Page 88 - AGC-Journal-2016

AGC JOURNAL 2016

My

First Year

By Private Kevin Hardie

My first year in the Corps Exercise Lion Sun other side of the island where we stayed in
has been a very adventurous a transit accommodation block that wasn’t
great. One toilet and shower among 70 or
and exciting time for me. The exercise is designed to refresh the more guys was horrendous.
skills of soldiers’ role in an Infantry
I have travelled to quite a environment. Being trade specialists it is The live firing stage was the most fun. It
few destinations with my not often that we get to practice the first was a week of gradual building up to a
section attack, starting with individual fire
line of the core ethos, Soldier First. For the
regiment and detachment Royal Signals Soldiers it was also the same and manoeuvre, then pairs, eventually fire
across the world and even team and a live section attack on the last
day of that stage. Among this we also had
another continent for the first the opportunity to throw live grenades and
time. a bit of bayonet training as well which was
almost the exact same experience as Phase
One training.
My First Unit
Third week was dedicated to a bit of
adventure training; the options were hill
I arrived at my first unit, 2 Signal walking (there’s always a hill walking
Regiment, last October after completing opportunity), horse riding, go-karting at
my driving course and I was really nervous Akrotiri, scuba diving, mountain biking
about starting the first day at my new and clay pigeon shooting. I managed to
home for the next three years. For the first concept, being communication specialists, do all of them except the mountain biking
few months I was placed in 219 Squadron this exercise was to bring training back to as it was limited in spaces. My favourite
to learn in more depth my role, and under basics and refresh their skills as soldiers. activity was the horse riding, as it was a
the guidance of Corporal Craig Duckett, The exercise was broken down into four first time experience.
I quickly became more confident and stages; the first would be a battle camp The final week was a dry firing exercise
competent in my job. where we would refresh our military skills. and consisted of one night in the field and
In November I was informed that I would We’d start every morning at 0620 hrs with the following day was a Company attack
be deploying accompanying on Exercise a nice physical training session; most with rolling enemy positions, including
Lion Sun to Cyprus in January for four involved running up and down the hill casualty evacuations utilising Royal Air
weeks along with Lieutenant Anthony that Blood Hound Camp is built upon. Force helicopters.
Myers and Lance Corporal Simon O’Brien. Second week we then went on to the live
firing stage, moving to Dhekelia on the

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