The Sunni Triangle Army Diving RDF Training Commissioning
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ISSN 0010-9460 00-An Cos-AUG-05(p1-10)16/8/054:05pmPage1 0 6 9 770010 946001 ■ ■ ■ ■ Commissioning RDF Training Army Diving The Sunni Triangle 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 4:05 pm Page 2 page 2 advt 2 AN COSANTÓIR August 2005 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 5:30 pm Page 3 An Cosantóir VOLUME 65 inside Number 6 August 2005 MANAGER: Capt Fergal Costello New Update Charity Begins Picture Parade of events 4 at Home 20 EDITOR: across the Defence. Ex-Coy Sgt Martin Cpl Willie Braine Forces. Cahill talks about his JOURNALIST: appointment with CF. Terry McLaughlin Report by Wesley Bourke Cpl Willie Braine CONNECT: Sgt David Nagle Controling the Independence PHOTOGRAPHER: Armn Billy Galligan Triangle 7 Day 23 From 11 Cav Sqn to US Commissioning SUBSCRIPTIONS: National Guard to Iraq. ceremony in the Cpl David Nagle Report by Curragh. Lt Nicholas Moran Report by ADVERTISING: (US National Guard) Wesley Bourke Above Board Publishing Paul Kelly, Advertising Manager Tel: 0402-22800 Water, Water New Home Printed by Kilkenny People, Everywhere… 11 Opens 27 Kilkenny. DF Trainee Scuba The Presidenet opens Divers Course. the new house for The fact that an article Report by ex-servicemen. appears in this magazine CQMS Mick Duffy Report by does not indicate official & Cpl John McGuinn Cpl Willie Braine approval of the views expressed by the author. © Published by OiC Public Relations Mayday! Going Wild Section for the Defence International Military Forces at DFHQ, Parkgate, Mayday! 14 28 Athletics. Dublin 8, Ireland. Air Corps and Naval Service Report by Tel: 01 8042691 respond to mayday call. Wesley Bourke Fax: 01 6779018 Report by E-mail: ancosantoir Comdt Martin Clancy @defenceforces.iol.ie & Lt Cdr Declan Power Front cover: Members of the RDF firing Number One Into the West the 105mm artillery gun Photo montage of during a recent Course. Gun, Fire! 16 30 recent activities in See pages 16-19. RDF Artillery Courses. 4 W Bde. Photo: Armn Billy Galligan Report by By Wesley Bourke Cpl Amanda Connolly www.military.ie/pr/an_cosantoir AN COSANTÓIR August 2005 3 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 6:57 pm Page 4 news update… news update… news update… Standown Sgt JJ Ryan's photos show (above) BQMS Nicky Aulsbery shak- ing hands with Pte Helena Poole during his BQMS's stand-down parade in the DFTC. BQMS Aulsbery served 43 years with the Defence Forces. While (below) Col Brian O' Connor reviewing troops of the DFTC at his stand-down parade on June 23rd 2005. 10K Race Don't forget the Cosantóir 10k is on the first Wednesday of October. Now is the time to think about training, no matter what your fitness level. This month's Connect features a training programme to suit all runners. Also see our article 'Charity Begins at Home' in this issue for ideas to make your participation an occasion to help others. 4 AN COSANTÓIR August 2005 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 6:57 pm Page 5 te… news update… news update… news update… Airshow The RAF's Red Arrows display team were one of the more popular participants in action at this year's Salthill Airshow. During the event LÉ Emer was keeping the waters safe. She is pictured here with a US Blackhawk helicopter flying overhead. School NEWS UPDAATE Visit On Tuesday July 11th a small group of local children visited Custume Bks, Athlone, where they were treated to a weapons display followed by a short tour of the barracks. The event was organised by Sgt Maj John Touhey and Coy Sgt Thomas Hewitt. Passing Out Eleven recruits of Class 'Alpha' were advanced to the rank of ordinary seaman within the Dublin unit of the Naval Service Reserve on June 26th in Cathal Brugha Bks, having successfully com- pleted their recruit course. The class comprised O/S H Duggan, M O'Riordan, B Cunningham, T Nelson, H Gilcreest, D O'Rourke, M Farrington, L Devlin, M Brohan, E Killeen and R Nolan. The training team were (front row l-r) L/S L Williams, P/O E Culshaw, Ens F Durcan (OIC Recruit Training) and CPO A Hayes (NCO I/C Recruit Training). Top Marks On 41 Pot NCO Course received Parade their stripes on Friday July 22nd in Cathal Brugha Bks. After Sgt JJ Ryan's photo spending 26 weeks in 2 E Bde shows the Minister for Training Depot it was indeed a Defence, Mr Willie O' proud day for the newly promot- Dea TD, at the commis- ed corporals. Cpl Willie Braine's sioning ceremony in first photo shows Brig Gen Liam the Curragh. The McNamara (GOC 2 E Bde) Minister, accompanied inspecting the parade. His sec- by Lt Simon Cahill, is ond photo shows (l-r) Best inspecting a guard of Student R/Up Cpl Cathal honour drawn from 81 O'Reilly and Best Student Cpl Cadet class. Adam Henry (both 5 Inf Bn) with Cpl Gerry Duff (Instr). AN COSANTÓIR August 2005 5 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 4:06 pm Page 6 advt page 6 6 AN COSANTÓIR August 2005 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 4:06 pm Page 7 The author studies the map dur- ing a navigation exercise. Photo Sgt Eric Penick (US Army). IRAQ CONFLICT t the beginning of the year 2000 I waved goodbye to my colleagues in 11 Cav Sqn (RDF) and trad- ed the drizzle of Dublin for the drizzle of San AFrancisco. After a relatively short period I began Controlling to miss running around fields with a rifle, and as a result I found myself signing on with the California Army National Guard. Over the next couple of years I worked my way through the system to become an armour officer. Then in the autumn of 2003 as a newly the Triangle branch-qualified 2/Lt I was handed mobilisation orders for Iraq and transferred to a deploying unit. This was the beginning of a 16-month odyssey. The job of our mobilisation was twofold. Firstly, to get a unit of part-time soldiers back into the swing of Over the next two months Lt things, and secondly, to teach a bunch of tankers how to go around on foot with rifles. The latter was most Nicholas Moran of the California unpopular, as the tankers’ attitude can be summed up in one of our most popular sayings: ‘Why carry a National Guard gives us an account weapon, when your weapon will carry you?’ Neverthe- less it had to be done as most line troops in Iraq are of his service with the US army in performing an infantry role. Indeed, the 81st Armoured Brigade was redesignated 81st Infantry Brigade Iraq. Nicholas, who is from Dublin, (Provisional) and only one company brought their tanks along. Everyone else was to be mounted in High served with 11 Cav Sqn (RDF) before Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWVs). The first week of training was at home station (the emigrating to America. This month’s city’s armoury), where soldiers practiced their indi- vidual common tasks such as first aid and CBRN. All excerpt deals with forming up and US soldiers, whether full-time or reserve, have gone through the same training courses so it is more a training in preparation for opera- matter of refresher training. The commander was pre- tions in the Sunni Triangle, a sented with a regular army advisor and a large check- list of tasks that needed to be demonstrated to stan- hotbed of insurrection activity. dard before the unit would be authorised to deploy. From the beginning of December 2003 through to AN COSANTÓIR August 2005 7 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 4:06 pm Page 8 mid-February 2004, the brigade mustered as a whole in Ft Lewis, Washington State. As a result tankers from the deserts of Southern California found them- selves training as infantrymen in several feet of Washington snow in preparation for a year’s tour of duty in the deserts of Iraq! As my company was the one earmarked to take our tanks along, we not only had to pass the infantry crash-course, but also all the tankers’ deployment cri- teria. Long, hard days were endured. We were one of the first units to use the new Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT (FIBUA)) training facility in Ft Lewis, and the level of detail has to be seen to be believed. Even the town’s mock police station has bars on the jail cells in the basement. One failing I found with the training was that although basic Arabic classes were offered on an optional basis, the classes were held at a time that soldiers in line units (and thus most likely to be out- side the wire dealing with locals) were involved in field training. Our training covered everything from how to unob- trusively search Arab women, to anti-tank gunnery and trench clearing. Then it was back down to the California deserts for a tour at the National Training Center at Ft Irwin. This 8 AN COSANTÓIR August 2005 00-An Cos-AUG-05 (p1-10) 16/8/05 4:06 pm Page 9 Left: is the US Army’s premier manoeuvre training site, comes down to the bayonet, he’s giving up and going The author’s crew (l-r): SPC which is now seeing double duty as an home! Aaron Peters (driver), Sgt Iraq/Afghanistan deployment training site.