20120126 Newsletter Issue Issue 13 for FB

8/3/2019 20120126 Newsletter Issue Issue 13 for FB

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Inside this issue:

29 AES -While the OCis away..

2

37 AES - The bigscary dog!

7

44 HQ & SP SQN -Ellie is back

17

Bag Blokes 24

77 TALISMAN Sqn -

A hello from the Sqn

2IC I am a diver !

25

11 Field Squadron -

The road to success

31

What the wives are upto

38

Burns Night - By Baby

Hector

40

Issue 13

26 January 2012

Page 1

Commanding Officers ForewordWe are now entering the last week of January, with only weeks to go until thefirst echelons of 26 Engineer Regiment commence their protracted relief of ourRegiment. Time continues to accelerate away, and already within my Head-quarters we are getting ground rush and an uncomfortable feeling that we mayleave Afghanistan in late March with unfinished business. All the Squadronsare working flat out, with much of their hard work being restricted by the relent-less cold weather and periods of heavy rain that washes our roads away andcauses the bases to flood. Now we are faced by a new enemy; nature. Thepersistent wet, windy weather saps the energy and momentum from many ofour soldiers yet they still crack on; their tenacity, sense of purpose and drive

in all that they do is humbling.I recently went to see 11 FieldSquadron rebuilding the damagedRoute Dorset. Although upbeat,they were taking a break due to theinsurgent having laid a explosive de-vice nearby. A well earned restwhilst the Search Team checked theremainder of the road for any otherdevices was perhaps welcome.Hopefully the road will be cracked in

the next few days before the heavyrains come again. We also had vis-its from some senior members ofDefence. The Vice Chief of DefenceStaff (General Sir Nick Houghton)and the Chief of Defence Materiel(Mr Bernard Grey) hastily met theTalisman guys (Sgt Betts and hiscrew) as well as Cpl Abbott and theplant section from 29 Armd EngrSqn. It was a pretty cold and depressing day, but the guys were upbeat andgave a great show of how diverse and capable the Regiment has become dur-

ing this deployment. We will have more visitors over the coming weeks.Lastly, it was great for me to recently have R&R and to see my wife Dawn andmy lovely girls; for those whove had their R&R, they will understand how greatit is to recharge their batteries and return out here a little more refreshed andready to see it through to the finish. For those about to depart for their break;enjoy it, when you return it will be only a matter of weeks until Op HERRICK 15,for 35 Engineer Regiment, is over. I took the opportunity to catch up with someelements of the Rear Ops Gp. To a man they do a magnificent job; in manyrespects the pressure to succeed equals the same as us forward in Helmand. Ithank them for their help and commitment over what was a very busy and ex-cellent festive season for the families of those separated at such an important

time of year. You have my admiration and deepest gratitude.Please enjoy this latest edition of the Trojan Times.

Lieutenant Colonel Kev Copsey - Commanding Officer


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29 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Officer Commandings Foreword

Hello Friends and Family of 29 AES

With the OC on R&R for two weeks, I decided to make a few changes to how

29 Armd Engr Sqn were doing their business on Op HERRICK. Now obvi-

ously I didnt do this all by myself so I socialised a few ideas with the

SNCOs and got down to business.

First up, it was important to get out and about to see if the Troops were actu-

ally doing what they said they were doing so I deployed on Op ROGUE

PIPER 1. This included a short visit to Jahan Zeb to see Cpl Debenhams

sect. I can report that they are all doing very well, although going a little bit

feral with the Infantry. They are thoroughly enjoying themselves working with

the Afghan Engineers building a new road and I will endeavour to get an arti-

cle and some pictures from them for next month.

Once I had a small amount

of the ground truth on my

boots, I moved to LashkarGah to run through my

ideas with RHQ which obvi-

ously the 2IC liked but had

a few points of his own to

make. I nodded in

agreement, pretended to

write them down and

then headed back to

Bastion to put my own

cunning plan into action.

Firstly to boost morale

and make getting around

Camp Bastion a little

easier, I brought in a new Sqn mascot Arnuse the camel! He wasnt

cheap but I am sure the SSM can sell him on to 8 Armd Engr Sqn when

they arrive. Secondly, I added a little more formality to the dress for eve-

ning meals to mark the change between day and night after all some

standards apply all of the time.

I now only have one week left to make the Sqn even better so if anyone

has any more ideas then please send them in to the usual address I amsure when the OC returns he will like the changes and may even ask me

for some great ideas!

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Of course whilst all of this has been going on the Troops have continued to work extremely hard across all

of the task sites. The remainder of our tour is dominated by the construction of the Malvern Bridge which

is ahead of schedule and the articles below should give you an idea of the progress we have made. Thisis the most challenging task the Sqn will complete due to the technical complexity and accuracy required

whilst living in one of the most austere locations in theatre. So far the Troop led by Lt Glynn Tomsett and

sects commanded by Cpl Scotty McLaughlin and Cpl Harry Monks have done an excellent job.

I will not let them steal all of the limelight however because SSgt Lee Harriss 5 Tp in NES(S) remain fully

committed in support of 5 Rifles. Over the last 2 weeks they have built a new CP in the Malgir District, ex-

panded another CP and upgraded a vehicle check point. Again they have completed these physically de-

manding tasks in some of the most austere conditions in theatre at a time when the winter has kicked in

again and the temperature well below freezing every night.

Lastly, I will mention SSgt Keith Brown and Cpl Daz Abbott who have also constructed a brand new CP inLashkar Gah for the Queens Royal Hussars. They did this in a contested area with minimal resourcesand under intense pressure from the elements and insurgents they succeeded when they could havefailed and I will publically praise them for their efforts which have made aninstant improvement to the se-curity in the village of Pupalzay.

Kev Cameron

OC and 2IC 29 Armd Engr Sqn

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The Malvern Bridge Crossing Part 1:

After a long and bumpy convoy ride across the open dessert that took us through villages which, judgingby the locals reactions to us, Im sure havent seen any ISAF forces in years; we arrived at PB Clifton

which is now our staging area for the Malvern Logistic Support Bridge (LSB).

We arrived after the sun had gone down and in traditional Army fashion there was no accommodation set

up for us so once all of the vehicles were put to sleep and our kit brought in, we spent our first night in a

building that had been constructed for the kitchens but without lighting

or heating!

The next day we were up bright and early to move down to CP Malvern

and set up tents, dumping stores and most importantly of all, setting up

a brew area! Once all this was done the lads were given the rest of the

day to square away personal admin and get settled into our new homewhich we were sharing with two multiples of 1 PWRR who after getting

there first, had taken all the space! (on the plus side we had a tent and

they didnt!).

After our 'day of grace' we were straight into work, firstly setting up a

site perimeter to prevent the locals from wandering into the task site

and secondly using the diggers to strip out all of the top soil. While this

was happening, the rest of us were inside upgrading the CP by building

washing areas, a toilet and some shower cubicles. This CP upgrade

continued for the first few days while the plant op's continued to remove the vegetation from site.

Once this preparation work had been completed, the civilian contractors arrived and we were able to start

moving soil from PB Clifton. This soil would be used to construct the approach road and despite the lan-

guage barrier, we managed to get into a good rhythm. By Day 3 we were well ahead of schedule and

everything was running like clock-work, albeit an Afghan clock.

At CP Malvern the sappers were working alongside the Planties helping to level the soil brought from

Clifton whilst laying geotextiles between the layers to add stability. Using water from the Neb Canal the

soil was continuously watered to ensure it was compacted correctly with the roller.

The main focus from then on was to pour the concrete for the Northern abutment and all hands got onto

the task, making sure that everything was done correctly because no-one wanted to have to re-do it! De-

spite using the biggest concrete mixer anyone had ever seen it still took a lot of hard work to pour the con-crete into the wooden form work. We are now looking forward to the next part of the build which will bring

with it some new challenges but so far so good!

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Capt Loots looking not too

impressed with CP Clifton.

The first concrete pouring complete


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My PEDRO Experience

By Spr Griffiths

I returned from 2 weeks RnR in mid January and was told that I had to go out to a small CP in Pulpalzay. I

was going to replace Craftsman Mckernon as a Husky operator whilst he took his RnR. After my early

morning flight from Camp Bastion to Attal, I was told at lunch I would move forward to join Cpl Abotts sec-

tion building a new CP. Spr Darby and I arrived at the new CP at around 3pm, quickly settled in and got

ready to go out for our first task.

I got the chainsaw ready to go and fell some trees with the QRH lads providing protection. We had to fin-

ish our days work when the sun went down. So far we had managed to cut down 55 of the 75 trees that

we had been tasked to cut down so not a bad start.

The next morning Spr Darby and I headed out again with a couple of the QRH lads. Ready to finish thetask; the first few trees went well and we were making good progress until we got to this one particular

tree. I had begun to cut a few branches off and the area was covered in brush so we began to clear it, as

I was heading towards the tree, I didnt see a 2ft ditch under a branch and fell down it. I had fallen at a

funny angle and dislocated my shoulder in the process.

At the time I just thought that it was a small injury, but then I felt a really sharp pain in my arm and had to

support it somehow. We asked the QRH to radio back to the guard commander telling him we had a casu-

alty. I slowly made my way back to the CP hoping that it was not as bad as it seemed.

The QRH in the CP put a sling on my arm and called for QRF back at Attal to come and get me. It was

about 10 minutes later that they turned up and got me back to Attal as quickly as they could without mak-

ing the injury worse.

I arrived at Attal and went straight into the med center where I was treated by a medic. I was given gas

and air and morphine. Whilst this was happening my evacuation was being sorted out. I would be travel-

ling back to Camp Bastion by American Pedro aircraft.

When the Pedro arrived I got on, I was still in quite a lot of pain. The Pedro crew gave me a strange lolley

thing to put in between my gums and cheek to help with pain relief. The crew put a blanket over me and

then they gave me a 'saved by pedro' coin.

Before I knew it I was back in the hospital in camp Bastion, all this in under an hour from the point of my

injury. Here the doctors popped my shoulder back in, not the nicest or the most pleasant thing I have ever

experienced.

I stayed in Camp Bastion hospital overnight where I was told by the doctors there that I would have to go

to Birmingham hospital and see a bone specialist because of the way it was dislocated. I am disappointed

that I have to leave the lads this close to the end of tour and wish that I could of stayed to finish the tour

off. Hopefully I will be fully recovered soon and be back with the lads when they are all back at work in

Germany.

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A Danish New Years

Spr Stunning Dunning, 4 TroopSituated next to the Helmand river at the start of Nahr-e-burgh Canal, CP Malvern has become our new

home for the construction of the Malvern Bridge. On the morning of 31 Dec 11, I woke up with frost on my

sleeping bag. I knew the winter tour would be cold but I never thought it would be so cold that we would

get frost inside our tent. LCpl Christmas Isaac, Spr Happy Cox and myself had all come to Afghanistan

in the summer when the weather was hot, we never thought it would change so drastically; hopefully it will

be better in the new year.

On tour each day melts into the next and it is difficult to

keep track of what day it is; so as we moved back to PB

Clifton after another hard days work, we were reminded

by Capt Loots that it was indeed New Years eve and wehad been invited to a party! Normally reserved for 37

Armd Engr Sqn, PB Clifton is run by the Danish Army and

they had planned a New Years celebration complete with

fireworks and champagne. We were quite excited and

looking forward to sharing the evening with the Ameri-

cans, Danes, Afghans and the other Brits in PB Clifton.

We all got dressed in our best set of uniform (the set that

stank the least) and began the walk across the camp. We

had just made it to the helicopter landing pad when we spotted this Viking (Dane) stood in the middle of

the pad with something on his shoulder. Suddenly, without warning, there was an almighty bang! TheDanish had planned the firework show by firing flares from a massive bazooka. Every time they fired, the

black night exploded in light and life, as the silhouette of everyman on camp appeared momentarily and

each human shape clearly feeling the blast waves, LCpl Danny -boy Taylor stumbled around looking for

his little camera that he had dropped in fright!

With the light show finished, we moved to the area where the party was to be held, barely able to hear

what anyone was saying, a palpable sense of excitement was obvious at the prospect of lovely bubbly

champagne. Unfortunately, Capt Loots had jacked on us and failed to mention one critical piece of infor-

mation . . . the champagne was non-alcoholic; so just like the winning the First Division title, it didnt really

count! We sipped our fake champagne and enjoyed the almond cakes that the Danes had made for us;

the majority of us enjoying our first sober New Years in a while, except for Spr Yam-yam College who issuch a lightweight seemed to manage to get drunk on non-alcoholic champagne. The Danes hosted us

very well and put on the best spread possible given the conditions. Ultimately we all enjoyed the night and

the entirely unique celebrations; who said that a New Years celebration needs to be alcohol fuelled.

Page 6

Capt Loots with

the New Years

eve party set up

New years Morning in CP Clifton


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37 Armoured EngineerSquadron

Officer Commandings Foreword

What a great couple of weeks we have had and you will read below about a really successful operation werecently conducted combining pretty much everyone from the ASG, 7 and 8 Troops to support a major Af-ghan led operation to clear and hold another major area of Helmand. The operation was the first of its

type that we have supported and was a new experience for many - but it went well, and in the bigger pic-ture it was another important step forward for our Afghan partners in taking responsibility for their own af-fairs; if any of you were in doubt, I can assure you that we really are making a difference here.

In time terms, we've really turned the corner and as I write this we have two months almost to the day untilwe will be home - I know it has been a long haul so far, but there is significantly less time to go now thanwe have done, so please hang in! As we enter the final stretch, I expect the tempo of our operations toremain high, so of course your continued support remains fundamental to our success and I know all of usstill appreciate getting the mail and boxes that you send.

I hope by now you are well aware of arrangements for our return - if you aren't, then please ask your part-ners next time they ring or e-mail, or visit the unit welfare office who of course will help. Whilst I can't writethe dates in this foreword, I can assure you that the programme for our return is going to be outstandingand a fitting end to such a hugecommitment for both us here andyou at home.

I hope to see as many of you aspossible at the Regimental Coffeemorning in the week 30 Jan-5 Feb.

As ever, look after yourselves andkeep safe.

Guy Boxall

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7 Troop no more

Lt Antony Cole, 7 Tp/ASG Comd

As a Troop Commander the last thing that you want to hear is that your Troop has been disbanded. Soyou can imagine how upset I was to learn that my remaining manpower was being sent to 8 Troop andthat I no longer had a Field Troop. I must point out that I was already on a downer after SSgt TimothyScott had abandoned me to go gallivanting in the UK for a few weeks.

Not to worry I was told, Its only a temporary measure because 8 Troop can't cope with this big operationthat they have coming up (they need 7 Troop to make it work). Perhaps they would be able to cope betterif Lt hair-straighteners Abbot spent less time admiring himself in the gym and more time in the officethinks I, but I was content that we were able to help out.

Then the next piece of good news struck; I would be commanding the Armoured Support Group for theduration of the Operation. This meant that in all likelihood the Tanks would break down in Camp Price andI would be free to spend time on some of my favourite pass times such as drinking brews (that I haventmade), surfing the broadband internet connection and admiring the Danish ladies! Woof!

To my disgust The Trojan was being commanded by Cpl Turk Stevens who was working his crew like a

slave driver to keep his vehicle on the road. Before long I found myself preparing to spend the nightsleeping under the stars in the middle of the desert, a sand storm and subsequently what is best de-scribed as a Tropical storm.

I will leave the details of how the indefatigable 7 Troop bailed out our brothers in the 8 th to Cpl Amos andCpl Stevens, but suffice to say we had success all round and were glad to see 7 Troop reinstated at theend of it all.

Two times handsome singleArmy Officers, soon to return

from Afghanistan and looking

for love

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Armoured Support Group

Cpl Iain Stevens

On the fourth of January the ASG got an extra special New Years treat in the form of our vehicles deploy-ing out of Camp Bastion and making it to our target location of Camp Price. Full of confidence we thenprepared ourselves for a move in order to clear safe lanes and areas in and around some proposed newcheckpoints, so that our field section counterparts could begin construction.

The move up proceeded without incident other than Spr Gibbo Gibson managing to find a way to breakthe mine plough whilst travelling at around 10 mph on flat(ish) ground, so a special well done to him! Wewere soon in our sandbox hotel for the night and settled down for a nice hot scoff and nights sleep.Through the periscope we saw a strange figure lurking around attempting to climb aboard, the Gollumlike figure turned out to be none other than Sgt Weatherston clutching rations and requesting that the ar-moured gods help him out by heating up his food as it was so cold outside and their cooker wasnt work-

ing. We took pity and obliged.

Early the next morning we set off to begin our clearance mission and despite REME having a few dramaswith one of their vehicles all was well. We had a good days' work clearing two sites and settling down fora well deserved rest at the end of the second. The next day left one more site to clear and then down toPatrol Base Clifton to refuel our thirsty tanks.

It was the next day, when we returned to our first site to expand an access route, that the mighty Trojanreally proved its worth by successfully and safely disposing of an IED!

Thank you Trojan you have performed superbly!

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CP Builds by 8 troop

Cpl Nick Amos7 Troop left Khar Nikah and arrived in MOB Nice (sorry Price), for afew hours before enduring a short journey through the desert to PBClifton. On arrival the troop got settled into the wind tunnel that wewould be living in, which was quickly sealed using ponchos to stopthe wind and rain that arrived that evening.

The next morning 19 section consisting of Cpl "Master Two Stripes"Amos, Sappers "Truck Stop" Taylor and "Welshy" in the Husky gottheir vehicle ready to go out. The Wolfhound crew; which had LCpl"Shabba" Rigby, Spr Johnny Whittaker and a guest appearance fromSpr Teeth Robertson; also came along. Time seemed to fly by with

the amount of activity going on, we were joined by camels, correctlyknown as Dromedaries (camel with one hump). A dog being walkedon a lead which, due to the size, may well have been a small bear!

Next it was time to move onto the task at hand, supporting the Af-ghan National Army in building a line of patrol bases which werelooking into the Green Zone from the high ground. 19 Section movedinto the first location at full strength with guest appearances fromother members from the fine 8 Troop. Spr 'Ross always smiling At-kinson started off by levelling the ground, ready for the large Hescobaskets which you need a ladder to get in and out of. This wasachieved in the first few hours then we moved onto building the walls,

laying out the Hesco for the guard posts, accommodation, kitchenarea, and toilets. All the stores came from the Afghan National Armyand not our own Resources Department.

One evening the vehicles had to be moved at short notice, SimpleJohnny forgot there was a huge burrow pit in front of his wagon, in-stead of driving around it he went straight into it, or should I say halfway in. If he had gone all the way in he could have driven out theother side. Luckily help was on hand in the guise of the SSM and hisWolfhound who helped to get him out of the ditch. On the last nightof the first CP build it was improvements time again, we had to fillsome small Hesco baskets by hand; as the diggers could not get to

them; so a small team was selected, from a cast of thousands, toload a stretcher with mud and carry it to the baskets.

Task complete it was time to get back for a wash and shave and prepfor the next build which was only half the size. Best thing of all wasthe SSMs Wolfhound breaking down on site (by also going into asmall hole oh the irony) but that did give us an extra pair of handsfor our task, in the form of Pte Ginge Lawson, the Squadron CombatClerk. Time for him to get dirty for the first time on tour and sleepoutside (we discovered he was not prepared for this). We weretreated to a good lightning show that evening coming from the heav-ens and a nice encore of water falling out of the sky.

When all was done it was time to get back to Clifton, followed by aroad move onto Price, not bad as it is a one and a half hour journeytime! All back safely, we were glad to return to the comforts of CampNice.

Thedrea

mt

eam

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Op Rosi Rashan

Spr Jason Fish Carter-Smith 23 Section 8 Troop

Day 1, Jan 8th

Our first day started bright and early at around 6 am, vehicles prepped, stores prepped and we were onour way to CP Echo to construct a 40 man Checkpoint for the Afghan Army. We arrived on site at the footof an old British fort and unloaded the stores which we had collected on the previous day from the ANAengineers, who steadfastly refused to lay stores out in a neat British army like fashion. However as wewere building the Afghan Army lots of new checkpoints it was good to work alongside them. We were rar-ing to go but unfortunately the area we were work-ing in had to be cleared by the Danish Engineers

first. After day 1 we had worked with the AfghanEngineers, Danish Engineers, Danish Tanks andthe British infantry which meant a lot of co-ordinating on all levels.

Day 2, Jan 9th

Another early start; this time body popping as itwas so cold. Our first move was to get the plantoperators to gather a major stock pile of dirt for fillfor the HESCO. Whilst the plant was doing itsthing, some of us went to another CP where a dif-ferent section from 8 Troop was busy at work. Af-

ter a bit of banter and a lot of whinging from LCplRoss Atkinson we managed to borrow one of theirtractors and we were on our way back. Once onour site we started to bounce out HESCO. Everyone loves HESCO at this stage of the tour....especiallySapper Robertson who has become particularly fond of the stuff.

Day 3, Jan 10th

At the start of this productive day we managed to bounce out yet more HESCO and build watch towers forthe Afghan Army to use when they finally moved in to the palace we were building them. We were on aroll until we had to pretend to be the RAC and rescue another vehicle which had managed to drive into awell concealed ditch, nonames mentioned! We

took them back to PBClifton, grabbed somecoffee and cakes andthen returned to thecheckpoint to carry onworking. We workeduntil it was dark andthen we stopped for awell earned rest, whichwas glorious...until therain came and we spentan uncomfortable nightsleeping in the vehi-cles...Brilliant!

Pausing for a well

needed drink

Time for a quick

rest?

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Day 4, Jan 11th

Early morning we dropped off a tractor for our sister sectionworking on another checkpoint, this happened a lot as weswapped bits of kit for the tasks we were doing at the time.After lunch came our second move, we had to go and fetchthe REME fitter and take him to the stricken vehicle from theprevious days ditch incident. It was going to be a long nightas we started on the accommodation; Sappers Pascoe andMeacham were looking forward to it a bit too much, and in-deed we worked into the night to make sure the checkpointwas finished in time.

Day 5, Jan 12th

The checkpoint had taken full shape and things were comingtogether, the accommodation roof went up and then camedown and then went back up again after a few minor adjust-ments. The kitchen was completed to a standard that Deli-lah Smith would be proud of. The en-suite shower units plusthe toilet units were installed before lunch, I say en-suite,they were more like wooden cubicles. The final touch wasputting razor wire up around the check point. This stuff isawful to work with and cuts anything it comes into contactwith to shreds. However, as a result, it is very effective atkeeping people away, good job we had protective thickgloves.

Day 6, Jan 13th

This was day of our return to Patrol Base Clifton, markingthe end of our task, we were welcomed back by warmcooked food, hot showers and heated tents, lovely! No moredoubling up on sleeping bags, wearing softie suits with ther-mals and living in a cloud of dust. 8 Troop dug out blind onthis task and seemed to have lived up to the unofficial mottoof the RE, Improvise, adapt and overcome.

Hard at work building Check Points

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Spilling The Dirt on the Boss

Sapper Aaron Gooch (Adopted 8 Troopian)

The OC's TAC (Taxis And Cabs), has been one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. One of the firstthings I learned as Major Boxall's personal chauffeur around Afghanistan is that running out of Haribo orCoke is worse then all four tyres falling off in the middle of the desert, needless to say we came close acouple of times! When Major Boxall goes quiet it normally means that he has enough goodies in thewagon to buy the crew some alone time.

When we arrive somewhere we are greeted with a mixedreception, usually fear and nervousness, all the pre-requisite feelings of the hierarchy of the squadron arriving

somewhere. Those feelings soon turn to happiness as weleave, which means, in effect, as 'The TAC' we are unani-mously feared throughout the Squadron.

As for Major Boxall's equipment care I have mixed views,when everything is working well he is a fantastic vehiclecommander. However when everything breaks it is thedrivers fault. Unfortunately things tend to break a littlemore than when things tend to work. Unlike on a limo or ayellow cab I do not have the partitioning in between myselfand the passenger which I can put up when things are notgoing so well.

All in all I have had some fantastic times driving around, seeing all the guys and sleeping out under thestars by the wagon while the OC is spooning with the SSM. Having Major Boxall as a commander hasbeen an experience that I will never forget, but listening to myself and Sgt Hubbard serenading him fromGereshk to Ouellette with some Bon Jovi classics probably means he won't either.

The OC hard at

work trying to

beat the top

score on Angry

Birds

Bastion to Ouellette

Spr Martin Talbot

Coming from 4 months of working out of Camp Bastion I have learnt all about resources and stores,picked up new tricks and learnt lessons relevant to my trade as an RE Driver (Gods trade!!), butthere was always a feeling that I was missing out being in Bastion and that I wasnt really there as a

Royal Engineer. So when I got back from my RnR and was told that I was heading up to FOBOuellette to rejoin the mighty 9 Troop, I was happy that I would be joining the rest of the lads that Istarted my Pre-Deployment training with, and remain with them until the end of the tour.

Starting as I hoped, my first day in my new FOB was busy. There were little bits of everything fromworking on an EPLS to bring it up to scratch, to helping to put a wooden divider in next to the cook-house. It was not exactly the height of Combat Engineering skills but its more than I have done inthe last 4 months, and was a good little break in to the pace at which I will have to work at.

Although I may be without some of the creature comforts that Bastion has it doesnt really matter.This is starting to feel more like a tour now and not just doing the same work I would undertake inGermany only hotter, dustier, and without the wife making me lunch everyday. At least now I haveexperienced life on Operations at the very front end with the remainder of the troop.

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No More Cake For Me, Ever!

LCpl Chris Easy Lay 9 Troop

It has come to that time of year again, the end of the old and the beginning of the new.

It was New Years Eve and I had been lucky enough to pull the New Year Sanger Duty of 2100 2359,due to the rotation of sanger duties and not because I had been a naughty boy, as SSgt Adcock loveshanding out extras, in the form of sanger duties, to everybody who is naughty or not performing to thestandard required.

Luckily my replacement arrived early enough that I could go to enjoy the New Year celebrations that hadbeen organised. I couldnt believe it when I got outside the Ops Room, there was a fire burning, bagpipesplaying, all you can eat bread and soup as well as a finger buffet of various nibbles. As midnight struck I

helped myself to a hearty bowl of oxtail soup and as everyone else gathered around the fire, no one elseseemed to be eating so I dove right in. Not rude I assure you, after all, the company was not that great;mostly officers enjoying their cigars, quite literally, patting each other on the back with 'Hoorahs' and welldone old bean, apart from the BGE Capt Robb who was dressed strangely, in some sort of kilt and robecombination, must be an Irish thing (we have learned to expect nothing less from the BGE). It was quiteamusing to watch, I simply enjoyed the food along with our style of fireworks as the night sky was lit up byhundreds of Para-illume rounds fired from all the various CPs, PBs, and FOBs throughout Helmand, asfar as the eye could see.

At this point it is normally a time for New Years resolutions, after reflection on the year gone by. I triedvery hard to think what did I do last year? It seems to have gone by in an instant with a huge blur of PDTtraining, various courses and exercises and what is now 4 months of Mondays. The New Years resolu-

tion is usually something that you could, or want to change to make the next year better than the last.However after this years challenge I realise that I am, dare I say it, getting old, as my wife Becky keepsreminding me, with the big three zero this year. Those that know me from days gone by will realise, that inthe past, this years challenge would not have been much of a challenge to me at all. But, I am afraid tosay the challenge broke me; it had me beat! In my New Years Challenge of 2012 to eat a 1.8kg Cake.of the 32 individual pieces that made up the whole slab of the Apple and Caramel Cake I failed to eat just8 pieces. I was a failure.As a result I decided thatmy resolution would be tostop eating so much. Es-pecially as I found myselfthere on New Years Day

eating when I was noteven hungry. So I left therest of the food where itwas on the trays.

New Years Day went bywith a bang and I am nowfocused on being a morehealthy me, no more cakefor Chris, perhaps Beckywill like a thinner me aswell!

No cake in sight for

some members of 9

troop

Page 14


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G4, It Just Happens...

Spr Andy 'Dont hassle the Hoff' Hough

Lets start off with Happy New Year to all those poor souls who were left behind in Afghan over the festiveperiod, sucks to be you, I on the other hand had a lovely R&R at home over the holidays. So much sothat I actually missed all the excuses, said as if already rehearsed, by a certain LCpl Fat Frank LampardWright of the Corps every time he missed the ball during the match against the not so football gifted 11Sqn who we comprehensively beaten 3-2.

On return to this paradise, which leaves your mouth feeling like Ghandis flip flop, I soon realised that coldweather clothing may be needed as it was particularly Parky. On a road trip, following the weekend ofcold, I saw the unimaginable Our great illustrious leader Kim Jong Boxall is officially afraid of mans

fiercest but best loved friend, yes you heard it here first, our leader is afraid of dogs. This was very obvi-ous when he went for a visit up Artillery Hill and was overcome with fear when an average sized pooch ofthe female persuasion started wagging her tail and commenced to sniff our hero in disguise when he gotout of his limo. The OC started reversing procedures, as he was so afraid of this beast and the possiblerabies it may be carrying. Our leader started circling the limo, to evade the giganotosaurus, and endedup running away, even at one point trying to prize the door off the limo to get inside faster. These franticattempts failed as the pooch had done this before (practice makes perfect), and went around the otherway and cornered him!

To the rescue came the fearless Sergeant Major who leaped out of his Jugger-naught and diverted thegiganotosauruss attention by deliberately bending down, roaring and flexing his guns as if to say comehere 'ya bitch', just long enough to distract the beast from its prey. As a result the beast was a wee bit

cautious of this new foe and scampered away like so many Sappers on the arrival of our SSM. This al-lowed our illustrious leader to get away safely and continue with his coffee hunt.

Hats off to you SSM without you I dont know where

we/the OC would be.

The beast in ques-

tion................thank you SSM

Diver for ensuring the OCs

safety

Page 15


16/38

Page 16


17/38

44 HQ & SP SQN NEWS

Officer Commanding Foreword

Hello All

With the Christmas and New Year festivities now but a distant memory we are well and truly back into ourstride committing both manpower and equipment to various ongoing tasks within Camp Bastion and insupport to the Field Squadrons in forward locations. Whilst we remain focused on the here and now theChief of Staff, Maj McKechnie has the knack of constantly reminding us to have an eye on not just thehand over / take over process but also what we need to be planning for the year ahead after Post Opera-tional Leave.

The HQ & Sp Sqn remains the focal point for the EngineerGp in the coordination and implementation of the raft of in-spections we have had to endure during the tour. It has evenbeen mentioned that various departments are beginning to

suffer from inspection fatigue. Bearing this in mind it isthankful that we are now halfway through our final logisticsinspection with only two sub units left to undergo the incur-sion on their accounts. This inspection is to ensure everyweapon, sight system, and vehicle is all correctly accountedfor. This is all part of ensuring that we focus not only on theoperational piece, but also on the systems that are so impor-tant in ensuring our men and women are constantly sup-ported with stores and equipment to meet their every dayneeds, without which their ability to carry out operationswould suffer significantly.

We are now well and truly in to the fifth month of deployment.The majority of personnel have had their well earned restduring R&R with only a few us left to take it. I will be on R&Rover the release of the next Trojan Times therefore CaptAndy Kerr, the Sqn 2IC, will be writing the forward on my behalf.

As always, a big thanks to you all for your continued support, until my next foreword I bid you farewell.

Chris Darke.

Page 17


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CHARITY RUN

LCpl Fong

HQ & Sp Sqn organised a charity run in the beginning of our six months tour of Afghanistan in September2011. This is a brief update of our progress and misfortunes at this moment in time.

All 11 of us started off the charity run with a bang. Early mornings were easy, we were up bright andbreezy with no worries whatsoever and as the months progressed we lost momentum due to the coldweather. I for one am not built for the cold unlike SSgt R Finn (who loves his layers) and then one of ourcherished old, bald and ginger blokes (MPF) succumbed to injury. Dont worry he is mending his toe nailsand combing his hair back in Paderborn under the watchful eyes of Mrs MPF.

Right, back to the progress, with just over 2 months to go things are really starting to heat up. Several ofthe guys are close to achieving the goals set and others have fallen miles behind. Some have been outand about with no means of running and others have been constantly busy with other work commitments.Somehow Sgt S Chandler has completed his target, how he found time for that no one knows.

All I can say is time can only tell if we all achieve the goals set. Fingers crossed by the end of tour andnext article update everyone would have accomplished this. Oh yeah, that reminds me got to get on theroad and put some miles down.

Thanks for reading and take care.

Page 18

In a rush..........................to make

sure he gets a seat on the stool

Looking very serious

heading out for a run


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ALWAYS READY, ALWAYS ABLE

By LCpl Hayhurst of 44 Hq & Sp Sqn

The day began on a cold, fresh morning of the 18 th December 2011 for the ABLE team of the HQ & SpSqn, TFH Engr Gp, at 0400 (yes it turns out there are two 4 Oclocks in one day, much to our disappoint-ment.) from the accommodation to the yard of the CSLR, we deployed enmasse under the watchful eye ofthe detachment commanderSgt Caz Carrington, andbridge commander Cpl JamieLough.

We left Camp Bastion tucked

in between the convoys ofthe RLC ready to undertakeour task of the bridge strip atPB Folad. The journey wasslow to start and no soonerhad things started to moveissues arose with the leadof the convoy hitting, lets sayan obstacle, which slowedeverything to a grinding halt.With LCpl DIESO Trickett as my company for the drive, the wait seemed a lot longer than 45 minutesand by the time we moved on after given the all clear, my head was pounding, the remainder of the jour-

ney to Folad went unhindered but again was still slow undertaking.Upon arrival at PB Folad it was time to get the ball rolling making sure wewere ready to go the following morning, the last of the preparation wasbeing carried out by Sgt Carrington and Cpl Lough, aided by the font ofall ABLE knowledge and bridge number 10 Cpl The warlord Lord.

The following day began much like the first, cold and early and anamount of fog being given off by the canal because of the change in tem-perature.

With that in mind the task began in earnest with everyone keen to makea start and put all the pre-deployment training and courses to good use

for most of the team this would be our first operational ABLE strip.With the ground works being done the previous day we set about puttingthe vehicles into place onto a semi-restricted site, this is where the realwork began with the vehicles in place we waited for those first words ofcommand 7 on the lights, elevator up, slide frame out with that my workbegan as the bridge 2ic. My team got to it and set about getting theABLE perfectly level to aid us in lifting the bridge which had been in placefor nearly 2 years, with stabilisers down, cross level the rail started toget built by Spr the Buchet Moore and number 2 LCpl bob Makepeace

and the bridge commander.

With the rail built quick as a flash the bipod was seated bang on level, as

this was happening the bridge dressing had to be stripped and put back on the pallets, Many thanks 11 FdSqn, whose help was greatly appreciated, like any other bridge, opinions were given whether you wantedthem or not but, the work proceeded never the less.

Page 19

ABLE in all its glory

And it is all controlled from

here


20/38

The bridge was stripped and ready to be lifted and if we were going to have any dramas then this is where

they would start. To our delight the bridge lifted straight (probably due to the 2ic putting the ABLE per-fectly level), with the command rear tilt pins out the bridge started to make its way back in from a longtime in place. With the first panels in, the crane operations Spr Sheeps Thomas and the Buchet setabout putting the panels back onto the vehicles one piece at a time. Considering the time on the groundthe bridge was clearly ready to go home as the pins flew out without hesitation making our job so mucheasier. Next panel; same thing, even the gate braces that strengthen the bridge played the game and thebridge came out in no time at all. For those curious ABLE operators amongst you reading this article thetime set and off site was 1 hour and 17 minutes.

With the task completed it was just a case of back to PB Folad for a well earned rat pack coffee and bagof porridge( who knew? porridge, in a bag!!!). The last part of the task was making sure that we had eve-rything we came with ready for the departure back to Bastion.

No ABLE operators were injured in the stripping of this bridge and hugs were given to those who felt a lit-tle bit unhappy about being shouted at.

Page 20

Hard at work


21/38

Hey kids.

That is me back from RnR and yes it is still cold here. The day warms up

around 10 oclock as the sun gets higher in the sky and then cools off again

around 4 oclock in the afternoon. No sun bathing at the moment but Im sure

that will change soon. Every one continues to be busy and are working very hard

but looking forward to the end of the tour when they can see you all again.

BLOG No 6 21 Jan 2012

For this Blog I have been out to gather some some messages from your loved

ones. Some have been on RnR and some are still to go. Either way they are sending their messages to

you with love.

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22/38

Page 22


23/38

Page 23

Remember every day away is a day closer to seeing you

Ellie out X


24/38

Page 24

BAG BLOKES

Hello, Steve White here again, the OC of Advisor 40, the KATT that your other halves belong to (or at-tached to at the minute). I thought that with over two thirds of the tour completed and only a couple ofmonths left to go I would write again with my perspective as OC of life here in Ops Box RIKKI.

The team have continued to impress, working extremely hard all across the part of Helmand that we areoperating over. Since I last wrote I have had a new Kandak Commander arrive that I have had to get toknow very well in a short period of time; R&R has all but finished; I have hosted several media visits witharticles ending up in The Sun, The Telegraph and on BFBS; had a lot of visits from various high-rankingISAF people; had the Christmas period and been subjected to the legendary Afghan rains to name but afew events that have helped ensure this HERRICK is flying by at a rapid rate of knots.

The PB remains an oasis for all of my troops to return to after being out doing whatever they do. One ofmy call signs advises the Tolays that patrol the badlands getting the ANA out of scrapes that they keep

finding themselves in. Another one is dealing with the ANAs answer to Talisman and EOD and have alsobeen used extensively. My Artillery TATT continues to train the ANA on the guns and are even hoping tofire them before we come home! But as far as the Sapper element is concerned I have got essentiallythree distinct groupings; one team is going around Helmand helping build small checkpoints with the ANAwhilst the rest continue to advise the Tolay Commander and the majority of the Tolay here in RIKKI. And Ihave sent Q Mackie and SSgt Hardy to Camp TOMBSTONE, where Q is providing a link to the engineertraining he has set-up to happen in SHORABAK while Staff Hardy is acting as my CQMS getting stuffand people to and from the helicopters.

You may have read about the exploits of Capt Richie Griffiths and his small section in the Sun newspaper,but if you didnt him and this team have been out and aboutwith the ANA working in other peoples areas helping the ANA

to build checkpoints and increase security for the locals.Meanwhile, down in RIKKI, Sgt Sniper Stubbs has been im-pressing the ANA, particularly when things have been gettinga little cheeky, so much so that the ANA have nick-namedhim the Warrior Engineer Advisor. Richie spends that muchtime away playing with his section that I have reclaimed LtEmily Ball to run things here at PB Jay-zee and she has beenreinforced with Cpl Debs Debenhams section from 29 Sqnas well as a sounder of POMS from around the Regt group.These reinforcements are primarily to support Sniper Stubbswith completing route LANGHOLM (I havent got enough timeor space to talk about LANGHOLM..)

The rains came and turned about half of our PB into a swimming pool come foot spa and as I type, morethunderstorms and rain are forecast overnight! Deep joy. But despite all of this, morale remains high;mail remains once a week if lucky, showers about the same and wag bags still get found in the most bi-zarre of places. One huge event however, is the arrival of a chef in the PB! Pte Harrison, who is on hisfirst tour ever, is now the head (and only) chef in PB Jay-zee and he produces an evening meal for every-one. I have to admit that the lift in morale from that one meal alone has been immediate.

I will probably do a wee update just before we head back but for now I will leave you with a few thoughtsas OC. The vast majority of you are extremely supportive and understanding and seem to get the fric-tions of an operational tour and for this I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Advising out of this PB isan inherently vulnerable and risky business and I cannot stress enough the huge contribution that most ofyou ladies provide in keeping my blokes happy and focussed and concentrating on delivering the support

to the ANA and wider HERRICK effort that I require them to.

Take care of yourselves for us, thanks for everything that you are doing. It isnt that long now.

Steve White


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77 TALISMAN SQUADRON NEWS

Officer Commanding Foreword

Greetings from the TALISMAN 2IC!

As the tour gradually progresses, the OC has f inally departed for R&R leaving me to take the reigns of the

Sqn. I thought being OC meant kicking back and letting everyone else do the work, but I still found myself

up at 0400 this morning as 11 Troop deployed on their next Op! So whilst hes putting his feet up back at

home its business as usual for the rest of us.

The troops continue their good work providing Route Proving and Clearance to the Logistic Patrols and

conducting deliberate ops in the Green Zone. In particular, 12 Troop have recently returned from a joint

ISAF/ANSF operation in the vicinity of Gereshk. The troops are also taking the opportunity of a slightly

quieter period to get some refresher training under their belt. This has included range days on the various

weapon systems, and training with SAAB who use TES kit (like laser-quest) to bring a bit of extra reality to

the training. This helps to keep the guys sharp in their search drills and actions on.

With now only two months left on tour the end is slowly coming into sight. I am sure many of you are now

making plans for that well earned post-

tour leave, and the Sqn has been look-

ing forward to what the rest of 2012 will

bring. Ex CRABAPPLE, a ten week

construction exercise in Kenya, will

keep many of the Sqn busy from Sep-

tember to November, and will provide a

great opportunity for the guys to get

back into their artisan trades. As well

as this there are numerous opportuni-

ties for Adventurous Training in June,

and hopefully even a little bit of summer

leave!

Finally, congratulations to LCpl Big

Jacko Jackson and his girlfriend Kelly

on the birth of their daughter Grace Lilly.

We look forward to seeing the photos.

All the best for 2012

Louisa Gostling

Page 25

2IC/OC Talisman has finishes perfecting

her favourite spread sheet early so de-

cides to take ten minutes in the sun to readthe leave directive


26/38

Range Day at 77

by Spr Bri Wilson, 10 Tp

Around four months into Herrick 15 in 77 Talisman, the Squadron finally comes to a steadier period at the

end of January. The three troops decided to put on a range day to help build confidence and brush up on

their skills and drills, which are needed for safely firing three of the militarys heavier weapons.

The preparation had started the night before with revision training. Preparation for firing Talismans Re-

mote Weapon Station (RWS) in-

cludes changing a mounting bracket,

which then allows different weapons

to be used. Knowing this one of our

senior Sappers supervised by aLance Corporal completed the job.

You know what they say, no one is

perfect and this was shown the next

day. When the weapons were get-

ting mounted to the vehicles it was

discovered that the bracket had be

attached wrong poor teaching! A

big thank you to Arch and Parky,

you know who you are.

We were booked onto the GPMG

100 meter range from 8am till 12noon so, safe to say we had plenty of time to brush up and get comfort-

able with the weapon system. When we finally got clearance to start the shoot we were split into groups,

some of the guys there only needed to shoot the GPMG in the dismounted role, so four at a time they be-

gan shooting.

As the rest of us that are trained on all heavy weapons and would be firing in the afternoon, we did a re-

fresher on the GMG, just to make sure everyone was happy. About an hour after the lesson it was time for

me to fire.

Unlike the Armys normal SA80, (which I have had more experience with) when it comes to firing the

GPMG and you are in the firing position, listening to the words of command, you always feel like its your

first time firing. Youre nervous and excited at the same time, when you hear the words Targets to yourfront, Fire.

Shortly after lunch we were preparing to go to the next range to fire the vehicle mounted weapons, accom-

panied by eight guys from WIS (Weapon Intelligent Specialist company). They deserved a day out of the

office and we were only too happy to oblige. We drove down to the range, set the weapons up and pre-

pared them for firing.

I was first to fire the GPMG and after getting comfortable with it earlier that day, it didnt take me long to

get through my 100 rounds. After I finished my GPMG shoot I waited to fire the GMG, and to my surprise

something had gone wrong with the weapon, which meant we had to fire it manually. This was the first

time I had fired live High Explosive rounds. For safety reason High Explosive rounds.

The entire day I think youll agree ended up being a complete success (with minor glitches!) and after

clearing the ranges it was time to head home.

Page 26

Just another day in Afghanistan


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11 Troops Long Weekend

By Capt Mike Barrett, 11 Tp CommanderOn the 8th of January 10 and 11 Troop combined and lined up to guide the Combat Logistic Patrol (CLP)

to Patrol Base Rahim, Clifton and Pasab in one piece in order to deliver their stores. Because of the dis-

tances involved we even managed to squeeze ourselves into Main Operating Base Price (or Nice as it is

really known) between the Ops for some well earned meals, comfortable beds and Danish Coffee.

As we moved into Price for the first night, everyone was pleased to know they would be squeezed into a

huge tent and we wouldnt have to fight off hypothermia sleeping next to the vehicles for once. Despite

the comfortable surroundings the tent soon began to smell of man fog which didnt make it too pleasant

but at least we were inside.

The Troop SNCOs decidedto sleep in their vehicles;

for some reason they pre-

ferred the feel of cold steel

rather than the smell of 50

sweaty blokes.

The next morning we set

off nice and early with Sgt

Eddy Edwards choosing

the route through the out-

skirts of Gereshk. Soon we had the CLP on our tail and we were smashing our way through the desert.

Despite the ground resembling a rollercoaster ride and the inside of the vehicles feeling like washing ma-

chines, we all got there in one piece and dropped off the CLP vehicles. Soon it was time to spring out

back towards Gereshk and we almost made it back to MOB Nice by lunchtime. In all it was a good days

work and after checking over the vehicles, we enjoyed the facilities before getting our heads down ready

for another early start.

The next morning we linked up the with CLP just before the centre of Gereshk. Despite the cold the dis-

trict centre was still pretty busy but on the whole people were friendly and we snurgled through the rick-

shaws, donkeys, tractors and a

flock of sheep without incident.

Out on the other side we broke

into the desert for a short hopinto Pasab. After a quick in load

of stores, it was back the way we

came except Gereshk had really

woken up and therefore was a

nightmare to drive through. De-

spite that, and with the smell of

an Afghan market wafting into

the vehicles, we were pushing

toward Camp Bastion before we

knew it.In all not a bad Op for 10 and 11 Troops combined and the highlights of the trip were definitely the Danish

Coffee and pancakes from the cookhouse in MOB Price.

Page 27

An Afghan bridge on a quiet day

A normal sight when driving through Gereshk


28/38

Goat for dinner anybody?

By 12 Troop

We moved out on the 3rd Jan 2012 from the Talisman tank park heading towards MOB Price readyfor the start of our Op. We stayed at MOB Price for one night, enjoying the facilities on offer there and thenext afternoon we left for the first desert leaguer we would occupy, ready for the main part of the Op. Onthe 5th we moved carefully through a legacy minefield past PB Clifton to carry out route search, in order toallow other call signs freedom of movement and enabling them to carry out taskings unhindered by IEDs.Once the route had been searched we headed off to an undisclosed location in the desert to set up an-other leaguer, establishing what would become our daily routine for the next six days, search by dayleaguer by night.

Throughout the time we spent out on this Op we also got to enjoy some diversions, visiting PBClifton on one or two occasions, watching the local populations way of life in the areas that we worked inand most importantly spent some quality time together bonding as a Troop. With a bit of time on ourhands when in the desert leaguer, entertainment had to be found somewhere, and it didnt take long for itto present itself. Man tests offered themselves in various guises, LCpl Ray Kositino beating Spr GregBanda to the finish line in one challenge by managing to consume the equivalent of 1 normal sized bot-tles of tobasco, offered up eagerly by the rest of the lads, in a single boil in the bag meal. Some im-promptu wrestling matches sprang up occasionallywith Spr Iron Mike Pritchard devastating all chal-lengers, a feat he repeated when it came to the inevi-table arm wrestling competition.

In a bid to vary our diet and enjoy a bit of in-teraction with the local nationals, it was decided to tryand procure a goat, after a bit of haggling a very rea-sonable price of $100 was agreed upon, sadly theidyllic scene of the sun setting over our Talismanconvoy as we slowly roasted a spitted goat over anopen fire was cruelly ripped from our grasp, when ourTroopy) put his foot down citing the possibility ofD&V. The goat was released unharmed. We wereeventually allowed the slight concession of some lo-cal bread to go with chicken korma boil in the bag,DANBAT style.

The Op was a great success, allowing 12Troop to stretch its legs a bit, after a long period pre-viously worked through where we carried out a largenumber of CLP orientated Mubarez Ops. On return-ing to Camp Bastion satisfied we had done our bit forthe safety and security of both Coalition Forces and Local Nationals in the AO we stripped out and madeourselves ready for the next Job.

Page 28

Ummmmm dinner

Not the actual goat in question


29/38

While Tiff is away.......

by Cpl Chris Darts Champion Costigan

Its 1000 local time and I am writing this from the comfort of my bed, after a hard morning of playing darts

and drinking coffee, whilst the squadron are all hard at work trying to get their vehicles in some sort of de-

cent order, ready for the next onslaught of Ops. Vehicle fault reports keep flying in the door, but trusty Sgt

Ali "file 13" Logan is doing his bit for the burns pit by placing them all in the ever growing file 13!

On a more joyful note, vehicles on

the road (not broken!) has gone up

to 10% as we managed to change a

windscreen wiper blade, of course

celebrated by the odd game or twoof darts (in-between fag and coffee

breaks)! Sgt "File 13" Logan came

up with a plan to fix a motor that had

been damaged on a Buffalo vehicle,

so he disappeared into the buffalo

for 10-15 minutes between games

with a crow bar and tried to remove

the old air conditioning unit. The

outcome - the Buffalo is soon to be

written off for the interior damage he

caused removing the old unit! Thatsaid, the Buffalo is still on the work-

shop floor untouched for over a week.

Since Tiff (Aka SSgt Pete "its not sarcasm, its concern" Simpson) has gone on his much needed R&R,

Sgt Ali "File 13" Logan and I have not been achieving a lot in the way of production/repair, although we do

have a bet on as to who will get a darts 180 first. As you can imagine this takes hours of practice, Ill keep

you posted.

The dart board has been getting its fair share of action, so much so that LCpl Craig "Angry man and eve-

rything is Shi*" Walker has bought a new dart board and darts. He plans to turn professional after this tour

as he likes throwing darts at the dart board for hours on end without getting board; he has had 4 months

solid practice so watch this space!

We have had a new arrival to the Talisman LAD, his name is Bob and he works for Exponent, a civilian

company that produces some of the special equipment that Talisman uses. Bob has integrated into the

LAD like a fish to water, his induction package consisted of, theres the kettle, coffee and milk, also there

is the dart board, lets have a game. Bob needless to say is enjoying his time with the LAD, and would

like to come back out if the opportunity arises! That is unless Exponent finds out how much work hes not

done!

On a serious note, all is well here and the support back home is still very much appreciated, its not long

until we are home with our loved ones, so please stay safe, take care, and we will see you soon.

Page 29

The new darts board, made while the Tiffhas been away........


30/38

Capt I am five foot five and a

quarter Bostock

Lt World War Two Fighter Pilot

Hutt

Lt Harry Enfield Stretton

Page 30

Recognise these handsome chaps?


31/38

PADRES PROGRESSIn recent weeks I have had opportunities to expand my experiences here in Afghanistan byvisiting some of the smaller CPs. I have been covering another chaplains R and R, thusgetting to see people and places that do not always fall inside my usual remit. It is hereinthese smaller CPs that 12 people liveeatsleepwork together within a small square areaof a compound building and a tent and a bit of HESCO (yesI knew the engineers wouldcome into it somewhere. I know I can-not get away from youbut then, Iwould not want to?!) It is here thatthey stay for 5 months or so of theirtour. It is here that you have to get onwith one another or else it just will notwork. It is here that stagging on is apart ofeveryday andeverynight. It ishere that mail deliveries take on a realsignificance. It is here that runningout of tomato sauce is a big dealandwhy not? It is here that you can beatthe padre at darts and it is here thatthe padre can reflect on all those mis-spent lunches many years ago as a student in pubs in Bristol

Yet it is also here in these CPs that a word comes to mindattitude. Having survived thebringing up of two of my own teenagers there is not much you can teach me about atti-tude. And that was just my ownnever mind theirs! But I am reminded of the words ofCharles Swindoll, a Christian writer and preacher, who said, The longer I live, the more Irealize the impact of attitude on life. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every dayregarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We can-not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, andthat is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I re-act to it.And so it is with you. . . We are in charge of our attitudes.I have known of this quote for some time but it has really begun to sink in with me recentlyand needs to be part of my every day reflection. Swindoll is so right. It is not what happens

to us that is important, it is how we respond to what happens to us. It is not what lifebrings, but what we bring to life that matters. So whether you are in BSN pushing paperaround a desk or stores around an ISO, or you are in the smallest CP; whether you arestaggering through irrigation ditches, or sweating away on Rear Ops; whether you are inAfghan waiting for the mail that never arrives, or in Paderborn wishing he would comehome soon; whether you are young or old, experienced or new.YOU are in charge of yourattitude.Go change it if you need to.it might take some effort but it will be so worth it for you andall those around you!And my attitude at the moment? Well I am on R and R in a few days time so what do Icare?!!

God keep youPadre Clare Callanan

Padre was keen to show

off her jumper

Page 36


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THE COMPETITON IS OPEN TO ALL PERSONEL IN-CLUDING THE ROG.

THE WINNING PHOTO WILL BE FRONT PAGE OF THE

END OF TOUR PHOTO BOOK.SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO THROUGH YOUR CHAIN OF

COMMAND IN JPEG FORMAT, WITH THE ENTRY FEEOF ONE DOLLAR FOR DEPLOYED PERSONEL, ONE

EURO FOR ROG PERSONNEL.COMPETITIONCLOSES 15TH FEBRUARY.

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION SPEAK WITH YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND OR IF YOU ARE

PART OF ROG SPEAK WITH THE UNIT WELFARE TEAM.

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Wives Christmas Masquerade Ball

The much anticipated Wives Masquerade Ball was planned for 9 Dec 11, and many of the Wives hadbeen looking forward to it for some time, as a way of letting their hair down, and celebrating the near half-way point in the deployment of the Regiment on Operation Herrick 15.

The evening was planned, well in advance, by the Wives Club Committee and Cpl Aaron Hickman, thestand in WOs & Sgts Mess Manager, with decorations, a 3 Course Christmas Dinner, Raffle, Money Tree

and a Disco to carry on the evening into the small hours.

The evening started at 1930hrs, with welcome drinks in the Mess Foyer, and an open bar in the dinningroom, where ladies were seated in preparation for the eve-ning. After some small trouble with the transport gettinglost, we eventually had all the ladies seated and ready forservice of their Christmas dinner by 2030. The ROG

SNCOs had volunteered their services to serve the dinnerin Mess Dress and Zoro masks to the ladies, and theChefs were more than prepared for the 120 or so hungry,and excited ladies that were looking forward to the meal.

After an Introduction by WO2 Lew Tippet, it was on withthe service of the vegetable and tomato soup conducted, itwas onto the main course, of Beef, Gammon, Turkey andall the usual trimmings. Once the main course had beenserved, eaten and cleared, there was a rumour that Santahad taken time out of his busy pre Christmas schedule topay the ladies of the Regiment a visit, and with excitement

and ap-plausefrom all attending, Santa passed out a present for all ofthe ladies. With Santa back on his merry way, and thedessert of Christmas pudding and Cheesecake servedand cleared, it was time for the party to begin. WO2Lew Tippett took control of the Disco, SSgt Frankie Cor-rado and Sgt Sean Killen took control of the bar and CplAaron Hickman ensured that all the ladies were satisfiedwith their meal and ready to carry on the festivities.

Mrs Dawn Copsey was asked to draw the first ticket for

the raffle, and from there on, the prizes were well re-ceived, Mrs Lexy Mutch was asked to Draw the firstticket from the money tree, with the top prize from thisbeing 150

For the remainder of the evening, the music blared, theladies danced, and the hard working SNCOs behind thebar were kept busy with the orders coming in thick and fast. All the ladies in attendance commented onwhat a fantastic evening they had all had, and were very pleased with the way the night had gone.

A big thanks must be said for the Wives Club Committee, Cpl Aaron Hickman, The Welfare Team, WO2Lew Tippett and all the SNCOs of the ROG who made the evening run so smoothly, everyone is nowlooking forward to the Christmas break and seeing loved ones back on R&R in the near future..

Best wishes are sent from all back here on the ROG, and the Wives and Families of the Regiment to allthe lads and lasses of 35 Engineer Regiment.

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Burns Night!!!

Hello Everyone!Its Burns Night, a celebration of the

Scottish poet Robert Burns. Its a greattradition: we can eat haggis and ceildih!Ive got two Scottish friends, Bagpiper

Bear and Nessie the Loch Monster.Could you please help me out bycolouring Bear in and making Nessie

up?

Baby Hectors Page

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A Really Bad Day

There was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stayslike that for half of an hour.Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him,takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. Thepoor man starts crying. The truck driver says, "Come on man,I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can'tstand to see a man cry.""No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fallasleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires

me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it wasstolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a cab toreturn home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my walletand credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away.""I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with thegardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when Iwas thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up anddrink my poison.

From A Mother With Love

Dear Child,I am writing this slow because I know that you can't readfast.We don't live where we did when you left home.Your dad read in the paper that most accidents happenwithin 20 miles from your home so we moved.I won't be able to send you the address, as the last familythat lived here took the house numbers when they left sothat they wouldn't have to change their address.This place is real nice. It even has a washing machine. I'mnot sure if it works too well though.Last week I put a load in, pulled the chain, and haven't

seen them since.The weather isn't too bad here., it only rained twice last week, The first time it rained forthree days and the second time for four days. The coat you wanted me to send you,your Uncle Steve said it would be a little too heavy to send in the mail with the buttonson, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.Your sister had a baby this morning but I haven't found out what it is yet, so I don't knowif you're an aunt or an uncle. If the baby is a girl, your sister is going to name it after me,she's going to call it Mum.Uncle Pete fell in a whiskey vat last week. Some man tried to pull him out but he foughtthem off and drowned. We had him cremated and he burned for three days.Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pick-up truck. Ralph was driving. He rolleddown the window and swam to safety. Your two friends were in the back. They drowned

because they couldn't get the tailgate down.There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much has happened.PS, I was going to send you some money but the envelope was already sealed.

Off to Vegas

A man came home from work one day to findhis wife on the front porch with her bagspacked.'Just where the heck do you think you're go-ing!', said the man.'I'm going to Las Vegas', said the wife, 'I justfound out I can get $400 a night for what Igive you for free!'The man said, 'Wait a minute!', and then ran

inside the house only to come back a fewminutes later with his suitcases in hand.'Where the heck are you going?', said thewife.The man said, 'I want to see how you'regonna live on $800 a year!'

Glad to be drunk

A completely inebriated man was stumblingdown the street with one foot on the curband one foot in the gutter. A cop pulled upand said, "I've got to take you in, pal.You're obviously drunk."Our wasted friend asked, "Officer, are yaabsolutely sure I'm drunk?""Yeah, buddy, I'm sure," said the copper."Let's go."Breathing a sigh of relief, the wino said,"Thank goodness, I thought I was crippled."

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Sub Units

Tp - Troop

Armd Engr Sqn - Armoured Engineer Squadron

Fd Engr Sqn - Field Engineer Squadron

Hq & Sp Sqn - Headquarters and Support

Squadron

Ranks

Spr - Sapper

LCpl - Lance Corporal

Cpl - Corporal

Sgt - Sergeant

SSgt - Staff Sergeant

WO2 - Warrant Officer Second Class

WO1 - Warrant Officer First ClassCapt - Captain

Maj - Major

Lt Col - Lieutenant Colonel

Glossary

Afghanistan specific terms

Op - Operation, mission, task (not surgery)

PB - Patrol BaseCP - Check Point

SANGAR - A watch tower which is manned 24 hours a day to provide protection to a base

Stag - standing in the sangar keeping watch and providing protection

JOB - Joint Operating Base

FOB - Forward Operating Base

NES (S) - Nahr-e Saraj South

NES (N) - Nahr-e Saraj NorthNDA - Nad-e Ali

TFH - Task Force Helmand

ISAF - International Security Assistance Force

ANSF - Afghanistan National Security Force

ANA - Afghan National Army

ANP - Afghan National Police

IED - Improvised Explosive DeviceSAF - Small Arms Fire

SOP - Standard Operating procedure

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HESCO - Large flat packed containers made of thick strong wire containing a large sandbag.The sandbag is filled with sand to produce a large protective brick. The individual HESCO blocks

are then used like giant bricks to produce a protective wall for our bases.

HLS - Helicopter Landing Site

Barma - Our drill used to find Improvised Explosive Devices with a hand held metal detector.

Equipment

MASTIFF - Large armoured truck with a with a heavy machine gun for protection.

TALISMAN - A series of vehicles used to clear a route of improvised explosive devices.

HUSKY - Another type of large armoured vehicle.

MWT - Medium wheeled tractor (dump truck).

SLDT(P) - Self Loading Dump Truck (Protected) - A small dump truck.

Apache - Ugly looking attack helicopter.

Chinook - Large helicopter featured in the film Big Friendly Giant.

Sea-king - Royal Navy helicopter used as search and rescue in the UK.

Merlin - Medium to large Royal Air Force and Navy helicopter used to move Troops around from

base to base.

Messages from the Editor

If you are based in BFG, and you loved one is deployed, do not forget you are entitled to

claim for journeys to see your family back to the UK whilst your loved one is away. Sgt

Culley who works out of the main admin office in RHQ, is there to help. If you have any

questions, would like to know how to make a claim, the detail of what you are entitled to or

you would like to make a claim he will be more then happy to help.

If you hear any news about anything that might have happened in Afghanistan, which gives you cause forconcern in any way, please get in touch with the Welfare Office on +495251101213. We will ensure thatthe team holds the most up to date and accurate information so that they will be able to advise you appro-priately or deal with the issue. In the event of any casualties they will be able to clarify the situation, in ac-

cordance with the wishes of the individual or family. Many thanks

20120126 Newsletter Issue Issue 13 for FB

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