Page 48 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

One Platoon Op HERRICK 14 Awards:
The Clay Pigeon Award: Pte ‘Shotgun’ Mellor. For timely use of the shotgun.
The Scroungers Award: Lt Fitzpatrick. For never having cigarettes but always asking. The Pretty Boy Award: Pte Smith. Often the reason behind Afghan Police visits to CP MANZIRA.
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Once it was clear to the locals that we were not going to allow them to operate with impunity anywhere near the areas in which we enjoyed some influence, it became easier to convince them that it would be safe to take more of a lead in the maintenance
of the security of the
region. This resulted in
the Village Community
Council (VCC) becoming
more powerful and
respected which allowed
them to establish the
first Afghan Local Police
(ALP) force in the area
– a significant milestone and something of which A Coy were rightly proud. From then on the battle was to continue to develop
the capability of the Afghan Army Platoon, the Afghan National Police (ANP) and our
new ALP – as well as to continue to fight the insurgent and mount operations against him when required. The counter-insurgency campaign was therefore multi-faceted
and nuanced, and often required delicate and intelligent handling even when under
fire. This was all in a tough and unforgiving environment, often
living in the most basic of conditions, but A Company met these challenges head-on
and performed superbly throughout; the situation
we handed over to B Coy 1 YORKS was far improved from that we had taken over. The security infrastructure was improved immeasurably with the establishment of the ANP and ALP, who both worked effectively
alongside the ANA. The area was at last beginning to show signs of development, with the establishment of a school in Rahim Khalay and plans for a new bazaar in the village being particularly noteworthy. The protected area had also more than doubled in size – but most importantly, the locals at last felt that the insurgency was no longer the dominant force in the area, and that their own government might actually deliver the peace and stability they craved. We could have asked for no better testament of our time there.
It was a delight to return to our families in the autumn, but everyone based in Rahim over HERRICK 14 will look back with pride on a job very well done. The Mercian flag may no longer fly over Rahim Khalay, but the A Company legacy will live long in the hearts of its people.
the locals at last felt that the insurgency was no longer the dominant force
One Platoon By Lt Laurence Fitzpatrick
The last twelve months have proved to be a very busy time for the members of 1 Platoon. 1 Platoon deployed on Op HERRICK 14 having completed the full package of pre-deployment training on various training areas throughout the UK.
1 Platoon embarked on pre-deployment training in November 2010 and embarked on the CFX in Thetford. Rotating between various FOBs and Checkpoints (CPs) designed to replicate different Afghan scenarios and environments, the platoon was thoroughly inaugurated into the mechanics of the complex Op HERRICK operating environment. The terrain
varied from the urban environment to the memorable ‘Green Zone’ area. In the replica ‘Green Zone’ area and up to our waists
in mud, the platoon got to grips with the reality of operating in Afghanistan and also discovered that WO2 (CSM) Spiers-King seemed to be the only individual capable of running on water.
In January on the FTX, 1 Platoon braved the arctic climes of Salisbury Plain and when the ‘Taliban’ failed to materialise battled instead with the constant cold. Both exercises provided a good insight into the challenges of operating in Helmand and 1 Platoon departed for Afghanistan in early April ready to deploy and eager to get on with the job.
Once in Afghanistan, having completed the mandatory RSOI package in Camp Bastion, A Company took over the PB Rahim AO from the Irish Guards.
We divided into multiples and immediately moved into a rotation between guard, patrols and manning the various Checkpoints (CPs) around the AO. Throughout the tour, 1 Platoon had to deal
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
Cpl Orton, Ptes Lathbury and Quinlan meeting the local milit
with the full spectrum of insurgent threats. This began early on in the tour when Sgt Buckler along with the men of 10B multiple carried out a multiple-casualty extraction after a grenade attack on a neighbouring CP. The tour was characterised by periods of relative calm sandwiched between periods of frantic kinetic activity. 1 Platoon dealt with frequent small arms attacks on the CPs as well as the complexity of operating within a COIN environment. The men of the platoon also built up a close working relationship with our Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan Local Police (ALP) allies. However, working with the Afghan security forces was not always plain sailing as LCpl James found
out to his horror when confronted with a drugged-up policeman wielding a saw in CP Manzira. The situation was defused with a cigarette and a smile.
On the long, arduous patrols that were conducted frequently within the green zone, 1 Platoon had to contend with the ever-present IED threat as well as the threat of small arms attacks. Despite the ever-present threat, Pte Haddon, attached from 4 MERCIAN, never quite got the grasp of crossing the irrigation ditches and more than once found himself making an unplanned plummet to the bottom.
The tour concluded successfully for 1 Platoon. Having occupied every CP in the Rahim AO, conducted helicopter operations into insurgent-held territory and patrolled exhaustively throughout the area, 1 Platoon emerged unscathed, with the exception
of Cpl Orton who enjoyed a few days in Camp Bastion after a close-encounter with a scorpion.