AMBER 11 Pl Comd:
2ic:
Capt Agnew/ Capt Richmond 9/12L
CSgt Tawse R ANGLIAN
AMBER 11 was the first and, therefore, probably the best, team within OMLT 1; it was based in the Nad-e Ali District Centre throughout the deployment. Sent initially to a surprisingly cold and extremely primitive Forward Operating Base (FOB) called Argyll, they moved in late July, via a short stint in the equally barren Patrol Base at Blue 29, to the rather more salubrious FOB Shawqat. A mere one hundred metres over the road, FOB Shawqat could not have been much more different to Argyll had it tried (and we thank the Royal Engineers, who presumably did try, for trying). FOB Argyll – described memorably, though perhaps a trifle unfairly, on page one of The Sun as both a “stinking sty” and a “squalid shack” – came with few, if any, creature comforts. After a cool start, temperatures rose regularly into the high forties and topped out during Op Tor Shadey in mid- August at 54 degrees; there was nowhere to hide from the intense, all- pervading heat. In a building that seemed inexplicably to have been designed to retain warmth, even night time brought little respite and the troops became accustomed to waking in pools of their own sweat, which was hardly restful or enjoyable. Showering in such circumstances was a marginally more pleasant experience than visiting the loo, though the smell suggested that some of the RIFLES soldiers had mistaken the two activities, and cooking involved reheating rations over hexamine stoves so, bar the occasional fresh meal sent down from OMLT Headquarters at Camp Shorabak, ration packs were the order of the day – even if that wasn’t what you wanted to order. FOB Shawqat, in spite of its odd name, corrected most of these failings in time (mainly in time for Op Herrick 11 we thought) and life gradually became much more comfortable, just as the weather began to turn and thoughts turned from cooling fans to the sleeping bags most had left in Ireland.
By this stage, of course, whatever people may have said they were thinking about the chilly nights, they were really thinking about coming home as the end of Tour was only weeks away. In the meantime, though, in between complaining about unappetising rations, third world living conditions and boiling temperatures, AMBER 11 had had plenty of work to do. The Team was responsible for mentoring No 1 “Hashish” Company 1/3/205 Kandak of the Afghan National Army (the Hashish epithet is not official but it is accurate…), whose military ability might best be summed up as average (though that is, of course, a relative term so choose what you want it to relate to) and working with them was not always easy. The
The Mercian Eagle
various officers sent to lead the Company during the Tour were, with one exception, of generally low quality while the soldiers made up with enthusiasm what they lacked in equipment and training. The one shining light in No 1 Company was Sgt Izatullah, an outstanding soldier who led the Afghan Warriors on almost every patrol and operation throughout Op Herrick 10. He is a soldier the likes of whom, given the right tools, will, in time drag Afghanistan from the mire in which it currently finds itself.
So AMBER 11 and No 1 Company together spent six months conducting training and fighting patrols together – mainly the latter. They were involved in a large number of deliberate operations led by the local ground- holding troops, which consistently pushed enemy forces away from the District Centre, while conducting routine patrols on a daily basis often ending up in small arms contacts only a kilometre or so from the FOB. As I write, the team has mercifully been free from serious injury: Pte Wilson was famously shot through his helmet during the initial clearance of Khowshhal Kalay (which might explain, but not pardon, his failure to reappear after R&R) but suffered no serious injury and LCpl Price took some shrapnel to the leg in the same operation. Luck certainly, judgement perhaps, and good low level skills and drills on the part of all Team members ensured a safe and successful conclusion to the Tour for the nine members of the Team still there. Capt Agnew had long moved on to greater things as OMLT 1’s 2ic, replaced by a big-haired Cavalry Officer (Capt Richmond) from the 9th/12th Lancers. In the meantime, the Team had been ably led by a forceful pair of Vikings (CSgt Tawse and Cpl Tait), while the Team’s other attachment, Pte Withers from 4 MERCIAN, had spent much of the Tour uncomplainingly carrying ECM Blue around the Green Zone as though it was a pillow-stuffed day sack. Cpls Taylor and Gavan formed the backbone of the operation as far as 2 MERCIAN troops were concerned and did everything from acting as Team 2ic through firing Javelin and discharging large numbers of accurate UGL rounds. Pte Betts did sterling work with the GPMG throughout, saving the Team from serious danger on more than one occasion, and Pte Edwards came over from AMBER 14 late in the Tour to add his LMG’s firepower to the mix.
Looking back, AMBER 11 can be proud of its work with No 1 Company ending Op Herrick 10 a better fighting unit than it was at the start. The Company still suffers from some serious problems, mainly manpower and equipment related, which no OMLT can hope to influence but it is clearly more able to engage insurgents professionally and successfully. The new COMISAF’s direction notwithstanding, AMBER 11 can be pleased with its rôle in conducting aggressive operations against the large numbers of
insurgent troops working in the area north of the Nad-e Ali District Centre – they know that the troops they faced in the summer of 2009 were not to be trifled with.
AMBER 12 Pl Comd:
2ic: Lt Vause Sgt Hopkins
AMBER 12 was based in Patrol Base (PB) Chillie on the outskirts of the Nad-e Ali District Centre for the duration of Op Herrick 10. Consisting of two small compounds, one housed the OMLT, the Interpreters and the ANA Officers whilst the other was occupied by No 2 Company, 1/3/205 Kandak. In addition to mentoring No 2 Company, we had to travel the short distance to PB Tuwab to mentor a second Company, 1/3/205 Kandak’s Heavy Weapon Company. As a consequence, we were responsible for a larger area than other Teams in OMLT 1 and experienced first hand how Companies from within the same Kandak could differ. AMBER 12 was not a purely 2 MERCIAN outfit as it contained a number of augmentees from different units: A/Sgt Humble and A/Cpl Waddel came to the team from 2 RRF and we also enjoyed the ministrations, both medical and culinary, of LCpl Holt from the RAMC.
It has been an eventful Tour working with the Afghan National Army (ANA) who did their best to keep the Team busy. Our rôle required every man to step up and be responsible for the actions of the ANA when on patrol. This could range from giving the ANA target indications to shepherding them onto the correct transport. They have never failed to surprise us, sometimes impressing us greatly, sometimes leaving us speechless and, on occasions, leaving us downright worried! Their reaction to fire was always unpredictable, sometimes they would be hesitant and, on other occasions, they were insanely brave, firing long bursts from exposed positions. However mad, bad and dangerous the ANA were when on patrol, they were always extremely accommodating back in the PB and we formed a very close relationship with both of the Companies. Number 2 Company was commanded by two characters who were ex-Mujahedin fighters: Captain Hazrat and Lieutenant Sheruvadeen. Far from being conventional, it was not unusual to see Hazrat challenging Lt Vause to wrestling matches or Sheruvadeen gesticulating wildly with an inane grin on his face.
Conditions in the PB have been pretty Spartan and, whilst improvements were made over the months, it has remained a very basic place. With a shortage of drinking water, the nearby canal was used for showering and washing and our ablutions could be best described as ad hoc and clothes washing relied on the availability of ammunition containers to serve as wash
October 2010 39
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