Page 36 - MERCIAN Eagle 2017

CO 2 MERCIAN Foreword
Lt Col B M Wilde
As Commander 7th Infantry Brigade remarked to the Commanding Officer not long before this year’s series of deployments commenced, it is difficult to imagine how any Light Role unit across the Army could have had a busier year. For the second half of the year, with simultaneous deployments to
Iraq, the Falkland Islands and South Sudan, we were the most heavily committed operational unit
in the Army, with the Battalion spread across four separate continents (Europe, Asia, Africa and South America) and spanning thousands of miles. With heavy commitments also placed upon us through the pre-deployment period, we might have forgiven ourselves for the occasional oversight or error in such an intense year. However, not only was every challenge met with professionalism, humility and focus, but the men and women of 2 MERCIAN stood head and shoulders above those around them in every situation.
Through the pre-deployment period, we would have much preferred to concentrate purely on preparing ourselves for the forthcoming operational challenges. However, we had the added complexity of taking a large
Company were the vital component in preparing the UK Task Force for Op TRENTON in South Sudan; quickly getting to grips with the nuances
of operating in a UN context and in support of a mission that was primarily an engineering task. Dragon Coy showed the Royal Anglians that they can operate just as easily as Rifle Platoons on a gruelling Ex WESSEX STORM on Salisbury Plain. Malta and Kohima Coys’ outstanding performances in Thetford on their test exercises were reflected
in MTMC remarking that 2 MERCIAN were the best SHADER Battlegroup they had seen. With widespread praise ringing
detachment of officers and
NCOs to Uganda, to prepare
Ugandan troops for their
Somali mission, and then
took on the UK’s Standby
Battalion commitment while
also focussing on critical
preparation for operations.
Fortunately, our sandbag-
filling skills were not called for,
and despite some nervous
moments when terror attacks
at Westminster and Borough Market unfolded, we were not required to deploy in support of the police. However, the training required and readiness activity that these commitments entailed were conducted with thoroughness and dedication – but were a distraction we could probably have done without.
When it came to the main training activity, 2 MERCIAN shone. Grenadier (Champion)
The 2 MERCIAN Battalion Command Group maintaining there marksmanship skills on the range during OP SHADER
in our ears at the end of our training, we faced our various operational deployments with confidence.
Mercian soldiers
have always conducted themselves on operations with courage, skill, determination, compassion and dedication. While we were less in the firing line than we were on previous
campaigns in Southern Iraq and Afghanistan, in each deployment there was the real possibility that we would be in harm’s way. In each operational theatre there were delicate political and diplomatic overtones that we had to take into account when dealing with the local people, partnered forces
or UN and NATO allies. In each deployment, as expected, we were not found wanting.
‘With widespread praise ringing in our ears at the end of our training, we faced our various operational deployments with confidence’
2MERCIAN