Welcome Home Highlanders!

Highlanders welcomed home from Afghanistan

A History and Honour news article

24 Oct 11

Over 100 Highlanders from 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS) received an emotional and rapturous welcome when they returned to their base this weekend from Afghanistan.

A Highlander from 4 SCOTS is welcomed home by his girlfriend
[Picture: Staff Sergeant Ian Houlding RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

They were the last members of the battalion to return from a gruelling six-and-a-half month tour in central Helmand where they supported 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines in preparing the Afghan National Army and Police to fully take over security operations in the country in 2015.

The men and women of 4 SCOTS, which recruits from across Scotland and around the UK, met their families and friends as they arrived at their barracks in Fallingbostel, Germany, after a long flight from Cyprus where they spent their decompression.

500 soldiers from 4 SCOTS deployed to Afghanistan in March as Combined Force Lashkar Gah and conducted operations in support of the Afghan Government across the largest district in Helmand, ranging from the dense Green Zone and farmland of Babaji, through to the deserts and smallholdings of Yakshal and the Arghandab River Valley.

C Squadron from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and B Company from 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment made up the remainder of the Combined Force....

Read the rest of this great story - my most favourite kind of story! - here.

WELCOME HOME!

"NO ground troops in Libya"! Really?

Just caught this from the MoD:

UK troops in Libya

Several national newspapers have reported that Britain may consider deploying ground troops in the Libya campaign for humanitarian purposes or to protect safe havens for civilians. Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has said that Britain 'may have to look at' deploying ground troops as part of the Libya campaign to establish safe havens for civilians. However, in evidence given to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, he stressed that the Government has no plans and 'no intentions to deploy British forces on the border of Libya'.

Yes, emphasis mine. Pay attention!

Theo the superhero dog

Theo the superhero dog

A People In Defence news article

14 Feb 11

Theo, a Springer spaniel cross who holds the record for finding the most improvised explosive devices and weapons in Afghanistan, has had his tour extended due to his amazing success.

Military working dog Theo is put through his paces by handler Lance Corporal Liam Tasker at Camp Bastion, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan
[Picture: Corporal Mark Webster, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Theo is an Arms and Explosives Search (AES) dog. The 22-month-old 'superhero' spaniel and his handler, Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, are part of the Theatre Military Working Dog Support Unit (TMWDSU) based at Camp Bastion.

Theo is on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. A tour is normally six months, with the dogs then returning to their home at 104 Military Working Dog Support Unit at North Luffenham, Rutland, but due to his success rate, Theo's tour has been extended by a month.

Before coming to Afghanistan, Theo had to undergo a rigorous period of training to ensure he would meet the highest standards expected of the dogs in the TMWDSU. The first stage was 16 weeks' basic training and assessment before being given to a handler. Theo and Lance Corporal Tasker then spent 15 weeks on a handlers' course, where man and dog learn to work as a team.

As an AES dog, Theo's task is to locate weapons and IEDs. He is normally the 'front man' of the patrol, sniffing out any hidden devices. In Theo's first five months of duty he notched up 14 operational finds...

Read more on this Superdog here.

Gooooo Theo!

British troops are blogging!

British forces are blogging from Afghanistan

A People In Defence news article

1 Jul 10

British forces in Afghanistan have launched a mass blogging initiative involving dozens of personnel writing regular posts from the front line on the Army, Navy and RAF websites.

Royal Marines keep in touch with their families and friends over the internet from Forward Operating Base Gibraltar in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan (stock image)
[Picture: Corporal Rupert Frere, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

The individual blogs, some of them accompanied by video or podcasts, detail the realities of life on operations so far.

The authors, who range from junior personnel to senior officers, talk about their jobs, their living conditions, their battles and successes, their impressions of Afghanistan and their relations with the locals.

Task Force Helmand spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, said:

"This is a first for the British forces. Servicemen and women have been blogging for years of course privately on personal pages, but we have never provided the platform to bring all those blogs together before.

"People can follow just one person or a number of bloggers from one regiment, or indeed read them all."

Of all the three Services, the British Army has the most people serving in Afghanistan, and this is reflected in the number of bloggers writing online at www.britisharmy.wordpress.com

They include soldiers from the Royal Dragoon Guards, 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Royal Scots Borderers), and 21 Engineer Regiment to name but a few.

In all, eleven regiments are represented so far, but the number of bloggers, and participating units, is growing all the time....

GREAT idea! Check out the rest of this story - and the related links - here.

Royal Welsh earn Afghan medals

The Queen presents Afghanistan medals to Royal Welsh soldiers

A History and Honour news article

14 Jun 10

Her Majesty The Queen has presented medals to soldiers of 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh following their recent operational tour in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal John Buck receives his medal

from Her Majesty The Queen at Chester Racecourse
[Picture: Chris Barker, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Welsh, met soldiers and their families at Chester Racecourse on Thursday 10 June 2010.

1st Battalion The Royal Welsh deployed to Afghanistan in December and returned to their UK base, Dale Barracks in Chester, about five weeks ago, having had a central role in several high profile operations, notably Operation MOSHTARAK.

Soldiers from this battalion made the biggest find of improvised explosive devices ever uncovered by British forces in Afghanistan.

The Queen arrived shortly before midday and was greeted by Major General Roddy Porter, Colonel of the Regiment.

A Drumhead service of Thanksgiving preceded the presentation of Operational Service Medals to the 60 soldiers for whom the battalion's recent tour was their first, with Her Majesty presenting 16 medals, including to six soldiers wounded during the operational tour.

Major General Roddy Porter greets Her Majesty The Queen
[Picture: Chris Barker, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

The service remembered the sacrifices of the wounded soldiers and also remembered Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, the only soldier from the battalion to be killed in action during the tour.

The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Lock, then led his battalion on a march past, to cheers and applause from thousands of family members and friends who filled the racecourse stands.

Her Majesty The Queen then met with families and soldiers before an official reception and lunch.

Sergeant James Wilson said:

"It is a massive boost for the guys that the Queen came to see us today and present medals.

"The tour was quite intense and very challenging. We were working with French, Afghans and Estonians, which brings its own challenges which you have to adapt to."

Love my guys! For more on this story, go to the MoD here.

Thank you ALL for your service. WELCOME HOME!!!

Not that many of us ever doubted what our guys are doing in Afghanistan!

NATO's Commander in Afghanistan - this is a war for the people

A Military Operations news article

3 Mar 10

During a visit to Helmand province this week, the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, told troops 'to put yourself in the position of the local Afghans'.

General Stanley McChrystal shakes hands with a member of the RAF Regiment at Camp Bastion
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

General McChrystal accompanied Afghanistan's Second Vice President, Karim Khalili, Helmand Governor, Gulab Mangal, and NATO Senior Civilian Representative, Ambassador Mark Sedwill, on a visit to Marjah in central Helmand this week, where the Afghan flag has been raised above the town after ISAF and Afghan forces recently cleared the area of insurgents in Operation MOSHTARAK.

General McChrystal also visited Afghan, American, British, Danish, Estonian and French troops at Camp Bastion.

He told the troops that the most important thing that they can do is to put themselves in the position of the local Afghans.

The General said that he spent 75 per cent of his time understanding the Afghan people and that, by doing this, it significantly reduced the need to deploy soldiering skills.

He then talked of Operation MOSHTARAK saying:

"2009 was all about condition-setting. We knew that we had to take a different approach to the operations in Marjah and Nad 'Ali.

"We were keen to let locals and the Taliban know three things: firstly, we are going to stay, secondly, we are going in as a partnership, and thirdly, Afghan forces are making the decisions."..

Important insights from General McChrystal. Read the rest here.

This really IS a 'war for the people'.

British K9 hero gets award

Military search dog to receive animals' Victoria Cross

A History and Honour news article

8 Feb 10

Treo, an eight-year-old black Labrador, is to be honoured for his heroic actions as an arms and explosives search dog in Afghanistan by veterinary charity PDSA.

Sergeant Dave Heyhoe with explosives search dog Treo in Afghanistan
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2008]

The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) Dickin Medal will be presented to Treo for his gallant exploits in Afghanistan in 2008.

The medal is the highest award any animal can receive in recognition of conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving in military conflict.

Treo's medal will be the first PDSA Dickin Medal to be presented since 2007.

According to the Army, Treo's actions saved other soldiers and innocent civilians from death and serious injury....

Go read the details of what Treo did to gain this recognition, here.

*This post Bratdog approved*

British Navy: "...hamstrung by ...human rights laws and political correctness'...?

A story from MailOnLine in England about the Royal Navy treatment of Somali pirates, has the MoD responding. The Mail story:

Navy gives Somali pirates food and water... then lets them sail off scot free

By Jason Groves
Last updated at 7:43 AM on 27th January 2010

Suspected Somali pirates captured by the Royal Navy are being given fuel, food and water and sent on their way.

In three cases they were released even though hostages had been found on board their vessels.

The extraordinary revelations yesterday by Defence Minister Baroness Taylor will add to concern about the role of the Navy in tackling piracy.

Hands up: Royal marines board a suspected pirate vessel off Somalia last June - the gang were later released

In November it emerged that a Navy ship had stood by as pirates kidnapped British sailors Paul and Rachel Chandler. They are still being held and threatened with death by their captors.

Baroness Taylor said there had been four instances in the last year when heavily armed gangs operating off Somalia had been given supplies on humanitarian grounds. None of the 66 suspects captured by the Navy in the last year have been taken into custody.

One former Navy commander said the Navy appeared to be operating a 'maritime welfare system' rather than enforcing law on the high seas.

Mike Critchley, publisher of Warship World magazine, said: 'I feel pretty sorry for Navy officers these days who have to phone a lawyer in London before they are allowed to do anything.

'In the old days the captain would have been told to just go and sort it out.

[...]

'I am sure that word will soon get round the pirate community that even if you run out of fuel 200 miles off shore a large grey vessel will come and help you on your way.

'If we are going to make a difference then we have to shake a fist at people.'

Former Tory chairman Lord Tebbit, who has tabled a series of Parliamentary questions on the issue, said ministers had indicated privately that suspected pirates were not being arrested because of fears they might claim asylum in the UK.

Lord Tebbit said the Navy appeared to be hamstrung by the 'morass of human rights laws and political correctness'.

He said the release of armed suspects, some of whom were holding hostages, 'illustrates how absurd our laws on immigration and asylum have become.'...

They have more, of course, and you can read that here. [Be sure to check out the readers' comments.)

The Ministry of Defence has this in rebuttal:

Treatment of pirates
An article in the Daily Mail claims 'suspected Somali pirates captured by the Royal Navy are being given fuel, food and water and sent on their way'. The Royal Navy treats encounters with suspected pirates seriously and in each case will carry out detailed analysis of all physical evidence and witness statements.

The reality is that when patrolling some 1.5 million square miles (four million square kilometres) of international waters and operating legally within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Royal Navy regularly stops and searches mariners who routinely carry a variety of weapons for self-protection. If there is sufficient additional evidence that gives confidence that there is likely to be a successful prosecution, suspected pirates are transferred to Kenya, and more recently the Seychelles, for trial.

It is only when there is insufficient evidence and uncooperative or unreliable witnesses to ensure a successful prosecution in a regional state that equipment is destroyed and the suspected pirates and any claiming to be hostages are released. They are released only with enough fuel and supplies to allow them to return to land, in accordance with our international legal obligations.

Posted at 12:21 PM

I know which version I believe. How about you?

Captain John Hamilton: Memorial plaque in Falklands

(graphic courtesy of britains-smallwars.com here)
The memorial plaque for Captain John Hamilton MC in Port Howard, West Falkland, metres away from where he was killed in action during the Falkland Islands campaign [Picture: Cpl David Parnham, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Soldiers lay plaque for fallen comrade in the Falklands

A History and Honour news article

11 Aug 09

British soldiers who are soon to deploy on operations to Afghanistan have travelled 8,000 miles (12,875km) to the Falkland Islands to honour and remember a regimental comrade killed in the 1982 conflict.

Three members of 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) [2 YORKS] flew to Mount Pleasant Air Base and then by helicopter to the small West Falkland settlement of Port Howard.

On 10 June 1982, at nearby Packes Ridge, Captain John Hamilton MC (Military Cross), formerly of the Green Howards, was killed while carrying out reconnaissance of Argentine positions in Port Howard.

The three soldiers from 2 YORKS took with them an inscribed plaque which they mounted on rocks close to the place where Captain Hamilton died 27 years ago. This was then dedicated in a short ceremony led by an Armed Forces padre, with several Falkland Islanders also in attendance.

One of the three 2 YORKS soldiers, Major Andrew Roe, Officer Commanding C Company 2 YORKS, said:

"It has been a tremendous privilege to be able to play a part in honouring Captain John Hamilton. I'm very pleased with how the plaque looks and hope it will serve as a fitting tribute to John's bravery for years to come."

A dedication service was held at the memorial plaque for Captain John Hamilton MC in Port Howard, West Falkland
[Picture: Cpl David Parnham, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Captain Hamilton served in Cyprus, Belize and South Armagh before deploying to the South Atlantic in 1982.

He survived two helicopter crashes before leading the advance elements that captured Argentine positions in Grytviken, which resulted in the enemy's surrender in South Georgia.

Ten days later, he led his troop on the successful and brilliantly executed raid on Pebble Island in the Falklands.

For his bravery behind enemy lines on West Falkland in 1982, and for his preceding actions, Captain Hamilton was awarded the Military Cross.

Captain Hamilton is buried in a cemetery otherwise almost exclusively reserved for residents of Port Howard. His grave is one of 26 inside the cemetery, bordered by a white fence, on a remote hillside, beside a bay, about a mile from the settlement.

The residents of Port Howard hold Captain Hamilton in high esteem and inside a small museum filled with artefacts of the 1982 conflict, including weapons, pilot seats (from downed aircraft) and parachutes, is the webbing worn by Captain Hamilton when he died. (source: MoD here)

I found the following about the Falkand Islands war:

West Falkland

On June 5th five Four man SAS patrols were inserted onto West Falkland to observe and report the movements of the two large Argentine garrisons on West Falkland. One of these patrols was commanded by Captain Gavin John Hamilton, formerly of the Green Howards. Although Hamilton had only been with the Regiment for 5 months he was in command of G Squadrons Mountain troop. He had proved himself to be a excellent SAS officer during Operation Paraquat and the raid on Pebble Island.

On the 10th of June Hamilton and his four man patrol were using a well established OP near Port Howard when they were surrounded and out numbered by Argentine forces from the 1st Section 601 Combat Aviation Battalion. Two SAS men managed to get away but Hamilton and his signaler, Sergeant Fosenka, were pinned down. Hamilton was hit in the back by enemy fire and told Fosenka to get out while he covered him. " You carry on, I'll cover your back." Moments later Hamilton was killed. Sergeant Fosenka was later captured when he ran out of ammunition. Fosenka was not badly treated by the Argentines and Hamilton was buried with full military honors by the Argentines. The senior Argentine officer praised the heroism of the SAS officer. Hamilton was posthumously awarded the Military Cross. Some think he should have been given a VC. But because no British Officer was present during this action (apart from Hamilton himself ) no VC was awarded...

That whole entry on the Falklands War is a MUST read. Go here now, and marvel at the heroism.

"You carry on, [Captain]. I'll cover your back."

Always remembered and honoured. Rest in Peace, Captain.