Page 481 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
Op HERRICK
Camp Bastion
Camp Bastion was the main British military base in Afghanistan. Accommodating twenty- eight thousand people it is situated northwest of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, and existed to be the logistics hub for operations in Helmand. It was the largest British overseas camp built since World War Two.
Early 2006 saw RE and contractors building the fortress in a remote desert area at a great distance from any towns. Just over 100km Northwest of Kandahar, 35km West of Gereshk and 20km Northeast of Lashkar Gah. At the time, with the exception of the Camps Shorabak and Tombstone, Bastion sat isolated and alone in the flat, chalk dusty environs of the Afghan desert. Only the distant blue peak of Kuh-e-Qeysar and foothills of the Sanglakh Mountain Range to the north broke the desolate, powdery expanse. Over four-miles long by two-miles wide, it had a busy airfield and a field hospital and originally provided full accom- modation for the two thousand men and women. The base expanded from Bastion 1 to Bastion 2 in late 2006, and even later Camp Bastion 3.
MWD teams were deployed on Op FINGAL in early 2003 and located in Camp Souter, Kabul. In March 2006 UK Task Force Helmand Province began tasking MWD assets from Kabul, and in July 2006 what was formally a MWD Section was uplifted to form TMWDSU (Theatre Military Working Dog Support Unit). The Unit strength was seventeen, with an OC and TMWDA (Theatre Military Working Dog Advisor), and fifteen MWD teams, these teams were deployed within Kabul, Bastion, Lashkar Gah and Gereshk.23
Op HERRICK 3/4
In February 2006, LCpl Steve Hood RAVC deployed to Lashkar Gah, while Sgt ‘Geordie’ Cunningham and LCpl ‘Bez’ Bezidenhout were deployed to Kabul via Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, to take over from Cpl ‘Mac’ McLean, who had been supporting the newly deployed troops ‘down there’.
The handlers boarded their C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to Kandahar Airfield and then transferred onto an Australian Chinook to Lashkar Gah. Steve Hood recalled the journey:
It had started to get dark by the time we had boarded the Chinook Support Helicopter – the trusty ‘work horse’ moving troops and supplies constantly. I decided
to get some sleep during the hour-long flight; the other handler, Sgt Geordie Cunningham was first on and next to the door gunner, with myself following and then a US Army Sergeant next to me. The reason I remember this so well is because halfway there, both Australian door gunners started firing into the desert, all the hot brass was bouncing off Sgt Cunningham’s helmet and landing on me! Sgt Cunningham started shouting expletives and the American lent over to me and in a clichéd format shouted: “Man, this sucks!”
I was not afraid to admit that I thought we were going to be shot down!
We landed safely and were met by Cpl McLean at the helipad. The next stop was our temporary accom- modation where we slept off the eventful night. The following day Sgt Cunningham and LCpl Bezidenhout left for Kabul to begin their tour of duty in the capital.
My first stop was a short tour of the relatively small camp of Lashkar Gah where we were shown the “kennels”, which Cpl McLean and the Royal Engineers had constructed as a temporary solution. Next came introductions to everyone I would be working with, being attached to 16 Air Assault Brigade which included 21 Battery RA and 216 Para Signals Sqn. Predominantly, the handlers’ work involved searching vehicles in the Permanent VCP (PVCP) at the front gate and supporting the Force Protection multiples on the rare occasion they deployed onto the ground; this was due to the American Forces running the camp until 1st May 2006 when British Forces would then take over full responsibility of Helmand Province and started patrolling in earnest.
Just before Cpl ‘Mac’ McLean left, he said to me: “Don’t worry Steve, nice and chilled here mate nothing will happen.” Literally, the day after, just sitting in the PVCP with my AES dog “Sadie”, enjoying the then cool weather – an almighty blast wave ripped through the camp. The substantial explosion made the ground vibrate intensely; a SVBIED had just been detonated 150m away from us. I remember thinking: “Cheers Mac!!” As I gazed at the Signaller, who was acting as my protection, I noticed how white he was, probably through sheer fear, and asked if he was OK – just as it started raining car parts! I took cover with Sadie and pondered on our brilliant ‘welcome’ to Lashkar Gah.
The first explosion happened on a Friday and exactly a week later a second SVBIED struck a British call sign, injuring three. I wasn’t as close to the blast that time as I was sitting in a makeshift TV room when it happened. The blast was more powerful the second time; it blew all the windows out in the room and covered everyone, who was trying to relax, in glass shards. Fridays soon became affectionately known as “Suicide Friday”, which of course no-one looked forward to.
One of the outstanding memories of those early days
23 TMWDSU Brief dated March 2007.
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