Page 15 - Mercian Eagle 2012

feedback from Officers and NCOs recently returned from Op Herrick. All feedback
was well received by the soldiers and they were eager to learn the intricacies of the contemporary operating environment we are due to face. Part of the Exercise was a clearance of an area of woodland simulating the green zone surrounding the Helmand River. Soldiers found themselves weighed down with close to 40 kg of kit, wading through chest-high mud and water, being able to see only 10m, whilst trying to track insurgents. Five hours
The company found itself on a windswept training area on the South Wales coast, preparing weapons and kit for three days integrating what they had learnt so far with the added pressure of live ammunition.
As usual C Company met the task head- on and performed well during compound clearances and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) drills. A highlight was working with the fire support group vehicles attached for FOB defence scenarios: seeing the fire power that platforms like the Jackal
our role in theatre will be. This was a new experience for the majority of the Company and one which we all enjoyed. The weather at the start of the week was pretty special, with 9 Platoon’s tent filling up with a foot of water. Thankfully the rain eased off and we were able to practise operating with support and attack helicopters which will be invaluable in Afghanistan. We carried out a number of successful operations and finished the FTX confident that we are fully prepared for the tour.
The Platoon deployed at a very high standard for the FTX. The lads were looking forward to seeing how all the assets and agencies in the Battle group would integrate together as they would in theatre. This gave the Platoon the opportunity to meet and work with many other Arms and Services including Medics, Signallers and Cavalrymen. As the Operations Company we will be conducting many operations using support helicopters and the FTX enabled us to use these assets, combined with vehicles to reach our targets. It also gave us the chance to confirm our Standard Operating Procedures that we have been hammering home and refining over the
last six months. Conditions were less than favourable with heavy rain for the first few days, flooding the tented accommodation. This however did not dampen spirits or curb professional competence. And once again feedback from observer/mentors was that C Company was at a very high standard and was well set up to deploy on Op Herrick 17 – Cpl Walls.
This has been a demanding year for
the Company. It has had to be to ensure that we are in the best possible position to deploy on what will be both a difficult and a rewarding tour. All that hard work is now behind us and the Company is ready and looking forward to getting out to Afghan.
later they emerged battered, bruised and dirty but proud of a job well done – Sgt Chambers.
More cascade
training followed
where we started to
concentrate on our live
firing skills. The culmination of this live firing package was three days in South West Wales (as you have no doubt identified, all our training has taken place miles away from Catterick). The Sgt Maj decided to deploy his quad bike on the final attack and after getting stuck in the mud and driving into fences for a couple of hours he decided to go back to the Patrol Base and get a lift on a helicopter. We left South Wales at 8 o’clock in the evening – we have become very good at sleeping on coaches. On
the way home we stopped off at a service station on the M5. It was the early hours
of the morning and it was clear that Burger King had not put their A Team on for that shift and they found it difficult to cope with
a Company of infantry soldiers. Such was the fierceness of the burger-making that two members of their team were awarded gold stars for exceptional valour in the face of a determined customer.
can produce was an impressive sight and a boost for the lads to see what would be backing up the boots on the ground – Cpl Morrish.
The training cycle continued.
After the exercises it was back to Catterick to continue our own training. The soldiers have
undergone a thorough physical training regime in order to ensure they will be fit and able to carry out all tasks while on ops. This has included marches with operational kit, to simulate patrolling. In an attempt to stop boredom setting in on these long marches the soldiers were told to keep their eyes peeled and make a note of markers and objects placed by NCOs on the route – Sgt Chambers
While it looked busy the Company did have time for leave and time in camp
to ensure that the lads were fully rested between the exercises. That said we
all enjoyed the three weeks we had off over summer. The break did us some good because by the time it came to
the last exercise, the Final Test Exercise (FTX), we were ready to go. It started on a Saturday (as all the training has...) and we especially enjoyed the 3 o’clock in the morning departure from Catterick. During the exercise we were able to train using
a number of helicopters, replicating what
All feedback was well received by the soldiers and they were eager to learn...
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
13