Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company, 2 RIFLES BG - blogs from Helmand, part 3

JUNE UPDATE

The two principle subsistence harvests, of poppy and wheat, are now over. The maize is already a foot high and the fighting has resumed again in earnest. It is a cat and mouse game out there in the Green Zone, but fortunately, although the mice are dangerous, we mostly play the cat. Our patrols continue to disrupt the insurgents and constrain their freedom of movement. It all seems quite predictable. We leave as early as we can to try and beat the heat and the dickers who constantly watch our every move, relaying to the insurgents where we are and where we are heading.

Gradually, during the course of the morning, once the insurgents have completed their call to prayer by the local Imam and had breakfast, they find their weapons and make their way towards the patrol to get into position. Our patrol, in many ways, is a big block of cheese. Once they are confident that they are in a safe position, especially with adequate safe routes to extract, they open up on us with everything they have got. It is very difficult to see the insurgents before the contact because of the thickness of the vegetation, the numerous compounds and rat runs all provide ample cover from view.

At this stage, the mouse has the upper hand but not for long. Once the firing points have been located, the Company puts down a staggering amount of small arms fire which results in the suppression of their firing points. We then set about trapping the mouse with artillery and mortars, using aircraft and attack helicopters to search in depth. We close the trap of indirect fire and soon we are engaging directly onto their firing points. Occasionally, an insurgent will break and dart for a safer location, only to run into the Riflemen’s fire. The game is now well practised and routine.

Life in the FOB continues peacefully and we find respite in it from all the challenges and discomfort of patrols. It is a comfortable existence however R&R is now in full swing and we are doubling up duties in order to release our comrades for their much needed break. The task is not onerous with the knowledge that they will soon be repaying the favour. The rations continue to fill us and although we have not had any frozen food for 37 days now, we are all resigned to the fact that something or somewhere is a higher priority than us. We are just grateful that we are getting out for R&R. Our E-bluey machine has been a godsend during this period and although the parcels and other mail are taking their time reaching us, the written word is nearly immediate and much appreciated.

Fashion trends are beginning to emerge whilst we are out here. Not just the normal things like 70s-style moustaches and extra-long sideburns but others too. In particular, washbags are clearly a prized FOB accessory, but not just any washbag. They have to be re-cycled claymore anti-personnel mine bags. It is amusing to see the NCOs strutting to the showers with their claymore bags across their chests, like some metro-sexual man bag. There is also a pecking order to get access to this re-cycled equipment, with the NCOs having access to the claymore bags whilst the Riflemen have been seen using 5.56mm ammo containers for theirs.

Most of us have been subjected to a haircut since we have been here now. Mostly, we have tried to leave it as long as possible but the heat and sweat has meant that most have opted for a short crew-cut. Others have resisted and seem intent on doing so until R&R and so we have a few Art Garfunkel lookalikes cutting around. Whether they are resisting a poor cut or the dire hairdressers’ chat that goes with it is unconfirmed. I had my haircut by Cpl ‘Slick’ Alford, our Forward Air Controller, the other day and most of the time I was sat in the chair was spent listening to him natter to Gunner Kean, who spends most of his time in tanning oil and army issued underwear obscenely ‘tucked in’ to maximise exposure! Their mid-cut work chat is excruciatingly painful.

We are looking forward to 5 Platoon returning shortly to the B Company fold. They have been attached to A Company in Sangin and their return will be most welcome. We have watched with interest their progress in Sangin and their contribution to the security of the town has been great. After a short adjustment we will be united at last to take the fight to the insurgents in the Upper Sangin Valley .

Throughout all of this our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of Rfn Cyrus Thatcher and Lt Paul Mervis. In addition, we thrive on the spirit, guts and determination of the injured who are recovering exceptionally well in the excellent medical facilities in the UK.

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company, 2 RIFLES BG - blogs from Helmand, part 2

This month has been a real rollercoaster of a month. On 7 May 09 we tragically lost Rfn Adrian ‘Shelly’ Sheldon to an IED. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and friends.

We held a camel racing night here in the FOB in memory of Shelly and most of the ‘camels’ were auctioned for over $100 each. A total of $2,260 was raised and will be given to Project 65, a charity that will split the money between the RBL, ABF, H4H, St Dunstan’s, BLESMA and others.

Whilst we are on the subject of Project 65, we are very conscious that BG HQ is racing the wives in Ballykinler, to row from Belfast to Kabul, and vice versa, to raise money for the same charity. We are delighted to learn, here in FOB Inkerman, that the wives are currently thrashing BG HQ. Our view is that it is all the lobster and cream teas that they have in, by under slung, courtesy of the civilian helicopters that is at the root of their demise. There is a separate blog article of the event but thanks must go to everyone in the FOB for their generosity, especially the Riflemen, Gunners and Sappers who gave up so much of their hard earned cash to an excellent cause and the memory of a fellow Rifleman who is still sorely missed.

The Green Zone has transformed from something of beauty, as I described last month, to something that is slowly dying by asphyxiation. The heat is choking everything. The poppy is dead and has been reaped, so now there are just bare fields. The wheat has turned brown and the local nationals are setting at it with scythes and bundling it onto anything that can transport it to their stores, be it tractors, cars, or donkeys.

The farmers are re-planting again with more drought resistant crops such as curry beans and maize – these crops are more heat resistant but also require less water as the Helmand River yields less and less life-giving sustenance into the irrigation ditches. This drop in the water level has had a positive effect on certain challenged members of the company, who can now cross the ditches and canals without fear of drowning. Sgt Baker, our MFC from 3 YORKS, no longer patrols with his snorkel and arm bands.

Now that the heat has increased and it no longer rains, so the insect life has become more prolific. Shoes now need to be shaken to avoid the odd scorpion; feet need to be lifted off the floor to deny the incredibly fast camel spiders who run with such determination and speed that any pre-emptive move of feet from the floor would be pointless; and lights have to be turned off to avoid the haze of midges and other ‘night-flyers’. An individual walking around the FOB at night, with a head torch, now gathers a personal little swarm of insects, and requires a moment or two of darkness before entering the sanctuary of one’s mosquito net.

Fresh rations arrived into the FOB this week for the first time in 35 days. Hoorah! This is no fault of anyone’s just that fresh food is always a lower priority than ammunition, water, equipment, 10-man rations and mail. It has been such a treat to see a piece of chicken, a burger, real sausages and even steak. Sadly, the supply will end and it will be back to the mundane and the predictable 10-man rations.

Operations continue and we have conducted a number of long, hot patrols into the Green Zone. These have been really rewarding and have allowed us to understand where we are at the end of the harvest season. Everyone is extremely focused on why we are here and doing a cracking job. Everyone has performed exceptionally well and delivered when required.

Finally, I just want to say a collective ‘Thank You’ to you who is reading this for all your support. There have been so many well-wishers, not just an individual’s family and friends, but those who are generously sending welfare parcels to be distributed amongst those Riflemen who are not so fortunate.

We are extremely grateful for your support and generosity. Not only do your gifts alleviate some of our hardship but your messages of support galvanise us and push us on. To do this without your incredible support back at home would make it infinitely harder. We really do appreciate your kindness and collective support. Thank you again.

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company, 2 RIFLES BG - blogs from Helmand, part 1

I am writing this piece from a dusty hillock on the edge of the Helmand River surrounded by fields of white and red flowering poppies and sweeping desert, which eventually reaches the mountains to the east. Forward Operating Base (FOB) INKERMAN is a basic, yet tranquil spot at this time of year, with flocks of tropical birds swooping over the lush vegetation of the ‘Green Zone’ while nomads herd their goats in the wilderness.

Occasionally the peace is spoilt by a low-flying fighter aircraft circling overhead or a helicopter arriving to drop of mail, people and all manner of supplies and spares that keep us going and our morale high. Life is good in INKERMAN and everyone is definitely pleased to be out of the sprawling tented maze that is Camp BASTION.

B Coy is almost complete, having received a very comprehensive handover from a very sun tanned Yankee Company of the Royal Marines. The main issue has been getting our heads round the Marines’ terminology, for example try and decipher: ‘I’m off to get some ogin to make a mega hoofing wet to go with my scran in the galley before I use the heads’. It's a completely different language and the next hurdle is learning Pashto. Snowy, Mick Brandon and Lusio Tanoa have brains spinning enough with all the serial numbers and complicated army abbreviations they have had to deal with taking over endless signals kit and stores of stores without having to deal with ‘Jack Speak’ and ‘Pusser’s Gen Dits’.

On the intelligence and influence front Cpl ‘Jona’ Jones has certainly been making an impression with the local farmers by hosting a number of Shuras (meetings), he has already received a number of gifts including; bread, a knife and even a pet cockerel, which the Interpreters promptly cooked up and ate.

The majority of the company have now been on patrol into the local villages and through the local ditches, the latter being a refreshing escape from the mid-day sun. The locals are generally friendly, greeting us with a wave and a few words of Pashtu that we are yet to understand. The children are always curious, especially if there are pens and sweets involved.

Most people that surround the FOB are extremely poor, living in very basic mud-walled compounds with their animals and the extended families. The only piece of modern technology being the ‘wind-up’ radios that are handed out by the patrols and on which they can listen to DJ Pete Manley's INKERMAN FM aka Radio-in-a-Box - a combination of wailing noises (Afghanis’ version of Top of the Pops) and educational programmes for the young ‘The Rabbit and the Cat’ being a particular favourite (I won’t spoil it for you but it is bad news for the rabbit).

The next week will be busy as B Coy settle into our new home, building shelves out of ammunition tins, learning how to do our own washing and thinking up imaginative ways of digesting the diet of noodles and dried scrambled egg that is served up to the troops every day.

They say that a six month deployment feels like twelve months, and for B Company that may almost be true. Our pre-deployment training started in October 2008 and we have been flat out ever since.

The training delivered by the Company, Battalion and Operational Training and Advisory Group has been thorough, focused and demanding. The exercises have been realistic, challenging and, dare I say it, fun. The resources that we have had have enabled us to do realistic and relevant training although we could have always done with a bit more time with a metal detector, more time on the specialist weapons, or half-decent weather to actually see an Apache helicopter. Despite this, the Company is well-honed and up for the challenge that awaits us in Forward Operating Base (FOB) Inkerman.

FOB Inkerman will be our home for the next six months. It is an impressively large FOB made out of Afghan compounds and purpose built shelters that will deliver all our infrastructure requirements. It is well placed to launch us on our patrols to provide security for the local Afghans, support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and assist the Afghanistan National Security Forces, both Police and Army, whilst we are there.

It will prove to be a challenging tour, with everyone being tested to the limits. That said, it will also provide us with the best opportunities that soldiering can offer. I have no doubt that everyone in the Company Group will deliver. We are ready for this.

Our equipment has been issued, and although we have received everything that we could have wanted, it still has not stopped certain members of the Company spending small fortunes to get their ‘rig’ just right. The importance of this is paramount, and although many of you will be wondering where on earth all the money has gone, it is critical that in the heat and terrain, we have it just right.

The test will be when we return and you see what has not been used. We are hugely grateful to B Company, 2 PARA and Y Company, 45 Cdo Royal Marines for helping us to get ready. Their advice, patience, expertise and willingness to impart information to us has been invaluable. From Toms’ and Marines’ Top Tips to the top of the shop – all has been greatly appreciated, so thank you.

Our FOB will be one of the most austere locations we will have ever served in. We will be on 10-man rations mostly and one day of fresh food a month if we are lucky. The communications home are not great although there are plans to improve this. There are already six internet terminals in the FOB but they are slow and we have 200 people trying to get on them. We are hoping to get an E-Bluey machine into the FOB to improve mail times, giving us our mail 24hrs after it is sent. Parcels are a different story because of the tortuous supply chain and can take anything up to five weeks to arrive. Please bear with this as it is out of everyone’s control and we will do what we can to speed things up. Bearing this in mind, please pack your parcels accordingly: we would hate to hand the enemy an easy victory because of an over-ripe camembert!

We will all get R&R and will look forward to seeing you at some stage during the tour. The opportunity to spend time with loved ones, getting some decent ‘scoff’, sleeping in a comfortable bed, having a washing machine doing our ‘dhobi’ and having flushing toilets will be a great punctuation mark and we all anticipate it eagerly.

Finally, thank you for reading this and for your support. We have had the privilege of it in the past and will be reliant on it over the course of the next six months.

Please know that it is never taken for granted and that everything is hugely appreciated. Please keep those letters, parcels; blueys etc coming because news and treats from loved ones at home is what will keep us going. Thanks again and more news next month.

Maj Iain Moodie, OC B Company