Major Richard Gregory, Officer Commanding Fire Support Company, 1 Royal Welsh

Maj Richard Gregory attends a local Shura with village elders

I have never felt the burden of responsibility the way I did when we came in on this Operation. Not in Northern Ireland nor in Iraq. Things went smoothly at Camp Bastion getting the guys loaded up and onto the helicopters. It was very tense flying into the landing zones but we were pleased to get out on the ground with very little drama.

Heavy mud in the fields made the going tough but when we had made it safely in to our compound after being up to our knees in the mud in the dark I thought - we have got it right. The Patrol Base is now established, however the hard work is still to be done. We now have to prove ourselves to the local population and show them that we can provide them with the security they need.

The next phase of Operation Moshtarak has already begun with meetings with the locals set up and patrols sent out to re-assure the surrounding population of the security provided by the ISAF presence.

A Shurah (local meeting) was held in the Patrol Base and a number of local elders attended. I feel very confident that things are going well so far, both with my guys, the Afghan soldiers we are working with and the locals.

Following the Shurah the Afghan soldiers led out a joint patrol of Afghan (ANA) and 1 Royal Welsh troops into the surrounding area and the ANA Platoon Commander discussed the security situation with the locals.

I was really pleased with the way that Patrol went. The ANA Platoon Commander is taking the lead. We still have to prove ourselves to the locals but we have now started that work. To say I am relieved about how things have gone so far would be an understatement. And I am bursting with pride when I see my soldiers here getting on with things that will have a really positive impact for the future of this area.