112.07.11 - MY CAREER, MY TOUR - CPL THOMAS BRAY 1RIFLES.

Corporal Bray in the Green Zone

My name is Thomas Bray and I am 27 years old and a Corporal with The 1st Battalion The Rifles, currently attached to 29 Commando Regiment RA for Op Herrick 14, a 6 month deployment in Afghanistan.

I was born in Plymouth and now live in Bude Cornwall.  I come from a large family that I enjoy spending time with and also spend my time playing football, surfing and playing Bass guitar, to name but a few.  I went to school at Bude Haven School and after leaving with good GCSE’s, I decided that I wanted to join the Army so I applied for the Army Foundation College (AFC). This was a college for potential junior leaders who wanted a career in the Army but were too young at this time to go into regular training.

I have had a wide variety of challenges and experiences during my time in the Army so far and I enjoy my job immensely. I joined the AFC in September 1999 and completed my training in September 2001 from there I joined the 1st Battalion the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, which at the time were based in Hounslow, London. We spent 2 years there conducting Public Duties which involved helping the Guards at Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and Windsor castle etc. This was a very good experience for a young soldier. We also did a Jungle exercise in Belize for 8 weeks; this was my first of three trips so far to the Jungle. From 2002 until 2004 the Battalion moved to Ballykinler in Northern Ireland as part of a residential tour which involved duties such as public order, patrolling the streets and stopping any terrorist activities. During this time I completed my Junior Non Commissioned Officer (JNCO) Cadre for Lance Corporal and The Section Commander’s Battle Course (SCBC) and was promoted to Corporal after completing this course.

Once our tour of Ireland had finished we moved to ALMA barracks in Catterick Garrison which is in North Yorkshire. At this time 2005-2007 I was given the opportunity to become an Instructor at The Infantry Training Centre Catterick (ITC(C)), this was a very good experience as it enabled me to train recruits to become infantry soldiers. We would collect them at the train station on day 1 and 6 months later, if they were successful, they would pass out and join their infantry Regiments as professional soldiers ready to start their own career. This was a rewarding time for me and for every instructor to see this transformation from recruit to professional soldier from all the hard work put into training them. 

On return from ITC(C) I rejoined my Battalion which had amalgamated into the 1st Battalion The Rifles.  In 2008 I completed Platoon Sergeants Battle Course (PSBC) and later that year the Battalion moved to Chepstow where they are now permanently based.  In 2008 we deployed on Op Herrick 9, a 6 month tour of Afghanistan.  The training for this was indeed a busy time but was absolutely necessary for the upcoming deployment. As a result I and a few others were sent out to Brunei in January 2008 to complete the Jungle Warfare Instructors Course, which was amazing. We completed this mid February and after which were sent out to Belize (my 3rd time in a jungle environment and 2nd in Belize) to help with the Battalion’s pre deployment training for Afghanistan. This also was an amazing experience and on completion we had 4 days R&R in Cancun (I can’t mention any of the stories there but we all had probably the best ‘Rest and Recuperation’ you could imagine).

On return to the UK in September 2008 we deployed to Afghanistan for Herrick 9, my role was as a Section Commander within a Rifle Platoon, which means I led and controlled 12 Riflemen in patrolling and engaging with the enemy.  On completion of Herrick 9 we were told our next tour would be Herrick 14 starting in April 2011.  So the process of training and preparing yourself and others for the next tour started all over again. I decided to do something different for Herrick 14 and volunteered for a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) course. This job means that now, when I’m on the ground with the Riflemen, I talk to fighter jets and attack helicopters and enable them to strike the enemy when our soldiers need support most, I find this is a very rewarding job.

The biggest bonus of the 8 week JTAC course, and all the training since, was the fact that I got to fly in a fighter jet! Designed to allow the JTAC on the ground to understand the experiences of the pilots we are controlling, it was definitely a highlight. The pilot bravely allowed me to fly the jet for a few minutes through some of North Yorkshire’s valleys and I even managed a barrel roll without causing disaster. No theme park will ever compare to the adrenaline and excitement I had through the 2 hours I spent in the air that day.

I am now deployed to Patrol Base 1, working with Riflemen from the Gurkhas of 2RGR, in the Green Zone of southern Helmand. My job working as part of a small Fire Support Team (FST) has been very busy out here so far and as I said very rewarding on various different levels. During down time, boredom sets in and that is the main factor here, so you kind of have to motivate yourself and find something to keep you occupied. Luckily I’ve has some experience at that, so I’m always either in the gym or finding something to do during down time, but we all pull together and find stuff to do, which is good.

From my time on Herrick 9 to my experiences of Herrick 14 so far, I have already noticed a big change for the better. The Afghan National Army (ANA) has developed significantly and even how ISAF are perceived by the locals has further improved (even though the children are still masters at ‘borrowing’ pens from us). Hopefully, within the next few years the ANA should be able to fully take over the security of their country, without the need for ISAF support. That would be a great achievement for the Afghan people, their Army and their Government.

13.06.11 - A DAY IN THE LIFE – RFN RENE FRANCIS

 My name is Rifleman Rene Francis, and I serve in Multiple 7 of A Company. I’m currently based in Patrol Base 4, the Company’s main base in the Nahr-E-Saraj area, but I’ve also spent some time out in one of the Checkpoints – PB4 is a lot more comfortable!

On a normal day, Rouse would be at 0630, so I get up, have a wash and shave and eat some breakfast from the cookhouse. The chefs here are awesome, the food they make out of their field kitchen is some of the best – I don’t know how they do it!

After scoff, I get my kit ready for the patrol. As well as my body armour, rifle, ammunition, water, more ammunition and more water, my role as one of the Company’s Counter-IED search trained Riflemen means I also carry some specialist search equipment which helps us find IEDs. So I’m carrying a lot of weight in some vey hot temperatures.

Once my kit is ready for the day’s patrols we head off to the briefing tent to receive orders in front of the massive man-size map of our area. The patrol commander goes into a lot of detail about the route we’re going to take, what we’re going out to achieve, what we might see on the way, exactly what job each man in the patrol has to do and most importantly what “actions on” we carry out if something unusual happens on the patrol, so that we can go straight in to our drills without the patrol commander having to waste time giving orders. Knowing exactly what each man has to do if something happens, like a firefight, gives us all confidence and allows us to concentrate on doing the job.

After the patrol briefing, we kit up and head out of the gate. At first it was like stepping out into the unknown every time, but the longer we have been here the more we get to know our way around the local villages, and the more of the local Afghans we start to recognise. We’re on first name terms with some of them and most of them seem really happy to see us as we patrol past. Each patrol is varied and has a different purpose, so we could be doing anything from a resupply run to one of the A Coy checkpoints, taking water, rations, ammunition and most importantly, mail from our families and friends back home; to a 2-day patrol further out from the PB into areas where we don’t go very often and the insurgents have more influence.

A Coy 1 RIFLES on patrol

Once the patrol is done and we have got back to the safety of PB4, we unload our weapons before being de-briefed back in the briefing tent. This is our chance to put together all the information we have picked up during the patrol. Every little detail could be important – even if we notice a rock in a different place it could be an indication that the insurgents have planted an IED there. Once the debrief is over we go and sort our kit out again, putting fresh batteries in our radios, cleaning our weapons, making sure that everything works as it should do so that we are ready for our next tasking.

Then comes my second favourite bit of the day: time for a shower, a cold can of Coke, something to eat and a bit of time to relax. There’s plenty for us to do during our down time, whether it’s working out in the gym, heading to the welfare tent to watch TV (we get BFBS via satellite, so there are lots of our favourite TV shows from home and plenty of football to watch), go on the Internet to send some e-mails or watch a DVD. After that, my most favourite part of the day: bedtime!

 

13.05.2011- ON PATROL IN HELMAND 
By Rifleman Matt Mortimer

For the last 5 days, our Multiple has been on patrols. Each patrol varies in duration, route and purpose. On an average day we get up at 0700 to wash and shave before breakfast - we get a good choice, sausages, bacon (or Spam!), black pudding, beans, fried bread, pancakes and porridge.

The patrol will then set off at a specified time, which some days could be as early as 0500. One of our patrols lasted for 4 hours, and the aim was to investigate a well and meet the people who live nearby. When we got back to the patrol base (PB) we had lunch and spent the afternoon playing volleyball, going to the gym and reading after our kit had been cleaned and checked.

On our second patrol we set off at 1000. The purpose of this patrol was to investigate a compound which insurgents had used in the past. The Afghan National Army went in to the compound first and detained the owner for being an insurgent sympathiser. On the way back we stopped at one of the checkpoints for a debrief with the other multiple which was involved in the patrol, and then headed back to the PB in the late afternoon. The cookhouse put on some sandwiches for us and the rest of the days was ours to relax.

The next day we went on a ground dominating patrol to show the locals community that we are providing them with security. We got back to the PB at lunchtime and that afternoon  we had orders for a patrol the following day. We got up at 0230 for this patrol and set off at 0400, patrolling to one of the checkpoints.  We then to occupied a compound as part of a cordon while the Counter-IED team cleared the area around where a school is being built for local children. The clearance took a long time, so we were out for 15 hours.

Thankfully the next day of patrols was easier, setting off at about midday - which was really hot. We headed out to speak to a local elder regarding some IEDs which may have been planted by the insurgents.  We cleared the area without finding any IEDs before returning to base.

Another early start the next day, as we got up at 0200 (although we did get bacon sandwiches and Weetabix for breakfast)! We left the PB a 0400 and went south to clear some compounds and provide defence for a meeting between the Company Commander and the local community. This went well and we returned at about 1100, our last patrol before we went on guard to protect the patrol base.

 

BBC CLIP OF AFTER ACTION INTERVIEW RFN MCKIE
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RIFLEMAN WALTON 4 RIFLES REFLECTS ON A HARD SUMMER TOUR OF HELMAND >> Click to play audio clip

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A THINKING RIFLEMAN

Rfn Phil Thomas - 3 RIFLES BG Helmand Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The day normally starts with a kick to the cot bed I'm curled up on. Its six o'clock in the morning and I can see my breath as a cloud of mist against the dirty white of the wall in my room.

"Get up Tommo! Time for a scrape." My Plt Sjt Tim Exley says. I force myself out of my doss bag, and head down the well. The lads have fashioned a pulley system to get the water out so we don't have to dip in to our valuable "brew water" supply.

We moved into these two compounds about eight days previous and, with the help of an engineer section, have transformed them into something resembling a home. After washing and shaving comes breakfast around the communal fire, the hub of the camp. There is the usual bartering over ration packs (usually with A LOT of corned beef hashes left in the corner, swiftly followed by the platoon commander Lt Dixon sniffing around for seconds).

The plan for the day is a routine patrol for a couple of hours and then some down-time till my multiple takes over the guard of the patrol base. We spend the next couple of hours getting kit ready, oiling weapons, checking comms and, for some of the lads, getting some head down (a good soldier sleeps when he can).

Its soon time to head to the loading bay then out the front gate. Today we have the ANA (Afghan National Army) with us, it's a major bonus for us because they really excel at interacting with the local community in a way that ISAF forces could never achieve and this helps with building up the hearts and minds initiative that is so vital to rebuilding the country.

Whilst walking around we tend to attract groups of children looking for sweets or pens and, in the case of some of the riflemen's attempts at Pashtu (the local language), something to laugh at. It is slow and hard going, with the weight of the kit combined with the drills we use to combat the IED threat. But we have all known people who have either been killed or injured by these devices so you don't hear any complaints.

We meet a local mullah (elder) and the Boss discusses improvements to local amenities such as the mosques and schools. We head back to the patrol base and say farewell to the ANA until the next patrol. After a short debrief then it's off to fill sand bags and carry on making little improvements to the camp (a plt serjeant is only happy when his men are working hard rather than hardly working).

While we were out, some mail was dropped off so the lads spend some time reading letters from loved ones and parcels full of sweets. As it's the run up to Christmas as well, we have started to get cards and mince pies and all the usual paraphernalia that comes with it. We’ll be having the local ANA commander over for Christmas as we were kindly invited over to his base for Eid (Islamic equivalent to Christmas) where I tried goat for the first time and for the record it's like a really fatty lamb. Christmas is a chance to have the great tradition of the boss and sjt cooking and serving us all Christmas dinner. My turn for sentry comes around far too quickly so it's time to wrap up warm and sit on a cold sand bag for an hour at a time, not the most exciting job but considering we're in Sangin, a necessity none of us take lightly.

 Its 21:00 by that time and I'm glad the lads have gotten the fire going so when I come off the sangers, I can warm my ice cold hands and listen to the banter, with the lads coming from as far south as Cornwall and as far north as Newcastle (plus anywhere in-between) it's quite varied, mostly at me for being the only Welshman. By half ten it's time to hit the hay. It's surprising to how tired you can get, thinking you have to do the same thing tomorrow, but as we're finding out no day in Sangin is ever the same as the one before.