Page 12 - MERCIAN Eagle 2018

2 Platoon – Lt Mann
It is a period of frenetic activity. 2 Platoon of A (Grenadier) Company, striking from their Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicles, won their first victory in the spring of 2018 against the OPFOR of the QRH
on the plains of Alberta, Canada. During
Ex PRAIRIE STORM, the soldiers of
2 Platoon successfully operated in both the mounted and dismounted close combat role in a manner that contributed towards the overall success of A (Grenadier) Company; a Company now on the cusp of deploying as part of the Enhanced Forward Presence to Estonia on Op CABRIT.
Pursued by an insatiable desire to reacquaint with friends
and loved ones after
their time on the prairie,
the men of 2 Platoon raced home aboard
an RAF flight in good order ready to enjoy
a well-earned leave package prior to re- ORBATing with B and C Company in order to
support the Battalion main effort on Ex SAIF SAREEA 3 in Oman. This proved to be an incredibly testing time for the junior leaders of the platoon. They were faced with the immensely daunting prospect of assuming command of fresh crews with little to no experience of working with each other,
on the eve of one of the most significant overseas exercises the British Armed Forces has been involved in this century.
During the respite periods in Canada and Oman, the soldiers have been doing their best to remain on a trajectory that encompasses the diversity of life in an Armoured Infantry Battalion abroad. In
across the plains, they were instead donning chaps and Stetsons whilst riding horses through a phenomenal backdrop. Other soldiers exploited the opportunity to travel across North America with a hire car, a fistful of dollars, and voracious longing to get well acquainted with our cousins. It is safe to assume that everybody involved had an excellent time.
For the final time this year, the soldiers and officers of 2 Platoon find themselves
in the organised tumult of pre-deployment training prior to Op CABRIT in March 2019. The platoon has its full complement of
men and vehicles; a completed ORBAT; and a wealth of experience to rely upon from the last year. Although we regularly march into operations with those from other cap badges, we do so with the ferocious yearning to STAND FIRM and STRIKE HARD regardless.
Pl Comd Pl Sgt WR Sgt
Lt Mann Sgt Angus Sgt Gardner
This proved to be an incredibly testing time for the junior leaders of the platoon.
Canada, several soldiers were given the opportunity to conduct AT in the beautiful, picturesque mountains of the Rockies.
A stark contrast
to the preceding weeks in which they were operating and commanding warriors
10
AFVs of A (Grenadier) Company / BATUS / May 18
THE MERCIAN EAGLE