Page 19 - MERCIAN Eagle 2021

C (Meeanee) Company
OC Maj Martyn Fulford CSM WO2 Adam Townsend CQMS CSgt Rob Richie CQMS(T) CSgt Sammy Leleavono
It has been a long time since an Officer Commanding in 1 MERCIAN had the opportunity to put pen to paper under the title of Kohima, however I have good
news. Kohima is coming. A combination of increased retention rates and increased recruit inflow mean that C Company
1 MERCIAN is now back in a position to reform as a fighting sub-unit. As I write our first wave of new soldiers are arriving with a full and fit chain of command ready to receive them.
The next year should prove to be both
challenging and exciting for the people of Kohima and the body of soldiers forming
up are already passionately looking to the future. The feeling that we are the Battalion’s underdogs is real and the drive to create a reputation worthy of a fighting company is huge. We aim to compete with the best in the Battalion and fast; I look forward to next year’s review: Blades not Grenades!
Meeanee Company – OC
It has been a hugely successful year
for C Company 1 MERCIAN. Our role
as Meeanee, the Battalion’s now firmly established rehabilitation sub-unit,
has resulted in huge benefit in terms
of deployability. We have successfully managed to rehabilitate and recover twenty-four personnel back to full fitness as well as find supported and rewarding roles for a further seven, all of which
is a result of the intense weekly fitness programme. In addition, Meeanee has also appropriately discharged another seven on medical grounds, aiding
their resettlement for the future. In an organisation which says its people are its product, Meeanee is the lead example.
The rehabilitation programme has also evolved over the past twelve months;
its nine fitness sessions per week are differentiated such that groups with lower and upper limb injuries can work out together in the gym under bespoke programmes. The physical training is also interspersed with career courses and military training, meaning Meeanee personnel can concurrently complete radio courses, numeracy and literacy whilst recovering!
A lesser-understood product of Meeanee this year has also been the focus to cover mental health. Briefs from external agencies have taken place, which combined with the rigid weekly programme sets the conditions for personnel to recover. Where you cannot master your mind, Meeanee provides the
setting to develop physically, which in turn can enable mental recovery.
The final and more exciting element of Meeanee is sport, AT and extra-curricular activity. Where the opportunity exists
to work-out while enjoying ourselves,
the Company has taken it. Yoga on Bournemouth beach, charity swimming events and sporting endeavour within medical restrictions have all underpinned the success of holistic recovery. Although the future for C Company looks bright and the reformation as a rifle company has begun (KOHIMA), the success of Meeanee’s approach – ‘mind, body and soul of our people’ – means that the rehabilitation platoon will endure well into the future.
OC Maj Martyn Fulford Pl Comd WO2 Dave Buckley
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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