A Company Blog

Maj Ben MacGuire

12th October 2011

Written the night before A Coy leave to begin their tour in Afghanistan, OC Maj Ben MacGuire reflects on the training and preparation undertaken in readiness for the operational tour, and has a message for family and friends.

I write this on the eve of the departure of the majority of the men and women of A Coy Gp to Afghanistan and cannot help but reflecting that it has been a challenging but ultimately positive year of Mission Specific Training.  I wanted to take this opportunity, on the day that we depart, to thank most sincerely those that have supported us throughout the year - I am thinking of you the families, friends and loved ones of the Rifleman of A Coy. While we have been trudging through 'green zone' and fighting in mock villages across the UK and Germany, we have never had far from our minds the separation that has been imposed on you and the fantastically positive way you have dealt with it.

This support has allowed the chain of command, and particularly me, to focus on preparing your loved-ones in the most effective way possible and it is because of this that I am confident that they face the forthcoming challenge armed with the skills and experience they need. From all of us, a heartfelt thank you for all you have done and put up with since this all started in December last year.

I know that we will be able to rely on your continued support throughout the tour and I cannot over emphasise how important messages from home will be to us all. Please keep the blueys and packages coming - they never fail to brighten the day of those receiving them. In return, we will do the same but also keep you as updated as possible through armynet and swiftandbold.org.

Best wishes and thank you for all your support once again.