A Company Blog

Maj. Ben MacGuire

3rd November 2011

Well here we are at last.  It seems an age since the last message from A Coy to the home front and it has taken a surprisingly long time to finally get into the Patrol Bases and Check Points which will be our homes for the next six months. So what have we been doing?

The beginning of any tour always seems fairly chaotic and this has been no different.  However, when you consider that we had to get 109 men and women from Ballykinler, Germany and the UK to Afghanistan via Dubai you can understand why there is a lot of waiting around on airport tarmac.  Our arrival in Bastion after what was, for some, a 44 hour journey was a blessed relief and having taken a day to get ourselves together we were hurled into the mandatory training that everyone has to complete prior to deploying on the ground.  Known as RSOI, this training is an invaluable seven day package which ensures that all the Riflemen and attachments have the most up to date information (literally hours old in some cases) and training that they need.  It also allows them to practice their skills and drills in an Afghan environment and to acclimatise to the very warm weather – winter definitely starts late here. 

All of us found the RSOI training a real boost, and in particular it gave every man and woman huge confidence by demonstrating that all they have been practicing over the last year works for real in the environment it was designed for.  Having said that, after seven days everyone was ready to get out of the rather surreal place that is Camp Bastion and into the takeover of their PBs and CPs. 

We took over the area of operations (AO) from C Coy 1 Rifles who had worked hard to get us well set up for the forthcoming challenges.  Most of the Company’s commanders spent time patrolling and getting to know the area with their 1 Rifles counterparts and our brother Riflemen introduced us to all the key players in the area – some of whom already shout ‘Good Morning Ginge’ to Cpl Hone as he moves around.  This may be an attempt to distract him and get him to fall into another irrigation ditch – something he has done 4 times already. 

The Coy finally said goodbye to C Coy on Saturday 22 October having taken over responsibility for the area the night before.  Our thanks and admiration for all they achieved goes with them. 

So now we are into the thick of it and getting to grips with our new homes and learning to make the most of the long-cultivated relationships handed over to us by 1 Rifles and already the e-Blueys, morale packages and letters are flying in from you all at home.  Please keep them coming and we will try and do the same – the wide grins all around the CPs is evidence of the effect the mail-bag has when it arrives.

In the next installment the Riflemen will be telling you all about their new homes in their own words.  Until then, and as always my heartfelt thanks on behalf of us all for your fantastic support.

 Maj Ben McGuire

OC A Coy Gp

PB2

 Keep checking back for more 2 Rifles updates.