Page 101 - AGC Journal 2018

AGC JOURNAL 2018

Exercise Lion Sun Exercise Askari Storm

By Lance Corporal Deven McInniss By Lance Corporal Jamie King
We deployed on Exercise Lion Sun over the period 28 June 2018 to 30 July A platoon from 1st Battalion Rifles Battlegroup, took on the challenge to

2018, just in time for the summer weather. ascend Mount Kenya in the height of the Kenyan summer.

Activities
Journey Begins Despite the blisters and headaches everyone was in high
spirits when we stopped for pizza on our journey back to
The three Troops that comprise the Squadron deployed as camp. All in all what a fantastic and breath-taking event to

Platoons, accompanied by the Squadron Headquarters and a Three days after the gruelling exercise phase finished, a conclude an amazing exercise.

Platoon of enablers. The exercising Platoons rotated around number of five man teams each with a guide, threw all their

three weeks of different activities: a field exercise, a range kit in the back of the Land Rovers and we began our journey.
package and an adventure training package. While most of We trekked with kit up the mountain path stopping at breath- Jamie King

the exercising troops were Drivers, Petroleum Operators and taking lakes and cliff edges. We stopped each day at around at the
Suppliers, the exercise also provided a brilliant opportunity for the 12 mile mark to ensure we acclimatised to the new altitude. summit

three of the detachment to deploy in three very different roles. It took four days to reach the final camp before summit

morning.
Summit Day
The team
at Camp With the warm Kenyan sun now a distant memory, we awoke

Radio at 3 a.m. to begin our final ascent to the summit. Temperatures
Sonde during the night had plummeted to a bone chilling minus 8
degrees and the already undulating ground became icy under
foot. Nevertheless, the teams reached the summit of Mount
Soldier First Kenya at 5.30 a.m. on our fourth day, just in time to see the
sun rise over the horizon and light up the mountains beneath
us. After taking some rather shaky photos with numb fingers

Private Fauster Addai-Nagbe deployed as a Rifleman in 3

Platoon, leaving his immaculate office for the hullabaloo of in front of the Mount Kenya sign we scrambled down from
an eight man section. This provided him with an excellent the summit point to base camp. A route that took three days

opportunity to swap his workstation for a rifle and to to climb would now only take us hours to descend on if we
momentarily forget about administration in order to focus on moved quickly.
his military skills.
Mountain Biking
I deployed as a Mountain Bike Instructor, facilitating three
separate adventure training packages in the Troodos
Mountains. This allowed me to engage with the soldiers that
I serve daily back in barracks. This also gave me another
opportunity to lead soldiers and motivate them to stretch

themselves in a different and challenging environment.
Natalie
Clark
manning
the fort
On Exercise
Lance Corporal Natalie Clark deployed leaving her double

screen workstation in refined surroundings for an overheating
dusty computer situated in the Camp Radio Sonde Operations
Room in which temperatures routinely reached 35 degrees
by 1100 hrs each day. Whilst her day to day work was very
similar to her normal job back in barracks, she still faced the
challenges of being on exercise. She was an integral member
of the Squadron Headquarters; in addition to administrating
routine functions such as finance and movements, she also

assisted the Camp Guard Force and played enemy on the
exercise and deployed to experience some of the adventure In the The teams at
training package. She learnt how to adapt to a new, Troodos the summit of
challenging working environment which will serve her well on Mountains Mount Kenya
future deployments overseas or on Operations.
Editor’s Note: Deven McInniss is serving with 8 Fuel and General Transport Squadron, 27
Regiment Royal Logistic Corps

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