Page 57 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

7 Platoon Sgt Moss
7 platoon has had an extremely busy
period which started with pre deployment training in December 2010 at Lydd and Hythe ranges. We then moved up to Otterburn to acclimatise and conduct
live firing, which saw Pte Hill try and get a ride in a helicopter by throwing himself in a freezing stream. During this period we had a C Company night out in Leeds where the Platoon was introduced to the new Platoon Commander, Lt Graves, and his ungainly attempts with the girls, particularly with a certain RMP.
7 Platoon then went on to enjoy Christmas leave before 1 and 2 Sections of the Platoon came back from leave early in January to help out as GD men on the CALFEX in Castlemartin. 3 Section and I also went to Chatham to complete the All Arms Search Course. We then came back together towards the end of February on Salisbury Plain to conduct the final part of our pre tour training for Op HERRICK 14. This saw us take part in 4 SCOTS’ FTX, conducting serials of the latest TTPs and taking lessons in how to stag on a cordon for 72 hours, in a wood block watching
an IED which the brimstone had missed. Luckily, Pte Jones 54 was lying next to it, as it was pointed out to him, along with a huge amount of massive ground sign.
Our training was now complete, so
April saw us deploy to Bastion where we completed a 7 day RSOI package putting all that we had learnt on our pre tour training into practice. 1 Section under Cpl Buisavu, and 2 Section under Cpl Coates, plus Lt Graves then moved forward to FOB Khar Nikah, while 3 Section under Cpl Lovabalavu and myself remained in Bastion to conduct the final part of our search team training. For a lot of the soldiers, this was the 1st time they had been on an operational tour and the reality was starting to set in.
On the 17 Apr 11, 7 Platoon were complete in Fob Khar Nikah. We were split up as a Platoon which saw Cpl Buisavu’s Section move to PB Bahadur, a small
PB within Khar Nikah overlooking a area known as MURDER WALL and MURDER WOOD - you can guess why... Needless to say, whenever we took a visitor to
PB Bahadur, Cpl Buisavu would always introduce himself and say “Welcome to
PB Bahadur, the most contacted PB in Helmand Province”. They definitely had their fair share of action, but with the help of the local Taliban hunter Torjan, they always came out on top.
Cpl Coates’ Section was deployed
to CP Bahar overlooking a small village called BAM KALAY. This was the smallest of the CPs but they made it their home. Looking at the size of Cpl Coates and Atpr Pownall on return from the tour,
Op Massive was defiantly happening
in CP Bahar - they had a good gym, if nothing else. Again, like Bahadur, they had their fair share of contacts, but due to the rapport they had built up with
the local nationals they gathered a lot
of intelligence and had a lot of walk ins, bringing IEDs which they had found
in their fields, this
potentially saving a lot
of soldiers lives.
Chadwick for dropping me off murder
wall and landing me out of the safe lane
in one of the many night operations we conducted. We somehow made it through.
Lt Graves was given the task of forming the Afghan Local Police (ALP), which was
a group of locals who would be armed and provide security for the local area. This involved some hard work to get the locals to take part in the training but, finally, and by the end of the 6 months there was a ALP CP established and there were 30 policeman trained who would conduct their own patrols to provide security in the area.
During the tour we had one casualty, one of our Royal Artillery FST, LBdr Chaz Michaels, attached to the search section for an Operation in which he stood on a Pressure Plate IED. Luckily it was a partial
detonation and he came away with a broken ankle, but the Platoon wish him all the best in his recovery.
We ended the tour in October and spent 2 days recuperating in Cyprus before heading
home to Germany and back into normal Battalion Life. During the tour we said goodbye to Pte Henworth who was leaving the Army and was replaced by LCpl Smith. We also welcomed Pte Weston to the Platoon as a BCR. The Platoon would like to wish Cpl Lovabalavu and Cpl Coates all the best in there new jobs at ATR Pirbright and ITC Catterick for the next 2 years.
Cpl Bryan in OP Bahadur
Cpl Lovabaluvu’s
Section formed the
search section, and
was commanded by
myself. We were based
out of Fob Khar Nikah
and we conducted a lot of the routine patrols, resupplies of the outstations, and being the lead call sign for the majority of the Company Ops which held a great deal of responsibility, especially for the 2 HORN operators Pte Jones 54 and Pte Gittens who did an outstanding job in clearing the route for the Section in both the day and night. This is a good time to thank LCpl
Cpl Coates enjoying OP Bahar
“Welcome to PB Bahadur, the most contacted PB in Helmand Province”
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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