Page 16 - MERCIAN Eagle 2022

OC Maj Onion 2IC Capt Keenan
Lt Blackstone CSM WO2 Coates
WSM WO2 Kolodynski
14
B (Malta) Company
Maj Tom Onion
Arriving in B (Malta) Company in June
2022, I was firstly impressed to see the outrageously fit, disciplined and impressive – yet still charismatic – Mercian warriors
my predecessor Maj Paul Marriott had developed during his time in post. Paul’s hand over / take over to me was so in depth that I thought he may have very well birthed the majority of B (Malta) Company soldiers himself, and he (and WO2 Mark Sumner) had left behind a Company in the finest state I could have hoped for. Big shoes to fill. Yet the Company need not have worried, for it almost simultaneously gained WO2 (CSM) Coates with his meticulous eye to detail, and ability to ruthlessly keep the
new OC in check. All of this ‘command churn’ was afforded and ably supported
by the continuity and thorough expertise found in the second in
command, Capt Adam
Keenan, and Warrior
Sergeant Major, WO2
Kolodynski.
and delivered excellent training. Cpl McKeown’s performance in particular sticks in my mind whereby, with
my guidance perhaps failing to consider wind direction, his excellent use of smoke almost gassed the Chief of the General Staff. The
Regimental community should be proud
of the performance of our soldiers on this task where we ably supported our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are now fighting for their country as I type.
The victorious B (Malta) Company boxing team
Having returned from Op INTERFLEX,
B (Malta) Company was re-aligned to the Army’s core purpose; training to deter,
and if necessary, fight and win a land
war in Europe. Having missed out on
Ex IRON STORM (see previous pages for
A (Grenadier) Company dits), the Company has spent the latter half of the year focussed on training Warrior drivers, commanders and gunners such that we can be held at readiness as part of the 1 MERCIAN Lead Armoured Battle Group (LABG). The Bn took on the role as the LABG in October 22, with events in Ukraine focussing our minds on readiness.
Concurrently, the Company absorbed a
After only two
weeks in command,
the Company was
deployed at very
short notice on Op
INTERFLEX, a training
mission whereby we
were charged with teaching the basics of soldiering to 200 newly recruited Ukrainian soldiers. Whilst there are too many individual examples of excellence to list here, to a man, our junior NCOs stepped up
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
With my guidance perhaps failing to consider wind direction, his excellent use of smoke almost gassed the Chief of the General Staff
Exercising the freedom of Nottingham