Page 58 - RAPTC Year of 2019

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SSgt Clarkson - Ground Training prior to Exercise Pegasus Landings SSgt (SSI) Clarkson RAPTC (Sternman) Grand Canyon
2nd BATTALION, THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT
SSgt (SSI) J Clarkson RAPTC
Being employed as the Head of Physical Development for a Parachute Regiment Battalion is one of the highlights of my career as an RAPTCI. Being able to fulfil that at 2 PARA has
made the experience a whole lot more enojyable. The pace of life here is different to say the least and the way in which things are done takes a little bit of getting used to, but one thing is for sure... these guys like their phys!! Getting a Para Regt Bn to reduce junk mileage and transition over to the APTS is a cultural shift that comes with a whole lot of resistance and managing the change is something that will see the next corps man, and the one after them, contend with for the years to come. However the Bn are in a great place in a PD sense and having an ERI join the ranks will only enhance this...when it finally happens.
If there is one thing I have learnt over the years its to give the blokes what they want; more kit and more AT! After doing a bit of digging for funding it wasn’t long after getting in the chair that I managed to turn the gym around. With loads of new kit for the guys to try and break and a lick of paint here and there, the facilities within 2 PARA have never looked so good. The sooner I could turn my attention to AT, the better!
Having most of the Bn deployed to Afghanistan meant that retention for the blokes back in camp was paramount. Getting them out of camp and out of uniform was left to me and it wasn’t long before I was back in the Grand Canyon on the “once in
SSgt ‘Jez’ Clarkson and SSgt Ian Anderson with members of 2 Para - Val Thorens, France
a lifetime” trip that I did in 2017. Mirroring the same exped as before, the trip started and finished in Vegas....thats all ive got to say about that! After a quick turn around in the UK, I’ve managed to knock up another JSATFA and get 27 blokes out the door on 3 x 1 week Ski Foundation 1 (SF1) courses. Needless to say I managed to squeeze on to the back of one of them and finally learnt to ski after 14yrs of avoiding it. I can honestly say that I think I am officially converted. So much so that I have booked myself on the SF2 course already. The AT doesn’t stop there. With a canoe exped to France pending, Kenya at the end of the year and talk of some parachuting in the summer, life as 2 PARA’s Corps man may as well be dual roled!
Obvioulsy in amongst all of this are the standard tasks that we all do, like officiating, the usual reconditioning and managing stats for deployability, but no one wants to hear about that. The job of a Para Regt Corps man is one of those jobs that pays over and over. Yes, the job sometimes requires a bit of cam cream, but it wont be long before you’re swapping it out for sun cream. Life is what you make of it here at 16X and the future of 2 PARA is looking bright. This is a great place to be for someone who is looking for something other than plastic trees and bunting. And they still like to throw us out of planes now and then. Even the SMI is getting some time under the canopy.
Bowknot Bend - Grand Canyon