Issue
22
June 2009
84 Pages This Issue
Buy this issue now and have it mailed directly to your door
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Issue
22 84 Pages This Issue Buy this issue now and have it mailed directly to your door |
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Until
October 2008, Australian Army missions in Oruzgan Province, southern Afghanistan
were clearly split between the rebuilding efforts of the Reconstruction
Task Force and the combat missions of the Special Operations Task Group.
One entity concentrated on the building of local skills and infrastructure,
while the other was responsible for taking the fight to the insurgents who
continued to enforce their will on the local population – or at least
tried to. The distinction between reconstruction and combat operations was taken to the next level with the creation of the 1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force. MRTF-1 has been conducting operations since October 2008 and, in a double first, is the first contingent of Australians to conduct an eight-month deployment in the MEAO. While the reconstruction of vital infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools and bridges remains an important ‘line of operation’, the primary focus of MRTF-1, is the mentoring of an Afghan National Army (ANA) kandak, or battalion. Words Brian
Hartigan |
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Avalon
gave me a BOne - that's right, the B-One Lancer. I’d seen the ‘BOne’
at Avalon before, but only sitting on the ground. This year the sleek
monster – ‘Symphony of Destruction’ – took to the
air. And when it did – God help anyone who didn’t have ear plugs
or fingers already plunged into their aural cavities. Words and Pics Brian Hartigan |
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Corporal Mathew Hopkins was tragically killed in action on 16 March 2009 during an engagement with insurgents while serving with the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF) in Afghanistan. Words Brian
Hartigan |
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Sergeant
Brett Till, a highly-respected explosive-ordnance disposal technician
from the Incident Response Regiment at Holsworthy, New South Wales, was
killed by an explosion that occurred during a route-clearance task in
southern Afghanistan on 19 March 2009.
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The next generation of Australian soldiers brainstormed and footslogged their way through a tough challenge in Sydney, carrying the pride of their units and their states on their young shoulders. Eighty cadets from all over Australia converged on Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney, in March to take up this year’s Chief of Army Cadet Team Challenge. Words and Pics Brian Hartigan |
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At around 8:15am (AEDT) on Thursday 16 April 2009, an explosion onboard a suspected illegal entry vessel, which was intercepted the previous day in the vicinity of Ashmore Reef, sent shockwaves across Australia – and cast the Royal Australian Navy into a lead role in a major maritime rescue mission, a chronology of which would embody acts of bravery, courage and professionalism by all personnel involved. Pics ADF |
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In the
last issue, Adam Hammond stepped us through the history and development
of the underrated art of combat tracking. Words Adam
Hammond |
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In the
aftermath of the fires that obliterated swathes of country Victoria in
February, the Army moved quickly to provide support to recovery efforts. Words Warrant
Officer Class Two Graham McBean |
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The Royal
Australian Air Force is confident it has located the wreckage of a Canberra
bomber missing in action for nearly 40 years. Pics ADF |
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After
seven months in Iraq, the crew of V23C is pretty familiar with Route Irish. Pics ADF |
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At a BBQ, while getting shitty with an armchair expert whose only claim to fame was reading Blackhawk Down, I finally articulated the one thing that every man and woman who served with the 1RAR Group could claim without ever being challenged on. “Well mate”, I blurted out, taking a swig of beer and shrugging my shoulders - “We were winning when I left.” Words AJ
Shinner |
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NEW
NEW NEW Who's 'Heater'
you ask? ALSO
NEW NEW NEW Plus...
Plus our regular columns;
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