Page 63 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

Sniper Platoon OP Herrick 14
During OP HERRICK training the Sniper platoon was split between the 3 Rifle Company’s; LCpl Shaw, Pte Bradley, Pte Brooks and Pte Leach-Asla all going to A Coy; Cpl Sumner, LCpl Coxon, Pte Cormack and Pte Moseley all going to
B Coy and Cpl Vakaudekoro (Vass), Pte Bromley, Pte Green and Pte Straw all going to C Coy. This left Sgt Dayle and myself (WO2 Dearden) to deploy with the Brigade Advisory Group (BAG).
The training was a long and drawn out process with exercises all across the UK from Lydd and Hythe to STANTA then Catterick to Otterburn. Lydd and Hythe was the live firing part where we all got to fire from individual to fire team level. I had the opportunity along with CSgt Fisher (Fish) from Recce to run the live firing Afghan snake - this range was challenging with enemy positions to locate and a casualty to deal with at the end.
All those that went through enjoyed
the training value that it gave them before deploying and even though the weather was against us, morale was high and the real training for Operation HERRICK 14 was under way. After a week of live firing we then deployed to STANTA for the OPTAG part of pre-deployment training, this was
a blank firing exercise
with up to date theatre
specific scenarios.
We all then moved
up to Wathgill camp
in Catterick, which
was a holding area for
Otterburn. At Wathgill
camp we conducted our Team Medic cadre and kept on top of our fitness before forward mounting to Otterburn to conduct more live firing ranges by both day and night.
The snow started falling and temperature dropped but the training went ahead. We started off with a section advance across the open snow fields - we then came under contact from a fleeing enemy and kept advancing forward pushing him back. We then had a casualty so the advance had to stop and the withdrawal started. Everyone was knackered but we all enjoyed it.
We then went on to shotgun and pistol ranges before moving back to Germany after along 4 weeks away. It was then
time for Christmas leave which was well deserved and needed; after this it would be back to the UK again for the final FTX before deploying to Afghanistan.
The time came for the goodbyes and the deployment to Afghanistan, first the snipers from B coy deployed, then 3 weeks later the BAG and last of all A & Coy, 4 weeks after us. Once we arrived at Camp Bastion we were straight into RSOI training for 8 days before getting our medical supplies and body armour plates and deploying all across
teach this weapon - previously no one had been qualified. We then, along with the Danish Snipers went up in the desert, put some security out, and started to teach Marksmanship. The ANA Sgts loved it and, to our surprise were very good - but only out to 200m as this was all we could achieve at this stage.
The ANA Commander was at first very difficult but after Capt Marden and I taught more lessons on map reading to his Officers and Sgts, more person and vehicle search to his warriors, and had Chai every night with him, he then started to trust us. We built a good working relationship with us, which meant all the ANA soldiers respected us and started to listen to us on patrol. We then started to understand their limitations and the Do’s and Don’ts of the Afghan culture.
After being at Bridzar for 3 weeks the temperature started to rise, and you could feel it every day just getting warmer and warmer, so we started to patrol around 0500 and return around 1100, just before the temperature was getting to its highest. Our SOP was to take 4 litres of water and 1 litre of energy drink, along with 4 energy bars and boiled sweets, just so if we had to stay out there any longer than necessary then we had plenty of fluids to take on board.
After being there 6 weeks our AO extended to the west by 2Km, so we had to do a handover takeover with B Coy Danish. There was a big difference between their patrolling and ours, as we never followed
Nes North. Sgt Dayle went with the Recce Tolay Advisory Training Team (TATT), and I went to PB Bridzar along with Captain Marden as the TATT.
Once we arrived at our location we got straight into the
handover takeover patrols with the Danish Coy that were the ground holders and our predecessors as the Advisors for the ANA (Afghanistan National Army). The harvest hadn’t started yet so the fields of view were really good, but the going under foot in some areas was very wet and muddy.
Within the 3 handover takeover patrols it was like being on an OPTAG exercise as we found an IED, had a contact and took some casualties from the Danish Coy. Once our predecessors had left we then got stuck into advising the ANA. At first it was very difficult but when Capt Marden and I started to teach the basics, things started to come together.
When I found 4 X M42 sniper Rifles in their armoury and asked the ANA commander if I could teach his Sgts the weapon and Marksmanship; he was delighted that someone knew how to
Everyone was knackered but we all enjoyed it
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