A DALGETY BAY woman has been recognised in the King's New Year Honours for her service as an RAF Reservist.
Sergeant Joyce Soutar, 65, has been awarded a King's Volunteer Reserves Medal after spending near four decades as a reservist with the Royal Air Force.
The retired Lochgelly High PE teacher was delighted – and shocked – to learn she was to receive the honour.
"I thought they were phoning me to ask me to work with the cadets," she told the Press. "There are 11 that get awarded every year. I am the lowest rank that has got it. It was a surprise. I think it was the fact that I have 37 years' services."
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Over her years of service, Joyce has travelled the world and has been mobilised to places including Afghanistan, Muscat and Cyprus.
During the coronavirus pandemic, she served with air transport security at RAF Brize Norton.
"I have been in field operations then intelligence," she explained. "For the mobilisations, I would be away for a year at time. I was quite fortunate to get the extension as you are meant to retire at 60."
Joyce received a personal letter of congratulations on her "prestigious" achievement from the RAF Chief of Staff, Sir Richard Knighton.
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