Page 9 - Bugle Spring 2024

1 RIFLES
CENTRAL ASIA BUGLING TOUR
In November a team of three departed for Central Asia to provide musical support and defence engagement at events and locations in the region. The team arrived in Almaty then split; with Cpl Sheppard heading off to Dushanbe, Tajikistan and with Rfn Crouch and Lt Penny heading to Astana, Kazakhstan.
After the challenge of ordering lunch through a mixture of pointing and hand signals from a server, the Kazakh team headed to the German Armed Forces Day hosted by the German embassy
at the suave Rixos Hotel. The ‘life of
a Rifleman’ performance went down well between the pretzels, schnitzels, and steins.
Both teams provided bugling support to Remembrance Sunday events
in Dushanbe and at
the Defenders of the
Motherland Monument
in Astana; where grey
coats were worn to
help fight the Steppe
winds, a stark
contrast to Cyprus!
The teams then started their journey to becoming social
media sensations with media activities at
the embassies and different key locations throughout the two capitals. Cpl Sheppard in the ramparts of Hisor Fortress and the Kazakh team in the ‘Dubai of the Steppe.’
The Kazakh team then moved to Bishkek where they were to support the King’s Birthday celebrations. The Riflemen in their rightful place at the front and the flanks of the stage
during the speeches and anthems. A very successful trip to a different part of the
world showing central Asia the utility of the Bugle.
Lt Will Penny, OC 3 Pl
The ‘life of
a Rifleman’ performance went down well between the pretzels, schnitzels, and steins
1 RIFLES in Bishkek with the Central Asian DA, Lt Col Baxter
Cpl Sheppard in Dushanbe
Lt Penny and Rfn Crouch in Astana
RIFLES The Bugle 9