Keeping the peace (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Keeping the peace

Private Dave Pagett from Fairford and other soldiers from the RGBW Light Infantry prepare to leave for Afghanistan Ref: 94934-53A group of soldiers from Swindon were among 150 to fly out to war-torn Afghanistan where they will be on patrol and training up the country's own security forces.

SOLDIERS from Swindon will be sizzling in the Afghan sun as they complete a six-month tour of the country.

A total of 150 soldiers from the Royal Gloucester, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry flew out to Afghanistan from RAF Fairford on Saturday.

They were among the 450 soldiers from the regiment who have been training for the tour since January.

Although not as dangerous as Iraq, there are still problems with rebel attacks, particularly from the Taliban.

Lieutenant Colonel Nick Welch, the commanding officer, said they had started by going right back to basics.

"Skills fade over time so training went right back to the basic levels and built on those.

"Then we moved on and soldiers learnt about the culture of Afghanistan, the language, special weapons training and have practised using aircraft support.

"They now have all the skills needed when they head out to Afghanistan.

"Basically the simple infantryman no longer exists."

Once in Afghanistan the regiment will be split into two.

Half of the soldiers will be based in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan's second biggest city, and the other half will be based in the capital, Kabul.

Lt Col Welch said there were three roles the soldiers would be taking.

"While they are in the theatre, they will be covering an area the size of the length and breadth of England," he said.

"And some will be travelling into areas where the military does not get to go very often.

"The first group of five or six soldiers, most of whom are already out there, will be advising the local government's security force and will also be winning over the hearts and minds of the local people."

It is similar to the roles the regiment played in recent years when they were stationed in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

The rest of the soldiers will be performing a peacekeeping role, patrolling the areas and meeting local people and a third group will be helping to train the Afghan national army.

"They will be overseeing and mentoring the Afghan equivalent of our junior NCOs, rather than telling them what to do," said Lt Col Welch. "If they could do things in a different or easier way, then they will step in and show them how to do it."

The group gathered at the Duke of Gloucester Barracks at South Cerney before taking the short journey to RAF Fairford to catch their flight. As they waited to re-board the coach that would take them to Fairford, the soldiers appeared to be at ease, happily chatting amongst themselves, sounding optimistic about the months ahead.

And Lt Col Welch is hoping that the tour will be a challenge for his recruits.

"It is an interesting time in Afghanistan at the moment, as they have just held their local elections. That is the first time in Afghan history that democracy has been handed down to the local people.

"It is a very exciting time to be in Afghanistan."

Ready for action

Private Mike Saunders, 19, of Toothill.

This is my second tour of duty as last I went out to Kosovo.

This tour should be a lot harder than the last and there should be much more work to do.

I'm not all that nervous about going- it's my job and that is what I'm going out there to do.

I just hope I come back in one piece.

I'm going to be based in Kabul patrolling the area but I'm hoping we'll be moved down to the south of the country at some point.

I've done a sharp shooters course and being moved to the south would mean I could get the chance to put my training into action.

My girlfriend doesn't want me to go and I have to ring her before we leave.

But I think she knows that I'll be home safe in January.

The Army is something I always wanted to do since I was little and I joined straight from school.

Going out to places like Afghanistan means I can put into use the skills I have learnt and help others.

Lance Corporal Dean Bird, 22, of Stratton.

This is my second tour of duty, as I went out to Kosovo last year.

I think that was probably much easier than this one is going to be.

Either way I'm looking forward to going but I'm also looking forward to coming back in January.

My wife Nicky was pretty upset as I was leaving this morning.

That's the worst part, being away from friends and family.

I'll be working with the Afghan national army helping to train their equivalent of our NCOs.

Two lance corporals are paired together to mentor the recruits.

We'll oversee what's happening and check that they are doing everything right, if not then we'll step in and show them the correct way of doing it.

We had four months' training for the role and we had to help train the other lads in the group so I've already had a bit of practice.

Stephanie Tye