is stationed. She is now sales & merchandise manager at RAF Mildenhall Exchange 10 miles away from Lakenheath. “Our children would play together at the park, and these individuals were very much a part of my military family and the Exchange family.”
Years later, Kolbe reflected, the two types of families are so intricately entwined that nobody can break the bond.
“The Exchange family has the honor to serve our military men and women and their families,” Koble said. “Many of our Exchange family members also have served or have spouses who serve, so we’ve been on the other side of the counter, so to speak.”
Landing a job at Anthony’s Pizza
Susan Kolbe greets a friend who served with her husband at Tyndall AFB.
Kolbe served as an Airman at Nellis NFB, Nev., from 1986 to 1990. With her honorable discharge in hand and 2-year-old son, Jonathan, in tow, she followed husband Drew, also an Airman, to his next assignment in Sembach. Their next two sons—Michael and Chris—were born in Germany.
“The Exchange family has the honor to serve our military men and women and their families. Many of our Exchange family members also have served or have spouses who serve, so we’ve been on the other side of the counter, so to speak.”
By 1999, the family was back in the States at Eglin AFB, Fla., where Kolbe started her Exchange career working in a seasonal job. A few months later, she and her children followed her husband to Tyndall AFB, Fla., where she landed a job at Anthony’s Pizza. After a year, she became a supervisor at the restaurant.
While at Tyndall, Drew retired as a master sergeant after 21 years. Jonathan worked as a custodian at Tyndall’s Exchange while in high school before joining the Air Force in 2007. Michael worked at the Class Six store before heading off to college.
Joining Jonathan
Fast forward to 2015 …  Jonathan, as an Airman, was assigned to Korea and then to the United Kingdom’s RAF Lakenheath.
“I had decided to go mobile and started looking for other Exchange job opportunities,” Kolbe said. “Drew and I were discussing places we would not mind going to, and, lo and behold, about a week after finding out Jonathan would be going to Lakenheath, I saw a job posting for a branch manager at the Lakenheath Express. I decided to go for it.”
‘My Mildenhall family’
General Manager Ed Hicks hired her in 2015, and she started about 11 months before Jonathan arrived at the installation.
“Like nearly all of our Exchanges around the world, Team Mildenhall is made up of many Veterans, dependents and military brats, and for that matter so is the entire UK East Consolidated Exchange team,” Kolbe said. “It has been an extreme honor to be a part of both the military family and Exchange family throughout the years. I wouldn’t trade anything for the experiences I’ve shared with my families: my military families, my Lakenheath family and now my Mildendall family.”
