Page 13 - QDG Volume 9 No. 2 2021

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 11
which the Squadron would be able to turn-around and redeploy to the USA for Exercise Rattlesnake, no mean feat given the busy start to the year. In spite of this, we accomplished the impos- sible and were soon boarding flights to the United States. It is testament to the industriousness of A Sqn’s SNCO cohort that we were able to deploy in such good order, but particularly to Sgts Hatton and Edwards who had been instrumental in the turnaround from Cyprus.
On paper, Exercise Rattlesnake appeared to be the perfect opportunity to escape the UK. In particular, the promise of warm Louisiana weather and world-re- nowned Southern cuisine appeared to offer what one might consider to be close to a holiday, and certainly welcome respite from a drizzly Great Britain. There- fore, morale again peaked.
Expectation and reality of course did not marry up. The first week in the US was too cold even to conduct acclima- tisation PT, and persistent rain again scuppered any chance of a sun-tan. The food meanwhile was undoubtedly ‘authentic’, however many were shocked to discover what exactly authentic meant. Morning gruel, of the kind that would make Oliver Twist say: ‘Please, no more’, was usually followed by inordinate amounts of M&Ms and high-fructose corn syrup. The accommodation, mean- while, was a shed.
In what is probably an apt allegory for American culture as a whole, what we lacked in basic (and some would say universal) necessities, we were spoiled in regard to free guns. Each mattress hid a long forgotten M4, every second locker a Grenade Machine Gun. Sadly, these had to eventually be returned, to the disap- pointment of those who had hoped to smuggle them back to the UK.
After arrival, A Squadron embarked on
Morning gruel, of the kind that would make Oliver Twist say: ‘Please, no more’
a further four weeks of gruel-
ling live and blank training,
taking place in a forest
the size of Salisbury Plain.
Despite frictions with the
jungle-like terrain, frequent
tornadoes, and all manner
of venomous wildlife, the
squadron acquitted itself exceptionally well and were
recognised as such by the
US Brigade Commander.
The standout achievement
was undoubtedly the fact that by the end of the exercise we had inserted ourselves further into enemy territory and occupied urban observation posts in the enemy’s base location. Sgt Speed can regale in detail the sacrifices that must be made to live for days in a small attic, although he has sworn Cpls Bould and Woodward – the only witnesses – to secrecy.
Post-exercise, and with a lakeside R&R complete, we boarded our flight and departed back to the UK. Our American hosts lived up to the famous hospitality for which they are rightly known, and we parted with fond memories of working alongside them. The fondest of these however are undoubtedly possessed by LCpl Furley.
Summer Pre-Deployment Training
Having just about decompressed after two further weeks of isolation, the soldiers of A Squadron were once again thrown back into the mixer, and Pre-De- ployment Training (PDT) commenced with immediate vigour. As a nebulous but ever-growing list of qualifications and courses became clearer, it began to become apparent how little all of us would be spending in camp over the subsequent six months. A multitude of training events ensured that the summer period flew by in a flurry of activity.
Particularly welcome was the news that none of our prior two live fire training events counted towards our prepa- rations for Op NEWCOMBE. Thus, we embarked in June for a further two weeks of firing, the announcement of which was met with cheers of jubilation by our soldiers, ecstatic as they were to be spending yet more time in the field.
To list all of the remaining courses and events in this article would be a feat in itself, and if I am honest, even I cannot remember how I spent my July. One performance, however, that deserves particular mention is the All Arms Search course, conducted by two of our troops. Both Troops performed to an exceptional standard, with 1st Tp in particular high- lighted as the best group to have passed in recent years, and Cpl Mathieson receiving an Instructor Recommend to return to the school there. Their reward, unfortunately, was to all catch Covid on the Friday that summer leave started.
Mystery Cheese...