THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year
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00-An Cos-dec-09 (p1-9) 09/12/2009 19:17 Page 1 THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE ( E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 4 0 ) DEC-JAN 2010 d f m a g a z i n e . i e €3.00 (Stg £2.70) We wish all our subscribers and readers A Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year Road Safety Message Remember this festive season to reduce your speed, wear your seat belts and… DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE. Pride page 9 Cadets page 16 Fire Rescue page 22 Falklands page 28 ISSN 0010-9460 1 0 9 770010 946001 00-An Cos-dec-09 (p1-9) 09/12/2009 19:17 Page 2 00-An Cos-dec-09 (p1-9) 09/12/2009 19:17 Page 3 An Cosantóir V O L U M E 6 9 N u m b e r 1 0 DEC-JAN 2 0 1 0 The Pride of the MANAGER: Winning the Capt Pádraic Kennedy Curragh 9 War on the 24 Profile of the Curragh EDITOR: Pride Family Resource Hurling Field Sgt David Nagle Centre. Kilkenny Hurling Manager Brian Cody Journalist: speaks on leadership. Wesley Bourke Report by Report by Terry McLaughlin Sgt David Nagle Lt Col K Brennan CONNECT: Battlefield The Battle of Cpl Paul O’Neill Eyes and Ears 12 Goose Green 27 PHOTOGRAPHER: Recce training in the Part 2 – Profile of an Armn Billy Galligan Defence Forces. infantry battalion in SUBSCRIPTIONS: war. Cpl Paul O’Neill Report by Capt Dave McCarthy Report by ADVERTISING: & Wesley Bourke Steve Byrne EU Publishing Michael Whelan Brian Clarke The Journey Reviews Tel: 01 7071931 Begins 16 On Hurting Ground 30 Email: [email protected] Cadets commences and Through The [email protected] their training in the Dark Clouds Shining. Printed by Military College. Turner Print Group, Longford. Report by Reviews by Wesley Bourke Sgt David Nagle The fact that an article appears in this magazine does not indi- Op Loch Gartan Military cate official approval of the PDF and RDF troops views expressed by the author. 18 Insignia 32 join forces in combat No 3 Operations Wing exercise. © Published by Air Corps badges. OiC Public Relations Section for the Defence Forces at Report by DFHQ, Infirmary Road, Dublin 7, Ireland. Report by Flt Sgt James Tel: 01 8042691 Wesley Bourke G Perkins Fax: 01 6779018 E-mail: ancosantoir What Lies On Exhibit @defenceforces.iol.ie Beneath 21 Military dress 33 Profile of the Army uniforms on exhibit. Front cover: Diving Group. Soldiers in action during Op Loch Gartan. Photo by: Armn Greg Dorney. Report by Report by Wesley Bourke Glenn Thompson An Cosantóir Online Emergency Letters To access past issues of Response 22 Readers opinions 34 An Cosantóir, log onto: expressed. dfmagazine.ie. Developments This month’s username is: Profile of the Air Corps december Fire Rescue Service. and the password is: Report by december (lower case). Lt Col Kevin Byrne & Capt Thomas Craven AN COSANTÓIR Dec-Jan 2010 3 00-An Cos-dec-09 (p1-9) 11/12/2009 18:25 Page 4 news update… news update… news update… Running on Reserve In November, the 58 Res Inf Bn, based in Finner Camp, Co Donegal ran an inter-company cross-coun- try event and pictured here are the winning A Company team. They are (l-r) standing: Sgt B Taylor (Cadre Staff), Lt S McLaughlin, Comdt E McCosker (OC A Coy), Sgt J Quinn, Lt P McDevitt and CQMS B Barber (Cadre Staff). Kneeling (l-r): Cpl J Buchanan, Ptes J Doherty and T O’Donnell. Sgt Quinn is also this year’s Over 50 DF cross-coun- try champion. Photo by: Lt John McCandless (58 Res Inf Bn). Benefit Georgia in Kind Calling In November, the Association for A delegation from the Georgian Retired Commissioned Officers National Guard in November visited (ARCO) made their now annual the Defence Forces to discuss our cheque presentation to the Reserve Defence Forces structure. Defence Forces Benevolent Fund. They included (l-r): Maj Teimuraz Pictured here in the Officers Mess, Buskhrikidze (Georgian Defence McKee Bks are (l-r): Col Colm Attaché to Ireland), Mr Zurab Campbell (D SPO), Brig Gen Liam Arsoshvili and Col Telman Meskhidze McNamee (Retd), Maj Gen Dave (Georgian Armed Forces) and they Ashe (D Cos Sp), Col Brian are pictured here with Maj Gen Sean O’Connor (Retd - Pres ARCO), Maj McCann (D COS Ops) and Lt Col Gen Sean McCann, (D Cos Ops) Anthony Daly (D Res Fces) during a and Col ME Lucey (Retd). Photo courtesy call to DFHQ. Photo by: by: Armn Billy Galligan. Capt Gerard Fitzpatrick (DALO). OnShop November 13th-15th,Talk Army and Naval Service Reserve senior officers attended a seminar held in the DFTC. Pictured during a break in proceedings are (l-r): Lt Cols Bob Nugent, Mick Rock, Peter Gibbons, Colm Harte, Ger O’Halloran (Retd), Comdt Brendan Crowley, Lt Cols Tony Daly (D Res Fces) and Matt Murray. Photo courtesy of: Lt Col Bob Nugent (OC RDFTA). TheOn Most ReverendParade Jim Moriarty Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin is seen here inspecting a cadet honour guard, under the command of Lt Enda Walsh on the occasion of the 50th anniversary rededication of St Brigid’s Church, Curragh Camp in November. Photo by: Sgt JJ Ryan (HQ DFTC). WhenHello Sgt Maj Noel GrandadO’Callaghan returned home from overseas in Chad in October, he got an early Christmas present, when he met his grandchild Alisha for the first time. Also pictured in Dublin Airport are (l-r): Breda O’Callaghan (a proud grandmother) and Rebecca ( a proud mother) Photo by: Topic Newspapers Ltd. 4 AN COSANTÓIR Dec-Jan 2010 00-An Cos-dec-09 (p1-9) 09/12/2009 19:23 Page 5 ate… news update… news update… news update… For a Good Cause Both the Defence Forces Benevolent Fund and Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin received a donation recently from the men and women of the 99 Inf Bn, who raised the money while on over- seas service in Chad. Pictured at the presentation in McKee Bks are (l-r): Sgt Charlie Stone, Mons Farewell Eoin Thynne (HCF), Mr Gerry In November, Col Con McNarama retired from the Defence Cully (Our Lady’s Hospital) and Forces and he is seen here with family at a ceremony to mark NEWS UPDATE Cpl Chippy Byrne. Photo by: Armn the occasion. They are his daughters (l-r): Ruth, Elaine, Meg Billy Galligan. (wife) and Susan. Photo by: Sgt JJ Ryan (HQ DFTC). Happy Snapper Congratulations to Cdt Gallagher, winner of this year’s Air Corps photographic competi- tion. Flt Sgt Willie Barr is seen here presenting the winner with a Fuji camera for his photo of a monkey. Photo by: Armn Paul Daly (AC Photo Sec). Smile Please Pictured here are members of the executive and working committees of the ANSAC Credit Union during their AGM held in the Green Isle Hotel, Dublin in November. For all queries on loans, shares and mem- bership, checkout: ansaccu.ie. Photo by: Cpl Paul O’Neill. Sharpshooter Earlier this year, Lt R Arnott (12 Inf Bn) received his Sniper Marksman Badge for passing all seven-sniper tests with distinction on completing a 1 S Bde Basic Sniper Course. This is the highest award a marksman can achieve and it is seldom attained. Pictured outside the IWW, DFTC are (l-r): Lt K Woulfe (OiC Cse), Lt R Arnott, Comdt J O’Shea (OC IWW) and Lt M Hosback (Instr IWW). Photo courtesy of: Comdt J O’Shea. High Flyers Congratulations to Lt Cols Kevin Byrne, Harvey O’Keeffe and Gerald O’Sullivan (all Air Corps) who received their Masters in Strategic Management from NUI Maynooth at a ceremony in the UNTSI, DFTC in November. Photo courtesy of: Lt Col Kevin Byrne. AN COSANTÓIR Dec-Jan 2010 5 00-An Cos-dec-09 (p1-9) 11/12/2009 18:27 Page 6 news update… news update… news update… Many Hands Make Great Work Photographs by Armn Greg Dorney and Sgt Barry McCarthy Over the last month as Ireland was battered with rain and winds causing some of the worst flooding ever recorded nationwide, hundreds of DF men and women answered the call for assistance. It was a tri-service (Army, Naval Service and Air Corps) approach as the military, armed with shovels and sandbags mobilised into the cities, towns and rural areas to help Irish citi- zens trapped by the raising waters. Operating in hi-axle trucks and flat-bottomed boats, soldiers rescued thou- sands and their belongings, while at the same time assisted the local authorities and emergency services in stemming further damage to life, property and livestock. Apart from sand bagging duties, the Defence Forces provided fresh water to local communities affected by the floods and ferried essential emergency personnel and supplies when called upon. Well done to all. Above (right): Soldiers assist a local Sallins (Co Kildare) woman back to her home. Above (left): A soldier gives a woman a lift through some of the high waters in her Sallins housing estate. An Taosieach, Mr Brian Cowen TD meets soldiers in Collins Bks, Cork involved in the flood relief. Above: Soldiers prepare sandbags for use in the affected areas. Note the soldier (left) using his head with an inverted traffic cone to allow the sand to fill the bag more easily. This is just one of the example of how soldiers improvised to get the job done. Right: A Scania truck and its crew assist local residents in Sallins.