Page 52 - Bugle Autumn 2014

2 RIFLES Mortar Officer shrugs off stereotype
Less than a week after returning from Op Herrick 15, I managed to ruin the euphoria of returning home and indeed all of my post-tour leave by severely breaking my ankle whilst attempting to dance at the CO’s dining out. During the ten weeks I spent in cast and boot unable to put weight through
shared experience fostered a real camaraderie right form the start. I revelled in my absolute amateur status surrounded by lycra-clad professionals, knowing I had very little to lose providing I completed the course.
my leg, I decided the only way to be positive was to signpost my recovery. What better goal to achieve full recovery status than to complete the Marathon des Sables, known as the ‘toughest foot race on earth’?
The final day, with only a day’s food in my daysack, felt the easiest of the lot
Following a significant tapering of my training, the first day was particularly
tough, but by the end of day two I felt
that the training was paying off and I was acclimatising to the heat. With temperatures of up to 50 degrees centigrade, and a serious heat casualty from my tent it was clear that the personal discipline of food, salt
A year later having just completed the
mortar platoon command course, I was
imbued with their legendary appetite for running and fitness; training began in earnest. I chose to run to raise money for Care for Casualties and had hoped that the scale of the task would attract hefty sponsorship, but in order to raise awareness within Battalion the mortar platoon played the Ballykinler wives at netball as part of the Christmas week shenanigans, where entry to the game and the bar gave my total an early boost.
Although I knew only one other of the 400 British runners, the
and water consumption was not only life saving but would prove the difference with the timings.
The final day was just a marathon, and with only a day’s food in my daysack it felt the easiest of the lot. I finished with an overall place of 188, minus 6 toenails, plus 2 giant blisters, a medal and an enormous sense of achievement and a total of £3300 raised for Care for Casualties
Capt J Warburton, Stereotype
2 RIFLES wives’ charity walk
After all the training and planning 2 RIFLES wives and dependants were ready to
face the challenge of walking the 850m
up Slieve Donard, the highest peak in Northern Ireland. With the men left at home to change the nappies, the team prepared itself to take on the daunting climb. The challenge presented by the Slieve Donard Charity Walk created the perfect platform to raise money for Care for Casualties.
We started our kit checks at 0700 in
the morning in Ballykinler camp. Despite the normal liquid sunshine that had settled in during the days leading up the event
we had fantastic weather on the day. Our walk commenced at 0800 in Donard car park and we began our task in high spirits. Within fifteen minutes of the walk all of us realised that it was not going to be an easy task. There were many among us asking themselves “What was I thinking!?!”
Once we exited the Donard Forrest our
confidence returned as we could see the distance already covered and got our
first sight of the summit. With our energy replenished after lunch we were ready for the steepest stage of the climb. This part of our walk, up along the Mourne Wall, was by far the most challenging and very steep; It was slow and steady all the way to the top but with everyone breathing a sigh of relief we finally reached the summit. With the peak conquered we looked back on how far we’d come, but before long and after all the phone calls, pictures and selfies were taken we began the descent with smiles on our faces.
On our return to the car park with some well deserved food
and refreshments
everyone could not stop talking about the sense of achievement they felt and the bragging rights they had earned: Especially after most of their husbands have never been up Slieve Donard.
For all those involved, completing the walk, achieving personal milestones and raising more than £1850.00 for Care for Casualties made the event a great success and well worth the time and effort it had taken. From a personal perspective I can honestly say raising money for such a worthy cause has been one of the highlights of my military career and I look forward to
the next challenge.
LCpl Maleiba Gym 2ic
Wives charity walk team atop Sleive Donnard
50 SECOND BATTALION
THE RIFLES