20120209 Newsletter Issue Issue 14

8/3/2019 20120209 Newsletter Issue Issue 14

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Inside this issue:

29 AES - Love is defi-nitely in the air

8

37 AES - Great G4 It

just happens!

16

44 HQ & SP SQN -Top Tips for returninghome from Sgt Fox

20

77 Talisman Sqn - A

foreword from the

SSM

21

11 Field Sqn - Home-

coming information

30

Photo competition -

Get your photos in

quick to be in with a

chance of winning a

Fujifilm s3300 Camera

36

Valentines messagefrom Baby Hector

37

Messages from the

Editor- Make sure

you know about the

homecoming events

42

Issue 14

09 February 2012

Page 1

Commanding Officers Foreword

Like Germany and the UK, Helmand has now truly entered the winter. With fro-zen pipes, crisp mornings and a relentless cold wind, you might be mistaken forthe elements of the Regiment to be a little depressed. Thankfully that is not thecase, with the guys relentlessly working in all conditions; as a Regiment wecontinue to push ourselves and succeed in everything that we do, from support-ing operations to destroying drug caches, to ploughing through minefields orbuilding one really, really big bridge!

Last week was particularly busy when we had the General Officer Commanding1 (UK) Armoured Division visit the Brigade, and Regiment in particular. Gen-eral Bashall landed by helicopter in Patrol Base Jahan Zeba large mudwalled compound in which OC44 HQ & Sp Sqn lives along-side the 4th Afghan Army Bat-talion. With his small band ofAdvisors they are responsiblefor the expanding security eastof Lashkar Gah. Together withthe Afghan engineers, they are

building a key road to connect4 check points together and indoing so will tie down the over-all security in that area. Eachday Sgt Stubbs, Cpl Debenham and the rest of the lads face a persistent insur-gent who is set on denying the road being laid, yet without complaint they men-tor the Afghans on how to build and defend the area.

Once General Bashall had received a few briefs from Majors Steve White andSi Carvel, he then met up with Capt Mike Barrett and Sgt Terris from 77(Talisman) Squadron. The Squadron deliver an important capability within Hel-mand; with their various vehicles and equipment they tackle the insurgents fa-

vourite method of waging their war the improvised explosive device; the oneweapon that has caused more incidents than any other over here. The Generalwas pretty impressed with the dedication and skill those lads in 77 displayedand how they operate the variety of equipment that was on display. Once thevisit was completed, the Troop returned to Camp Bastion before deploying yetagain on another operation.


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We then took the General to see Cpl Debenham and hissection on Route Langholm, the road that the Afghan engi-

neers are constructing in face of the enemy. Although pret-ty risky, to take a senior UK officer to an area that is alwaysunder insurgent threat, the RSM did a great job in ensuringit went without incident. I suppose seeing the Afghans ontheir little skid-steer diggers doing wheelies and spinningdoughnuts on the spot was perhaps not what we wanted,but then at least they were doing something! In all it was agreat visit, with the General hugely impressed with every-thing that the Regiment is doing; his understanding of thevariety of tasks across Afghanistan was an education tohim and he is really looking forward to meeting the Regi-ment and families at our Medals Parade in late March.

We can now say the Regiment returns home next month.Time out here continues at a fast pace with much work stillto do. Alongside activity in Helmand, the team in RHQalong with the Rear Ops Team, are planning the Home-coming events; we only have 47 days to sort it all out.!

Thank you for your consistent support.

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29 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Officer Commandings Foreword

Hello Family and Friends

After a brilliant R&R, which is a common theme in the Squadron, I have returned to the thick of the actionhere in Helmand. The tasks continue to flood in (literally when it rains heavily and ISAF troops get wet!)and we have some significant work ongoing. We are all very happy to use the following phrase to others inAfghanistan; We are going home next month! A great feeling to know that the Squadron will begin to re-turn to Paderborn in March and will all be home before the 26th.

In the week I have been back I have been out to see Cpl Debenham,his section and the Afghan Engineers building a new route out to theeast of Lash kar Gah. He seemed to be loving the independence ofthe task and enjoyed hosting the General Officer Commanding 1(UK) Armoured Division when he visited their important work. Alongwith the SSM there has also been time to get right out in to the GreenZone of Nahr-e-Saraj to visit Cpl Haynes building a brand new check-point in an area known as Kopak. All the lads were in great form and

loving the austerity of the location Spr Coveney and LCpl Bradleywere fantastic chefs too considering the lack of pans, pots andspoons! Their efforts are central to expanding the ISAF presence inthe area and linked to the construction of a new road and establish-ment of Afghan Local Police. That road, called Route Minley (nameselected by Capt Miller) is being constructed by 2 Troop from 11Field Squadron. As the work is in the battle space supported by 29,this troop has been moved under command for the remainder of thetask; I met them all and their energy is really obvious. They are verykeen to get the month long task complete and will, I am sure, deliversuccess. Anyway, there will be pictures in the next edition for all tosee.

Finally I have got out to the bridge construction at Malvern. After two months planning, moving stores andpreparing the ground we are finally building the bridge! SSgt Warren-Nicholls is all over it and the ladsare doing a professional job. We are already up to 10 bays in two days (20m long) so well on scheduleand well up to standard. There is an article below about those who are on site currently and plans areafoot to have Facebook updated every day too. We have a large media event later in February so youmay even see the bridge and the lads involved in the press or on the TV! We shall see...

Best wishes,

Si Carvel

Page 3


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CP MIRAQHA

By Spr Shaw, 6 Troop

On the 11 of January 2012, 4.6 Troop (Remnants of 4 and 6 Tp combined) deployed from PB Attal to thesite of a new Check Point (CP) construction West of Pupalzay under the command of SSgt Brown and CplAbbott.

24hrs prior to the section arriving at the CP, SSgt brown deployed with theinfantry to take over the compound which had been used as a firing pointby the insurgents in the past. Thats when what felt like OPTAG trainingserials began. Firstly with the news came through that the female occu-pant was in labour which re-

sulted in the drafting in of med-ics and doctors to get the fe-male to the hospital. This de-layed our occupation of the

compound but it was too late to turn back as we had shownour intent to build a CP in the area and the opportunity would

not arise again. Havingmoved the mum to be(who had a boy by theway) it was time to se-cure the compound andthe remaining members of the family began packing. They were

happy to move for us and very glad to have us in the area, right upuntil they lost most of their worldly goods in an irrigation ditch astheir tractor and trailer slid into a huge irrigation ditch. This alsoprovided the que for the insurgents to begin shooting at us.

When we arrived the next day SSgt Brown met us on the roadsouth of the compound and we moved straight into the task. Be-fore we could enter the proposed site of the CP, we had to con-struct a culvert to allow a convoy to deliver our stores site. The cul-vert was approximately 150m away from the compound. During theconstruction of the culvert, I was to remain as top cover on theGeneral Purpose

Machine Gun in theHuskey, with supportfrom C Coy QueensRoyal Hussars(QRH) in their Jackalvehicle with a 50 cal-ibre machine gunmounted. Approxi-mately 2hrs into the

culvert construction we heard rounds whizzing round us,coming from a compound 400m to my west. As the mem-bers of the section dived into ditches, myself and the QRH

gunner opened fire onto the compound as we could posi-tively identify the target. The insurgents fled but they werefollowed by the surveillance assets.

Page 4

Patrolling to take over the

compound

Opps!

2 minutes for a rest?

Playing in the big puddles again!

Home sweet home...


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Once the guys had finished constructing the culvert they were able to direct civilian aggregate trucks overthe new culvert enabling them to drop the stone next to the compound until the first driver managed to hit

the culvert and partially destroy it. This meant they had to drop their aggregate on the road and the re-maining stores had to be carried by hand 150m down the road intothe new compound which took us until 0200hrs in the morning.

With a start at 0630hrs, Richy Crowther, Daz Abbott and I would startthe build of the Sangar, while Tom Hill, Blacky Black and SteveMcKernon would make a start on the ablutions putting their joineryskills to the test. To build the Sangar framework took 6 hrs and thenwe would begin to start filling the HESCO which surrounds the topwith sandbags. However an absolute godsend occurred (2IC: Not amiracle, we plan and arrange these things), a crane and hopper ar-rived on site to fill the HESCO on top of the sanger. The crane saved

morale and time which is just as well because whilst building weagain came under small arms fire with a Rocket Propelled Grenade(RPG) thrown in for good measure. After another long day we fin-ished at 2300hrs.

With the bulk of the work completed, the remaining 2 days were fin-ishing off the toilets and showers, constructing firing platforms andgeneral jobs around the new CP to make life a little easier for the In-fantry who would be based there. With small arms fire and RPG notputting us off, the insurgents tried to flood us out using the irrigationsystem. This nearly gave SSgt Brown a nervous breakdown trying tosort it out and with roads collapsing under vehicle weights thrown infor good measure we almost didnt make it out in time for our wellearned R&R. The task was tough but very rewarding and has madeanother dent in the insurgents ability to control the district of Pupal-zay in Lashkar Gah.

Page 5

The latrines - luxury?

Looking satisfied with a job well

done


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As relaxing as an Afghan sunset . . .

By Spr Briefcase Johnson, 4 Tp

What is it that you do to relax? Sit back and watch a good movie, curl up with an interesting book or go fora nice long stroll with your loved ones? Well for the men of 4 & 6 Troop, who have been cooped up in alittle base no bigger than the dance floor at Mangos night club since the end of December, the opportunity

to relax is limited as the focus here is entirely on the big bridge we arebuilding across the NEB Canal. We do not have the luxuries and ameni-ties of Camp Bastion, which as Capt Cappuccino Cameron would attestto, are pretty good with a Pizza Hut, shops and numerous coffee housesto attend. However when the option is there for a little me or you oreven us time; we spend it relaxing in some rather unique ways.

As with all things we start with our illustrious leader: Lt Avatar Tomsett;he chooses to while away the evenings walking around the bridge con-struction site. Nothingrelaxes him more thanchecking that the con-crete is drying properly,that the rubbish is beingdisposed of efficiently orthat every time one of usgets out of bed that weput on all our protective

equipment: helmet,gloves, goggles, bomb-proof underpants, etc.He tells us that he has a

degree in engineering but we have a sweepstake as towhat his real degree is in, currently the favourite to win isSpr Bling Binghams guess BA in Film Studies.

Then we come to SSgt Country Life Warren-Nicholls whostares out across the meandering Helmand River with ahalf-smile on his face, lost in his own thoughts. He oftenremarks how the banks of the river would make the perfect hunting ground for his spaniel (a cocker span-

iel, which we are reliably informed is the new springer spaniel). Every time the Afghan National Armycome out of their base, 400m down-stream, to shoot ducks, we can see the pain in his eyes; not in sorrowfor the ducks but reticent of not having the opportunity to hunt his purebred spaniel George.

At this point you are probably starting to sympathise with our lackof modern means to relax but dont worry, it is not that dire. CplHarry Monks heads up our very own Nerd Academy. He and ahandful of faithful followers have swallowed Apples great white lie:that an ipad is suitable for every situation. Like the rising and set-ting of the sun, as soon as the days work is done they headstraight to the tent and crowd round the one and only heater. Theyplay games, they connect, they wireless, they chat, all without ut-tering so much as a word. I dont get the point of it all but Harrytells me that the interactive touch-pad technology helps to keep hisskills up, his touch soft and gentle. He says that it is very importantfor when he gets back home to his wife. Like I said, I dont get it!

Page 6

Do I look cool in this?

Pouring concrete to make

parts for the Malvern bridge

Trying to hide behind the

burns pit.


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Conversely there is the group of guys who prefer to relax by being a little more active and constructive.Spr Stunning Dunning enjoys doing pull-ups, eating his bodyweight daily in protein powder and lifting ran-

dom heavy objects. He has outgrown the very sparse selection of weights we have in the base so now hehas started lifting bags of sand, bits of concrete, parts of the bridge and even people; all in the futile hopeof one day looking like his hero Lou Ferigno, the original Incredible Hulk.

LCpl LP Leong Pong just spends all his spare time pottering about inthe Troop G1098 store as if it were his own little garden shed, a manssingle place of solace. We are not too sure what he does in there, somesay he services all the equipment we need, some say he is building aTransformer, some simply say he is the Stig!

Then we have Spr Roberto Burns-Muir who runs the best gentlemanshair and moustache boutique this side of Iran. He spends his free timecutting and styling hair including facial hair. He really is very good; he

can do any hairstyle you ask for: a bouffant, an afro, a mullet, even thewindswept look. Oddly enough though all the different styles look exact-ly the same . . . short back and sides the SSM would be proud!

We also have the unique character ofSpr G Jack-Campbell who enjoys

relaxing in only one of two ways. He spends his time listening to hip-hopor, oddly enough, Kenny Rogers. When his i-pods battery is depletedhe can be found practicing for his future career in politics. He will be en-gaged in debate with someone (anyone, it doesnt matter who, just who-ever he bumps into first) discussing the merits of living life according to

the survival of the fittest (he is not talking about physical fitness) or heis attempting to convince someone of how Tupac was the true drivingforce that put Barak Obama in the White House!

Then we have the two Marlboro-men: SprChadders Chadwick and Spr Bradders Weston. They are a pure unfet-tered advertisement for tobacco companies across the globe. Every secondof their free time is spent stood outside smoking cigarettes and talking abouthow to maximise their chances of impressing girls when they get back fromtour. I dont know much about impressing girls (yes ladies, you are in luck Iam still single) but I do know that at the rate these two smoke fags, they bet-ter have a sponsorship deal with L&B

otherwise they are not going to have atour bonus to impress the ladies with inMarch.

As for me, what do I do to relax? You guessed it. . . I people-watch. Ispend my time noticing how much pleasure Spr Monster Honeymantakes from looking after us all, cooking our supper and generally act-ing like our dad, how Cpl Mac McLaughlin talks tough in front of usbut is still smitten and utterly devoted to his wife and two kids and howCapt Lack of Personality Loots is hopelessly incapable of growing amoustache no matter how hard he tries. The Army truly does pull to-gether individuals from all backgrounds and locations. We are all dif-ferent; each with our own little idiosyncrasies but that is what makes it

possible for us to live together in harsh conditions for such protractedlengths of time. Out here we learn more about each other than we dosome of our family. It is our differences that make us great and I wouldnot have it any other way.

Page 7

Hexi TV stood cooking dinner

Camera shy?

Looking the part...

Tidying up?


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From Afghan with loveWO2 (SSM) Hartwell

Paula,I love you more today than I did yesterday but not as much as Ill love you tomorrow. My love for you grows stronger by the day.Cant wait to be in your arms again. Love Hugs and Kisses xxxx Glenn

This message is for the love of my life,She is the worlds most perfect wife.

As she reads this message she will see,Its for you Sarah, My gorgeous Mrs B.Happy Valentines Day

Single and looking for love.So if youre hot and you have low standards Age not important Ill be coming home soon With a big fat.Wallet.

To Hannah, not long now till leave,Thinking about all the good times,We had on R n R.

I love you with all my heart, through thick and thinAnother year gone by.Just makes us strongerHappy Valentines DayLove You

To Kerry, not long now only 8 weeks, miss you loads

Nicole, Happy Valentines day sweetheart,.7 years together and still going strong.I love you so muchMWAHIO

Page 8


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It was either write this or go on stag Happy Valentines day boys!

To all the single girls back homewho have low standards, Im your man!Happy Valentines Day xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To my gorgeous girlfriend Amii,Happy Valentines Day, Im sorry I cant be there with you. Times the stars in the sky by the fish in the sea.Thats how much I love you.

P.S. Leave Leroy alone today please xxxxxxx

Sandra,Even though we are miles apart.It helps to know we are sleeping under the same big sky.Somewhere out there, where love can see us through.Miss you loads, see you soon. Iain

To my fiance Sarah, it wont be long now until I am home for good and I can make you my wife.I cant wait to be with you every day instead of weekends and holidays. Thank you for saying

yes. Hugo xxx

Capt Cameron

Happy Valentines to my gorgeous girlfriend Jo,For once we get to spend it together and I cant wait! All my love, Kevan x

SSgt Owen

To my soul mate, Happy Valentines all my love and get the champagne on ice. See you soon xxxLove you all the muchies

Tes, ek hoop jy het n wonderlikke Valentyns dag al is dit sonder my. Ek wens kon saam jou geweeshet, maar ek sal verseker opmaak daar voor as ek terug by jou is oor 5 weke. En as jy n verskri-klikke groot bos blomme kry, is dit van my af. Lief jou soos die see

Jou man

Hello Budi,Happy Valentines day sundariand k chha yaha mero sathi haru le msgpathaune mauka milako le garda chance ma dance gareko. Dherai dherai maya and samjhana timilai ani chhora lai..sab kuch thik hai. Timro T

Page 9


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37 Armoured EngineerSquadron

Officer Commandings Foreword

37 Armoured Engineer Sqn

Second in Commands Foreword

Yes its true we have finally let our illustrious leader Kim JongBoxall go on leave and I have been masquerading as the OfficerCommanding. Obviously I have been able to do the OCs joband my own standing on my head! (see picture) To be honestthe OC was getting in the way a bit so we sent him home to see ifRachel would be prepared to put up with him for a couple ofweeks. Sadly he is back tomorrow so weve had to round every-one up from the coffee shop and put our uniforms back on! Ifanything the last two weeks have been the busiest of the wholetour and the guys and gals have been working extremely hard.

7 Tp have conducted an expeditionary build of a new Cp in themiddle of the green zone, with helicopter insertions and lots ofmanual labour which you can read about below. This was anexcellent job which received high praise from all the infantry whoworked with Cpl Barrie Doran-Thorp and his boys. 8 Tp havefinished the biggest build we will do all tour, upgrading a basefrom a small patrol base to a major company location. This taskhas consumed them for a month or more and is now thankfullyfinished. 9 Tp have continued to provide security to one of Hel-mands major routes by installing force protection to protect theinfantry when they are patrolling. Finally of course I must men-tion the Armoured Support Group who have done a vast array of

jobs from demolishing old enemy firing points to clearing saferoutes for the infantry, on their final operation in Afghanistan.The Trojan armoured vehicle has really proved its worth and issuddenly in high demand. A testament to the hard work of Sgt Fraz Weatherston and SSgt Panzers Scottand the reputation they have carved out for their team.

Back in Bastion we have started to focus on the hand over preparation for the incoming Squadron and theG4 department, under their leader Capt Joe Monaghan and SQMS Dickie Page, have just passed the intheatre inspections with flying colours. Top stuff!

I leave you with best wishes for the last few weeks of our tour and hope to see as many of you as possibleon the medals parade. Now if youll excuse me Ive got to write lots and lots of pages of notes for the OCand make it look like I have been working hard in his absence now where did I put my boots.. Cpl

Foden, have you seen my razor blade?.. oh and we had better take these Bermuda shorts and Hawai-ian shirts off no seriously get rid of the play station from the ops room.

Dominic Riley

Page 10


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Page 11

Op Tufaan Tamba

By Cpl Doran-Thorp 7 Troop

Operation Tufan Tamba was an operation to build a new checkpoint in a local compound near FOB KharNika. What this meant for us engineers was to provide support by constructing firing platforms and basictoilets and showers for the Ghurkas that would be in-habiting the compound.

With this in mind the Infantry soldiers of D Company set out for the helicopter landing site at 0425 ready toput boots on the ground whilst it was still dark. Amongst them, 4 sleepy eyed Engineers sat and waitedwith their stores for the helicopter (helo) to arrive. After the first helicopter took the securing force, andafter a brief moment, was gone into the dark skies above, it was our turn to board. Eventually our taxi ar-rived and we were airborne and on our way to a farmers field.

The two helos landed in unison and we fanned out in all round defence until the helicopters had taken off.From there we made our way towards the compound in question. What wouldve been a fairly straightforward and boring patrol soon became a source of amusement for the accompanying Ghurka riflemen asthey laughed at the 4 Engineers with their makeshift stretcher laden with stores slipping and slidingthrough the mud in the field. Sappers Pete Broxton and Tom Ashby putting on a particularly good showas they both did forward rolls into the same irrigation ditch and covering themselves from head to toe inmud, not quite CSE (Combined Services Entertainment) show material but funny all the same!

Once inside the compound we quickly set about reinforcing the compound with sandbags and providingmakeshift firing platforms with the ladders wed bought with us. From then it was a case of either fill sand-bags or provide manpower for stag duties and so we Engineers ensured we had a shovel glued to ourhands for the entire day, something that we would be getting used to for the next 4 days as stores steadily

arrived via quad bike and helicopter.

In between receiving rations, water and the essentials we also received the rest of the Engineer stores sowe could begin making the compound habitable, and so began the feverish hustle and bustle to get show-ers, toilets and various other amenities constructed as quickly as possible.

While the rest of us were busy inside the compound, Sapper Tom Ashby was roaming around just outsidewith his infantry escort creatinghavoc. Once the infantry realisedthat he had a chainsaw and notan axe to chop down the 22 treesthat they originally had asked forhe was suddenly deforesting half

of the green zone.

Within 4 days of arriving at a sim-ple mud walled compound it wastime to leave the now namedCheckpoint Dahli Laili and withthe infantry now living a lot morecomfortably than when they firstarrived.

A job well done by all involved.


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Page 12

The Final Hurdle at PB CLIFTON

By Spr Meacham 8 Troop

Another month in 8 Troop passes as the burns pit is inevitably moved again, this time actually inside thecamp (rather than outside on top of a UXO pit). With less than a month to push, for some, PB Clifton isone of the jobs that have proven to overwhelm us with a sense of achievement. The recent build of thebriefing room was one, now you might think it is obvious what a briefing room is for, yes? No! A few(well a whole infantry company) failed to understand this concept and interrupted a classic game ofBalderdash by having a briefing in the welfare room.

With the water point handed over and no electrician call sign, there has been a slightly relaxed lull in thework as we no longer have to:

Have in-depth conversations about local distribution units.

Pretend that we care.

There is still micro maintenance tobe done, however, such ascrushed pipes (again interruptingBalderdash) which, as with every-thing else, non Engineer callsigns believe can be fixed withbrown sniper tape and it seems ahammer! Other jobs we havebeen conducting consisted of re-sandbagging the HLS, levellingancient HESCO baskets and re-aggregating the whole camp dur-ing which a certain plant operatormechanic took great pride in bor-rowing a tractor from our sistersquadron.

29 Sqn have proved useful morethan once, lending us a Husky andan operator, even if there was and still is a used eco bag on the

back (of the Husky, that is). Seri-ously . gross! The driver being the self proclaimed best driver innit was an experience which we willthankfully never have to endure again once we get our replacement parts to fix our own Husky. I think hisdriving style is more suited to a rally track!

With Check Point Echo being the last part of our main effort, there is a real sense of achievement withinthe troop. We now have the move to Hotel Rahim to look forward to, and the winterisation of CP Ricka.We are anticipating the end of an experience where I have learned that, regardless of the occasional ruth-less hours, and the seemingly endless SORs, the boys of the mighty 8 Troop still know how to party!!

The Meech out.


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Page 13

OP JANGLE TROJAN (9 Troop with ASG attached)

By Spr Gibson

After stripping all the armour from the TROJAN and CRARRV vehicles (to make them light enough to

cross the bridges over the River Helmand), we loaded them onto the HET vehicles and were transported

north east to a desolate place known as FOB OULLETTE.

The first small task for ASG at FOB OUELLETTE was to re-attach all the protective armour. 2 Days later

and we were all ready to roll out the gate to make the Burma area safer for our troops on the ground and

the local population.

Our first mission was to clear the old CP BALA area of old Hesco, sand bags, razor wire and generally

denying the area for enemy firing positions. Cpl 'Turk' Stevens TROJAN and his motley crew consisting

of Spr 'Gibbo' Gibson and Spr 'Muscles' Atkinson, 2 REME CRAARVs with Sgt 'Al' Macmillan, Cpl 'Mash'

Masshedar, LCpl 'Ads' Anderson and LCpl 'T' Taylor , and the HUSKY, with the rest of them non ar-

moured lot, that is except for our leader- the infamous armoured legend which is SSgt Scott also known

as the NIGHTHAWK, tracked up the 611 to our site.

Once we broke track off the 611 the TROJAN took over. Plough down, we cleared a lane up to the objec-

tive, then started clearing a safe working area. We dragged all the old stores down to a safe area for an-

other call sign to pick up at a later date. Meanwhile, the CRARRVs back bladed the area and made it look

pretty! Until they uncovered a suspected IED. BRIMSTONE were called and after 6 hours, a lot of chinscratching, teeth sucking, and eventually a controlled explosion, later, the device was destroyed! So the

TROJAN was re-tasked to CP SALAT to clear an area for 2 ISO containers to be recovered, job done.

After a day of maintenance, ASG are ready to move again. The TROJAN, 1 CRARRV and the HUSKY

are tasked to clear a bund under the safe protection of the 5 Rifles Warriors. Plough down, we ploughed

a safe lane to the task, and an area big enough to work in.

Now before any of you worry about the next bit - The Trojan is a heavily up-armoured vehicle which is

designed to uncover and destroy mines and IEDs whilst ensuring that there is no danger what so ever to

the crew or operators.

Then we had a go at the bund. Plough down, BOOM, an IED detonates against the plough, safe inside

our tank it feels like we have hit a small speed bump weve uncovered and safely cleared our second

IED since we left Camp Bastion. We reverse off and check we have a working plough, we carry on.

BOOM, another IED detonates harmlessly against the plough, a second in as many minutes. Again, we

reverse off, check all is good and carry on. Once we have a section of the area clear the CRARRV is

called in to, again, make it look pretty (their very tidy these REME boys!) The TROJAN attacks the right

hand side of the bund, BOOM the plough takes out another IED. This is getting frustrating at this point, but

if nothing else, it gives us all confidence in our tanks abilities and just how damn safe it is! Our 3rd strike of

the day. After we finish we also discover that the plough has pushed a further 5 IEDs to the side of the

cleared track which are safely disposed off by the Counter IED lads. Damn our tanks are good!


14/36

Page 14

SSgt 'Scotty' Scott calls it a day and ASG return to OUELLETTE. 9 Troop welcome us back for tea and

medals, thankful that the TROJAN has come to their AO and cleared areas for them to safely work. They

all wish they were armoured!

ASG now move out to HAZRAT.

TROJAN in all its glory


15/36

Page 15

FOB OUELLETTE

By Spr Tommo Thompson

On the 28th of January 2012, we were tasked with putting in a new barrier outside FOB OUELLETTE.

You would imagine that this would be an easy task, but what happens to Vehicle drivers in the BURMA

AO? They always manage to drive into gates and other stationary objects for no apparent reason. So

that our work would not be wrecked when we left site, we tried a different approach. To achieve this we

needed to build 2 wooden boxes (0.9m x 1m), which would then hold both parts of the barrier. The wood-

en boxes also had to be reinforced because they needed to hold 820 litres of concrete. The boxes were

built by civvy chippie Spr 'Phil' Mitchell which were to a high quality standard (as usual). even the Warri-

ors (an armoured infantry personnel carrier) couldnt miss these and knock into them.

Once the boxes were in place we then had to get the barriers in (each weighing 350 kg), we also had to

have 350mm clearance on the bottom for the bar-

rier to rest on. When they were in position, the

concreting commenced with the mixture of 1:2:4 -

cement, sand, aggregate and a steady flow of

water. With the music blaring, Britney Spears -

Oops I did it again, the concreting team, which

consisted of, Spr 'Jay' Redshaw, Spr Cooper, Spr

'Jimmy' Peace and myself ,swooped into action

whilst LCpl 'Easy' Lay knocked up the re-bar to

go inside the boxes. It took us a few mixes to get

the right consistency for the mixture, but once we

had that cracked, the rest was childs play.

We had to keep on top of cleaning the cement

mixer as it doubles up as our washing machine

life is hard in a forward location cue sympathy

from the ladies. No worth a try!! As the ce-

ment was flowing we also had to ensure that we

got all the air bubbles out of the mixture. We hadno vibrating poker, which gave us all a good arm

work out. Both boxes took around a day and a

half. Task complete we just have to place them

into position, after they dry of course.

PS its not just 29 Sqn that pours concrete on

tour!


16/36

Page 16

G4, It JUST HAPPENS Part 8 NEMESIS.

By the Quartermaster

Well, the time had to come; atsome stage he was going to getcaught in his own net and what acatch it was. Cpl Karma Rai wasthe instigator, designer and refer-ee of The Iron Man competitionwhich all of 37 Armd Engr Sqn

takes part in prior to jumping onthe R&R escalator.

After the Iron Man events andcourse were sculpted to createmaximum pain, whilst being de-signed in the relative comfort(body-armour-free) of 35-45Cback in Sep, it was now Karmasturn to show us how it should bedone. He had clearly plannedThe Iron Man without any

thought to when he might takehis R&R, because the time andweather didnt really compute orwerent as big a concern as theyshould have been, maybe.

The two days leading up toKarmas R&R were full of normalsmiles, giggles and announce-ments of how many hours wereleft until his freedom bird (planehome) left for civilisation as we

know it. However, everyoneelses minds were fixed on thejobs here, what was happeningnow and that it had been freezingtemperatures and hammeringdown with rain for the past 3days. It was the day beforeKarmas Iron Man when I placedthe circumstances together forhim, i.e. the freezing rain, 3deep mud and his Iron Manchallenge. His face was a pic-

ture! Oh the joy. I never thought there would be so many spectators, but they came from miles around towatch him wallow in the freezing mud, blood and tears that were all his.

Happy as a Sapper in muck


17/36

Page 17

Just before the start of his Iron Man challenge, his freedom bird seemed so close however, about the35th Hesco jump when

he was sweating and hislegs were going into in-voluntary spasms, itseemed so desperatelyfar away. He could seethe flight line and smellthe aircraft fuel which hewould have been abletaste if it werent for thefresh taste of his vomit inhis throat.

On the quad bike (andtrailer) pull, time andweight were taking its tollon every part of his body.The blood from hisscuffed knuckles andgrazed chin where hehad slipped andslammed into the groundso many times curdledwith the 3 of freezingmud and slurry as he strived to drag the quad across the quagmire course. Well, enough of that pretend-

ing we care about a bit of mud and scuffs. Never mind hey! Chinny up Karma; should have applied a bitmore thought in the design and planning phases, hey? People in glass houses and all thatas well asmany more of those cracking clichs spring to mind now. Enjoy the kip on the flight, coz youll need it. Ha-ha!

Anyway, everyone else is left backand forward sorting G4 stuff forthe coming inspections which aremaking time fly by at the moment.Ok, its not everyones cup of tea,but Im trying to pull a few positivepoints out of the queue of external

inspections that break up the tourlike date line trip wires. Theresstill plenty to do; a long way to goand several guys to welcome backfrom R&R with a cheer. EachR&R return flight is a step closerto everyones freedom bird.However, every day in every touris extremely important and toughin many different ways, which iswhy everyone remains focussedall the way in to the finish line.

It is going to be difficult to

pull from down there

Just one gruelling part of the

37challenge


18/36

44 HQ & SP SQN NEWSOfficer Commandings Foreword

Greetings to you all from the HQ Sqn here in Bastion.

As you can see The OC is not producing this forward as he is taking some well earned R & R in Germany

with his family. The down side of this is that you will have to put up with

my ramblings this time around. The up side is I am better looking.

The majority of the Sqn have been on their R& R spending some well

deserved time with family and friend returning to a tempo that has not

relinquished at all. A fair bit has been happening since we last published

and the members of the Sqn have been extremely busy. The Force Pro-

tection Multiple have been out and about throughout the Southern Hel-

mand Province the CSC have continued their designs and recces in sup-

port of the current operations and the Resources and QMs depts have

continued to ensure that the right kit and equipment gets to the right place in time.

The Assisting Superintending Officers (ASO) have continued to give sound advice to the contractors that

are employed to construct many of the fixed facilities throughout the Southern Helmand Province. It is

these guys that I am going to concentrate on this time round. The ASOs are the eyes on the ground, en-

suring that any and all construction under civilian contract is carried out to the exact standards required.

This is a thankless task at the best of times however some of these guys are living in some austere loca-

tions with fellow coalition partners, sometimes with limited welfare facilities. Daily they patrol forward to

the construction location and supervise these projects and then patrol back to write up their reports and

recommendations. Some of the contracts are focused inside more perminant locations such as Camp

Bastion and Laskar Gah, where new dining facilities and constructions on the flight line are popping up.

The HQ Sqn provides six of these ASOs with a further four coming from the wider Regtl Gp. The six that

we provide are a mixed group of trades from a military plant operator to a civilian self employed electri-

cian, mobilised through the TA for this tour. They are all JNCOs with little or no previous experience ofthis kind of work, however you would not know this when you see the results they have achieved. They

are another group of our soldiers that uphold the high standards of the Corps and the Regt by just getting

on and doing a very important and thoroughly worthwhile job. Well done.

The HQ Sqn now move into what is the final stage of the tour part of which is preparation for, and ensuring

that the handover to our successors is a smooth one, however our eye has not been taken off the ball

and we as a Sqn push on as normal in support of the Regts current operations.

Finally I would like to pass on the anther big thank you of from all the HQ Sqn to the families, partners,

friends and members of the HQ Sqn ROG for your continued support and best wishes. These are well

received by everyone.

Remember every day away is a day closer to seeing you all again.

Andy Kerr

Page 18


19/36

Hey kids.

Me again and I can say that the weather has changed again since my last blog to you. It will notmake its mind up as the mornings start cold and as the sun rises it warms up. However come thenight time the cold returns. Hopefully as we get closer to the end of the to tour the weather will getwarmer.

For this blog we want to send a special thank you to all the families, partners and friends of the HQSqn for the support you have all shown during the tour so far. Although the attached poster doesnthave everyone's photo on it the thoughts of us all go with it.

THANK YOU ALL

Remember every day away is a day closer to seeing you

Ellie outX

Thank you

to

all our wives, partners, families and friend

from those serving with

Headquarters and Support Squadron

Royal Engineers

Op HERRICK 15

Sep 11- Mar 12

Page 19


20/36

TOP TIPS FOR RETURNING HOME FROM TOUR The end of tour is fast approaching. There is going to be a lot of different things to think aboutonce back in Barker Barracks. Here is a reminder of some of the things you will need to consider.PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE (PAX)

You may want to consider lowering your PAX when you return to your unit. It is still recommend-ed that you keep some units of PAX. Remember PAX is not just for Theatre, it is for both onand off duty. Speak with your HR Admin staff who will help you complete the necessary forms.

ID CARD & ID DISCS

You will have been told enough times about ID Cards in theatre! As we are approaching the endof tour, the window for getting a replacement one to theatre becomes smaller. Although checks

are conducted regarding the serviceability of your ID Card, if you feel your ID Card warrants be-ing replaced, speak to your HR Admin Staff. If you require a picture change on your ID Card, youneed to supply a passport-sized photo to your HR Admin Staff.

If you require new ID Discs due to loss or a change of details, speak with your HR Admin staffwho will indent for a new set for you. Do be forthcoming about a loss of ID Discs, no disciplineaction takes place for this! It is a factor of being out on operations that items go missing, and IDDiscs are no different!

ADVENTURE TRAINING (AT)

You will need to speak with the Expedition Officer regarding payment for your AT. Payments forthe AT are either via your Mess Bill (Officers, SNCOs and JNCOs only) or via the Regimental Ac-

countant Cheques are to be given to the respective Expedition Officers. Cheques are to bemade out to the following: CENTRAL BANK 35 ENGR REGT with your Service Number, Rank,Name and AT you are conducting on the back of the cheque.

TRAVEL

Now that we know the dates of the Post Operational Leave (POL), it is highly recommended thatyou start looking at your travel now. It is best to book now for the cheapest deals (yes, I am atight Northerner!) It is worth noting that if eligible, you will be able to use your Get You Home(Overseas) (GYH(O)) for your travel. Speak to your HR Admin Staff who will provide you withmore information on this.

PASSPORT

All personnel will have deployed on Op HERRICK with a valid passport. On return, some pass-ports may be approaching their expiry date within the next 12 months. See your HR Admin Staffwho will apply for your new passport. For families of service personnel, you will need to liaisewith the Welfare Office. Remember, its free!

BANK DETAILS & ALLOTMENTS

You may have changed your bank allotments to your secondary bank account while you havebeen on tour, it would be worth considering changing this back prior to going on R&R. Speak toyour HR Admin Staff when you return to your unit. If you want the change to take effect prior toreturning from Afghanistan, you need to see your HR Admin Staff before the 8

thMarch. If you de-

cide to wait until you return from Afghanistan, please be aware that the change will not take effectuntil the end of April.

MAIL

Page 20


21/36

77 TALISMAN SQUADRON NEWS

Squadron Sergeant Majors Foreword

As the OC has literally just arrived back from R&R, I thought I would take the chance to write the foreword

for this edition. When I say take the chance,

I actually think I was volunteered! However,

as I am never normally short of something to

shout about (well, it is my job!) I am pleasedto put pen to paper for what will be the 4 th to

last edition of the Trojan Times. Boo hiss, I

hear you all say, but all good things must

come to an end and Im sure you would ra-

ther see us all on our return than read anoth-

er edition!

The past couple of weeks have been fairly

quiet on the TALISMAN front, with only 6

Ops. This is in stark contrast to November

and December where we worked almost tocapacity. The weather has also turned for

the worse and we have a couple of articles

showing the effects of winter in Afghanistan.

To be honest, up to the time I write, the weather has been kind and we have been lucky. That said, I am

amazed how we can get wet INSIDE a tent! The normal rules of the weather do not apply to Helmand and

Im sure I have probably spoken too soon! We have also hosted the Talisman Training and Advisory

Team this week who will take away the recommendations we have passed on, to help make the training

for the next TALISMAN Sqn more theatre relevant. We have also had an excellent Sqn games night, or-

ganised by Capt Andy Bostock. Some of the events were a sight to behold but lots of fun was had by eve-

ryone who took part.

The tour continues to go at a decent pace and we can now comfortably say that it is the end of tour next

month. The last batch of well-earned R&R will be almost at the end during the publication of this edition

so the deployed elements of the Sqn will be all together in Afghanistan for the first time since early No-

vember. Im sure you have all had the chance to look at the Homecoming Week information that has been

sent out by the RSM, and possibly made some plans. This is part of the normalisation period that is

mandatory after returning from tour and should prove to be lots of fun, with the opportunity to catch breath

and spend time with our loved ones. I understand that not every member of the wider Talisman family will

be able to make it to the events in Germany, but I promise we will ensure they dont get too drunk!

On behalf of everyone in the Squadron, thank you for ever continuing support. Without your love and af-

fection, the tour would seem to be a lot longer than 6 months! Take care and see you all soon.

Jim Blower (aged 39)

Page 21


22/36

And then the floods came.

By LCpl Craig Smith, 10 Tp

On the 21th of January, 77 TALISMAN Sqn faced a new enemy in Afghanistan - the rain!

It started like any other day, a few clouds in the sky and nothing to be worried about. Morale was high, the

vehicles were prepared for the next Op and, as it was Saturday, most people were allowing themselves to

daydream and look forward to having a lay in on Sunday morning. Despite the briefings about the weath-

er warnings, everyone was confident it would just be a shower. How wrong we were! The clouds started

thickening and shortly after lunch the heavens began to fall. Morale started to drop slowly as most people

took shelter in their rooms thinking they would be safe. But oh no, water began rising from the floor. It

started in the tent corridors, and then rapidly spread to the tents . Drasti-

cally, something had to be done. The lads were wearing swim gear or

gortex, and for a few a mixture of the two. As the tents are surroundedby blast walls, the water had nowhere to go. So, like the 7 dwarfs (ok

only Spr Mad Dog Maddocks is small enough to fit into that category!),

with a shovel and a pick, they began to dig an elaborate trench system

to divert the water. Several hours later, with no let up in the rain, the

rising water slowly and

surely began to flow

away, saving the day

(and lots of blokes kit as

well!). An interesting

afternoon in Helmandand not a typical Satur-

day!

Page 22

Just singing (and digging) in

the rain


23/36

RSOI Range Refurbishment

by Spr Dads Bag Knowlson 10 Tp

LCpl Mike Molloy and I were given a plant task to do at the RSOI range (OBrien 1 range). It involved re-

moving old target boxes and replacing with new. LCpl Molloy went down to carry out a recce (have a look

at!) a few days before we started. After looking at it, Mike was heard to say no problem only a couple of

hours work! The job was initially meant to be a straight forward task of removing and replacing the target

mount boxes, and levelling the range, however the weather decided it would become a much bigger task.

The morning the task started, LCpl Mike Molloy, Spr Skippy Morris and I encountered a major problem

which turned a simple job into a something a little bigger!

Our faces dropped when we noticed the range was now a lake. Due toheavy downpour and no drainage on the range, the bunds of earth

that surround the range for protection against the bullets fired into

them trapped the water from flowing downhill off the range. On the

plus side, the rain came before we installed the new target mount box-

es as they would have been ruined by the flood and would have had to

remove and replace them resulting in further cost. A foot and a half

deep in places we knew it was no longer a quick job. We tried to get a

LWT (Light Wheeled Tractor) due to it being a lot lighter and wouldnt

sink or tear the ground up as much. Unable to get one we used the

HMEE (High Mobility Engineering Excavator). Myself

and LCpl Molloy began to dig a trench up the right hand

side of the range to attempt to drain the majority of the

water. SSgt Pat Warren decided to pay us a visit after

having heard about the problems we had with the task.

After SSgt Warren had seen the range, the decision

was made to pump the lake straight over the top of the

back bund and towards the perimeter fence. SSgt War-

ren took Skippy with him to the resources yard to get a

pump and a generator.

An hour later we had the pump and generator. Once it was set up we took turns in stagging on to ensure it

was pumping the water out and the generator didnt cut out. It took three days to drain the water away to

the limit of the pump. Ground works were carried out to reinstate the range, and prevent further closure.

This is a well used and important range, so time was of the essence. After some advice by SSgt Warren

and the SSM, the WO2 who was in charge of the ranges decided to get a drainage system installed but

thanked us for the big help we gave him.

Page 23

Knee high in water- again!

Engineers to the rescue

I do not think you will catch

any fish there?


24/36

The Hurt Locker

by Capt Mike Barrett 11 Tp Commander

On a cold Saturday morning on the 28th January 4 members of the Squadron lined up to take part in the

Camp BASTION Hurt Locker Challenge organised by one of the Royal Artillery Batteries. The challenge

involved six events back to back involving tyre flips, burpees,

squats, a 25kg Bergen and lots of sandbags and jerry cans with

the quickest overall time taking the win, simples.

Despite our heats being later on during the day we thought wed

hang around for a bit

and watch the firstguys go through the

heat. The first casu-

alty happened within

a minute as one

contender had to be

carried off the

course after being

defeated by the Husky tyre flip. The next contender dropped

out after the sandbag carry. There were a lot of nervous gulps

from the crowd and 77s competitors as we realised what we

had signed up for. However that was nothing compared to the

shock for Capt 100% Strike Rate Bostock who realised he

had been signed up while he was having another lie in!

As the day went on all of TALISMANs entrants put in a good

performance particularly Cpl Yaz Yaravoli who put in an ex-

cellent sprint finish to win his heat in typical Yaz style. By this

time a few spectators had arrived from other Sqns who blamed

their lack of work on the computer network being down howev-

er it was more

than likely they

were drawn in

admiration of

TALISMANs

efforts. After

lunch, there

were only a

couple of heats

left and first up was Spr Cockcroft who put in a solid per-

formance from someone who only decided to sign up the

night before. Next up was myself and LCpl Podmore who

unfortunately had to retire due to a knee injury just beforethe 25kg Bergen run. Last up was Capt Bostock who by

this time was slightly nervous and had made several trips

to the toilet.

Page 24

I bet Capt Bostock found this

event easy.

Making it look easy

Feel the burn.


25/36

Luckily for him Capt Dom Riley (2ic 37 Sqn) had decid-

ed he would take part as well in true wingman style. As

they both lined up a sizeable crowd had started to form.Many of Capt Bostocks friends from the CSLR includ-

ing the Ops officer had turned out to offer him some

support and carry him home if required. Both put in a

good performance even with a few tears shed by both

competitors at various stages.

Overall despite the back breaking effort and pain it was

an excellent event and a good distraction from the G4

War that is being fought at the moment by TALISMAN.

The next Hurt Locker will be held towards the end of

tour and I highly recommend it to anyone Bastion

based.

Page 25

Last event with encouragement

Still making it look

easy..what was all thefuss about?


26/36

Digging in the rain

12 Troop

The 21st January 2012 was a fateful day for those in my Pod. It was the day that the rain, which wasmeant to characterise January, finally arrived in Bastion. Whenthe rain started we were already back in our pods relaxing. Weheard the first sounds of rain on the tent and all thought to our-selves how glad we were to be in a nice dry tent in Bastion.However, the rain continued and continued, until suddenly wewere aware of water beginning to surface through the floor mat-ting in our tent.

Not a problem, being resourceful, we decided to put cardboardover the little puddles that were forming and we started to laughabout it as usual seeing the funny side of it. After a couple morehours the puddles had spread into the majority of the tent. Out-side it was still raining and by now the initial cardboard putdown was covered by water, so we put more down. The flood-ing continued to get worse. Walking outside of the pod theproblem was instantly apparent as the drainage system wasover flowing and as a resulting flooding the ground around it.

So the route proving and clearing Sappers of TALISMANswapped their search equipment for a traditional spade, donnedtheir gortex and started to dig some trenches to relieve theoverflowing drainage ditches. LCpl Sparks, jumping at thechance to do some digging, hopped into his HMEE and used itto dig a longer trench aiding the spade wielding Sappers.

Despite thecombinedefforts out-side, whenwe cameback to theroom it was officially flooded, but all our kit was alreadyoff the floor and it would be bearable for the night.

When we woke up the next morning and got out of bedthe water was up to my ankles and reached to the oth-er side of the tent to where LCpl Sparks was. First onthe agenda was to strip out the pod and to brush all thewater out of the room before building platforms onwhich we placed our bed spaces upon.

The room is back to normal now, however two thingsstand out from that night, the first was seeing Cpl Tay-lors flip flops float by LBdr Davies bed space whichhad everyone in fits of laughter. Secondly, never getcivilians to build a camp, instead leave it up to the pro-

fessionals in the Corps of Royal Engineers (and this iswritten by a Royal Artillery cap-badged bloke!).

Page 26

Soaked to the bone

Not looking too impressed

with the weather


27/36

Almost there!

By Cfn Poppet Wainwright

The last media article I wrote was in the first month of our operational tour. Now I am writing one with a

little over a month left. Although some days seem to last forever, as a

whole, the time has whizzed by and left a bit of a blur in its place.

Since I last wrote the fitter section has undergone many changes.

Our civilian contractor Greg has left and been replaced by Bob, who

is much better at darts, which is posing a bit of a problem. We have

also had a manpower reshuffle with Cfn Sean sharpshooter Mellam

leaving, being replaced by Cfn Im from Leeds me Barnes. He had

obviously heard of the Talisman fitter sections increasingly amazing

reputation around Helmand and wanted a piece of the glory. I person-

ally held his hand on his first Op for Talisman and, with a bit of fine

tuning, I think he could make the cut, but Im making no promises! Its

good to see the progress we are making during this operational tour.

For example Cpl Costigan has hit his first 180, which is a massive

improvement considering he was lucky to hit the board at the start.

LCpl Craig Walker is also coming on leaps and bounds as he can

now place an order on Amazon within 34 seconds, smashing his pre-

vious record of 1 min 26 and Sgt Aly Logan was actually spottedmaking a brew!! So the proof is in the pudding that we are all improv-

ing dramatically. Its nearly Valentines Day; at least I have a genuine

reason for forgetting the flowers and chocolates. Everybodys morale

seems to be quite high. I think that is because the toilet cleaning

schedule Im using as a chuff chart is in its last full month. We had a

flood recently. People ridiculed me when I bought my airbed, but I

was the only one floating. So although the end is in sight, its not

quite here, and we shall remain focused and

keep working hard. With a bit more practice I will

hit that all illusive 180.

Page 27

Good job he is wearing eye

protection...

Tea anyone?


28/36

With love from Afghanistan

Page 28

Spr Youth Franks

To EmmaIf Carlsberg made wives, theyd

probably make you! Happy Val-entines Day cant wait to see you

againLove Daemon xx

Spr Stoney Stone

To LouiseLoving you is easy, Coz

your things are new. Hap-py Valentines.

Love Stoney

Sgt Bizzle Betts

To all the people notcelebrating Valen-

tines Day, have funin Mangos!

Cpl Chuckie Gallears

To my Irish Flower, MY WY NY

LY always x Carl x

SprMaddogMaddocks

Roses arered

Violets areblue

Cant waitto get home

So I can

LCpl Jeeves Butler

To someones DaughterI want to be Your Valentine...

Oh precious oh precious please be mineI want to be your Valentine

Ill do anything to be your roseI want to be the Valentine you chose

Hold my hand and dont let goOpen your heart and feel our love grow

Lock me in your heart just for a dayFeeling your love while reality fades away

Ill wait year after yearCrying and sobbing tear after tear

Oh precious oh precious please be mineI want to be your Valentine!

Lt Frodo Stretton

Dear Kat,Miss you lots.

Sorry I cant bewith you on Val-

entines Day.

LCpl Goose Vassallo-CoetzerTo Debbie

Happy Valentines Day babes! Hap-py B-day for the 16th as well! Wish I

was there to share it with you.See you soon, miss you.

Love from Gustav

SSgt Andy WilliamsBabes,

Cant wait to be back with you, not longnow. Happy Valentines, love and miss

you alwaysAndy x


29/36

Page 29

Spr Dickie DayLoo Loo

We give on this day chocolate and flowers,But we never stop to say thank you for the many hours.

You have stood by my side and gave a smile,As if to tell our hearts it's been worth every mile.

No need to buy a teddy bear or even a card,

It's pretty simple and not at all hard.Just put your arms around me and hold me tight,And say without words that in your heart all is right.

You may say I Love You throughout the year,But on this day you need to make sure.

The words so sweet and straight from your heart,That your life would be lonely without my part.

So put forth the effort and take the time,Look me in the eye and say I'm glad you're mine.

WO2 Jim Blower (SSM)

When we are together, the moments I cherish.

With every beat of my heart,

To touch you, to hold you, to feel you, to need

you,

Theres nothing to keep us apart!

Youre once, twice, three times a lady,

And I love you!

Love you always babes, Jim x x x

Spr H HarrisonTo Stacy

Happy Valentines Day, Missing you

millions babe! Hope you have a

good day. We will celebrate when

Im home.

Love Phil xxx

Capt Rob Meakins, Sqn QMTo my gorgeous wife Char-

lotte,Yes, there is romance inthis old dog yet! Happy

Valentines Day.

All my love as always,Rxxx

SSgt Mick Shores

To Tina ShoresHappy Valentines Day. Love

and miss you and see you soon.

Love Mick

Sgt Bruce TerrisTo my darling wife Claire,

Hope you had a good ValentinesDay. When I get back, Ill take you

out for a wee bottle of wine.Love you, Bruce.

Sgt Eddie EdwardsMel,

I miss you more everyday.Not long left now. Hope youhave a great day. We will

celebrate it when I get back.

SSgt John BraithwaiteYoure still as young, freshand beautiful as the day Imet you. Always have and

always will love you.

Cpl Chris CostiganNatascha,Love and miss you loads,

sorry I cant be there for ouranniversary.

Cfn Poppet Wain-wrightLove you loads Lois,Not long now until

we are sippingcocktails in Miami.

Love from yourdear little Poppet.

Cfn Barnsey BarnesTo all those in the LAD on Rear Ops,

thinking of you all.Love the Talisman Fitters.

SgtAliL

ogan

Alwa

ysthin

king

ofyou

sweethe

art,

Lots

oflove

,Ali.


30/36

Page 36

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

THE WINNING PHOTO WILL BE THE 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 PERSONNEL OR

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.


31/36

Page 37

Who is your Valentine? Cut

this out and give it to themon the 14th of February!


32/36

Page 38

This week in the Toe Jam Times we catch up with Capt Anthony Gleave to find out what it is like to

work as the Battle Group Engineer.

After I finally drag Capt Gleave out of his air conditioned tent, he kindly agrees to give me a quick rundown of the life of the Battle Group Engineer (BGE), what he gets up to on a daily basis and how he fitsinto the confusing world of abbreviations and sand.

So Capt Gleave, what is a BGE?

Firstly, let me start by explaining the job of a BGE. The BGE is es-sentially the spy within the Battle Groups (BG) that the Squadron(Sqn) works to. I find out all the juicy details of what they are plan-ning and work out how best to massage the engineer plan in to as-

sist both the BG and the Sqn. There has to be a relatively quickturn around of information on my part. I will brief up the OC whowill in turn devise a plan of attack and brief up the troops accord-ingly. My job then starts with planning the Engr task into the BG

plan, this is vital to ensure the BG provide the heavy weapons andoverwatch to make certain our Sappers are as safe as possible.There are a whole host of staff in the BG HQ who range from IEDadvisors to media and messaging.

And what is the role of a BGE?

Essentially I coordinate all the ac-tivity around the Lashkar Gah Areaof Operations. I am the Engr spywithin the BG, I find out what theyare planning at the earliest oppor-tunity and then run home to Mum& Dad (the 2IC & OC). That wayMum and Dad can then work outthe best way to assist the battle

group to achieve what they want to

do (keeping up with the Joness).

How does this all fit into the bigger Engr

picture?

As well as telling Mum and Dadwhats going on so they can keep up with the Jones I also have to keep up with what theGrandparents are up to in Regimental Headquarters. Now they, like most Grandpar-ents, are very needy. However, like most Grandparents I can get away with speakingto them a couple of times a week and just generally letting them know that Im still

there Its a bit of a give and take relationship, I give and well, they take. But all inall I find my way through the murky waters of Officer work to enable the Sappers onthe ground to construct with (hopefully) as little friction as possible.

Surprised by the lush gar-

dens in Lashkar Gah


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Tell me about a typical day for you

0634 alarm goes off, snooze for 5 minutes (8 times) and wake up at 0714 (0745 breakfast,

0800 office (tent), work, work, work, 1200 lunch, work, work, work, 1630 PT 1800 food,1915 conference, 2030 conference, work, work, bedstart again!

I do however, get a morning off on a Friday, the Afghan day of rest, and dont have tobe in the office until 0900. Oh how kind they are.

I heard you managed to get a trip out...

I did manage to escape out of the wire in the begin-ning to the Afghan National Armys domain in PB

Jahan Zeb. It was quite interesting learning aboutthe role of the British advisors who mentor the ANAEngrs and the various nuances that the British advi-sors have to face on a day to day basis. For in-stance, during a battle the Afghans will stop forlunchthey work to a completely different time

frame to what we are used to. There is a definiteculture divide and we are working to their culture and their ways.

What has been the most interesting part of your tour so far?

I would say the Comds orientation tour. I was able to grasp a thorough understandingof the various Check Points (CPs) and Patrol Bases (PBs) that the guys were living in on

the front line. I quickly realised that there was some work to be done by the Engrs ifthe bases were to last the winter months, some of the men were living on their campbeds out under the stars. This is fine for the summer months but during the flash floodsand extreme cold weather the winter brings it was apparent that some significant up-

grading was required. It was fascinating to compare the different types of cooking ap-pliances that have been created over time to assist with the ration pack boil-in-the-bag

preparation not to mention the chicken cooking that wasa delicacy of the various camp chefs. By chef, Im refer-ring to the married soldier in the camp; hes about the on-ly one with the culinary skills to prevent food poisoning.

Travelling around Lash DC in an open top vehicle has itsadvantages. You get to have a real feel for the groundand a good understanding of the smell too. However, as I

found out to my detriment it can also have its disad-vantages. Whilst blissfully driving along through the DCwaving at the locals and taking in the city I suddenly findmyself under attack, not the type youd expect though, nothis was the cheeky children of LKG throwing stones fortheir amusement at the ISAF forces transiting throughthe area. Very good they were too, they got one head

shot, luckily on my helmet and one thigh shot beforelaughing and waving at me knowing that I would be gone and they could target thenext poor victim.

Throwing stones.but

they are so cute.

Lunch Afghan style


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What are your notable achievements so far?

My greatest achievements during the tour, aside

from naming a road Manchester and anotherMoston, has been the coordination of two vital check

point constructions and the transfer planning of Po-lice Precinct 8. Both check points were constructedby the Sappers of 29 Armd Engr Sqn in record time.Cpl Monks Sect ensured their check point ceased theinsurgents from using a vital resupply route whilstCpl Abbots Sect built a check point in an insurgenthot bed to provide out reach protection to the local

population. The ongoing task at the moment is the

transfer of security from ISAF to the Afghan policein Babajis Police Precinct 8. My role in this is towork out the process and timeframes for the HandOver of check points from ISAF to the Afghan Po-lice. With them slowly taking over the check pointsit allows us to empower them to sustain their ownsecurity thus allowing us to lift off into a position ofoverwatch. Its a slow process that started almostimmediately at the start of my tour but its one that I have become most passionateabout. It is this that will allow the Afghan forces to protect their own people and even-tually allow us to lift off completely.

So any final thoughts?

So far the tour has been a success for me. The initial phase of it was quite turbulent butas soon as I settled into routine and workedout what I could/couldnt do and of coursewhat I could get away with, I soon settledinto a steady rhythm. It has definitely beenthe most challenging job of my career todate managing all the moving parts and

personalities to ensure the troops on theground could construct without having toworry about the other stuff. It has been achallenge that I have greatly enjoyed and Iam now very much looking forward to thehand over of the 8th precinct to the policeand of course coming back home to normali-ty for a nice pint.

Five months in and still smiling

At Police Precinct 8


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Afghanistan specific terms

Op - Operation, mission, task (not surgery)

PB-

Patrol Base

CP - 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 North

NDA - 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 Device

SAF - Small Arms Fire

SOP - Standard Operating procedure

Formations

Sect - Section

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 Class

Lt - Lieutenant

Capt - Captain

Maj - Major

Lt Col - Lieutenant Colonel

Glossary


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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 We are nearly there, HERRICK 15 will shortly be coming to an end and 35 Engineer Regimental

Group will be heading home. There will be lots of celebrations when we get home. The informationabout these celebrations can be found on ArmyNet linked to Facebook or alternatively all the infor-mation has been passed to your loved ones, so the next time they phone make sure you ask for allthe information. Make sure you know what is happening where and when so that you can sit backrelax and enjoy having your loved ones at home.

If you hear any news about anything that might have happened in Afghanistan, which gives youcause for concern in any way, please get in touch with the Welfare Office on +495251101213. Wewill ensure that the team holds the most up to date and accurate information so that they will be ableto advise you appropriately or deal with the issue. In the event of any casualties they will be able toclarify the situation, in accordance with the wishes of the individual or family. Many thanks

20120209 Newsletter Issue Issue 14

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