Week 21 - Commanding Officer's Notes

The R and R break was welcome and it was lovely to spend time with my family. However, it is good to be back with my 'other' family. R and R was a useful opportunity to view our current operations from the other end of the telescope. It allowed me to appreciate first hand the excellent work of the Rear Party and especially the Welfare Team.

I visited our casualties in Headley Court and Selly Oak. I am pleased with the progress of Maj, Shirley, Capt Wright, LBdrs Richardson & Gray and Ranger Herbert. Ranger Allen's condition is still critical, although there have been some positive indications. He must remain at the forefront of our prayers - likewise his family. It was immense sadness that I learned of the tragic killing of Sgt Mathews of OMLT 4. He was a very good man in several ways. May God bless him.

I also spent a little time with our successor Battlegroup, 1 RIFLES, on their Mission Rehearsal Exercise. They are developing well and looking forward to inheriting our challenging role late next month. It was great to see and hear the Royal Irish Regiment Band over R and R. They really did us proud providing superb musical entertainment in Tern Hill, at Selly Oak and in Market Drayton. Thank you.

Back in the fray in Helmand, my absence makes the pace seem more frenetic. Much has changed; much is happening. I have to run to catch up. Fortunately, the new BG COS and 2IC, Major Ivor Gardiner, and the new Adjutant, Captain Graham Rainey, have swiftly settled and got a firm grip on the situation. Sangin appears improved. Musa Qaleh faces a renewed threat. Gereshk seems relatively stable. We have reduced our liability to Lashkar Gah and are committing 4th Kdk/OMLT to Garmsir. The ANA are taking over security for Highway 1. Kandak 2 are preparing for operations. Ranger Flanagan is in remarkably good form recovering from being shot in the shoulder and Ranger Stout is in buoyant spirits having survived an RPG round in the chest. A great advert for Osprey body armour!

To distract me from my assessment and reading into the situation are a couple of short notice visits: first, the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Des Browne MP and later the new Defence Attache in Kabul, Col Simon Diggins.

It is great to be back.

E B M FREELY
Lieutenant Colonel
Commanding Officer
1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment

Northern Ireland Press & Media downloads

The 1 R IRISH MEDIA OPs team with the Northern Ireland press and media WO2 Denis McKee, John Vennard (UTV cameraman), Ben Lowry (Newsletter journalist) Ivan Little (UTV reporter), Lesley-Ann Henry (Belfast Telegraph journalist), Capt Brian Johnston, Rgr Billy Bittles

You can click on the link below to be taken to Ivan Little's UTV Afghan web blog where you can watch and download his News reports:

Ivan Little's UTV Reports

Click on the links on the right to download pdf files of some of the articles that appeared in the Belfast Telegraph: