Page 67 - MERCIAN Eagle 2018

OP TORAL – Cpl Bundhoo
I deployed to Afghanistan as part of UK’s
uplift of 440 troops to operations in Kabul. As 2 MERCIAN personnel, we were there to provide protection to NATO and coalition mentors who met daily with Afghans at national defence and security institutions in the capital.
Kabul is no longer like the image you typically see of British Troops fighting in Helmand; our role is now to provide personal protection to NATO advisors helping the Afghans in Kabul.
My tour to Afghan was both challenging and enjoyable at the same time. I was
working alongside the UK National Support Element where they were administering other units including IA’s and I was responsible for the 2 MERCIAN contingent of c100 personnel. My job consisted of almost all tasks you would carry out back in the unit plus other tasks like booking helicopter flights, OPLOCing, PERSREPs, dealing with other nations daily and other administrative duties.
I managed to get myself on an escort duty to the MOD building which was challenging and a good experience at the same time. As soon as you step out of the
main gate, you could notice a difference in the atmosphere; locals staring at you all the way which makes you unsure if they are friendly or just as apprehensive as you are.
Although being on a very busy schedule, we managed to squeeze in an Inter Nation competition consisting of four different events – Volleyball, Cav Pull, Stretcher race and 5 km dash where we secured second place out of six different nations.
The highlight of my tour was flying on the Black Hawk at least once a fortnight!
My Triple Crown Challenge 2018 Experience – Cpl Rachel Green
I was feeling both happy and determined
to find I had the opportunity to attend this year’s Triple Crown Challenge (TCC); having missed it the previous year as I was on my CLM course so was limited to spectate.
The TCC is famous for always being a great experience where you work hard and get to catch up with fellow SPS members who you might not have seen for years, this year was
no different. In my three previous TCCs, I was part of the March & Shoot F/T and I always got such satisfaction on completing the event even though I have never won. This year, as part of the 2 MERCIAN Det,
I had the pleasure of being part of the Mill Skills F/T which required a slightly different skill set and different preparation; focussing
much more on speed over five miles than endurance over twelve.
Our F/T completed the event with a respectable time and scored well on all
the Mil Skills stands. I now look forward to hopefully competing in the Cyprus TCC next year and seeing how that compares to the one in the UK.
Triple Crown Team formed from the 2 MERCIAN Det competed in the Military Skills event
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
65