Page 101 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

EAGLE AND CARBINE 107
OPFOR were given one last opportunity to test their driving skills as part of an air land integration event with the Carrier Strike Group anchored offshore. As drivers evaded camels, goats and date trees, their com- manders scanned the sky for dive-bombing American F-35s. A surreal end to a memorable exercise.
A return to the Renaissance Village in Duqm allowed all ranks to relax, with access to a gym, pool and burger shack, before the adventurous training and cultural visit package commenced. Soldiers were given the opportunity to sail into the Indian Ocean, visit the mosques and museums in Muscat, and even climb the highest peak in Oman, Jebel Shams. Others pre- ferred the pampering and comfort of the nearby hotel and spa. Readers will be reassured to know that even a month in the desert had done little to bronze the com- plexion of the Scottish contingent. Indeed, after a day by the pool the Sergeant Major was looking decidedly more like a Drumstick lolly than a golden Werther’s Original. it appears that sun cream was also just for new guys.