Page 29 - KRH Year of 2021 CREST

The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
27
Recce Tp hiding in plain sight
the Troop receiving praise from across the Battlegroup. Credit in particular must go to Cpls Mason and Cahill for their con- sistent delivery of critical information that was noted by the Commanding Officer amongst others. The less that is said about Cpl Kinder’s backdoor the better. Summer leave couldn’t come sooner however as a successful exercise was ended in less-than- ideal fashion. Too much time in each other’s crew shelters proved fatal as the whole Troop was forced to sit out the only heatwave of the Summer in not-so-glorious isolation following a catastrophic breakout of COVID-19.
Following some much-needed R&R in August the Troop turned its attention to that long-foreshadowed beast, Exercise IRON STORM 2. During all the frantic activity surrounding this exer- cise, three of Recce Troop’s own catapulted the Regiment into the eyes of the entire defence community. Cpls Longshaw, Cahill and LCpl Hill, the Troop’s newly badged snipers, had taken it upon themselves to show the world what they could do. Having begged, borrowed and stolen kit, equipment and training from our Medicina brethren, 1 RGR, they set about preparing them- selves for the 3XX Sniper Competition. Despite there being no regimental pedigree in the art of sniping, the KRH placed 3rd of 14 teams earning much praise and a place in the Tri-Services Sniper Competition. Again, outstanding individual professional- ism in preparation and performance saw our three plucky snipers snatch 4th place in the MOD’s and Police’s premier sniping event – hussar!
IRON STORM never proved punchier than its hot-debriefs and AARs, however some important lessons were learnt. Lt Barrell
Target!
was reminded that it is not tactically sound to brew-up in an FUP, the Troop was forced to ponder whether LCpl Toroca was not actually the result of a passionate affair between a Land Rover and a 2L bottle of Coca Cola. Cpl Kinder, with the able assistance of LCpl Wells, showed what it means to bleed G6 in his tireless pur- suit of communicational excellence. Numerous times LCpl Horn attempted the Guinness World Record for the fastest CVR(T) fan- belt change single-handed. However, the exercise was cut short and so it was, much to the loss of what would have been countless other tales of mirth, that with a collective groan the Troop tracked back into camp on what was to be our last ride on CVR(T). A vehicle which we all agreed, despite its weary body, had been a faithful servant to Recce Troops up and down the land and abroad for much longer than any of us had been alive – save perhaps Cpl Mason. It was a poignant and bitterly anticlimactic moment. The simulated environment we were thrust into brought about its own challenges. For instance, how do you get troopers to behave when they have been gainfully employed for not five minutes that day? The Eye of Sauron, although painfully aware of every step taken out of line, was not forthcoming in offering solutions to this age-old conundrum.
There is no rest for the wicked and not a second before we hung up our IRON STORM boots the Troop sent an entire section to represent the KRH platoon at the Brigade Operational Shooting Competition. While these soldiers stole the limelight, credit must be given to those who kept the home fires burning. Overseen by the diligent Sgt Feeney, Recce Troop performed a series of hando- vers and takeovers that saw as many as 17 vehicles on our flick. Troops returned from competitions and vehicles put to bed, we wearily but steadfastly embraced Christmas Leave looking to refresh with challenges anew now on the horizon.