Inside this issue:

Commanding Officers Foreword

2

29 AES While the OC is away..

37 AES - The big scary dog!

We are now entering the last week of January, with only weeks to go until the first echelons of 26 Engineer Regiment commence their protracted relief of our Regiment. Time continues to accelerate away, and already within my Headquarters we are getting ground rush and an uncomfortable feeling that we may leave Afghanistan in late March with unfinished business. All the Squadrons are working flat out, with much of their hard work being restricted by the relentless cold weather and periods of heavy rain that washes our roads away and causes the bases to flood. Now we are faced by a new enemy; nature. The persistent wet, windy weather saps the energy and momentum from many of our soldiers yet they still crack on; their tenacity, sense of purpose and drive in all that they do is humbling. I recently went to see 11 Field Squadron rebuilding the damaged Route Dorset. Although upbeat, they were taking a break due to the insurgent having laid a explosive device nearby. A well earned rest whilst the Search Team checked the remainder of the road for any other devices was perhaps welcome. Hopefully the road will be cracked in the next few days before the heavy rains come again. We also had visits from some senior members of Defence. The Vice Chief of Defence Staff (General Sir Nick Houghton) and the Chief of Defence Materiel (Mr Bernard Grey) hastily met the Talisman guys (Sgt Betts and his crew) as well as Cpl Abbott and the plant section from 29 Armd Engr Sqn. It was a pretty cold and depressing day, but the guys were upbeat and gave a great show of how diverse and capable the Regiment has become during this deployment. We will have more visitors over the coming weeks. Lastly, it was great for me to recently have R&R and to see my wife Dawn and my lovely girls; for those whove had their R&R, they will understand how great it is to recharge their batteries and return out here a little more refreshed and ready to see it through to the finish. For those about to depart for their break; enjoy it, when you return it will be only a matter of weeks until Op HERRICK 15, for 35 Engineer Regiment, is over. I took the opportunity to catch up with some elements of the Rear Ops Gp. To a man they do a magnificent job; in many respects the pressure to succeed equals the same as us forward in Helmand. I thank them for their help and commitment over what was a very busy and excellent festive season for the families of those separated at such an important time of year. You have my admiration and deepest gratitude. Please enjoy this latest edition of the Trojan Times. Lieutenant Colonel Kev Copsey - Commanding Officer
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44 HQ & SP SQN Ellie is back

17

Bag Blokes

24

77 TALISMAN Sqn A hello from the Sqn 2IC I am a diver !

25

11 Field Squadron The road to success

31

What the wives are up 38 to Burns Night - By Baby 40 Hector Issue 13 26 January 2012

29 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Officer Commandings Foreword
Hello Friends and Family of 29 AES With the OC on R&R for two weeks, I decided to make a few changes to how 29 Armd Engr Sqn were doing their business on Op HERRICK. Now obviously I didnt do this all by myself so I socialised a few ideas with the SNCOs and got down to business. First up, it was important to get out and about to see if the Troops were actually doing what they said they were doing so I deployed on Op ROGUE PIPER 1. This included a short visit to Jahan Zeb to see Cpl Debenhams sect. I can report that they are all doing very well, although going a little bit feral with the Infantry. They are thoroughly enjoying themselves working with the Afghan Engineers building a new road and I will endeavour to get an article and some pictures from them for next month. Once I had a small amount of the ground truth on my boots, I moved to Lashkar Gah to run through my ideas with RHQ which obviously the 2IC liked but had a few points of his own to make. I nodded in agreement, pretended to write them down and then headed back to Bastion to put my own cunning plan into action. Firstly to boost morale and make getting around Camp Bastion a little easier, I brought in a new Sqn mascot Arnuse the camel! He wasnt cheap but I am sure the SSM can sell him on to 8 Armd Engr Sqn when they arrive. Secondly, I added a little more formality to the dress for evening meals to mark the change between day and night after all some standards apply all of the time. I now only have one week left to make the Sqn even better so if anyone has any more ideas then please send them in to the usual address I am sure when the OC returns he will like the changes and may even ask me for some great ideas!
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Of course whilst all of this has been going on the Troops have continued to work extremely hard across all of the task sites. The remainder of our tour is dominated by the construction of the Malvern Bridge which is ahead of schedule and the articles below should give you an idea of the progress we have made. This is the most challenging task the Sqn will complete due to the technical complexity and accuracy required whilst living in one of the most austere locations in theatre. So far the Troop led by Lt Glynn Tomsett and sects commanded by Cpl Scotty McLaughlin and Cpl Harry Monks have done an excellent job. I will not let them steal all of the limelight however because SSgt Lee Harriss 5 Tp in NES(S) remain fully committed in support of 5 Rifles. Over the last 2 weeks they have built a new CP in the Malgir District, expanded another CP and upgraded a vehicle check point. Again they have completed these physically demanding tasks in some of the most austere conditions in theatre at a time when the winter has kicked in again and the temperature well below freezing every night. Lastly, I will mention SSgt Keith Brown and Cpl Daz Abbott who have also constructed a brand new CP in Lashkar Gah for the Queens Royal Hussars. They did this in a contested area with minimal resources and under intense pressure from the elements and insurgents they succeeded when they could have failed and I will publically praise them for their efforts which have made an instant improvement to the security in the village of Pupalzay. Kev Cameron OC and 2IC 29 Armd Engr Sqn

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The Malvern Bridge Crossing Part 1:

After a long and bumpy convoy ride across the open dessert that took us through villages which, judging by the locals reactions to us, Im sure havent seen any ISAF forces in years; we arrived at PB Clifton which is now our staging area for the Malvern Logistic Support Bridge (LSB). We arrived after the sun had gone down and in traditional Army fashion there was no accommodation set up for us so once all of the vehicles were put to sleep and our kit brought in, we spent our first night in a building that had been constructed for the kitchens but without lighting or heating! The next day we were up bright and early to move down to CP Malvern and set up tents, dumping stores and most importantly of all, setting up a brew area! Once all this was done the lads were given the rest of the day to square away personal admin and get settled into our new home which we were sharing with two multiples of 1 PWRR who after getting there first, had taken all the space! (on the plus side we had a tent and they didnt!). After our 'day of grace' we were straight into work, firstly setting up a site perimeter to prevent the locals from wandering into the task site and secondly using the diggers to strip out all of the top soil. While this Capt Loots looking not too was happening, the rest of us were inside upgrading the CP by building impressed with CP Clifton. washing areas, a toilet and some shower cubicles. This CP upgrade continued for the first few days while the plant op's continued to remove the vegetation from site. Once this preparation work had been completed, the civilian contractors arrived and we were able to start moving soil from PB Clifton. This soil would be used to construct the approach road and despite the language barrier, we managed to get into a good rhythm. By Day 3 we were well ahead of schedule and everything was running like clock-work, albeit an Afghan clock. At CP Malvern the sappers were working alongside the Planties helping to level the soil brought from Clifton whilst laying geotextiles between the layers to add stability. Using water from the Neb Canal the soil was continuously watered to ensure it was compacted correctly with the roller. The main focus from then on was to pour the concrete for the Northern abutment and all hands got onto the task, making sure that everything was done correctly because no-one wanted to have to re-do it! Despite using the biggest concrete mixer anyone had ever seen it still took a lot of hard work to pour the concrete into the wooden form work. We are now looking forward to the next part of the build which will bring with it some new challenges but so far so good!

The first concrete pouring complete Page 4

My PEDRO Experience
By Spr Griffiths
I returned from 2 weeks RnR in mid January and was told that I had to go out to a small CP in Pulpalzay. I was going to replace Craftsman Mckernon as a Husky operator whilst he took his RnR. After my early morning flight from Camp Bastion to Attal, I was told at lunch I would move forward to join Cpl Abotts section building a new CP. Spr Darby and I arrived at the new CP at around 3pm, quickly settled in and got ready to go out for our first task. I got the chainsaw ready to go and fell some trees with the QRH lads providing protection. We had to finish our days work when the sun went down. So far we had managed to cut down 55 of the 75 trees that we had been tasked to cut down so not a bad start. The next morning Spr Darby and I headed out again with a couple of the QRH lads. Ready to finish the task; the first few trees went well and we were making good progress until we got to this one particular tree. I had begun to cut a few branches off and the area was covered in brush so we began to clear it, as I was heading towards the tree, I didnt see a 2ft ditch under a branch and fell down it. I had fallen at a funny angle and dislocated my shoulder in the process. At the time I just thought that it was a small injury, but then I felt a really sharp pain in my arm and had to support it somehow. We asked the QRH to radio back to the guard commander telling him we had a casualty. I slowly made my way back to the CP hoping that it was not as bad as it seemed. The QRH in the CP put a sling on my arm and called for QRF back at Attal to come and get me. It was about 10 minutes later that they turned up and got me back to Attal as quickly as they could without making the injury worse. I arrived at Attal and went straight into the med center where I was treated by a medic. I was given gas and air and morphine. Whilst this was happening my evacuation was being sorted out. I would be travelling back to Camp Bastion by American Pedro aircraft. When the Pedro arrived I got on, I was still in quite a lot of pain. The Pedro crew gave me a strange lolley thing to put in between my gums and cheek to help with pain relief. The crew put a blanket over me and then they gave me a 'saved by pedro' coin. Before I knew it I was back in the hospital in camp Bastion, all this in under an hour from the point of my injury. Here the doctors popped my shoulder back in, not the nicest or the most pleasant thing I have ever experienced. I stayed in Camp Bastion hospital overnight where I was told by the doctors there that I would have to go to Birmingham hospital and see a bone specialist because of the way it was dislocated. I am disappointed that I have to leave the lads this close to the end of tour and wish that I could of stayed to finish the tour off. Hopefully I will be fully recovered soon and be back with the lads when they are all back at work in Germany.

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A Danish New Years

Spr Stunning Dunning, 4 Troop
Situated next to the Helmand river at the start of Nahr-e-burgh Canal, CP Malvern has become our new home for the construction of the Malvern Bridge. On the morning of 31 Dec 11, I woke up with frost on my sleeping bag. I knew the winter tour would be cold but I never thought it would be so cold that we would get frost inside our tent. LCpl Christmas Isaac, Spr Happy Cox and myself had all come to Afghanistan in the summer when the weather was hot, we never thought it would change so drastically; hopefully it will be better in the new year. On tour each day melts into the next and it is difficult to keep track of what day it is; so as we moved back to PB Clifton after another hard days work, we were reminded by Capt Loots that it was indeed New Years eve and we had been invited to a party! Normally reserved for 37 Armd Engr Sqn, PB Clifton is run by the Danish Army and they had planned a New Years celebration complete with fireworks and champagne. We were quite excited and looking forward to sharing the evening with the Americans, Danes, Afghans and the other Brits in PB Clifton. Capt Loots with
the New Years We all got dressed in our best set of uniform (the set that eve party set up stank the least) and began the walk across the camp. We had just made it to the helicopter landing pad when we spotted this Viking (Dane) stood in the middle of the pad with something on his shoulder. Suddenly, without warning, there was an almighty bang! The Danish had planned the firework show by firing flares from a massive bazooka. Every time they fired, the black night exploded in light and life, as the silhouette of everyman on camp appeared momentarily and each human shape clearly feeling the blast waves, LCpl Danny-boy Taylor stumbled around looking for his little camera that he had dropped in fright!

With the light show finished, we moved to the area where the party was to be held, barely able to hear what anyone was saying, a palpable sense of excitement was obvious at the prospect of lovely bubbly champagne. Unfortunately, Capt Loots had jacked on us and failed to mention one critical piece of information . . . the champagne was non-alcoholic; so just like the winning the First Division title, it didnt really count! We sipped our fake champagne and enjoyed the almond cakes that the Danes had made for us; the majority of us enjoying our first sober New Years in a while, except for Spr Yam-yam College who is such a lightweight seemed to manage to get drunk on non-alcoholic champagne. The Danes hosted us very well and put on the best spread possible given the conditions. Ultimately we all enjoyed the night and the entirely unique celebrations; who said that a New Years celebration needs to be alcohol fuelled.

New years Morning in CP Clifton Page 6

37 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Officer Commandings Foreword
What a great couple of weeks we have had and you will read below about a really successful operation we recently conducted combining pretty much everyone from the ASG, 7 and 8 Troops to support a major Afghan led operation to clear and hold another major area of Helmand. The operation was the first of its type that we have supported and was a new experience for many - but it went well, and in the bigger picture it was another important step forward for our Afghan partners in taking responsibility for their own affairs; if any of you were in doubt, I can assure you that we really are making a difference here. In time terms, we've really turned the corner and as I write this we have two months almost to the day until we will be home - I know it has been a long haul so far, but there is significantly less time to go now than we have done, so please hang in! As we enter the final stretch, I expect the tempo of our operations to remain high, so of course your continued support remains fundamental to our success and I know all of us still appreciate getting the mail and boxes that you send. I hope by now you are well aware of arrangements for our return - if you aren't, then please ask your partners next time they ring or e-mail, or visit the unit welfare office who of course will help. Whilst I can't write the dates in this foreword, I can assure you that the programme for our return is going to be outstanding and a fitting end to such a huge commitment for both us here and you at home. I hope to see as many of you as possible at the Regimental Coffee morning in the week 30 Jan-5 Feb. As ever, look after yourselves and keep safe.

Guy Boxall

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7 Troop no more
Lt Antony Cole, 7 Tp/ASG Comd
As a Troop Commander the last thing that you want to hear is that your Troop has been disbanded. So you can imagine how upset I was to learn that my remaining manpower was being sent to 8 Troop and that I no longer had a Field Troop. I must point out that I was already on a downer after SSgt Timothy Scott had abandoned me to go gallivanting in the UK for a few weeks. Not to worry I was told, Its only a temporary measure because 8 Troop can't cope with this big operation that they have coming up (they need 7 Troop to make it work). Perhaps they would be able to cope better if Lt hair-straighteners Abbot spent less time admiring himself in the gym and more time in the office thinks I, but I was content that we were able to help out.

Two times handsome single Army Officers, soon to return from Afghanistan and looking for love

Then the next piece of good news struck; I would be commanding the Armoured Support Group for the duration of the Operation. This meant that in all likelihood the Tanks would break down in Camp Price and I would be free to spend time on some of my favourite pass times such as drinking brews (that I havent made), surfing the broadband internet connection and admiring the Danish ladies! Woof! To my disgust The Trojan was being commanded by Cpl Turk Stevens who was working his crew like a slave driver to keep his vehicle on the road. Before long I found myself preparing to spend the night sleeping under the stars in the middle of the desert, a sand storm and subsequently what is best described as a Tropical storm. I will leave the details of how the indefatigable 7 Troop bailed out our brothers in the 8 th to Cpl Amos and Cpl Stevens, but suffice to say we had success all round and were glad to see 7 Troop reinstated at the end of it all.

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Armoured Support Group

Cpl Iain Stevens
On the fourth of January the ASG got an extra special New Years treat in the form of our vehicles deploying out of Camp Bastion and making it to our target location of Camp Price. Full of confidence we then prepared ourselves for a move in order to clear safe lanes and areas in and around some proposed new checkpoints, so that our field section counterparts could begin construction. The move up proceeded without incident other than Spr Gibbo Gibson managing to find a way to break the mine plough whilst travelling at around 10 mph on flat(ish) ground, so a special well done to him! We were soon in our sandbox hotel for the night and settled down for a nice hot scoff and nights sleep. Through the periscope we saw a strange figure lurking around attempting to climb aboard, the Gollum like figure turned out to be none other than Sgt Weatherston clutching rations and requesting that the armoured gods help him out by heating up his food as it was so cold outside and their cooker wasnt working. We took pity and obliged. Early the next morning we set off to begin our clearance mission and despite REME having a few dramas with one of their vehicles all was well. We had a good days' work clearing two sites and settling down for a well deserved rest at the end of the second. The next day left one more site to clear and then down to Patrol Base Clifton to refuel our thirsty tanks. It was the next day, when we returned to our first site to expand an access route, that the mighty Trojan really proved its worth by successfully and safely disposing of an IED! Thank you Trojan you have performed superbly!

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CP Builds by 8 troop
Cpl Nick Amos
7 Troop left Khar Nikah and arrived in MOB Nice (sorry Price), for a few hours before enduring a short journey through the desert to PB Clifton. On arrival the troop got settled into the wind tunnel that we would be living in, which was quickly sealed using ponchos to stop the wind and rain that arrived that evening. The next morning 19 section consisting of Cpl "Master Two Stripes" Amos, Sappers "Truck Stop" Taylor and "Welshy" in the Husky got their vehicle ready to go out. The Wolfhound crew; which had LCpl "Shabba" Rigby, Spr Johnny Whittaker and a guest appearance from Spr Teeth Robertson; also came along. Time seemed to fly by with the amount of activity going on, we were joined by camels, correctly known as Dromedaries (camel with one hump). A dog being walked on a lead which, due to the size, may well have been a small bear! Next it was time to move onto the task at hand, supporting the Afghan National Army in building a line of patrol bases which were looking into the Green Zone from the high ground. 19 Section moved into the first location at full strength with guest appearances from other members from the fine 8 Troop. Spr 'Ross always smiling Atkinson started off by levelling the ground, ready for the large Hesco baskets which you need a ladder to get in and out of. This was achieved in the first few hours then we moved onto building the walls, laying out the Hesco for the guard posts, accommodation, kitchen area, and toilets. All the stores came from the Afghan National Army and not our own Resources Department. One evening the vehicles had to be moved at short notice, Simple Johnny forgot there was a huge burrow pit in front of his wagon, instead of driving around it he went straight into it, or should I say half way in. If he had gone all the way in he could have driven out the other side. Luckily help was on hand in the guise of the SSM and his Wolfhound who helped to get him out of the ditch. On the last night of the first CP build it was improvements time again, we had to fill some small Hesco baskets by hand; as the diggers could not get to them; so a small team was selected, from a cast of thousands, to load a stretcher with mud and carry it to the baskets. Task complete it was time to get back for a wash and shave and prep for the next build which was only half the size. Best thing of all was the SSMs Wolfhound breaking down on site (by also going into a small hole oh the irony) but that did give us an extra pair of hands for our task, in the form of Pte Ginge Lawson, the Squadron Combat Clerk. Time for him to get dirty for the first time on tour and sleep outside (we discovered he was not prepared for this). We were treated to a good lightning show that evening coming from the heavens and a nice encore of water falling out of the sky. When all was done it was time to get back to Clifton, followed by a road move onto Price, not bad as it is a one and a half hour journey time! All back safely, we were glad to return to the comforts of Camp Nice.
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The dream team

Op Rosi Rashan
Spr Jason Fish Carter-Smith 23 Section 8 Troop
Day 1, Jan 8th Our first day started bright and early at around 6 am, vehicles prepped, stores prepped and we were on our way to CP Echo to construct a 40 man Checkpoint for the Afghan Army. We arrived on site at the foot of an old British fort and unloaded the stores which we had collected on the previous day from the ANA engineers, who steadfastly refused to lay stores out in a neat British army like fashion. However as we were building the Afghan Army lots of new checkpoints it was good to work alongside them. We were raring to go but unfortunately the area we were working in had to be cleared by the Danish Engineers Pausing for a well first. After day 1 we had worked with the Afghan needed drink Engineers, Danish Engineers, Danish Tanks and the British infantry which meant a lot of coordinating on all levels. Day 2, Jan 9th Another early start; this time body popping as it was so cold. Our first move was to get the plant operators to gather a major stock pile of dirt for fill for the HESCO. Whilst the plant was doing its thing, some of us went to another CP where a different section from 8 Troop was busy at work. After a bit of banter and a lot of whinging from LCpl Ross Atkinson we managed to borrow one of their tractors and we were on our way back. Once on our site we started to bounce out HESCO. Everyone loves HESCO at this stage of the tour....especially Sapper Robertson who has become particularly fond of the stuff. Day 3, Jan 10th At the start of this productive day we managed to bounce out yet more HESCO and build watch towers for the Afghan Army to use when they finally moved in to the palace we were building them. We were on a roll until we had to pretend to be the RAC and rescue another vehicle which had managed to drive into a well concealed ditch, no names mentioned! We took them back to PB Clifton, grabbed some coffee and cakes and then returned to the checkpoint to carry on working. We worked until it was dark and then we stopped for a well earned rest, which was glorious...until the rain came and we spent an uncomfortable night Time for a quick sleeping in the vehirest? cles...Brilliant!

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Day 4, Jan 11th Early morning we dropped off a tractor for our sister section working on another checkpoint, this happened a lot as we swapped bits of kit for the tasks we were doing at the time. After lunch came our second move, we had to go and fetch the REME fitter and take him to the stricken vehicle from the previous days ditch incident. It was going to be a long night as we started on the accommodation; Sappers Pascoe and Meacham were looking forward to it a bit too much, and indeed we worked into the night to make sure the checkpoint was finished in time. Day 5, Jan 12th The checkpoint had taken full shape and things were coming together, the accommodation roof went up and then came down and then went back up again after a few minor adjustments. The kitchen was completed to a standard that Delilah Smith would be proud of. The en-suite shower units plus the toilet units were installed before lunch, I say en-suite, they were more like wooden cubicles. The final touch was putting razor wire up around the check point. This stuff is awful to work with and cuts anything it comes into contact with to shreds. However, as a result, it is very effective at keeping people away, good job we had protective thick gloves. Day 6, Jan 13th This was day of our return to Patrol Base Clifton, marking the end of our task, we were welcomed back by warm cooked food, hot showers and heated tents, lovely! No more doubling up on sleeping bags, wearing softie suits with thermals and living in a cloud of dust. 8 Troop dug out blind on this task and seemed to have lived up to the unofficial motto of the RE, Improvise, adapt and overcome.
Hard at work building Check Points

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Spilling The Dirt on the Boss

Sapper Aaron Gooch (Adopted 8 Troopian)
The OC's TAC (Taxis And Cabs), has been one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. One of the first things I learned as Major Boxall's personal chauffeur around Afghanistan is that running out of Haribo or Coke is worse then all four tyres falling off in the middle of the desert, needless to say we came close a couple of times! When Major Boxall goes quiet it normally means that he has enough goodies in the wagon to buy the crew some alone time. When we arrive somewhere we are greeted with a mixed reception, usually fear and nervousness, all the prerequisite feelings of the hierarchy of the squadron arriving somewhere. Those feelings soon turn to happiness as we leave, which means, in effect, as 'The TAC' we are unanimously feared throughout the Squadron. As for Major Boxall's equipment care I have mixed views, when everything is working well he is a fantastic vehicle commander. However when everything breaks it is the drivers fault. Unfortunately things tend to break a little more than when things tend to work. Unlike on a limo or a yellow cab I do not have the partitioning in between myself and the passenger which I can put up when things are not going so well.

The OC hard at work trying to beat the top score on Angry Birds

All in all I have had some fantastic times driving around, seeing all the guys and sleeping out under the stars by the wagon while the OC is spooning with the SSM. Having Major Boxall as a commander has been an experience that I will never forget, but listening to myself and Sgt Hubbard serenading him from Gereshk to Ouellette with some Bon Jovi classics probably means he won't either.

Bastion to Ouellette
Spr Martin Talbot
Coming from 4 months of working out of Camp Bastion I have learnt all about resources and stores, picked up new tricks and learnt lessons relevant to my trade as an RE Driver (Gods trade!!), but there was always a feeling that I was missing out being in Bastion and that I wasnt really there as a Royal Engineer. So when I got back from my RnR and was told that I was heading up to FOB Ouellette to rejoin the mighty 9 Troop, I was happy that I would be joining the rest of the lads that I started my Pre-Deployment training with, and remain with them until the end of the tour. Starting as I hoped, my first day in my new FOB was busy. There were little bits of everything from working on an EPLS to bring it up to scratch, to helping to put a wooden divider in next to the cookhouse. It was not exactly the height of Combat Engineering skills but its more than I have done in the last 4 months, and was a good little break in to the pace at which I will have to work at. Although I may be without some of the creature comforts that Bastion has it doesnt really matter. This is starting to feel more like a tour now and not just doing the same work I would undertake in Germany only hotter, dustier, and without the wife making me lunch everyday. At least now I have experienced life on Operations at the very front end with the remainder of the troop.

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No More Cake For Me, Ever!

LCpl Chris Easy Lay 9 Troop
It has come to that time of year again, the end of the old and the beginning of the new. It was New Years Eve and I had been lucky enough to pull the New Year Sanger Duty of 2100 2359, due to the rotation of sanger duties and not because I had been a naughty boy, as SSgt Adcock loves handing out extras, in the form of sanger duties, to everybody who is naughty or not performing to the standard required. Luckily my replacement arrived early enough that I could go to enjoy the New Year celebrations that had been organised. I couldnt believe it when I got outside the Ops Room, there was a fire burning, bagpipes playing, all you can eat bread and soup as well as a finger buffet of various nibbles. As midnight struck I helped myself to a hearty bowl of oxtail soup and as everyone else gathered around the fire, no one else seemed to be eating so I dove right in. Not rude I assure you, after all, the company was not that great; mostly officers enjoying their cigars, quite literally, patting each other on the back with 'Hoorahs' and well done old bean, apart from the BGE Capt Robb who was dressed strangely, in some sort of kilt and robe combination, must be an Irish thing (we have learned to expect nothing less from the BGE). It was quite amusing to watch, I simply enjoyed the food along with our style of fireworks as the night sky was lit up by hundreds of Para-illume rounds fired from all the various CPs, PBs, and FOBs throughout Helmand, as far as the eye could see. At this point it is normally a time for New Years resolutions, after reflection on the year gone by. I tried very hard to think what did I do last year? It seems to have gone by in an instant with a huge blur of PDT training, various courses and exercises and what is now 4 months of Mondays. The New Years resolution is usually something that you could, or want to change to make the next year better than the last. However after this years challenge I realise that I am, dare I say it, getting old, as my wife Becky keeps reminding me, with the big three zero this year. Those that know me from days gone by will realise, that in the past, this years challenge would not have been much of a challenge to me at all. But, I am afraid to say the challenge broke me; it had me beat! In my New Years Challenge of 2012 to eat a 1.8kg Cake. of the 32 individual pieces that made up the whole slab of the Apple and Caramel Cake I failed to eat just 8 pieces. I was a failure. As a result I decided that my resolution would be to No cake in sight for stop eating so much. Essome members of 9 pecially as I found myself troop there on New Years Day eating when I was not even hungry. So I left the rest of the food where it was on the trays. New Years Day went by with a bang and I am now focused on being a more healthy me, no more cake for Chris, perhaps Becky will like a thinner me as well!

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G4, It Just Happens...

Spr Andy 'Dont hassle the Hoff' Hough
Lets start off with Happy New Year to all those poor souls who were left behind in Afghan over the festive period, sucks to be you, I on the other hand had a lovely R&R at home over the holidays. So much so that I actually missed all the excuses, said as if already rehearsed, by a certain LCpl Fat Frank Lampard Wright of the Corps every time he missed the ball during the match against the not so football gifted 11 Sqn who we comprehensively beaten 3-2. On return to this paradise, which leaves your mouth feeling like Ghandis flip flop, I soon realised that cold weather clothing may be needed as it was particularly Parky. On a road trip, following the weekend of cold, I saw the unimaginable Our great illustrious leader Kim Jong Boxall is officially afraid of mans fiercest but best loved friend, yes you heard it here first, our leader is afraid of dogs. This was very obvious when he went for a visit up Artillery Hill and was overcome with fear when an average sized pooch of the female persuasion started wagging her tail and commenced to sniff our hero in disguise when he got out of his limo. The OC started reversing procedures, as he was so afraid of this beast and the possible rabies it may be carrying. Our leader started circling the limo, to evade the giganotosaurus, and ended up running away, even at one point trying to prize the door off the limo to get inside faster. These frantic attempts failed as the pooch had done this before (practice makes perfect), and went around the other way and cornered him! To the rescue came the fearless Sergeant Major who leaped out of his Jugger-naught and diverted the giganotosauruss attention by deliberately bending down, roaring and flexing his guns as if to say come here 'ya bitch', just long enough to distract the beast from its prey. As a result the beast was a wee bit cautious of this new foe and scampered away like so many Sappers on the arrival of our SSM. This allowed our illustrious leader to get away safely and continue with his coffee hunt. Hats off to you SSM without you I dont know where we/the OC would be.

The beast in question................thank you SSM Diver for ensuring the OCs safety

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44 HQ & SP SQN NEWS

Officer Commanding Foreword

Hello All With the Christmas and New Year festivities now but a distant memory we are well and truly back into our stride committing both manpower and equipment to various ongoing tasks within Camp Bastion and in support to the Field Squadrons in forward locations. Whilst we remain focused on the here and now the Chief of Staff, Maj McKechnie has the knack of constantly reminding us to have an eye on not just the hand over / take over process but also what we need to be planning for the year ahead after Post Operational Leave. The HQ & Sp Sqn remains the focal point for the Engineer Gp in the coordination and implementation of the raft of inspections we have had to endure during the tour. It has even been mentioned that various departments are beginning to suffer from inspection fatigue. Bearing this in mind it is thankful that we are now halfway through our final logistics inspection with only two sub units left to undergo the incursion on their accounts. This inspection is to ensure every weapon, sight system, and vehicle is all correctly accounted for. This is all part of ensuring that we focus not only on the operational piece, but also on the systems that are so important in ensuring our men and women are constantly supported with stores and equipment to meet their every day needs, without which their ability to carry out operations would suffer significantly. We are now well and truly in to the fifth month of deployment. The majority of personnel have had their well earned rest during R&R with only a few us left to take it. I will be on R&R over the release of the next Trojan Times therefore Capt Andy Kerr, the Sqn 2IC, will be writing the forward on my behalf. As always, a big thanks to you all for your continued support, until my next foreword I bid you farewell. Chris Darke.

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CHARITY RUN
LCpl Fong
HQ & Sp Sqn organised a charity run in the beginning of our six months tour of Afghanistan in September 2011. This is a brief update of our progress and misfortunes at this moment in time. All 11 of us started off the charity run with a bang. Early mornings were easy, we were up bright and breezy with no worries whatsoever and as the months progressed we lost momentum due to the cold weather. I for one am not built for the cold unlike SSgt R Finn (who loves his layers) and then one of our cherished old, bald and ginger blokes (MPF) succumbed to injury. Dont worry he is mending his toe nails and combing his hair back in Paderborn under the watchful eyes of Mrs MPF. Right, back to the progress, with just over 2 months to go things are really starting to heat up. Several of the guys are close to achieving the goals set and others have fallen miles behind. Some have been out and about with no means of running and others have been constantly busy with other work commitments. Somehow Sgt S Chandler has completed his target, how he found time for that no one knows. All I can say is time can only tell if we all achieve the goals set. Fingers crossed by the end of tour and next article update everyone would have accomplished this. Oh yeah, that reminds me got to get on the road and put some miles down. Thanks for reading and take care.

Looking very serious heading out for a run

In a rush..........................to make sure he gets a seat on the stool

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ALWAYS READY, ALWAYS ABLE

By LCpl Hayhurst of 44 Hq & Sp Sqn
The day began on a cold, fresh morning of the 18 th December 2011 for the ABLE team of the HQ & Sp Sqn, TFH Engr Gp, at 0400 (yes it turns out there are two 4 Oclocks in one day, much to our disappointment.) from the accommodation to the yard of the CSLR, we deployed enmasse under the watchful eye of the detachment commander Sgt Caz Carrington, and bridge commander Cpl Jamie Lough. We left Camp Bastion tucked in between the convoys of the RLC ready to undertake our task of the bridge strip at PB Folad. The journey was slow to start and no sooner had things started to move issues arose with the lead of the convoy hitting, lets say ABLE in all its glory an obstacle, which slowed everything to a grinding halt. With LCpl DIESO Trickett as my company for the drive, the wait seemed a lot longer than 45 minutes and by the time we moved on after given the all clear, my head was pounding, the remainder of the journey to Folad went unhindered but again was still slow undertaking. Upon arrival at PB Folad it was time to get the ball rolling making sure we were ready to go the following morning, the last of the preparation was being carried out by Sgt Carrington and Cpl Lough, aided by the font of all ABLE knowledge and bridge number 10 Cpl The warlord Lord. The following day began much like the first, cold and early and an amount of fog being given off by the canal because of the change in temperature. With that in mind the task began in earnest with everyone keen to make a start and put all the pre-deployment training and courses to good use for most of the team this would be our first operational ABLE strip. With the ground works being done the previous day we set about putting the vehicles into place onto a semi-restricted site, this is where the real work began with the vehicles in place we waited for those first words of command 7 on the lights, elevator up, slide frame out with that my work began as the bridge 2ic. My team got to it and set about getting the ABLE perfectly level to aid us in lifting the bridge which had been in place for nearly 2 years, with stabilisers down, cross level the rail started to get built by Spr the Buchet Moore and number 2 LCpl bob Makepeace and the bridge commander.

With the rail built quick as a flash the bipod was seated bang on level, as this was happening the bridge dressing had to be stripped and put back on the pallets, Many thanks 11 Fd Sqn, whose help was greatly appreciated, like any other bridge, opinions were given whether you wanted them or not but, the work proceeded never the less.
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And it is all controlled from here

The bridge was stripped and ready to be lifted and if we were going to have any dramas then this is where they would start. To our delight the bridge lifted straight (probably due to the 2ic putting the ABLE perfectly level), with the command rear tilt pins out the bridge started to make its way back in from a long time in place. With the first panels in, the crane operations Spr Sheeps Thomas and the Buchet set about putting the panels back onto the vehicles one piece at a time. Considering the time on the ground the bridge was clearly ready to go home as the pins flew out without hesitation making our job so much easier. Next panel; same thing, even the gate braces that strengthen the bridge played the game and the bridge came out in no time at all. For those curious ABLE operators amongst you reading this article the time set and off site was 1 hour and 17 minutes.

Hard at work

With the task completed it was just a case of back to PB Folad for a well earned rat pack coffee and bag of porridge( who knew? porridge, in a bag!!!). The last part of the task was making sure that we had everything we came with ready for the departure back to Bastion. No ABLE operators were injured in the stripping of this bridge and hugs were given to those who felt a little bit unhappy about being shouted at.

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Hey kids. That is me back from RnR and yes it is still cold here. The day warms up around 10 oclock as the sun gets higher in the sky and then cools off again around 4 oclock in the afternoon. No sun bathing at the moment but Im sure that will change soon. Every one continues to be busy and are working very hard but looking forward to the end of the tour when they can see you all again. BLOG No 6 21 Jan 2012 For this Blog I have been out to gather some some messages from your loved ones. Some have been on RnR and some are still to go. Either way they are sending their messages to you with love.

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Page 22

Remember every day away is a day closer to seeing you Ellie out X

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BAG BLOKES
Hello, Steve White here again, the OC of Advisor 40, the KATT that your other halves belong to (or attached to at the minute). I thought that with over two thirds of the tour completed and only a couple of months left to go I would write again with my perspective as OC of life here in Ops Box RIKKI. The team have continued to impress, working extremely hard all across the part of Helmand that we are operating over. Since I last wrote I have had a new Kandak Commander arrive that I have had to get to know very well in a short period of time; R&R has all but finished; I have hosted several media visits with articles ending up in The Sun, The Telegraph and on BFBS; had a lot of visits from various high-ranking ISAF people; had the Christmas period and been subjected to the legendary Afghan rains to name but a few events that have helped ensure this HERRICK is flying by at a rapid rate of knots. The PB remains an oasis for all of my troops to return to after being out doing whatever they do. One of my call signs advises the Tolays that patrol the badlands getting the ANA out of scrapes that they keep finding themselves in. Another one is dealing with the ANAs answer to Talisman and EOD and have also been used extensively. My Artillery TATT continues to train the ANA on the guns and are even hoping to fire them before we come home! But as far as the Sapper element is concerned I have got essentially three distinct groupings; one team is going around Helmand helping build small checkpoints with the ANA whilst the rest continue to advise the Tolay Commander and the majority of the Tolay here in RIKKI. And I have sent Q Mackie and SSgt Hardy to Camp TOMBSTONE, where Q is providing a link to the engineer training he has set-up to happen in SHORABAK while Staff Hardy is acting as my CQMS getting stuff and people to and from the helicopters. You may have read about the exploits of Capt Richie Griffiths and his small section in the Sun newspaper, but if you didnt him and this team have been out and about with the ANA working in other peoples areas helping the ANA to build checkpoints and increase security for the locals. Meanwhile, down in RIKKI, Sgt Sniper Stubbs has been impressing the ANA, particularly when things have been getting a little cheeky, so much so that the ANA have nick-named him the Warrior Engineer Advisor. Richie spends that much time away playing with his section that I have reclaimed Lt Emily Ball to run things here at PB Jay-zee and she has been reinforced with Cpl Debs Debenhams section from 29 Sqn as well as a sounder of POMS from around the Regt group. These reinforcements are primarily to support Sniper Stubbs with completing route LANGHOLM (I havent got enough time or space to talk about LANGHOLM..) The rains came and turned about half of our PB into a swimming pool come foot spa and as I type, more thunderstorms and rain are forecast overnight! Deep joy. But despite all of this, morale remains high; mail remains once a week if lucky, showers about the same and wag bags still get found in the most bizarre of places. One huge event however, is the arrival of a chef in the PB! Pte Harrison, who is on his first tour ever, is now the head (and only) chef in PB Jay-zee and he produces an evening meal for everyone. I have to admit that the lift in morale from that one meal alone has been immediate. I will probably do a wee update just before we head back but for now I will leave you with a few thoughts as OC. The vast majority of you are extremely supportive and understanding and seem to get the frictions of an operational tour and for this I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Advising out of this PB is an inherently vulnerable and risky business and I cannot stress enough the huge contribution that most of you ladies provide in keeping my blokes happy and focussed and concentrating on delivering the support to the ANA and wider HERRICK effort that I require them to. Take care of yourselves for us, thanks for everything that you are doing. It isnt that long now. Steve White
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77 TALISMAN SQUADRON NEWS Officer Commanding Foreword

Greetings from the TALISMAN 2IC! As the tour gradually progresses, the OC has finally departed for R&R leaving me to take the reigns of the Sqn. I thought being OC meant kicking back and letting everyone else do the work, but I still found myself up at 0400 this morning as 11 Troop deployed on their next Op! So whilst hes putting his feet up back at home its business as usual for the rest of us. The troops continue their good work providing Route Proving and Clearance to the Logistic Patrols and conducting deliberate ops in the Green Zone. In particular, 12 Troop have recently returned from a joint ISAF/ANSF operation in the vicinity of Gereshk. The troops are also taking the opportunity of a slightly quieter period to get some refresher training under their belt. This has included range days on the various weapon systems, and training with SAAB who use TES kit (like laser-quest) to bring a bit of extra reality to the training. This helps to keep the guys sharp in their search drills and actions on. With now only two months left on tour the end is slowly coming into sight. I am sure many of you are now making plans for that well earned posttour leave, and the Sqn has been looking forward to what the rest of 2012 will bring. Ex CRABAPPLE, a ten week construction exercise in Kenya, will keep many of the Sqn busy from September to November, and will provide a great opportunity for the guys to get back into their artisan trades. As well as this there are numerous opportunities for Adventurous Training in June, and hopefully even a little bit of summer leave! Finally, congratulations to LCpl Big Jacko Jackson and his girlfriend Kelly on the birth of their daughter Grace Lilly. We look forward to seeing the photos. All the best for 2012 Louisa Gostling
2IC/OC Talisman has finishes perfecting her favourite spread sheet early so decides to take ten minutes in the sun to read the leave directive

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Range Day at 77
by Spr Bri Wilson, 10 Tp
Around four months into Herrick 15 in 77 Talisman, the Squadron finally comes to a steadier period at the end of January. The three troops decided to put on a range day to help build confidence and brush up on their skills and drills, which are needed for safely firing three of the militarys heavier weapons. The preparation had started the night before with revision training. Preparation for firing Talismans Remote Weapon Station (RWS) includes changing a mounting bracket, which then allows different weapons Just another day in Afghanistan to be used. Knowing this one of our senior Sappers supervised by a Lance Corporal completed the job. You know what they say, no one is perfect and this was shown the next day. When the weapons were getting mounted to the vehicles it was discovered that the bracket had be attached wrong poor teaching! A big thank you to Arch and Parky, you know who you are. We were booked onto the GPMG 100 meter range from 8am till 12noon so, safe to say we had plenty of time to brush up and get comfortable with the weapon system. When we finally got clearance to start the shoot we were split into groups, some of the guys there only needed to shoot the GPMG in the dismounted role, so four at a time they began shooting. As the rest of us that are trained on all heavy weapons and would be firing in the afternoon, we did a refresher on the GMG, just to make sure everyone was happy. About an hour after the lesson it was time for me to fire. Unlike the Armys normal SA80, (which I have had more experience with) when it comes to firing the GPMG and you are in the firing position, listening to the words of command, you always feel like its your first time firing. Youre nervous and excited at the same time, when you hear the words Targets to your front, Fire. Shortly after lunch we were preparing to go to the next range to fire the vehicle mounted weapons, accompanied by eight guys from WIS (Weapon Intelligent Specialist company). They deserved a day out of the office and we were only too happy to oblige. We drove down to the range, set the weapons up and prepared them for firing. I was first to fire the GPMG and after getting comfortable with it earlier that day, it didnt take me long to get through my 100 rounds. After I finished my GPMG shoot I waited to fire the GMG, and to my surprise something had gone wrong with the weapon, which meant we had to fire it manually. This was the first time I had fired live High Explosive rounds. For safety reason High Explosive rounds. The entire day I think youll agree ended up being a complete success (with minor glitches!) and after clearing the ranges it was time to head home.

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11 Troops Long Weekend

By Capt Mike Barrett, 11 Tp Commander
On the 8th of January 10 and 11 Troop combined and lined up to guide the Combat Logistic Patrol (CLP) to Patrol Base Rahim, Clifton and Pasab in one piece in order to deliver their stores. Because of the distances involved we even managed to squeeze ourselves into Main Operating Base Price (or Nice as it is really known) between the Ops for some well earned meals, comfortable beds and Danish Coffee. As we moved into Price for the first night, everyone was pleased to know they would be squeezed into a huge tent and we wouldnt have to fight off hypothermia sleeping next to the vehicles for once. Despite the comfortable surroundings the tent soon began to smell of man fog which didnt make it too pleasant but at least we were inside. The Troop SNCOs decided An Afghan bridge on a quiet day to sleep in their vehicles; for some reason they preferred the feel of cold steel rather than the smell of 50 sweaty blokes. The next morning we set off nice and early with Sgt Eddy Edwards choosing the route through the outskirts of Gereshk. Soon we had the CLP on our tail and we were smashing our way through the desert. Despite the ground resembling a rollercoaster ride and the inside of the vehicles feeling like washing machines, we all got there in one piece and dropped off the CLP vehicles. Soon it was time to spring out back towards Gereshk and we almost made it back to MOB Nice by lunchtime. In all it was a good days work and after checking over the vehicles, we enjoyed the facilities before getting our heads down ready for another early start. The next morning we linked up the with CLP just before the centre of Gereshk. Despite the cold the district centre was still pretty busy but on the whole people were friendly and we snurgled through the rickshaws, donkeys, tractors and a flock of sheep without incident. Out on the other side we broke into the desert for a short hop into Pasab. After a quick in load of stores, it was back the way we came except Gereshk had really woken up and therefore was a nightmare to drive through. Despite that, and with the smell of an Afghan market wafting into the vehicles, we were pushing A normal sight when driving through Gereshk toward Camp Bastion before we knew it. In all not a bad Op for 10 and 11 Troops combined and the highlights of the trip were definitely the Danish Coffee and pancakes from the cookhouse in MOB Price.
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Goat for dinner anybody?

By 12 Troop
We moved out on the 3rd Jan 2012 from the Talisman tank park heading towards MOB Price ready for the start of our Op. We stayed at MOB Price for one night, enjoying the facilities on offer there and the next afternoon we left for the first desert leaguer we would occupy, ready for the main part of the Op. On the 5th we moved carefully through a legacy minefield past PB Clifton to carry out route search, in order to allow other call signs freedom of movement and enabling them to carry out taskings unhindered by IEDs. Once the route had been searched we headed off to an undisclosed location in the desert to set up another leaguer, establishing what would become our daily routine for the next six days, search by day leaguer by night. Throughout the time we spent out on this Op we also got to enjoy some diversions, visiting PB Clifton on one or two occasions, watching the local populations way of life in the areas that we worked in and most importantly spent some quality time together bonding as a Troop. With a bit of time on our hands when in the desert leaguer, entertainment had to be found somewhere, and it didnt take long for it to present itself. Man tests offered themselves in various guises, LCpl Ray Kositino beating Spr Greg Banda to the finish line in one challenge by managing to consume the equivalent of 1 normal sized bottles of tobasco, offered up eagerly by the rest of the lads, in a single boil in the bag meal. Some impromptu wrestling matches sprang up occasionally with Spr Iron Mike Pritchard devastating all chalUmmmmm dinner lengers, a feat he repeated when it came to the inevitable arm wrestling competition. In a bid to vary our diet and enjoy a bit of interaction with the local nationals, it was decided to try and procure a goat, after a bit of haggling a very reasonable price of $100 was agreed upon, sadly the idyllic scene of the sun setting over our Talisman convoy as we slowly roasted a spitted goat over an open fire was cruelly ripped from our grasp, when our Troopy) put his foot down citing the possibility of D&V. The goat was released unharmed. We were eventually allowed the slight concession of some local bread to go with chicken korma boil in the bag, DANBAT style. The Op was a great success, allowing 12 Troop to stretch its legs a bit, after a long period previously worked through where we carried out a large number of CLP orientated Mubarez Ops. On returnNot the actual goat in question ing to Camp Bastion satisfied we had done our bit for the safety and security of both Coalition Forces and Local Nationals in the AO we stripped out and made ourselves ready for the next Job.

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While Tiff is away.......

by Cpl Chris Darts Champion Costigan
Its 1000 local time and I am writing this from the comfort of my bed, after a hard morning of playing darts and drinking coffee, whilst the squadron are all hard at work trying to get their vehicles in some sort of decent order, ready for the next onslaught of Ops. Vehicle fault reports keep flying in the door, but trusty Sgt Ali "file 13" Logan is doing his bit for the burns pit by placing them all in the ever growing file 13! On a more joyful note, vehicles on the road (not broken!) has gone up to 10% as we managed to change a windscreen wiper blade, of course celebrated by the odd game or two of darts (in-between fag and coffee breaks)! Sgt "File 13" Logan came up with a plan to fix a motor that had been damaged on a Buffalo vehicle, so he disappeared into the buffalo for 10-15 minutes between games with a crow bar and tried to remove the old air conditioning unit. The outcome - the Buffalo is soon to be written off for the interior damage he caused removing the old unit! That said, the Buffalo is still on the workshop floor untouched for over a week.

The new darts board, made while the Tiff has been away........

Since Tiff (Aka SSgt Pete "its not sarcasm, its concern" Simpson) has gone on his much needed R&R, Sgt Ali "File 13" Logan and I have not been achieving a lot in the way of production/repair, although we do have a bet on as to who will get a darts 180 first. As you can imagine this takes hours of practice, Ill keep you posted. The dart board has been getting its fair share of action, so much so that LCpl Craig "Angry man and everything is Shi*" Walker has bought a new dart board and darts. He plans to turn professional after this tour as he likes throwing darts at the dart board for hours on end without getting board; he has had 4 months solid practice so watch this space! We have had a new arrival to the Talisman LAD, his name is Bob and he works for Exponent, a civilian company that produces some of the special equipment that Talisman uses. Bob has integrated into the LAD like a fish to water, his induction package consisted of, theres the kettle, coffee and milk, also there is the dart board, lets have a game. Bob needless to say is enjoying his time with the LAD, and would like to come back out if the opportunity arises! That is unless Exponent finds out how much work hes not done! On a serious note, all is well here and the support back home is still very much appreciated, its not long until we are home with our loved ones, so please stay safe, take care, and we will see you soon.

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Recognise these handsome chaps?

Capt I am five foot five and a quarter Bostock

Lt World War Two Fighter Pilot Hutt

Lt Harry Enfield Stretton

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PADRES PROGRESS
In recent weeks I have had opportunities to expand my experiences here in Afghanistan by visiting some of the smaller CPs. I have been covering another chaplains R and R, thus getting to see people and places that do not always fall inside my usual remit. It is herein these smaller CPs that 12 people liveeatsleepwork together within a small square area of a compound building and a tent and a bit of HESCO (yesI knew the engineers would come into it somewhere. I know I cannot get away from youbut then, I would not want to?!) It is here that they stay for 5 months or so of their tour. It is here that you have to get on with one another or else it just will not work. It is here that stagging on is a part of every day and every night. It is here that mail deliveries take on a real significance. It is here that running out of tomato sauce is a big dealand Padre was keen to show why not? It is here that you can beat off her jumper the padre at darts and it is here that the padre can reflect on all those misspent lunches many years ago as a student in pubs in Bristol Yet it is also here in these CPs that a word comes to mindattitude. Having survived the bringing up of two of my own teenagers there is not much you can teach me about attitude. And that was just my ownnever mind theirs! But I am reminded of the words of Charles Swindoll, a Christian writer and preacher, who said, The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. . . We are in charge of our attitudes. I have known of this quote for some time but it has really begun to sink in with me recently and needs to be part of my every day reflection. Swindoll is so right. It is not what happens to us that is important, it is how we respond to what happens to us. It is not what life brings, but what we bring to life that matters. So whether you are in BSN pushing paper around a desk or stores around an ISO, or you are in the smallest CP; whether you are staggering through irrigation ditches, or sweating away on Rear Ops; whether you are in Afghan waiting for the mail that never arrives, or in Paderborn wishing he would come home soon; whether you are young or old, experienced or new.YOU are in charge of your attitude. Go change it if you need to.it might take some effort but it will be so worth it for you and all those around you! And my attitude at the moment? Well I am on R and R in a few days time so what do I care?!! God keep you Padre Clare Callanan Page 36

THE COMPETITON IS OPEN TO ALL PERSONEL INCLUDING THE ROG. THE WINNING PHOTO WILL BE FRONT PAGE OF THE END OF TOUR PHOTO BOOK. SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO THROUGH YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND IN JPEG FORMAT, WITH THE ENTRY FEE OF ONE DOLLAR FOR DEPLOYED PERSONEL, ONE EURO FOR ROG PERSONNEL. COMPETITION CLOSES 15TH FEBRUARY .

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION SPEAK WITH YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND OR IF YOU ARE PART OF ROG SPEAK WITH THE UNIT WELFARE TEAM.
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Wives Christmas Masquerade Ball

The much anticipated Wives Masquerade Ball was planned for 9 Dec 11, and many of the Wives had been looking forward to it for some time, as a way of letting their hair down, and celebrating the near halfway point in the deployment of the Regiment on Operation Herrick 15. The evening was planned, well in advance, by the Wives Club Committee and Cpl Aaron Hickman, the stand in WOs & Sgts Mess Manager, with decorations, a 3 Course Christmas Dinner, Raffle, Money Tree and a Disco to carry on the evening into the small hours. The evening started at 1930hrs, with welcome drinks in the Mess Foyer, and an open bar in the dinning room, where ladies were seated in preparation for the evening. After some small trouble with the transport getting lost, we eventually had all the ladies seated and ready for service of their Christmas dinner by 2030. The ROG SNCOs had volunteered their services to serve the dinner in Mess Dress and Zoro masks to the ladies, and the Chefs were more than prepared for the 120 or so hungry, and excited ladies that were looking forward to the meal. After an Introduction by WO2 Lew Tippet, it was on with the service of the vegetable and tomato soup conducted, it was onto the main course, of Beef, Gammon, Turkey and all the usual trimmings. Once the main course had been served, eaten and cleared, there was a rumour that Santa had taken time out of his busy pre Christmas schedule to pay the ladies of the Regiment a visit, and with excitement and applause from all attending, Santa passed out a present for all of the ladies. With Santa back on his merry way, and the dessert of Christmas pudding and Cheesecake served and cleared, it was time for the party to begin. WO2 Lew Tippett took control of the Disco, SSgt Frankie Corrado and Sgt Sean Killen took control of the bar and Cpl Aaron Hickman ensured that all the ladies were satisfied with their meal and ready to carry on the festivities. Mrs Dawn Copsey was asked to draw the first ticket for the raffle, and from there on, the prizes were well received, Mrs Lexy Mutch was asked to Draw the first ticket from the money tree, with the top prize from this being 150 For the remainder of the evening, the music blared, the ladies danced, and the hard working SNCOs behind the bar were kept busy with the orders coming in thick and fast. All the ladies in attendance commented on what a fantastic evening they had all had, and were very pleased with the way the night had gone. A big thanks must be said for the Wives Club Committee, Cpl Aaron Hickman, The Welfare Team, WO2 Lew Tippett and all the SNCOs of the ROG who made the evening run so smoothly, everyone is now looking forward to the Christmas break and seeing loved ones back on R&R in the near future.. Best wishes are sent from all back here on the ROG, and the Wives and Families of the Regiment to all the lads and lasses of 35 Engineer Regiment.

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Page 39

Baby Hectors Page

Burns Night!!!
Hello Everyone! Its Burns Night, a celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Its a great tradition: we can eat haggis and ceildih! Ive got two Scottish friends, Bagpiper Bear and Nessie the Loch Monster. Could you please help me out by colouring Bear in and making Nessie up?

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Off to Vegas A man came home from work one day to find his wife on the front porch with her bags packed. 'Just where the heck do you think you're going!', said the man. 'I'm going to Las Vegas', said the wife, 'I just found out I can get $400 a night for what I give you for free! 'The man said, 'Wait a minute!', and then ran inside the house only to come back a few minutes later with his suitcases in hand. 'Where the heck are you going?', said the wife. The man said, 'I want to see how you're gonna live on $800 a year!'

A Really Bad Day There was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half of an hour. Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says, "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry." "No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a cab to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away." "I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison.

From A Mother With Love Dear Child, I am writing this slow because I know that you can't read A completely inebriated man was stumbling fast. down the street with one foot on the curb and one foot in the gutter. A cop pulled up We don't live where we did when you left home. and said, "I've got to take you in, pal. Your dad read in the paper that most accidents happen You're obviously drunk." within 20 miles from your home so we moved. I won't be able to send you the address, as the last family Our wasted friend asked, "Officer, are ya absolutely sure I'm drunk?" that lived here took the house numbers when they left so "Yeah, buddy, I'm sure," said the copper. that they wouldn't have to change their address. "Let's go." This place is real nice. It even has a washing machine. I'm Breathing a sigh of relief, the wino said, not sure if it works too well though. "Thank goodness, I thought I was crippled." Last week I put a load in, pulled the chain, and haven't seen them since. The weather isn't too bad here., it only rained twice last week, The first time it rained for three days and the second time for four days. The coat you wanted me to send you, your Uncle Steve said it would be a little too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets. Your sister had a baby this morning but I haven't found out what it is yet, so I don't know if you're an aunt or an uncle. If the baby is a girl, your sister is going to name it after me, she's going to call it Mum. Uncle Pete fell in a whiskey vat last week. Some man tried to pull him out but he fought them off and drowned. We had him cremated and he burned for three days. Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pick-up truck. Ralph was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. Your two friends were in the back. They drowned because they couldn't get the tailgate down. There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much has happened. PS, I was going to send you some money but the envelope was already sealed.
Page 41 Glad to be drunk

Glossary Ranks Spr - Sapper LCpl - Lance Corporal Cpl - Corporal Sgt - Sergeant SSgt - Staff Sergeant WO2 - Warrant Officer Second Class WO1 - Warrant Officer First Class Capt - Captain Maj - Major Lt Col - Lieutenant Colonel Afghanistan specific terms Op - Operation, mission, task (not surgery) PB - Patrol Base CP - Check Point SANGAR - A watch tower which is manned 24 hours a day to provide protection to a base Stag - standing in the sangar keeping watch and providing protection JOB - Joint Operating Base FOB - Forward Operating Base NES (S) - Nahr-e Saraj South NES (N) - Nahr-e Saraj North NDA - Nad-e Ali TFH - Task Force Helmand ISAF - International Security Assistance Force ANSF - Afghanistan National Security Force ANA - Afghan National Army ANP - Afghan National Police IED - Improvised Explosive Device SAF - Small Arms Fire SOP - Standard Operating procedure
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Sub Units Tp - Troop Armd Engr Sqn - Armoured Engineer Squadron Fd Engr Sqn - Field Engineer Squadron Hq & Sp Sqn - Headquarters and Support Squadron

HESCO - Large flat packed containers made of thick strong wire containing a large sandbag. The sandbag is filled with sand to produce a large protective brick. The individual HESCO blocks are then used like giant bricks to produce a protective wall for our bases. HLS - Helicopter Landing Site Barma - Our drill used to find Improvised Explosive Devices with a hand held metal detector. Equipment MASTIFF - Large armoured truck with a with a heavy machine gun for protection. TALISMAN - A series of vehicles used to clear a route of improvised explosive devices. HUSKY - Another type of large armoured vehicle. MWT - Medium wheeled tractor (dump truck). SLDT(P) - Self Loading Dump Truck (Protected) - A small dump truck. Apache - Ugly looking attack helicopter. Chinook - Large helicopter featured in the film Big Friendly Giant. Sea-king - Royal Navy helicopter used as search and rescue in the UK. Merlin - Medium to large Royal Air Force and Navy helicopter used to move Troops around from base to base. Messages from the Editor If you are based in BFG, and you loved one is deployed, do not forget you are entitled to claim for journeys to see your family back to the UK whilst your loved one is away. Sgt Culley who works out of the main admin office in RHQ, is there to help. If you have any questions, would like to know how to make a claim, the detail of what you are entitled to or you would like to make a claim he will be more then happy to help.
If you hear any news about anything that might have happened in Afghanistan, which gives you cause for concern in any way, please get in touch with the Welfare Office on +495251101213. We will ensure that the team holds the most up to date and accurate information so that they will be able to advise you appropriately or deal with the issue. In the event of any casualties they will be able to clarify the situation, in accordance with the wishes of the individual or family. Many thanks

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