Page 13 - Mercian Eagle 2012

c company
Stomping through the Suffolk countryside on a cold, rainy day and then patrolling through a mock village full of Afghan nationals may strike you as odd. In the context of training for Afghanistan it is a crucial, realistic and very important stepping stone in our training for deployment on
Op HERRICK 17. You just have to suspend disbelief and ignore the fact you are in a field near Thetford.
This has been a year dominated by
the training we have just finished for our upcoming tour of Afghanistan. It has been a very busy year, with huge demands on the soldiers of C Company. I write this as we have just finished our last exercise and the Company has performed well. Lots
of hard work and lots of time away has delivered us to a place where we will now deploy in excellent shape. It all started in Kenya......
OC
2IC
CSM CQMS
7 Pl Comd 7 Pl Sgt
8 Pl Comd 8 Pl Sgt
9 Pl Comd 9 Pl Sgt
Maj E Gaffney Capt R Sawyer WO2 W Glynn Sgt S Jessop
2Lt L Riordan
Sgt T Kauleta
2Lt S Broadhurst Sgt M Chambers Lt S Pope
Sgt K Howard
Exercise ASKARI THUNDER 5 by Lt Luke Riordan
C Company deployed on Exercise ASKARI THUNDER 5 in January 2012. After an enjoyable Christmas leave it was time to go back to work. An MCCP in the early hours and a nine hour flight were the jolt needed to bring us back to reality. Once we landed in Nairobi we had to make the trip to Nanyuki where we would spend the first part of the trip planning the Live Firing Range Package. The package was a good chance to get back to basics and start training afresh, looking to gain a strong foundation of basic skills prior to beginning Mission Specific Training (MST) in the following months.
I started at the basic level, with each soldier taking part in a grouping and zeroing range to make sure each rifle was aligned
to its firer. We moved to operating at Fire Team, Section and Platoon level. It was
quite surreal to be given such freedom out
in the Kenyan bush to plan ranges and situate them where best fitted the needs of the Company. Ranges in the UK can be quite constricted, with many or the longer serving soldiers having visited most that are available on home soil. This was a welcome change. We also completed numerous shoots at night which allowed the new members of
the Bayonets to become acquainted with
the Future Infantry Soldier Technology (FIST) kit. Each soldier was impressed with the capabilities of the Head-Mounted Night Vision System (HMNVS), allowing soldiers to operate with ease in the cooler hours of the night. The heat whilst running down range was difficult to cope with but C Company
did themselves proud and successfully
completed everything that was asked of them, showing true C Company grit and determination throughout.
creature startled but the elephant moved off with no lasting effects.
The exercise went very well for
C Company, the Bayonets taking full advantage of the opportunity to hone
Throughout the planned operations
C Company engaged with the Kenyans who played the role of local
nationals throughout the
Exercise. Many within
the Company found it
enlightening to connect
with those from different
backgrounds and
cultures. All members of
the Company enjoyed
the opportunity to get
their hands on a few
snacks and drinks that
the locals made available.
On completion of
the range package it was time to move to Traco Farm before the deployment onto the operations phase of ASKARI THUNDER 5. We were issued DTES kit from SAAB in order to make the scenarios more realistic, with real casualties being determined by the kit and also the ability to track troop movements on the ground via a GPS. The GPS technology was invaluable during
our after-action review periods in order
to highlight work on points for the future. Captain Sawyer, now Company 2IC for
C Company, enjoyed a brief stint as Recce Platoon Commander during the final part
of the exercise. Dashing about the Kenyan wilderness he came across an elephant whilst moving between rendezvous points. The sheer size of the beast left the smaller
their infantry skills
in a challenging environment. As the Battalion completed its final mission we were
all looking forward to
an excellent Adventure Training package during the final week in Kenya. C Company provided the largest contingent to tackle the arduous climb to the top of Mount Kenya, the second
highest mountain in Africa, some 5199 metres high at its peak. We climbed to a height of 4985 metres to the Point Lenana peak. Those from C Company to complete the demanding four day expedition were Major Taffe, Captain Smyth, Lt Riordan,
Lt Pope, Lt Kersey, LCpl McKeown, Cpl Stevens, Private Higgs, Private Stead
and Private Sturgess. A gruelling task completed, following a demanding exercise made all the more difficult by the slight inaccuracies of the Kenyan road signs which indicate how long remains until
the next stopping point. After conquering Mount Kenya, those individuals joined the rest of the Company for further Adventure Training including kayaking, white water rafting, bungee jumping, rock climbing and mountain biking.
Throughout the planned operations c company engaged with the Kenyans who played the role of local nationals throughout the exercise.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
11