Page 36 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

34 EAGLE AND CARBINE
AGC (SPS) DETACHMENT
This Impossible Year
Second Lieutenant E Donbavand AGC(SPS)
No Other Place Than Home
It goes without saying that the past year has been a unique one, not just for the detachment but for the entire globe. We’ve had to become accustomed to extended bouts of solitude, continuing to work from home, hour after hour of zoom calls and in some cases a bizarre and sudden fascination with banana bread. The detachment, however, has embraced this new challenge and absolutely taken it in its stride.
In the absence of ‘normality’, we seemed to find additional ways to remain occupied whilst working from home. The interest in running in particular has shone through, and Captain Darren Stevenson (RAO) remains disappointed that Cpl Thapa managed to beat his mileage in one specific week, due to a sneaky jog suspiciously late on a Sunday night. New PBs have been set by many, including everything from a respect- able 5k to, in LCpl Keicher’s case, multiple half-mara- thons in a single week (ouch).
Private Poaching
Our main effort since the Regiment began becoming more centralised, was Exercise WESSEX STORM. We had four soldiers deploy in non-G1 roles in order
SSgt Cunningham, LCpl Keicher, Lt Donbavand and Capt Stevenson
to support and bolster the Regiment; acting as gun- ners and training in amongst the Squadrons. I cannot recall a more contented gunner than Pte Gurung, who failed to stop smiling from the get-go. LCpl Keicher received a world war-esque field promotion to the lofty heights of Sergeant and was thrust into BGHQ; despite originally deploying in a Squadron G4 role. Pte Rai and Cpl Thapa seemed to be perpetually busy attempting to avoid being poached by the Regiment, and I braced myself for the transfer paperwork when I returned. Fortunately for both myself and the wider Detachment however, it never materialised.
Cpl Thapa, LCpls Keicher & Tasker and Pte Rai