CO's Update No 8 - The Final Countdown

This is an edited version of the latest detailed update by CO 1R Welsh. It includes a review of the last 2 yrs of operational deployments from Cyprus:

Update 2 Jun 08
It has been a while since I last updated my blog and although an awful lot has occurred in the interim, I hope that you have all been kept fully up to speed with plans and developments through other means. The main events have undoubtedly been the deployment of B Company Group to Afghanistan and the recovery of A Company Group back to Cyprus after their extended stay in-theatre. After a short sojourn in Al Udeid for decompression activities, they recovered in good order back to Cyprus and have now also had time for some well earned leave.

The main reason for this update, however, is to formally mark the end of the Battalion’s time as the Theatre Reserve Battalion (TRB) which officially occurred yesterday (Sun 1 Jun 08), when the role was transferred to 2 PWRR who have assumed the TRB high readiness mantle. I am able to confirm that the Battalion has been stood down and we no longer have a high-readiness liability to return to either operational theatre. Unfortunately, whilst this is fine in theory, we have not all been able to stand-down together as B Company Group, including significant elements from FSp Company, remain in Afghanistan and as I write they are conducting their handover to A Company Group from 2 PWRR. The end is almost in sight and is tantalisingly close.

Unfortunately, those who are currently deployed will miss the Medals Parade and the Families’ Day on 5 June. I am, however, in consultation with HQ BFC to ensure that the medals are presented to all of those who are unable to receive them on the formal parade on the 5th. Once we have confirmation of the return details for B Company and the attached Fire Support Group (FSG), a smaller, but possibly more intimate parade will be programmed for them to be presented with their well-deserved medals. Families will, of course, be invited to attend, but please also make the most of the activities on the 5th and enjoy yourselves, as this day is as much for you as for the rest of the Battalion and you will be made most welcome.

I hope that the day is a fitting way to mark the end of our time as the TRB and will also act as a suitable tribute. A number of those who are now serving away from the Battalion, or are away for other reasons, are returning to take part in the day. It is therefore a great pleasure to confirm that amongst those returning are CSgt Richie Jones and Cpl Dan Sheen who are putting their ongoing treatment on-hold for a short while in order to participate. For Dan, this is the first time that he has returned to Cyprus since he was injured in NowZad in early February. It will be good to see him back on-island again.

The past 14 months has been a period of unparalleled operational activity for the Battalion. There is no doubt that it has been a demanding and stressful period for all involved, which particularly includes the families and friends of those serving. It has also been a period of highs and lows. The lows undoubtedly included the taking of casualties and I am sure that when, on the 8th of May 07 news was received of casualties having been taken in Afghanistan, shock-waves must have gone through the wider Regimental family, whether they were on Cyprus, in the UK or elsewhere. With only 2 weeks of a 5 month tour gone, to take casualties so early was a real blow and I am sure that there was a great deal of trepidation for what lay ahead. Less than a month later, we sustained 8 more casualties; a number of whom were extremely seriously wounded. Fortunately, the medical care from the point of wounding all the way back to Selly Oak and onwards to Headley Court has been superb and all members of the Battalion have had great confidence in the medical system and that they would be well looked after should they become injured. Although taking such a relatively large number of casualties was a significant setback, much to their credit, everybody picked themselves up, learned from their experiences and focussed on the next operation. However, the cancellation of the Relief-in-Place by A Company Group, who were due to replace B Company Group, came as a jolt, especially as it occurred only a couple of weeks before the changeover was due to take place. Fortunately the remainder of the tour went relatively smoothly, with a number of successes against the Taliban along the way. However, at the end of one particularly intense operation in Helmand Province, as the Company Group was extracting from the Green Zone, a further casualty, fortunately not too serious, was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

In Iraq at the same time, D Company Group were conducting the unenviable task of running the Divisional Internment Facility (DIF) in Basra in extremes of heat and under almost constant Indirect Fire (IDF) attacks. I managed to visit them in mid-July and morale was high, even though the role was repetitive and the stress and pressure from the incessant IDF unrelenting. The GOC was also highly impressed by the way that they were going about business and he stated how confident he was in D Company Group’s ability to manage his highest operational risk. On deployment, D Company Group thought that they were deploying for approximately 2 months, but as it turned out, they eventually remained for 4 months, and not a day longer, so that they had no entitlement to R&R, which is an underhand and despicable way to run operations, but D Company Group simply took it in good grace and continued to run the DIF in their normal highly professional manner.

Both deployments recovered to Cyprus in mid September, via Al Udeid for decompression, and took some well-earned leave, however, it would be remiss of me if I did not mention the sterling job that all on Rear Party (which was renamed as the Battalion Operations Support Group (BOSG)) did, not only in support of operations, but also in keeping the home base functioning, including the manning and running of Cyprus Operations throughout this busy period. A Company Group probably had the worst roll of the dice. Having returned from the Falkland Islands in April, via OPTAG in the UK, they were well trained, highly motivated and focussed on deploying to Afghanistan to relieve B Company Group. To be turned-off at the last moment and then to be told to man Cyprus Operations almost indefinitely was not a sweet pill to swallow. Nevertheless, they simply got on with it and maintained their skills as best they could in preparation for potential deployments in the future.

After these two demanding deployments, the Battalion was stood down from its high-readiness liability for a while, which allowed leave to be taken, batteries to be recharged and continuation training to be conducted. However, once the short stand-down period was over, A Company Group was warned-off to deploy to Afghanistan in support of 1 RGR, who had taken over from us as the Regional Battle Group (South). The role was to clear the Taliban stronghold in the Belushi Valley in Uruzgan Province, which is controlled by the Dutch Task Force. This was a demanding operation conducted almost entirely on foot in the freezing cold of the Afghan winter. After a few engagements, the Valley was cleared and A Company Group was stood-down in order to return to Cyprus. Unfortunately, as the operation finished ahead of schedule, there was the possibility the Company Group would return to Cyprus before they had qualified for a medal. Fortunately, the intervention of CGS, who was visiting theatre at the time, allowed the Company Group to remain in-theatre for a little longer and so qualify for their well-deserved medals.

As a fate of timing, elements of D Company deployed to Afghanistan in December on the same aeroplane that extracted A Company Group. D Company was to conduct 2 discrete tasks. The first was in-theatre training for a company from the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF), whilst the second, which overlapped slightly with the first task, was to provide Force Protection for the RMP who were mentoring the Afghan National Police (ANP). The task actually developed into not just providing Force Protection, but also conducting much of the mentoring, so D Company were able to put their previous experience of running the DIF in Iraq to good effect!

In yet another quirk of fate, A Company Group redeployed in January on the aeroplane which extracted D Company. This time, A Company Group deployed for 6 weeks in order to secure NowZad District Centre, an austere and isolated Forward Operating Base in Helmand Province, whilst the Estonian Company, which normally occupies NowZad, took R&R. With thick snow on the ground and freezing temperatures, A Company made themselves at home. As the tour progressed they increased their patrolling of the surrounding deserted town. It was on one of these patrols that Cpl Dan Sheen stepped onto a mine or pressure-plate IED and received significant trauma injuries to his legs and lower abdomen. He was dealt with very swiftly and competently on the ground, before being flown to Camp Bastian and onwards to Selly oak Hospital in the UK. It will be good to catch-up with him again at the Medals Parade on 5 June.

Shaken by Cpl Sheen’s injuries, the Company was soon to receive a further shock when they were told that their tour was to be extended from 6 weeks to 4½ months. They were to be based in Musah Qal’eh, which had been retaken by coalition forces during the previous December. Fortunately, sanity prevailed and PJHQ agreed that B Company Group could replace A Company Group at about the 3 month point. Consequently, B Company Group relieved A Company Group, who returned to Cyprus for some well-earned leave. Once they have finished handing over their role in Musah Qal’eh to A Company Group of 2 PWRR and returned to Cyprus, B Company Group will have served approximately 8 weeks in-theatre on this deployment, which will bring our commitment to the TRB to an end.

How would I summarize our 14 months as the TRB? Stressful seems to be the underlying theme, whilst it has also been demanding, eventful and occasionally widely exciting, whilst on other occasions it has simply been tedious, boring and humdrum. Everybody probably has their own memories of the period, but we have all been placed in a situation of almost constant uncertainty and pressure, which has sometimes become almost intolerable. We have lived either with almost constant deployments, or we have been on high-readiness for potential deployments. This has all added to the stress, which has taken its toll. We have had 13 listed casualties, 12 physical and one psychological. Fortunately, most have returned to duty and some have even returned to Afghanistan on further deployments. Unfortunately the road to recovery is still ongoing for some and a number will bear the scars for the rest of their lives. However, all of those who have been injured have shown great strength and courage in overcoming their injuries. Some may say that we have been lucky to have taken only 13 casualties and that we have been fortunate to have got off so lightly when other Battalions have suffered far more casualties and also numerous fatalities. I counter this argument with the comment that you make your own luck. Well trained, highly capable and well motivated, the Battalion has met all of the challenges placed upon it, often when the odds have been firmly stacked against us. Whilst luck may well have played a part, skill and determination ultimately won the day. It could be said that we were unlucky to take so many casualties!

Thank you all for your dedication and unfaltering support for all that has occurred during the past 2 years on Cyprus and particularly during the past 14 months. Your strength and fortitude have been impressive. It has been a team effort and we could not have achieved as much as we have without the support and participation of you all. Thank you. My time in command of the Battalion is soon to come to an end, but it has been a privilege to be part of such a wonderful ‘family battalion’.