20120802-Scarab Telegraph Facebook Edition 5 Final-U

SCARAB TELEGRAPH EDITION 5

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This edition of the Scarab Telegraph was written shortly before the tragic death on the 10th of August of Lance

Corporal “Smudge” Smith of 6 Troop, 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron. He was killed during the construction

of an elevated sangar in a new checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali district. His death has shocked us all, particularly 6

Troop, for whom he was a constant source of morale. I have been truly impressed by the way they, and the

remainder of the Regiment, reacted to the event. The Troop got back to work immediately after evacuating

him, and finished the task that he had started. The next day they moved on to construct another checkpoint. I

am sure that this is what he would have expected. Lance Corporal Smith is genuinely irreplaceable. Our

thoughts are with his mother, father, fiance e Laura and their four children.

In his own words: ‘Smudge RE-bit of a ledge-done a bit’. Rest in Peace.

Commanding Officer


XXVI

In memory of

LCpl Matthew ‘Smudge RE-bit of a ledge-done a bit’ Smith

30 Armoured Engineer Squadron

(By Padre Neil Allison)

Like Matthew’s nickname he was larger than life. Even though I did not know him well I have heard a great

deal about him. A deeply respected and well liked Sapper, or as a friend of his put it, ‘Once you knew him you

would be friends’ his character was genuinely hard to resist. One thing is for sure, he will be sorely missed as

will his wicked sense of humour and his morale lifting talents. He will not be forgotten by his RE family but

especially by those who had served with him day to day in FOLAD. I know the service by Padre Nick Todd, the

NDA chaplain, has been much appreciated in FOLAD.

The vigil service will be an opportunity to say our fare-wells and to consider again this amazing character that

many were privileged to serve with. He was proud of being a Sapper and we are proud of him. In army speak,

we will seek to ‘give him a good send off’ and celebrate his life which will remain a source of comfort and con-

tinuing thankfulness.

Our thoughts ad prayers go to his long term fiance e Laura and his four children; Lainie, Tilli, Ella and Jai at this

time of devastating loss. Their loss will be beyond the ability to express in mere words. We can only pray that

through the pain of being prematurely bereaved they would never lose the wonder of having loved and been

loved by Matthew.

Joyce Grenfell wrote a poem some years ago which many have found helpful and I commend it to your

thoughts.

If I should die before the rest of you

Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone

Nor when I am gone speak in a Sunday voice

But the usual selves that I have known

Parting is heel—But life goes on

Inside this issue:

CO’s welcome 1

38 Hq & Sp Sqn

3

8 AES

10

30 AES

14

33 AES

20

25 Fd Sqn

ArmyNet)

Beetle Juice 25

Issue 3

Page 1

Commanding Officers Foreword (Lt Col Ridge)

I took the opportunity last week to travel round the area of operations to see how

the Regiment is faring. I visited bases at Clifton, Rahim, Oulette, Price, Shazad,

Qudrat, Pimon, Sparta and ended up in Bastion. Whilst I was not able to meet eve-

ryone, I managed to see personnel from all the field squadrons. I also got the

chance to visit the Engineer Resources Yard and spend time with the hard working

HQ squadron, TALISMAN and LAD. The overall impression was of a phenomenally

strong Engineer Group team who, whilst pretty weary after four months of hard

toil, were absolutely focussed on what was still left to achieve before we leave. I

was incredibly impressed with everything I saw. Living conditions in some of the

smaller bases are basic, to say the least, but everyone was well turned out and

(crucially) wearing their protective equipment. We know that this has saved lives

and limbs, and it was heartening to see that section commanders have continued

to enforce our exacting standards of battlefield discipline.

Whilst out and about, I also took the chance to speak to the Commanding Officers

of the units we have been supporting since the start of the tour. They were unani-

mous in their praise of what the sappers have achieved. CO Burma was incredibly

grateful to 33 Squadron for the protected accommodation for his soldiers in Ou-

lette, CO Nad-E-Ali praised 30 Squadron for their incredible efforts in dismantling

bases, and CO NES (South) could not have been more thankful for the support that

8 Squadron have provided to their efforts to rebalance the Afghan security forces

in their area. This praise was entirely unprompted and, as such, even more impres-

sive. Recent operations have also highlighted the vital role of the TALISMAN crews

from 25 Squadron. They have been extremely busy proving routes for the battle-

groups during de-

liberate opera-

tions, and I can say

with certainty that

they have saved

lives. This is genu-

inely appreciated

throughout Task

Force Helmand.


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Page 3

As I mentioned, whilst in Bastion I visited the Engineer Resources Yard. What Brian Goodwin and his team

have achieved is extraordinary. At the start of the tour, the had nearly 1300 shipping containers of construc-

tion materials. Nobody really knew what was where, and how much of what we held was unnecessary. Over

the last four months, the team have counted nearly two thirds of the items and reduced our holdings by rough-

ly 700 shipping containers. This is an incredible achievement and will directly contribute to the UK’s ability to

leave Afghanistan in good order by the end of 2014.

During my battlefield circulation, I briefed all ranks on what we have to look forward to when we get back to

the UK. Leave is clearly the priority, and we will take two big chunks; one as post operational leave soon after

we get back, and the other over Christmas and New Year. That will leave a few weeks to take in the New Year

which I hope to be able to use over half-term and Easter. It is vital that everyone has the chance to rest proper-

ly after a busy year. The training programme is also beginning to shape up. I am very clear that we should not

fill the diary, but at the same time, we need to regain some of the skills we have lost during our Afghan fo-

cussed training. There will be exercises in Canada and Kenya, so I am confident that everyone will have some-

thing substantial to get their teeth into during 2013. The other area which we have neglected over the last 12

months is sport and adventurous training. To that end, we have sailing, skiing and trekking organised for the

time before Easter. I am also very keen to rebuild our boxing, rugby and football teams. We are going to be

busy, but it will be valuable and enjoyable training. The trick will be to protect the weekends which I see as

vital time for rebuilding families after a long time apart. You can hold me to that, as will my wife…...

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Page 3

38 HQ & SP SQN

A Word from the OC (Maj A Pritchard)

The penultimate Scarab Telegraph means a lot ; the R&R plot is nearly complete and planning for our journey

home is pretty much done. It’s not until you go on R&R that you really see how much families take on when

you are away. It’s a good reminder, if one was ever needed, that the ripples from tour spread far and wide.

Its been a busy time, as always, with the Log Node continuing the mammoth job of working out exactly how

much ‘stuff’ the Engineers have out here. With a tear in their eyes Cpl Tudor and the ABLE crew waved good-

bye to the BR90 which has started it’s journey back to the UK; we’ll beat it back!

In the spirit of the Olympics we’ve added to our weekly PT sessions with a few friendly inter-squadron events.

The Volleyball we played collectively wasn’t going to be threatening for any medals! The cricket, a mirage in

the desert? No, the culmination of LCpl Jackson’s hard work. From constructing the pitch and making the tro-

phy, to putting on an excellent event—it will go down as one of the best days on Op HERRICK 16.

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Page 4

A month in the world of Support Troop

(By LCpl Jackson, Sgt Atwell and Troopy Houston)

Well I guess the question is where to start? Support Troop got off to a flying start this month heading straight

out the door on the very first day, with a mission for the mighty CO’s hard TAC, which, as always is eventful.

The first task before any move out of camp Bastion is the preparation of all our kit to make sure that it is of the

highest standard if not better. As a Force Protection Multiple made up of Royal Engineers we take great pride

in the way we look and conduct ourselves on every operation we carry out.

There was a significant change to the operation

as command of the multiple was handed to Cpl

‘Taff’ Davies as our normal commander WO2

‘Nick’ Richards was enjoying the luxurious part

of an operational tour (R and R). So after a

through check of the kit and vehicles we were

good to go and headed out. We escorted the CO

to various locations around the forward areas

where the Engineer Troops are operating in.

The main aim of the move was to enable the

Commanding Officer to see how the troops

were getting on and how morale was holding

up. The good news is the Regiment has made

some impressive progress in upgrading and

transitioning various PBs, CPs and FOBs across

the AOs and spirits are generally up among the forward Troops. We were out on this Op for roughly 4 days, a

longish one for our Force Protection Multiple, as normally the jobs we get are one or maybe two days long.

However as we say in Support Troop “we enjoy getting out the gate and doing what we came out here to do”.

Normally once we return from a job we have a good week or so to sort out our vehicles and kit before the next

tasking, but not this time. We had about a two and a half day turn around before heading out on another job.

We were tasked with escorting a select few of our Regimental LAD (REME) around the AO, in order to allow

them to help the various Squadron REME attachments carry out some essential maintenance on the kit in the

forward locations. This essential Op would enable the troops

forward to have fully fit vehicles and equipment to see them

through the final few months of the tour. This was another four

day Op, which was good for us because as they say “time flies

when you are having fun”. We rocked on from location to loca-

tion, making sure that the REME were able to get there safely

and complete the tasks they had well within the time they had

been given. I guess you can say they SMASHED IT!!!


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Page 5

Well as you can imagine we have seen a lot of places

and people in Helmand Province over the last four and a

half months but every time we go out there is always

something new to see. We have a great multiple of guys

who can make the most challenging to the most trivial

Op go smoothly. As you can see we always look profes-

sional and ready to go.

Again we found ourselves in the position of getting back

into camp thinking we had some time to crack on with

the day to day Troop tasks, when we were told we had

to do a quick run to MOB PRICE to collect some essen-

tial surveying equipment. As I said we always like roll-

ing out the gate on any sort of job!!

Our final task for this busy month was to escort the CO for what might be his last trip out to see the troops for-

ward before we start preparing to come home. This was a busy five day Op for the Force Protection Multiple

and saw the return of Lt ‘Troopy’ Houston and WO2 ‘Nick’ Richards to the team. With our last minute addition

of some REME support to escort forward, a frozen goat and some much needed morale mail we were ready to

go. This trip provided the CO with the ideal opportunity to promote the lucky members of the Regiment who

had been selected for Cpl in person as well as see the tremendous work that has been done over the past few

months. Our very own LCpl ‘Mark’ Guest was promoted to Cpl while out on this Op. With our rounds complete

there was just enough time to squeeze in the ‘dream team’ photo before heading back to camp for a well

earned rest.

With nothing on the horizon for a few days, we now have a much needed chance to recover and start getting

all the vehicles prepared for our next task, whatever that may be. As you can see we are always busy whether

it be out protecting the CO, escorting REME or anyone else who needs our superb service. But we have a few

fun things to look forward to in the coming weeks. The first and hopefully not the last 38 HQ & Sp Sqn fast 5

cricket competition and BBQ. It’s like the old saying goes we “work hard and play hard” and are looking for-

ward to a chance to enjoy some well-deserved fun and games and reflect on what we have achieved so far on

the Tour.

So I leave you with this from everyone in 38

Support Troop. We all miss our family and

friends and we will see you all soon, and don’t

forget we are always ready to hit the ground.

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Page 6


My Tour So Far (By Spr Cottam)

Hello UK, I’m Spr Cottam and this is the story of my tour so far on Op

HERRICK 16. I joined 26 Engineer Regiment in April 2011 as a Class

2 Design Draughtsman in the Construction Supervision Cell (CSC),

and was warned off straight away to deploy to Afghanistan. This is

my first tour but I had been well briefed about what to expect.

On 10 Mar 12 we set off to Brize Norton for the long flight to Afghani-

stan via Dubai. We finally arrived on the night of 12 Mar 12, after 2

days of delays, and were quickly into our RSOI package which lasted

a week. Once completed, we took over the office and immediately

started changing it (the first of many changes) to make it our own.

Almost straight away we were inundated with SORs, which is a re-

quest for work to be done. They included everything including gate

designs, Non Equipment Bridges (NEB), sangars and stairs (amongst

other things). In the first 8 weeks of being here we had managed to

complete no fewer than 26 separate SOR’s. As you can imagine, we

were quite busy and couple of late nights were needed by the team to

get them out of the door.

In between, the CSC has also produced a standard design booklet,

which once completed, was sent out to all Field Squadrons. It contained all the designs which were needed to

maintain and upgrade the bases out here.

Whilst working through the SORs, I’ve also been improving my own Autocad skills by teaching myself 3D Au-

tocad. After a few weeks I became quite confident with the program and was able to produce detailed 3D rep-

resentations of the standard 2D drawings we had already done. This turned out to be a mistake as it made

much more work for me. These were then used to produce a publication specifically designed to help the Af-

ghan Engineers construct our designs from the ‘IKEA style’ drawings. They were broke down into step by

step 3D instructions along with a finished product drawing so they knew what the structures would look like

once construction was completed. We are waiting to hear some feedback on the 3D drawing package but so

far the comments have been all good. This package is also to aid them in sustaining themselves once we have

left Afghanistan.

Before joining the Army in 2009, I worked as joiner for 8 years, so was quite pleased when I was tasked with

designing and building an outside sheltered area for the CSC. I did my design and was quite pleased with it,

until I tried to resource the materials needed. The normal way in building is to design, resource and then con-

struct. This is what I intended to do but in Afghanistan it’s not as easy as nipping to your nearest building

yard. The design went out the window and I scrounged together whatever spare timber was available to cre-

ate an area for us to relax. With the help of the other CSC members the task was completed and it was official-

ly declared open by the OC, Maj Pritchard.

XXVI

Being deployed for 6 months is a good opportunity to

get really fit and a lot of the squadron are taking part in

‘OP MASSIVE’, which basically is to get as big as you

can as quick as you can. I took a different approach

and I am concentrating on the CV side. I’ve been run-

ning most days and have seen a big improvement up to

now, but with R + R still to come I’m going to have to

try my best to keep it up over the two week break. I

think I deserve a couple of days off though. We have

also had Squadron PT every Saturday, and more re-

cently on Wednesday mornings as well. For a few of

these sessions I’ve helped the PTI’s with the lessons

and taken warm ups, cool downs and been the guy who walks around telling people they are doing it wrong

(a plastic PTI). This was to help my confidence in standing up and talking in front of people.

Since being here, I’ve only managed to get out a couple of times. Once was to help the surveyor, LCpl Lover-

idge survey a site plan of PB Clifton. He showed me how to use the GPS survey equipment, so I had a go. I

found it funny how he only wanted me to survey the tight gaps between two tents where you had to climb

over other stuff to get to the point needed. We flew out of Camp Bastion and within 5 minutes we were back

in Bastion, due to a fault with the Merlin. The second helicopter, thankfully, was in full working order. We

arrived at PB Clifton expecting to leave the day after once the work was completed. Four days later, after

lots of trips to the Ops room annoying people for flight details, we got back to Bastion. I’ve also been to

Lashkar Gah to view completed work. This was the complete opposite and we were in and out within 6

hours on an Osprey (An American helicopter/plane). That’s how it should be done

Since being out here we have found ways to keep ourselves entertained, from playing volleyball, quiz nights

at the EFI or just chilling out in the welfare area and watching TV. Lucky for us Euro 2012 started on our

tour so we had something to watch.

No surprises with our Home Nation.

The Squadron have also put on a

couple of BBQ nights, for which I

helped out by cooking the food. As if

it’s not hot enough over here, I vol-

unteered to stand next to a fire for

two hours.

Well, in 12 days (hopefully 10) I’m

due to fly back for a much needed R

+ R. I would like to thank my family

for their support, especially my wife,

Sally. I miss and love you lots.

Page 7


XXVI

Special Spanner Force—LAD This month a crack team of four REME soldiers deployed out and about in Helmand to help keep the Task

Force Helmand Engineer Group vehicles task worthy.

Accompanied by the Engineer Groups Force protection Multiple the ‘Special Spanner Force’ as they were

nicknamed visited a total of six locations and managed to fix and inspect a total of twenty one vehicles.

The REME soldiers ranging from Craftsmen to Corporal spent four days working around Patrol Bases mak-

ing sure that the Engineer vehicles such as Skidsteers and Protected Plant were in good condition. The jour-

ney also provided an excellent opportunity to deliver vehicle spares to the Engineer group vehicle mechan-

ics already deployed in the forward locations. The high volume of Engineer tasks has meant that while the

vehicles were still working, the time to bring them back to Bastion for full inspections was not available. So

in true REME tradition of Repairing Forward the vehicle mechanics went to the vehicles.

Cfn Cline, who deployed on the operation, explained what it was like. “This was my first time deploying on

this type of task – it has been brilliant and I have enjoyed every minute. This is why I joined the REME“

While out on the ground the vehicle mechanics came upon a number of problems when faced with the lack

of a comprehensive workshop. One incident of particular note was the need to change a tyre on a medium

wheel tractor, one of the Engineer Groups most highly utilised vehicles. Due to the lack of purchase on the

ground the task took a skidsteer and five vehicle mechanics to complete and is now the subject of a number

of jokes.

Cpl Davies, who was in charge of the REME taskforce explains how the conditions are different outside of

Camp Bastion, “On this particular type of task, what you quickly appreciate is the lack of facilities compared

with those in Camp Bastion. You have to be mentally and physically prepared to adapt and overcome. It is

what we have trained to do and it has been a real challenge. I think it is fair to say all involved have gained

an awful lot of experience and enjoyed the task immensely“

The Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

has a vehicle mechanic located with each

of the field troops who is able to conduct

running repairs on the vehicles as well as

often having an Engineer fitter also in lo-

cation. While this helps to keep the vehi-

cles running there is only so much one

vehicle mechanic can do and help is often

sent forwards from Bastion when there is

a particularly high workload.

Page 8


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Page 9


The Engineer Group Light

Aid Detachment have to be

highly specialised to deal

with the standard military

vehicles such as Husky as

well as the Engineer Equip-

ment such as Protected Plant.

This makes the Engineer

Group LAD personnel partic-

ularly valuable. Capt Jenkins,

OC LAD explains “Of the

many different types of

equipment the Engr Gp hold,

the most varied of any unit in

TFH, the majority are all

based forward. The role of

the LAD is to keep every

piece of Engr equipment fit

for role. All my soldiers have

trained hard and are now reaping the benefits. The job is a tough one with many challenges along the way. To

date, every LAD soldier has delivered at each time of asking and I am very proud of everything they do. They

continually surpass my expectations.”

The Combined Forces are very complimentary of the

working being conducted by the TFH Engineer Group

around the area of operations. Tasks that are regularly

conducted include bridging operations, base handover

and closures as well as the upgrades of roads, culverts and

Patrol Bases. This high volume of tasks requires regular

use of the many and varied vehicles of the Engineer

Group. Thanks to the Engineer LAD these are kept task

worthy and help the Engineer group wheels keep rolling.


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Page 10


A word from the OC (Maj J Stuart)

It has been an exceptionally busy month for

the Squadron both in terms of work, opera-

tions and the handover and takeover of equip-

ment and vehicles for the reduction to 2 Field

Squadrons. The visit of Officer Commanding of

4 Armoured Engineer Squadron in the middle

of July was a welcome diversion and means

that we are most definitely in the home

straight now. His visit took in both Lashkar

Gah and Nad e Ali districts and he got to meet

1 and 3 Troops as they moved him around. He

had the opportunity to see some of the excel-

lent work both troops have been undertaking.

1 Troop have been busy installing an ammuni-

tion storage point in PB ATTAL and starting a

new protected location in PB SPARTA. They

have been extremely busy deploying twice in support of Transition Support Unit Lashkar Gah operations. The

first deployment into the Yakchal area was the responsibility of 1 Troop (especially LCpl Wigg and his Medium

Wheel Tractor), the OC even managed to get his boots dirty. 1 Troop have since deployed again to provide

crossings over the Nahr e Saraj canal with a medium girder bridge and an infantry assault bridge. 2 Troop

have been equally busy closing down check points in Nahr e Saraj (South), upgrading the main entry point of

Patrol Base 2 and providing hard surface pads for the mechanics in the patrol bases to work on the forces pro-

tected mobility vehicles. 2 Troop have also had troops deployed on operations this time in the Arghandab Riv-

er Valley, we even got our American cousins involved, by borrowing their armoured bridge layer for the oper-

ation. The Troop was tasked with providing mobility support to the combined force. Not content with all that

work they have also constructed a temporary observation post to prevent insurgents moving weapons and

materiel into Nahr e Saraj (South) and mount attacks against checkpoints. 3 Troop have continued their no-

madic lifestyle; they were initially cut away to help out 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron in Nad e Ali by up-

grading one of their Patrol Bases and have now only recently returned from assisting 33 Armoured Engineer

Squadron in Nahr e Saraj (North) where they were assisting with the strip out of one Patrol Base and the up-

grade of another. 3 Troop have now worked in every AO in the Task Force Helmand area of operations, quite

some achievement.


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Page 11

1 Troop Plunge Pool (By Spr Hamilton)

The week started off well for 1 Troop as a missing bag of screws

halted all construction work on the Ammunition Store in PB AT-

TAL. So a few days were spent making the most of the new Diver

Training Facility (plunge pool) that LCpl’s Wigg and Mattey had

the inspired idea of constructing a few weeks back. The fun was-

n’t to last long though as the Troop took delivery of a bridge mid

week, so many a hard hour was spent under the blazing Afghan

sun rehearsing how to put the thing together under the experi-

enced eye of Cpl Mackenzie.

To everyone’s

delight Spr Walke returned towards the end of the week

with 10 bags of mail (thank you to all you lovely generous

people), although his popularity was short lived when he

produced the screws that meant working and sweating

were to replace sunbathing and swimming. The remainder

of the week turned out to be hugely busy and the Troop are

expecting no let up until our replacements arrive in Sep-

tember. To cope with the work load, the Troop to split in to

two Combat Engineer ‘dream teams’. Staff Benn’s men

headed off to pay our neighbours at PB SPARTA a visit and

began work on what will be a nice new extension for their

Patrol Base and the remainder of the Troop stayed in PB ATTAL to continue work on the Ammunition Store.

The Troop also had the pleasure of escorting Officer Commanding 4 Armoured Engineer Squadron around the

Area of Operations. His arrival brought a few smiles to our faces as he will be taking over from Maj Jamie Stuart,

Officer Commanding 8 AES – a definite milestone indicating that

we are at the beginning of the end!


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CP PARACHUT—2 TROOP (By Cpl Mackenzie)

2 Section, 2 Troop deployed to Check Point PARACHUT under the command of Cpl ‘Mac’ Mackenzie in a

Husky, a Mastiff and a Light Wheeled Tractor. After the initial road move, the Section patrolled by foot with

an infantry multiple from CP SOLA to CP PARACHUT.

On the 10 Jul 12 at 0530hrs the Section were up early to start the HLS strip out. The strip out was completed

quickly and easily utilising both the LWT and the CP’s quad bike (operated by LCpl Chris Keogh) to remove

all the stores. With the HLS stripped out, the Section and all stores were complete and back in the CP by

1000hrs; a great effort by the Section. The rest of the day was spent helping the infantry multiple strip inter-

nal components within the CP.

On the 11 Jul 12 another early start; 2 Section removed all

the barbed and razor wire from the CP perimeter as well as

a wooden sangar. They also started to fill ‘The Hole’! Anoth-

er long day with the closure of CP PARACHUT going well.

On the 12 Jul 12 at 0600hrs the hard work was about to

begin and the Elevated Sanger (elevated guard post) was to

be stripped out. With no vehicle access it would be com-

pletely stripped by hand; not a great prospect, but the lads

went for it! After some initial problems of access to the top

ledgers and the fill being as hard as concrete it was quickly

removed and the Hesco disposed off. A challenge was then issued by the Infantry with the incentive being

brews made by the multiple if the Sappers could dismantle the cuplok structure within two hours, 2 Section

had it down in 1 hour 10 mins! Nice brews 3 YORKS, well appreciated!

The last couple of days involved the section filling ‘The Hole’ within the CP using desert fill and the sandbags

dotted around the CP. With all engineer tasks complete the Section assisted the infantry with the loading of

the hired civilian trucks to clear the remainder of

the CP stores and equipment. Day 5 saw 2 Sec-

tion patrolling back to PB2, we arrived back safe-

ly at PB2 by 1700hrs with another job complet-

ed.

All those involved put massive amounts of effort

in to this arduous task and completed it quickly

and professionally, a job well done. Another

Check Point strip complete as we strive towards

the transition to the Afghan National Security

Forces.


Page 13

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OP QALAB—3 TROOP (By Spr Betts)

On Friday 22 June we caught a flight out of JOB Bastion to Forward Operating Base Ouellette to help 33 AES

construct a 12 Bay Double Storey Medium Girder Bridge. After the getting stores ready for the bridge at Ouel-

lette, we were informed it had been cancelled and the American Engineers had managed to bridge the gap,

which took a lot of work off our backs

and moral was high again.

The next day we were informed that

33 AES needed 4 people to help on a

task in Combined Force (CF) Burma

and once again were stood up for the

task. We didn’t really know what to

expect but when we got to the Check

Point (CP) we were greeted with bar

mines and detonation cord. Our faces

soon lit up. We had about an hour to

prepare the charges and get our per-

sonal kit sorted out before meeting the

call sign to patrol us down to the task

site. Sgt Hicks (33AES) took no time in

briefing us on what the task involved. The task was to take down numerous tree lines so they had better ac-

cess to the Check Point. We got straight to it and cracked on with our first tree line which consisted of a large

amount of explosive, needless to say it ended in a massive bang and no more trees!

For the rest of the day we bounced back and forth blowing tree lines and chain sawing where appropriate.

We finished late that night and patrolled back to the Check Point and got our heads down for the night. We

were up bright and early for our final day of demolitions and tree line clearance.

Once the explosive clearance was finished (or so we thought) we sent a chainsaw team to take down a num-

ber of remaining trees. The last tree line of the task and this was the most difficult challenge we had encoun-

tered. We were up to our knees in stagnant irrigation ditches, we struggled to get the chainsaws through the

trees and we were running out of time. We used an alternate method; we had to be careful with the amount of

explosives we placed. With all the trees down – our job was done. It was then time to pack up our kit, sort the

left over stores, empty the ammunition containers and patrol back to the Check Point to get ready for our lift

with the Warrior Group. Job done, thanks for the invite to one awesome party 33!!


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Page 14


A word from the 2IC (Capt D Stanley)

With more than half of the Tour complete 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron are now flat out working across

Nad-e-Ali building and improving some camps while ripping down others as we make the areas suitable to

be controlled by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). This is to make sure the ANSF can operate well

from their locations, with no sites being too large for them to secure, or too small for them to fit everyone in.

It is very important work; with people either waiting to move in or out of each location meaning that any

delay has a big knock on effect.

6 Troop have been in the lead for the Squadron over the past 6 weeks, as the lead Base Remediation and Clo-

sure (BRAC) Troop, deploying to many different locations and preparing sites to hand over to ANSF or re-

moving all trace that the military have ever been there. 6 Troop have been ripping down Patrol Bases (PBs)

and Checkpoints (CPs) like men possessed and then moving on to the next location ready to start it all again.

They have been amazed however that, no matter how quickly they can strip out HESCO, the locals can take

the scrap metal away even quicker – like ants on a dropped ice cream! Once the HESCO walls protecting the

site are pulled down, all that is left for 6 Troop to do is to pack up all the things taken down and send them

back to Camp BASTION, pick up all their equipment and stores and move on to the next site that needs the “6

Troop Treatment”. If any one needs help moving house when we have

returned, 6 Troop are taking bookings, but cannot guarantee the state

of your belongings once they have finished with them!

Having moved from their normal home of PB WAHID, 4 Troop are now

in the middle of building an extension to another PB to allow those

moving out of the locations 6 Troop are tearing down to move in along

with their equipment. This means 4 Troop are building against the

clock as the other locations can’t be closed until there is space for eve-

rything to move in to the new one, if there are delays, 4 Troop will

have some angry people camping like vagrants next to their construc-

tion site, waiting to move into their palatial new home. This is pres-

sure that 4 Troop take in their stride as they work tirelessly to finish

everything they do to their usual high standards. This is being done

“outside of the wire” meaning that they also have to contend with in-

surgent activity, focussing every mind to the job at hand and getting it

done right first time, to reduce the need to go out again.


XXVI

5 Troop, now under the command of Se-

cond Lieutenant Scott Simpson with Sgt

Jack Russell stepping up as Troop Staff

Sergeant, are now, appropriately, the

“jack of all trades” of the Squadron, hav-

ing turned their hands to both closures

and improvements. They finished the

build of a 36m Logistic Support Bridge

near PB FOLAD to allow locals to get

their crops and produce to the bazaar by

the end of June and soon were tasked to

improve the PB ready to receive another

Company of infantry. Having lived in PB

FOLAD for so long gave them a personal

interest in this and they dived into the

work to improve the living conditions

for everyone in the PB. The results have been well received with both the OC and CO of the resident infantry

singing the praises of 5 Troop for their excellent and speedy work. Moving on from here, they are now show-

ing their ability by stripping out 2 locations at once – no one likes a show off, 5 Troop!

The final element of the Squadron, who quietly get on with their essential work back in Camp BASTION, is the

Echelon. Responsible for supplying the Troops with everything they need to live and work, without the Eche-

lon nothing would be possible forward with the Troops. They are now juggling this support with having to

close down and get ready to pull back to the UK, no mean feat with so much construction still to do which all

needs stores.

In my role as stand in OC, during his R&R, I am really glad to have the chance to pass on the thanks of all of

Dirty Thirty for the outstanding support we receive from you back at home, it really does make a world of dif-

ference to morale out here. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Scarab Telegraph and look forward to when

the Squadron are home to pass on their thanks in person.

Page 15


XXVI

4 TROOP On the 4 July 2012 4 Troop, 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron, made the hazardous and winding journey

down route NEPTUNE, following the Na-e-Bugra Canal, from PB WAHID to PB PIMON in Nad-e-Ali to begin

what was about to become one of the most substantial and high profile construction projects of Op HER-

RICK 16.

The aim was simple; to construct an extension to the camp in order to facilitate the emplacement of a PGSS

ISTAR balloon. The troop planning cycle for the task had been somewhat condensed after much discussion

between the construction supervision cell and the client, the US Navy. The US Navy had some very specific

design requirements including a 5.2 metre high wall: This, for those HESCO spotters amongst you, is a mil

7, mil 1, mil 5, mil 5 construction and required the amount of aggregate to fill the HESCO equivalent to half a

football pitch 3 metres deep! Not only this, but the infrastructure for the camp, the two elevated sangers,

compartmentalising along with drainage and other camp upgrades was all required within just 23 days.

The pressure was on!

3 days into the task and the surveying, grading and general area preparation was complete allowing the

chunky HESCO filling to commence. Due to the work load we had civilian plant hired in for the majority of

the task which helped. Until they got carried away filling the HESCO to quickly which resulted in whole sec-

tions having to be stripped and re-made. This was by far the most demanding part of the task, with a tight

timeline and limited plant hire it was 0500 hrs until 1900 hrs daily working in full PPE in temperatures at

times breaching 50 degrees centigrade. Epic.

Due to the insurgent threat in the area the requirement for close protection from A Coy 1 Royal Anglians

was essential. We had ground call signs dominating the local area, snipers and sharpshooters on the HESCO

and even Apaches overhead in order to mitigate the insurgent threat enabling the remainder of the task to

be completed in relative safety.

We had some minor issues along the way, as you do with these types of tasks, but in general it was an ex-

tremely successful task that was completed with just one day to spare. Needless to say, after the 22 days

worth of hard graft, the time remaining was optimised as the troop seriously ‘maxed out’ catching up on

sleep and soaking up some rays (30 minutes maximum, 15 on each side, with a liberal dose of factor 30!).

Page 16


XXVI

The story of CP Haqmal Strip Out - 6 TROOP (By Spr Bird and Spr Lloyd)

Page 17

Once upon a time in lands far far away, there were a group of men who went by the name of ‘Six Troop’. They

were a merry bunch of fellas, notorious across the AO for their wit, charm and good looks!

They lived in a magical fortress known as PB Shazhad. As the engineers of the realm they took on many tasks, this

particular task was to collapse a castle of their allies ‘the knights of Estonia’. On the first morning, in the blazing

sun, 10 fine warriors of the mighty Six Troop left their magical fortress with ye olde `Cpl Matthew Copping’ at the

helm.

On arrival at the castle the 10 eager men were chomping at the bit to commence their task. They began by remov-

ing the main defences of the castle, one being a Hesco sanger and the other an elevated sanger stretching from the

ground so far to the clouds, that Rapunzel’s hair would not reach the bottom.

The elevated sanger strip was led by LCpl Kev ‘Lumpy Grumpy’ Engstrom and his merry men, as they battled the

elements whilst wearing the blessed breastplates made with the enchanted feathers of the osprey (which is sur-

prisingly heavy). The men realised this task was better suited for the SLDT (Strong Long Destroying Troll). All

seemed well to begin with, however halfway into the sanger strip the unforgivable baked solid Hesco struck a

crushing blow to the SLDT, something that Spr `Stumpy’ Sharp could not ride him through . RIP SLDT. (It’s only a

truck and the good LAD fairies will fix it). With the elevated Sanger 60% complete and the Hesco Sanger complete,

Ye Olde Matthew Copping thought best the men retire back to the magical fortress for wine, bread, natural muesli

and merriment. With the men fed and rested, dawn broke and they saddled their Wolfhound and Husky and gal-

loped off into the wind with their sharpened swords glistening.

Day 2 proved to be a hard-fought battle even with the aid of the mighty Makita Sword but once again the brave

handsome men of Six Troop triumphed with only the exterior castle walls standing. They once again returned to

the magical fortress for Wine, bread, toasted muesli and merriment.

On Day 3 the tired and weary men had to make an unscheduled stop to pick up `the ferocious medium wheeled

dragon’, which was located in the isolated slums of Wahid. The dragon was guarded by our uneducated, leprosy

riddled, Black-Death-carrying allies (4 Troop). With the dragon in tow, the men arrived at the castle for the final

day of the strip. The ferocious jaws of the medium wheeled

dragon tore through the Hesco guided by our friendly ghost

Spr `Casper’ Funnell. The Local Peasants gathered staring on

in shock and awe and saw an opportunity to remove all the

scrap metal….However the sheriff of Nad E Ali’ had other plans

for the scrap and threatened the peasants with his long bow.

The unarmed peasants fought hard but were forced to retreat

with the little treasure they had gathered. With the task com-

plete the handsome battle -hardened men of Six Troop re-

turned to their magical fortress for a feast of wine, bread, fruit

muesli and medallions to be led by the mythical creature

known within the realm as `Cougs’ (Spr Kyle Collins).

The End.


XXVI

CP LIMBANG CLOSURE—6 TROOP (By Cpl Taylor)

6 July 2012

After a busy two days of closing down Kamiabi was a quick turnaround to get ready for the next task which

was the closure of CP LIMBANG with a couple of cheeky Elevated Sanger strip outs thrown in for good meas-

ure. So with an afternoon of prep under our belts, a wee bit of gym work, we were ready for bed and dreams

of a week of hard labour. The boys look a bit jaded but it’s nothing for Cpl '3 tasks' Taylor.

7 July 2012

Its early morning - 0800 (that’s early for me). The lads

are ready and we are off to Limbang, I don’t know about

anybody else but I’m a little excited! We arrive at

Limbang and have a quick chat with the CP Sergeant. He's

saying all the right things about helping us and getting the

camp ready for our strip out - I should have known then

that he was full of gas and air. His idea of helping was do-

ing nothing until I’d asked him 3 times and then only do-

ing half a job. After our initial chat it was time for Capt

‘Troopy’ Kehoe to leave me and my 4 man team to 'do as

much as we can do' before she came back. So we began

and with the dream team of myself, LCpl Kev

'Engineerstrong', LCpl 'Mac' McCormack, Spr Sam Goodman and in MWT the one and only Spr Paul 'Wrecking

Ball' Taylor. Whilst Team Awesome were smashing down an Improvised Hesco sanger, cooking area, shower

area, compartmentalization and pretty much cutting around being legends. Team Husky and SLDT were back

at Shazhad getting there head down and filling their face with cream cakes!

But after living the life back in Shazhad for the whole day they were back at Limbang at 1900 to pick up Team

Awesome to go to Daqhiqh and strip out 2 elevated Sangers.

Here ends part one of the Limbang saga.

10 July 2012

After a two day break in Daqhiqh - sun, swimming

and Sangers - it was back to work at Limbang. Now

any normal person would think that after leaving a

place to get cleared ready for being stripped out

then that place would look a little different.....but the

Estonians had a different idea and thought it would

be novel to just have two days rest and not clear any

of their accommodation. So it was back to asking

three times for things to be done…I feel like I’m in an

Austin Powers movie.

Page 18


XXVI

Today was a little slow as we only managed to strip out 200m of razor wire around the HLS, and a number of

small remediation jobs in the local buildings. After the razor wire was gone the planties got to work on the

100m of Hesco wall, pulling it down like it was made of putty. On a high note we had a visit from the OC and

SSM, which was very nice especially when Kev and I smashed them at Euca; it’s always good taking the old

boys to school! So with all the work for the day done it was time for bed and some well-earned rest.

11 July 2012

Up early this morning to go strip out some external razor wire and strip out another improvised Hesco Sanger.

Like always when we go out and start taking things down there are kids cutting about asking for stuff. I still

don’t know what a 2 year old needs razor wire for (doesn’t seem very child friendly). But there was one spe-

cial little girl going up to all the guys melting hearts. I was chatting to the compound owner, he was telling me

he had 22 children and only had one son. Wow! Anyway as I was talking to him, I felt a tug on my little finger.

I looked down and see a tiny little face with big puppy dog eyes, and the little tug turns into a squeeze. You

have to have a heart of stone not to be affected by that.

Today is the busiest and most exciting day so far of the whole tour, about lunchtime after a busy mornings

work the vice-president of the contractors brought us the best treat of all time. It wasn’t 0200 in the morning.

We weren’t down town struggling with the effects of gravity, but we were munching down on the nicest kebab

this side of Kabul. And to top it off not one of us were cursed with the poops and giggles.

With all the fieldies busy stripping out hesco sangers and kitchens and anything we can get our hands on, it

was the planties that were really changing the scenery by stripping out all the internal walls and anything else

made of Hesco. Evening time came and where lesser troops would be going to bed Super 6 Troop were get-

ting busy with yet another Elevated Sanger. Only 5 hours later - I won’t bore you with the detail - after some

huffing-and-puffing the sanger was down and yet again it was bed time. There’s one thing you need to know

about the boys, they only have two times; scoff time and bed time.

12 July 2012

Well it’s the last day of task and it’s another early start, and

would you believe it but we're having to push and badger

the Estonians all the way out of the gate to do their side of

the clear out! Now the final day has two different tales; if

you’re a good old fashioned field Combat Engineer then its

a quite a chilled out affair just waiting for the time to come

to leave and go home. However, if you're a Plant Operator

Mechanic then it’s the total opposite. The double act of

Paul 'wrecking ball' Taylor and Craig 'Simmo' Simpson

have to go to town on the rest of the external wall and after

nine hours of constant tussling with the hesco wall it was

down and finally time to go. So wheels up and we were

gone. End of task. The next one awaits in two days’ time.

Another CP strip out, another Elevated Sanger.

Page 19

Page 20


XXVI


A word from the OC (Maj C James)

July has been a whirlwind which started with a trip out for OCs TAC. Getting me out

onto the ground is manpower intensive, stripping out the Ops Room in Bastion. That said it gives both the QM

and 2IC a bit of breathing space and offered me my first chance of seeing the Squadron operating having only

just taken over command weeks before.

7 Troop in MOB Price was our first stop, a vastly different place from Bastion and from my perspective it of-

fers a refreshing change. It was my first exposure to the 1st Bn Gren Guards and an enjoyable one. I can also

see why they call it MOB Nice as the food was excellent and the atmosphere, despite people being extremely

busy, was relaxed. After a night out under the stars, we headed north to FOB Ouellette to visit 9 Troop. FOB

Ouellette is much smaller than MOB Price, it is a raw but honest place and Sappers being Sappers have made a

good home out of it. We returned to Bastion that evening. I now needed to visit 8 Troop in PB Clifton.

Getting to PB Clifton to visit 8 Troop was going to be easy, a helicopter was the answer. Getting back however

proved a little more difficult. 8 Troop had only been in PB Clifton a matter of days before myself and the SSM

paid them a visit. They had their work cut out establishing themselves into what is a very cramped base. De-

spite this we were hosted extremely well. That evening LCpl Ashis, along with a few humble assistants, made

us and the Command Team of Inkerman Coy a very tasty Gurkha curry. This was very much appreciated. Our

short visit was drawing to a close, or so we thought...Three days later and three attempts to extract ourselves

by helicopter we were still there. By the fourth day we needed an escape plan, by that afternoon utilising two

very efficient taxi services we re-

turned to Bastion somewhat shabbi-

er than when we had left. As for the

rest of the Squadron that week, it

was 7 Troop who hit the headlines

the most, in particular Cpl Ethering-

ton and his section. They had spent

time working hard in very austere

conditions in support of No. 5 Plt 2

Coy 1st Bn Gren Guards; their com-

bined efforts turned a local national

compound into a very desirable (by

Afghan standards) temporary check

point. This included living accommo-

dation for both men and dogs.

XXVI


Page 21

July disappeared before my eyes, a lot was happening. From relative stability we saw a rise in tempo with

new tasks commencing and personalities changing over. 7 Troop moved lock, stock and barrel up to PB

Rahim where they continue to deconstruct the Patrol Base - this is all part of Transition and something called

Base Reconciliation and Closure. It was at this point that Sgt George joined them in the field as their Recce Sgt.

However it was Lt Smith and Sgt Hicks in FOB Ouellette who by far, felt the most of the heat that week as they

prepared and fired over 2 tonnes of explosives. This was a challenging operation for them. Lt Smith has now

left 9 Troop to take over as the Battle Group Engineer in NES N. Good news followed as the LCpl to Cpl pro-

motions board results were released. It was pleasing to have to congratulate LCpls Adam Collins, Sombahadur

Gurung, Chris Massam, Santosh Rai, Taryn Smith and Andy Wilmer all of whom were selected for promotion

to Cpl. We also welcomed 2Lt Gary Haikney who arrived to take over as 9 Troop Commander.

With July drawing to a close, we are forced to focus on the end of tour. OC 37 Armd Engr Sqn who will be tak-

ing over as OC Fd Sqn 1 for Op HERRICK 17 came out for a visit and a whistle stop guided tour around the

troop locations in the TAC vehicles. On the back of the visit we planned both our Relief in Place and Recovery

back to the UK; within eight weeks it will all be history. Finally a word on visitors and morale, both of which

have been a reoccurring theme as August drew closer. COs TAC went around the bazaars delivering mail and

a frozen goat (much to 8 Troops delight). The CO and the RSM were hugely impressed as they visited the Sqn

forward in Troop locations, moral from their perspective was at an all time high. It was then a visit from the

Chief of the General Staff in to PB Rahim which has given us our latest media hook...

XXVI


XXVI

Page 22

7 TROOP It’s July and there is no let up for 7 Troop. After a busy month in June, there have been tasks here at Price and

out on the ground supporting the Grenadier Guards. Cpl Etherington and a select few men have rolled straight

into another task building a Check Point for the next couple of weeks. The remainder at Price, Sgt khelendra

and a number of the guys from 8 Troop have deployed up to PB HAZRAT, as part of an operation to build a

number of Hesco Bastion compounds. Spr Simms in particular is looking forward to getting out there having

been stuck at MOB Price since we arrived here in April. Not everyone will be so pleased to be part of this oper-

ation though. Spr Kirkham has now returned from his RnR only to be told that he is going straight out on the

ground in support of 9 Troop. Hopefully he has taken the opportunity to recharge over his time off, getting

straight back out into the fast paced environment that is operations. Last weekend saw us have a visit from

Major James our new OC who seems to be very happy with how we have been conducting ourselves as a Troop

and as a Squadron. It was clear that she is looking forward to her time commanding Squadron on operations.

The weekend was also the climax of Euro 2012, and the 7 Troop sweepstake. It was down to just LCpl Wilmer

who had Spain and Spr Reeve who had Italy to battle it out for the title. Spain came out victorious leaving the 2

Section LCpl with a big smile on his face and a good return from the $20 handed over at the beginning of the

month. The work carries on here but with only 2 and a half months left on tour people can start to see the end

and we are all looking forward to getting home in September.


Page 23

XXVI

Drawdown of CP MANZIRA-8 TROOP (By Spr Cox)

Just before the break of dawn, 8 Troop left

their Patrol Base to conduct their next

task. On arrival, we were greeted by a

mob of local kids. We managed to bypass

the group and settled into the Check

Point, but unfortunately one of our sup-

port vehicles, the EPLS was unable to

make it through the front gates of the

small CP. We cracked on straight away

with our task and set ourselves up for the

next 24 hours. The majority of our task

included stripping out a razor wire fence,

the main elevated sangers and taking

away the front gate. The local kids were

still gathered outside the CP, desperate to

know the purpose of our visit and we had

our evening meal before getting some sleep so we could start very early in the morning.

At approximately 0400hrs on following day we began our task of stripping out the razor wire fence around

the perimeter walls. Sweat trickled down my face after banging the pickets with the sledgehammer to recov-

er them. After a few hours of hard work, the task was progressing well, though the razor wire task was a little

time consuming and it took us a while to recover. The rest of the task proved less troublesome than the pick-

ets that seemed to be welded into the ground.

Our part in the task was complete but

we still had to wait for the contractors

to turn up to remediate the ground

works and return the site back to how it

was before the CP was built. Finally the

contractors arrived and we handed over

the site to them ensuring all remaining

works were in good order. On comple-

tion of the task, we made our way back

to our Patrol Base; another job well

done.


Page 24

XXVI

CP SALAT-9 TROOP (By Spr Jegou)

9 Troop has yet again been called upon to upgrade another CP

and with the majority of the troop departing for the task it has

left a handful of Sappers in the FOB location as CF support en-

gineers. The first of many jobs was to head up to a nearby CP

located to the north of us which will be handed over to the Af-

ghanistan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP). Before this

could happen, the ISAF Forces occupying the CP needed to re-

move themselves and all their equipment and stores. This

meant that part of the HESCO perimeter wall was to be

stripped to allow the removal of an ISO container that had

been positioned within the perimeter. With the aid of a medi-

um wheeled tractor we proceeded to remove the HESCO wall. Once the wall was stripped out and the ISO

container removed by the EPLS, we then immediately proceeded to replace the HESCO. With the HESCO com-

pleted on the perimeter wall the super sappers were then asked to add a few random baskets of HESCO for

the ANCOP.

With the CP complete we then mounted up and made our way to a VP to carry out remedial works on the sur-

rounding HESCO where a hoax IED had been placed the previous morning. The following day we were tasked

to redirect drainage from the ANCOP compound away from the front gate as the water was flooding the en-

trance to our FOB. The team that was left behind to fulfil the tasks at the FOB were Cpl Lewis, LCpl Hogarty,

Spr Jegou and Spr Palmer. After completing the drainage task we upgraded the road with medium wheeled

tractor filling in the water dam-

age.

It was now down to our main task

of the week, this was repairing

the helicopter landing site (HLS).

Our main priority was to repair

the road which lead around the

HLS as the dust was breaking

through the stone and causing

brown outs as the helicopters

were landing. Whilst on the task

we had a new member join 9

troop some four months into the

tour in the form of Spr Bryden

fresh from the UK. The task was

carried out to our usual high

standards over the next 4 days.

Page 25


XXVI

Page 33

Glossary Ranks

Spr - Sapper

LCpl - Lance Corporal

Cpl - Corporal

Sgt - Sergeant

SSgt - Staff Sergeant

WO2 - Warrant Officer Second Class

WO1 - Warrant Officer First Class

Lt - Lieutenant

Formations

Sect - Section

Tp - Troop

Armd Engr Sqn - Armoured Engineer Squadron

Fd Engr Sqn - Field Engineer Squadron

Hq & Sp Sqn - Headquarters and Support Squad-

ron

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


XXVI

Page 34

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.

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