Page 9 - RADC Bulletin 2019

A large benefit from the exercise was through defence engagement afforded with the Omani Army. This came in the form of
a number of visits and tours around our medical facilities, but also through a series of demonstrations and walk-through talk- throughs of the med chain. Even an Omani dentist came to visit! The ambulance crews, on top of working their on-call shift patterns, put on a series of demos to a seemingly ever-increasing number of high ranking Omani spectators to highlight the key procedures from point of injury to damage control surgery at the Role 2 hospital. They must have been doing something right!
Not wanting to be upstaged, the Omani’s also put together a demonstration. It didn’t run without it’s flaws however, as so many casualties were piled into a helicopter that
it failed to reach higher than 12 feet off the ground. Credit for trying though.
After six weeks in country the exercise began moving forwards. At the start of the week Brigadier Stenning addressed the
full assembly of the battle group based at Shafa, offering words of encouragement and advice before the start of the exercise proper. A distinct change in pace and intensity around camp was noticed by the now well-settled members of the squadron with the final influx of troops. Most notably in the MRS, which had to-date treated over
700 personnel. The dental centre being no exception to the workload. Unsurprisingly the PDU had given up the ghost in its final hoorah, leaving all dental treatment to be performed with a Laerdal Suction Unit (LSU), something that would be outperformed by a COPD patient sucking through a straw. The battlegroup consisting of all the armoured vehicles, infanteers and 5 Armoured
Medical Regiment’s very own Armoured Troop from 24 Squadron departed in high spirits. Marking the start of their long move south as they worked together with Omani counterparts to hone and perfect warfare in a desert environment.
With the focus staying on the battle group now moving south, some members of the squadron were able to escape the flat arid desert for a couple of days adventurous training. LCpl Marcus was able to enjoy the “Wadi walking” experience a couple of hours north of Shafa in the Hajjar mountain range. Jebel Akhdar is a particularly breathtaking corner of the area, which is home to the highest mountain in Oman, Jebel Shams,
at 3000m. Participants were treated to two 15 mile treks around the mountains learning all about the geography and geology of the local area. No chilled alcoholic drinks to round off the days unfortunately, as Oman is a dry country.
Three weeks of arduous desert warfare
training later, SAIF SAREEA III culminated in the firepower demonstration, seemingly the crowning jewel of the exercise. Boasting hellfire missiles, artillery barrages, a parachute insertion and VIPs such as
the Secretary of State for Defence and CGS himself. Dress rehearsals had run swimmingly all week, only for there to be a sandstorm on the day of the races. Despite a howling gale the Omani’s bravely went ahead with the parachute drop; and with only two broken ankles to show for it out of a party of 35. A roaring success! It’s just a shame nobody was able to see it.
With the promise of home on the cards the MRS was collapsed in lightning quick time. What took almost over a week to
erect was dismantled and packed away into iso-containers in just 16 hours. Many of
the squadron now sporting epic squaddie tans for the December weather that awaited them in Catterick, it was home time. Ex SAIF SAREEA III; a fantastic success.
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