Army News - Issue 442 PDF, 4.06MB

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armynewsc o u r a g e | c o m m i t m e n t | c o m r a d e s h i p | i n t e g r i t y

lest we Forget

The Army News is published for the Regular and Territorial Force and

civilian staff of the New Zealand Army.

Editor: Judith MartinPhone: 04-496-0227 or

DTelN: 349-7227Fax: 04-496-0290

email: [email protected]

Website: www.army.mil.nzPrinting: Bluestar, Petone.

design: Jennifer Watts, DCG, NZDF

Editorial contributions and letters are welcomed.

They may be sent directly to the Army News and do not need to be forwarded through

normal command channels. Submit them to The Editor, Army News, DCG, HQ NZDF,

Private Bag 39997, Wellington, or by email. Deadline instructions: Army News is

published on the third Tuesday of each month, except January. Please have all

contributions to the editor by the first of the month.

Nothing in the Army News should be taken as overriding any New Zealand Defence

Force regulation. Readers should refer to the relevant service publication before acting

on any information given in this newspaper. ISSN 1170-4411

All material is copyright, and permission to reproduce must be sought from the editor.

m a y 2 0 1 3issue 442

nzarmynewscontents

newsNew MHOV for Army 02

NZDF Womens Forum 02

peopleAASAM 04

Anzac Day coverage 05Gallantry recognised 21

missionsBamyan a positive legacy 14

Moving back home 16

training2 Field SQDN 16Bold Alligator 20

La Bas Ville 22

sportCycling 24

Golf 26Softball 27

Like us on Facebook/officialNZArmy

Cover: The beach at Gallipoli.

Ballot allocation For gallipoli 2015

nzdF women’s development Forum 2013

A new fleet of state of the art trucks represents a capability leap forward for the New Zealand Defence Force, says the Vice Chief of Defence Force, Major General Tim Keating.

A $135 million contract has been signed with the Rheinmetall MAN company for the purchase of up to 200 new trucks.

“These are modern trucks that will perform well on the modern battlefield,” says MAJGEN Keating.

“We operate in demanding environments, whether it is in support of humanitarian disasters or in armed combat, and we need reliable support vehicles.

“We are replacing our old Unimog and heavy truck fleets, which have been with us for nearly 30 years, with three sizes of the new trucks: 6 tonne, four-wheel vehicles; 9 tonne, six-wheel models; and a 15 tonne, eight-wheel variant. These new trucks are a significant step forward from the older fleet. They provide greater protection to our troops, they have greater carrying capacities and they are an operationally proven vehicle.”

As well as the normal troop and equipment carrying roles for the vehicles, some will also be fitted with winches and cranes to allow completely independent operations. Dump trucks, trucks fitted with specialised pallet and container handling equipment, and tractor/semi-trailer combinations to

carry heavy vehicles and equipment will also help enhance the NZ Defence Force’s capabilities.

“In line with the greater capability these vehicles have is the level of technology they contain. All the engines are emissions compliant and allow for efficient operations even if the fuel is of lower quality, as might be found on foreign military operations,” MAJGEN Keating says.

“They also have modern computerised systems and are fitted with high capacity electrical systems to future proof them for future communications and other electronic systems.”

Although the trucks meet military requirements, MAJGEN Keating says over 80 percent of their components are in common use by civilian MAN vehicles. This commonality will allow for readily available maintenance support to the vehicles.

MAJGEN Keating says the first five training vehicles are arriving soon and will allow drivers and mechanics to train and qualify on the vehicles prior to the main fleet arriving. All trucks will have arrived by the end of 2014 and will be fully introduced into service with the NZ Defence Force by 2015.

A video of the Medium Heavy Operational Vehicle is available on the Army Facebook page.

On 25 April 2015 we commemorate the centenary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli in Turkey. The Minister of Veterans' Affairs has announced the ballot allocation for the 2000 New Zealand attendance passes.

• 10 percent of places by ballot specifically to direct descendants of Gallipoli veterans.

• 10 percent of places by ballot specifically to veterans of all conflicts.

• 75 percent of places by ballot to all New Zealanders • 5 percent of places (100 places in total) reserved for

allocation by the Government to special groups.For more detailed information head to www.anzac.govt.nz/media

The NZDF Women’s Steering Group (WDSG) will hold a Women’s Development Forum on 6 and 7 June 2013 at Trentham Racecourse. The theme is: F35, seizing opportunities for women. There will be 200 participants, both male and female, from the Single Services, representatives from other Government Agencies including Police, Customs and the Fire Service and personnel from the Australian Defence Force.

1. The forum will cover the following sessions:• Inspire our workforce to achieve and remain connected with the NZDF.• Imagine an NZDF in 2035 that women want to belong to. • Inform women of the opportunities inside the Defence Force. • Improve our organisation through tackling current organisational challenges.The WDSG are currently going through the nomination process with Navy, Army, Air

and the NZDF to identify civilian and military personnel to attend the forum. If you would like to be considered, email [email protected].

The Minister of Defence, Dr Jonathan Coleman discusses the new vehicle with Major Ang Sutton.

WO1 Rik Moore, Brigadier Tim Gall, Dr Coleman and Major Sutton. Capability leap: the Medium Heavy Operational Vehicle

armynews03issue 442 | MAY 2013

By Major General Dave Gawn, Chief of Army

commemorating the shared ideals oF democracy and human dignity

a cool head under Fire: lt Jordy gale

New Zealanders and Australians throughout the world have recently commemorated Anzac Day—the day when we remember those who live together, fight together, and at times die together.

Anzac is a legend forged on the beaches and rugged terrain of Gallipoli 93 years ago and sustained through the combined efforts of Australia and New Zealand in Korea, Malaya, Vietnam and more recently Timor Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. Anzac Day is a symbol of every battle and every war or conflict that we have participated in since Gallipoli—it is a symbol of our nationhood.

For New Zealand, Australia and Turkey the events of 25th April 1915 are imbued in our national psyches and so many years later, large crowds still stand vigil in the smallest communities, towns and cities across our nations. It is a part of our way of life.

Our bond with Australia is as strong today as it was then and we in the New Zealand Defence Force are proud to be the NZ in that word Anzac. It is a relationship that reflects a heritage of being prepared to serve our country and the shared ideals we have with Australia: democracy and human dignity. It is a uniquely close relationship, and encompasses loyalty, self-sacrifice, comradeship and courage. Even though we tough it out on the rugby field and netball court, we are essentially very similar. We stand side by side with our Australian mates, and the Anzac tradition continues today wherever we serve together. We may no longer have large numbers in theatres such as Afghanistan and Timor-Leste, but it is inevitable that sooner or later we will stand side by side again, somewhere in the world.

In this issue of Army News you can read about New Zealander Alf Shout, possibly unknown to many people today, but who was in fact the most decorated Australian soldier at Gallipoli. A series of events saw the Wellington-born and raised Shout serve in the Australian Imperial Force, and for his service at Lone Pine he was awarded the Victoria Cross. In less than four months on that war torn peninsula he also earned a Mention in Despatches and the Military Cross. Shout sustained serious wounds but fought on. He died two days later.

On Anzac Day, we remember those who came before but, as I have already mentioned, we also honour a new generation of men and women who are serving our country. In the past year alone we have lost eight soldiers, all of whom died on active service. Our nation mourned and we as an Army grieved for Corporal Luke Tamatea, Lance Corporals Rory Malone, Pralli Durrer and Jacinda Baker, Private Richard Harris, Corporal Dougie Hughes and Privates Michael Ross and Alexander Rope. Our hearts were with our mates across the Tasman as they bid farewell to many more of their soldiers killed in action.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemnAt the going down of the sun, and in the morning,We will remember them. We will remember them.

By Judith MartinLieutenant Jordy Gale can be forgiven for feeling slightly

jinxed during his Afghanistan deployment; he and his soldiers were nearly blown up three times during their tour of duty.

The Armoured Corps officer can smile about the experience now however, especially after he was presented with a Distinguished Service Decoration last week for the leadership and tactical skills he displayed during the incidents. But he says the fact that he and his soldiers left Afghanistan relatively unscathed was due to the team he had and the way his soldiers reacted. “I was pretty blessed to have the guys I did in my group.”

LT Gale, who is married and has a 17-month old son, deployed to Afghanistan for six months in April 2011. Just a month into the deployment he and his soldiers were patrolling in a Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) in the Shikari Valley with two other LAVs when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. They were in the middle of a three-vehicle convoy.

“I knew instantly we’d struck an IED as we lurched and there was dust, sand and rocks everywhere. I dropped down from the turret and made sure the guys in the back were OK. I was worried about my two crewmen on the side where it (the IED) had gone off, and thought my driver could have been killed. When he told me he was OK I felt a massive flood of relief.”

The insurgents fired rocket propelled grenades at the first vehicle, and scarpered when the Kiwis fired back.

LT Gale says he was “pretty stoked” with the way his soldiers applied their training during the incident, and there was minimal need for commands.

Two and a half months later he was patrolling from Do Abe to Romero, and had just passed through a village. Everything looked normal as they passed through when suddenly they heard a huge explosion.

“My first thought was, ‘here we go again’. The IED had gone off just behind our last vehicle. I could smell it straight away—it was exactly the same as the last time. The RPGs came sailing in and my sergeant turned the (LAV) turret and unleashed some rounds. We were all OK, and cordoned off the area and did everything we had to do.”

With two contacts already under his belt LT Gale says he felt happy and relieved to be unhurt. There was, however, more to come.

On 8 September his patrol was tasked to an area where a group of Afghan National Police officers had been ambushed and five shot dead. There was a dispute over the exact spot where the incident had happened and he and his soldiers were sent there to examine the site and provide grid references.

“We had a look at the site and while we were there one of the soldiers found a ball of rolled up wire and a container of homemade explosive and a firing devise hidden ready to be used. We secured the area and the equipment was removed.”

Lt Gale says he told his then-pregnant wife Lauren about the first incident, a little about the second, and nothing about the third until he returned home.

He says he feels honoured to receive the DSD but credits his team for their professionalism and training during their deployment.

“We had worked together for two years before deploying and were a pretty tight group. I had worked a lot with my infantry sergeant before and we were sort of like two sides of the same coin.”

He feels being able to get along, and respecting each other professionally, is vital.

“You need to know that when something goes down you can trust each other to do what you are trained to do.”

LT Jordy Gale back home in Linton…

…and on patrol in Afghanistan.

Other Army personnel who will receive Distinguished Service Decorations at Government House this week include Lieutenant Colonel Brett Wellington, Major Shane Ruane, and Corporal Anatolyi Derepa.

Please check Army Facebook towards the end of the weeks for images of the occasion.

04armynewsissue 442 | MAY 2013

The New Zealand Army Combat Shooting Team (NZACST) maintained its reputation for being serious competitors at the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting (AASAM) achieving a sixth place finish in Match 80, the International Teams Weapons Championship which is decided by aggregate team scores across five matches.

This result, in a field dominated by teams representing far larger militaries, reinforces the New Zealand Army’s reputation as a world-class Army that has mana.

This year’s AASAM has just concluded in Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria. AASAM 2013 was the largest to date in terms of international representation, with seventeen nations represented. The New Zealand Army Combat Shooting Team (NZACST) maintained their reputation of being serious competitors at AASAM, achieving a sixth place finish in Match 80 the ‘International Teams Weapons Championship’ which is decided by aggregate team scores across five matches. This

result, in a field dominated by teams representing far larger militaries, reinforces the New Zealand Army’s reputation as a world-class Army that has mana.

As well as representing the New Zealand Army at the highest international level, the NZACST’s purpose is to develop and embed back into Units subject matter experts in the small arms environment. The NZACST provides an advanced small arms training and development model that leads wider Army marksmanship and combat shooting excellence. Through its intensive training regime and relentless competitive spirit, the NZACST is the vanguard for Army's development of excellence in small arms marksmanship.

Particularly noteworthy among NZACST’s successes this year were the four gold medals won for the team by sniper pair L/Cpl Mark Lupi, 5/7 RNZIR and Pte Ben Clutterbuck, 1 RNZIR. Achieved over four ‘field’ shoots of the seven sniper matches these wins proved the quality of the team’s training,

dominating the first four matches of AASAM 2013 and shooting the kiwi team to prominence – thereby reinforcing the enduring reputation the Kiwi team brings to Australia.

As it is every year, the ANZAC Trophy was hotly contested between the NZACST and the Australian Army Combat Shooting Team (AACST). This hard-fought battle between old allies and rivals is a high point of the competition every year for the Kiwi team, and this year was no different despite the Aussies eventually prevailing. The NZACST congratulates the Australian team on their victory – and advises them to begin preparing if they want to retain it next year!

Soldiers interested in developing their marksmanship skills in a physically and mentally demanding environment are advised to check the Army News late this year and early next year for details on the selection process for next year’s NZACST.

core skills honed in aasam competition

Back Row ,from left, SSgt C. Hills (Asst Coach) (Cbt Sch), Pte C. Loynes (1 Bn), Cpl A. Hughes (5/7), Pte S. Ollivier (5/7), Cpl M. Duncan (5/7), Pte J. McCann (5/7), Sgt S. Lamb (Manager) (NZCTC), A/Maj T. McEntyre (Team Capt) (Cbt Sch), WO2 D. Mitchell (Team Coach) (Cbt Sch)

Front Row ,from left,Pte S. Reed (2/4), Pte B. Clutterbuck (1 Bn), Pte J. Burtin (5/7), LCpl C. Amner (QAMR)Pte N. Frederick (3/6), LCpl N. Catton (Firer & Team Armourer) (2 CSSB), LCpl M. Lupi (5/7)

armyhealth and saFety05issue 441 | APRiL 2013

ANZAC DAYWe will remember them

“WHen yOu GO HOMe teLL tHeM OF uS AnD SAy,

FOR tHeiR tOMORROW, We GAve OuR tODAy.”John Maxwell Edmonds

06armyhealth and saFetyissue 441 | APRiL 2013


anzac

day r

ememBered around the world

Army personnel commemorated Anzac Day in places throughout the world ranging from Gallipoli, Kabul, and New York, to Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and of course New Zealand.

The day was of particular significance this year as it was the first Anzac Day since the combat deaths in Afghanistan of Corporal Luke Tamatea, Lance Corporals Rory Malone, Pralli Durrer, and Jacinda Baker, and Private Richard Harris.Army officers and soldiers attended many of the dawn and civic ceremonies held at war memorials and town halls throughout New Zealand.the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General (LtGen) Rhys Jones attended the Dawn Parade and Wreath Laying Ceremony in Christchurch.the Chief of Army, Major General Dave Gawn attended the National Wreath Laying Ceremony at the National War Memorial in Wellington along with the vice Chief of

Defence Force, Major General tim Keating, and Chief of Air Commodore (AiRCDRe) Peter Port, who represented the Chief of Air Force, and Commodore (CDRe) John Martin,

representing the Chief of Navy.

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armynews07issue 442 | MAY 2013


New Zealanders commemorated Anzac Day in the Somme Valley, northern France on Sunday April 29, with services at Longueval, site of the New Zealand First World War memorial in France and at Le Quesnoy, liberated by the New Zealand Division on 4 November 1918 – seven days before the end of the war.

Brigadier Lofty Hayward, New Zealand’s London-based Defence Attaché who is also accredited, joined the commemorations which were led by the NZ Ambassador to France Rosemary Banks.

At Longueval, wreathes were laid by the Mayor, Mr Jany Fournier and New Zealand representatives at the New Zealand Memorial which lies close to the site of the New Zealand Division’s objective on 15 September 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. A new information board, explaining the significance of the battle and the New Zealand Division’s role, was also opened. The mayor has been instrumental in placing the new board.

Lieutenant Colonel Murray Brown laid the New Zealand Defence Force wreath. His partner, Susannah Gordon, is deputy at the New Zealand Embassy, Paris.

At Le Quesnoy, the Mayor, Mr Paul Raoult, and New Zealand representatives laid wreathes at the New Zealand memorial (at the point where the New Zealand Rifle Brigade scaled a ladder up the ramparts to begin the liberation) and at the main French memorial which also commemorates the Second World War and France’s campaigns in Algeria and Indo-China.

At Le Quesnoy, the Australian Defence Force officer commanding First World War commemorations, Major-General Greg Melik, was present along with the recently appointed Australian Defence attaché to France, Colonel Rupert Hoskin. Captain Tim Stanley, Royal Navy, represented the British Embassy in Paris.

Many New Zealanders were among the large crowd gathered for the services.

tAKinG HeR MeMORieS OF HeR GRAnDFAtHeR tO GALLiPOLi

By Fiona CassidyKohupatiki's Melanie Huata- Lucas couldn't believe it

when she was selected to participate in the 2013 Anzac Day services at Gallipoli, Turkey.

The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) employee and former sailor was part of the New Zealand Defence Force contingent that provided both ceremonial and musical support to Anzac Day services at Gallipoli.

A combined Australian and New Zealand Defence Force Dawn Service was held at the Anzac Commemorative Site. The second commemoration was at Chunuk Bair, the highest point the New Zealanders reached during the ill-fated eight month campaign.

Melanie’s role included singing with the RNZN band alongside SGT Wai Paenga. At the Chunuk Bair service she and LT CMDR Mark Hadlow also sang How Great Thou Art and the National Anthem.

Like many who work for the Defence Force the military is part of her family tradition. She had relatives fight in World War I and II. Her grandfather Garry Huata (Stuart) was part of K Force (Korea) and she has cousins in the Forces today.

Melanie also spent six years serving with the RNZN before she became a "civvy' so she could spend more time concentrating on her singing/song writing.

"The minute I found out I couldn't wait to tell my Papa because each Anzac Day we spend it together at the Hastings RSA, " she says.

"The look on his face, beaming with pride when I told him was priceless and it is a memory I will treasure forever."

Her grandfather died 28 February this year so she took his medals with her to Gallipoli so he could be with her at the services.

The first place the NZDF contingent visited on the Gallipoli Peninsula was Anzac Cove where poppies were placed on all who lay there.

“I felt honoured and humbled to stand there where the Anzac tradition had began 98 years ago. I just couldn't believe that such a beautiful and serene place had been a place of such death and destruction."

In the hours leading up to the Dawn Service Melanie sat with the thousands of kiwis at the Anzac Commemorative Site and watched the Gallipoli documentaries that played on the big screens.

As dawn was breaking she and Sgt Paenga's voices broke the silence as the karanga started the Anzac Day Dawn Service.

"The minute I started the karanga tears just started running down my face as I thought of my grandfather and those who had gone before me,” she says.

"This opportunity to represent the Defence Force and my family is once in a life time experience which I will cherish forever."

Melanie knows that the experience will help her in her role working at the RNZN marae and will also feature in two songs she was inspired to write while she was away.

The Dawn Service in central Wellington.

SGT Wai Paenga, WO1 Jerald Twomey, and Melanie Huata-Lucas at Gallipoli.

Longueval mayor Jany Fournier with LTCOL Murray Brown.

Brigadier Lofty Hayward with the Australian Defence Force officer commanding First World War commemorations, Major-General Greg Melik, and the recently appointed Australian Defence attaché to France, Colonel Rupert Hoskin. Captain Tim Stanley, Royal Navy, represented the British Embassy in Paris.

8armytrainingissue 442 | MAY 2013


SPeCiAL COnneCtiOn At GALLiPOLi When SGT Stephen Pickering found out he had been

selected to participate in the 2013 Anzac Day services at Gallipoli he was pretty stoked but wasn't sure about the timing. His wife, Kirsty Pickering, who owns and operates the Woodville Bakery, was due to have their first child at the end of March.

Each year the Defence Force sends a small contingent to Gallipoli to provide ceremonial and musical support to two services on the peninsula. The first is a combined Anzac Day Dawn Service with the Australians. The second is a late morning New Zealand only service at Chunuk Bair.

SGT Pickering who has been on two Afghanistan deployments and works at Linton Camp said that he felt honoured to be selected but was concerned that his first child would only be about a month old when he left.

"We discussed it and Kirsty thought it was a once in lifetime experience and that it would be wrong for me not to go. She was right."

SGT Pickering had two important roles at the Anzac Day commemorative services. He was a member of the Australian/New Zealand Defence Forces combined Dawn Service catafalque party and the Guard Commander at the Chunuk Bair service.

Once he knew he was going SGT Pickering started doing some research to find out if any relatives had served at Gallipoli. He found Private William Pickering, a medic, who served on HT MARQUETTE and tendered those who were injured in the Gallipoli campaign. Unfortunately William Pickering was killed when his ship was torpedoed on 23 October 1915.

At Anzac Cove SGT Pickering laid a poppy in memory of William Pickering and believes having a personal connection to Gallipoli made it just that extra bit special.

"Just before we marched on for the Anzac Commemorative Dawn Service I had a good look around at the thousands and thousands of young Australians and New Zealanders who had gathered to be part of the service," said SGT Pickering.

"I felt privileged to be standing there on the special place where Anzac started and know that it will be something I will always remember."

NZDF personnel at Gallipoli (above) and the large crowd which gathered to witness the commemorations.

armytraining9issue 442 | MAY 2013


AnZAC DAy COMMeMORAteD in SOMALiAColonel Ants Howie hosted the Dawn Service in Mogadishu,

Somalia, on Anzac Day. COL Howie had considered holding it at the Commonwealth Cemetery in Mogadishu city but it was in an area that was too difficult to protect, and it is overgrown and all headstones have been removed. A traditional service was attended by about 30 people including six Kiwis, one Australian and one Turk. It was very much a Kiwi affair with Brigitte Troughton delivering the reading, COL Howie delivering the formal address and Dean Esaiah reciting the Ode. The Last Post and a unique version of Reveille were played by Corporal Emanuel of the Ugandan Army. It was straight back to work soon after the service but a BBQ was held in the evening.

veteRAnS HOnOuR OLD FRienDS in BOuRAiLAs dark clouds gathered above and a cockerel crowed in a far

off field the dead from a bloody Pacific war were honoured in a rural New Caledonia cemetery with a minute’s silence before The Last Post broke through the air.

Eighty-four New Zealand veterans of the War in the Pacific travelled to New Caledonia to commemorate the war and remember friends left behind on from battles on land, sea and air.

The New Zealand Defence Force Maori Cultural Group led the New Zealand delegation along with New Caledonia veterans into the New Zealand War Cemetery at Bourail, north of Noumea.

About 500 people paid their respects in a moving service that paid tribute to those who fought to protect Pacific Islands from invasion by the Japanese between 1941 nad 1945

The Hon Michael Woodhouse Minister of Veterans’ Affairs acknowledged the efforts of the men present and made particular mention of the coastwatchers represented by surviving coastwatcher John Jones who laid a wreath on the memorial.

“Their sacrifice was the ultimate price and those men and their comrades should never be forgotten.”

After the ceremony the veterans spent time walking among the graves laying red roses and poppies on friends’ headstones.

Des Price who served on HMS LEANDER laid floral tributes on three headstones.

“I will never forget this. It’s so wonderful to be here and be able to spend a few moments with these men. I am very lucky to be here. It could be me lying in the ground.”

Lloyd Kaye had served in 3 NZ Division and said being part of the commemorations had given him the opportunity to pay his respects to other men who had served in the Pacific. "Particularly those that lost their lives during hostilities."

3 NZ Division was the major New Zealand land force involved in the War in the Pacific. The Division was formed in 1942 and after initial training in New Zealand was sent to New Caledonia for garrison duty and further training. It ended up providing the ground component for three campaigns against the Japanese in small island groups in the Northern Solomon Islands.

It was also involved in the Treasury Islands between 25 October and 26 November 1943 and what was the Green Islands. 3 NZ Division was eventually disbanded on

20 October 1944.As a Private in 36 Battalion, 3 NZ Division John (Jack) Malcon

remembers the heat, the flies and the fact that he met some very important people during his time in the Pacific.

Mr Malcon (91) said being able to shake the hands of Admiral Harsey, and also US President's wife Eleanor Roosevelt were a welcome pleasantry in the conflict.

"The Anzac Day service was very moving. I didn't expect it to be that moving. Everyone here has been so welcoming and it is wonderful to hear from the New Caledonian's how much they apprecaited the New Zealand input into the war. That is very special."

Rob McLean 14th Brigade, 3rd Army Division, 5th Provost

Company was a Lance Corporal and like Mr Malcon remembers the flies and heat. He says the thing that most preyed on his mind was the threat of being captured by the Japanese. He was part of the defence of 14th Brigade headquarters and holding Japanese prisoners.

"I was attached to 35th Battalion on Vella Lavella and 30th Battalion on Nissan Island."

Mr McLean said being in New Caledonia was a privilege and he was very pleased to have been able to make the trip as one of the 84 veterans.

"We have been very well looked after and it has been a great opportunity to catch up with other fellows who had similar experiences as me and to be able to talk about them."

Padre Rewai Te Kahu at Gallipoli

Veterans Pipi Boyd and John Jones proceed to lay a wreath at the New Zealand National Service to commemorate the 70th anniversary of New Zealand’s involvement in the War in the Pacific, New Zealand War Graves Commission Cemetery, Bourail.



OPeRAtiOn GALLiPOLi 2013This year a twenty-four strong NZDF contingent travelled to

Gallipoli to be part of the two Anzac Day services there. The first was a combined Australian and New Zealand Defence Force Dawn Service at the Anzac Commemorative Site. The second was at Chunuk Bair, the highest point the New Zealanders reached during the ill-fated eight month campaign.

The programme included rehearsals, a battlefield tour and attending the Turkish ceremony.

The battlefield tour saw the team go to the four major Kiwi sites - Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, Hill 60 and Chunuk Bair. They also visited a number of other cemeteries where Anzacs were buried.

"It really brought it home what happened and what it cost us as a nation as we read the names of the NZ fallen and placed poppies on their graves and near the memorial walls,” said the contingent commander Lt Col Roger Margetts

“Making it even more memorable was that seven members had relatives who had served there. Of those seven men, five died at Gallipoli and we were able to find each one of them.”

On 24 April the NZDF contingent moved to the Anzac commemorative site to participate in the reflective programme that runs through the night leading up to the Dawn Service.

Lt Col Margetts said that he was proud of the way the contingent members represented the NZDF.

“The hard work of all elements of our team – Navy Band, Maori Culture Group and the Catafalque Guard - ensured that NZDF was shown in its best light at both services.

“We all felt humbled, honoured and privileged to be at the place where the Anzac tradition was forged.”

vAnZ At GALLiPOLi – BeFORe, DuRinG AnD AFteRMany are probably unaware Gallipoli Anzac commemorations

activities planning starts months before the event and that it is Veteran Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) who work with the Governments of Australia and The Republic of Turkey and local provincial authorities on Anzac Day commemorations to make it happen.

VANZ General Manager Brig (Rtd) Rick Ottaway and Elaine Myers-Davies, Manager Corporate Affairs are the lynch pins for NZDF activity at Gallipoli. They work closely with New Zealand and Australian agencies and Turkish authorities to provide the necessary infrastructure and planning for the overnight reflective programme, Dawn Service, Australian service at Lone Pine Cemetery and New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair on 25 April.

As part of the 2013 Anzac Day Commemorative Service a small team from VANZ is also part of the New Zealand contingent that goes to Gallipoli. This team work in tandem with their Australian colleagues from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to provide site liaison at the Anzac Commemorative site (ACS).

This includes meeting and greeting New Zealand/Australian and other visitors at the entry/check points on 24 April; handing out information kits; wristbanding visitors; providing assistance to special needs visitors.

At the New Zealand memorial site at Chunuk Bair, the VANZ team again provides site liaison. An additional duty is for the VANZ team and the NZDF contingent to manage the visitors off the site which can take up to four hours.

Less then 48 hours after the event the planning for 2014 started again at a meeting with all parties in Istanbul.

VANZ is responsible for the overarching coordination of all support from NZ agencies to the commemorative activities on the Gallipoli Peninsula. However Ms Myers-Davies says 'NZ Inc' is very much a team. “The effort by all agencies was demonstrated again this year and resulted in the successful conduct and delivery of the commemorative services. I am confident, as the NZ Services Director for Gallipoli, that we are well placed to again deliver successful and memorable commemorations in the lead up to the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Landings in 2015.”

Michael Yelash (VANZ), Elaine Myers-Davis (VANZ), Bruce Reid (VANZ), Corina Herewini (VANZ), Jessica Caldwell (HCP) and Helen Skinner (VANZ)



ANZAC 2013 at Bomana was led by Australian Governor General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, and the Hon Peter O’Neill CMG the PM of PNG.

About 3000 attendees formed up at 5.15am awaiting the Governor General’s arrival with the 3,824 war graves hidden in the mist. The setting was sombre, mist on the ground, temperature cool with a hint of fresh air. When the GG arrived and the PNG Royal Constabulary band struck its notes, the tropical birds also awoke adding ambiance to the dawn service. The poignant ceremony started with the MC reading out three decorated soldiers’ names – individually spot lighting each soldier’s grave, as that soldier’s history was read out. A very moving start to the ceremony. The formal ceremony started with the hymn ‘Abide with me’ and once that hymn was completed, the mist had risen so that everyone could see the three thousand graves with the mountains as the back drop interspaced by mist with not a cloud in the sky.

New Zealand also had a more prominent representation than usual. A NZ Army Engineer reconnaissance team had just completed its recon at the Mount Hagen-Madang Roading Project of national significance. The three man recon team had Sgt Willy Pomana, RNZE who was seconded by the New

Zealand Defence Advisor (NZDA), to be part of the NZ – Aust – PNGDF catafalque party. Sgt Pomana’s combat dress, corps belt and lemon squeezer head dress certainly added to the occasion, as did LT Simon McDouall RNZE and Warrant Officer Class Two Patrick Dallow, RNZALC. Three Kiwi soldiers in combat dress had the expats and locals commenting that this ANZAC 13 was something special.

Ms Marion Crawshaw, NZ High Commissioner to PNG, read the first reading of the ceremony. The NZ DA, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Ang, RNZIR read the ‘requiem’ adding a distinct NZ flavour by making his introduction and speech end in Te Reo Maori. The conclusion of the ceremony had LTCOL Ang leading the singing of the NZ National anthem in Te reo Maori.

At the conclusion of the service, poppies were placed on the six NZ graves and everyone adjourned to the Australian ‘gun fire breakfast’.

Next year, ANZAC 2014 has NZ leading with the NZ DA hopeful that CN and an OPV and its crew could be part of the official ceremonies.

History of Bomana War Cemetery, estb 1942.Commonwealth servicemen who died in the Australian

territory of Papua and on Bougainville during the Second World

War are buried or commemorated in Bomana War Cemetery. Prior to interment at Bomana, the majority of these soldiers were buried in temporary battlefield cemeteries, such as Brigade Hill, Mission Ridge and Torokina (Bougainville).

Bomana contains 3,824 graves, 703 which are unidentified. With a total of 3,351 Australian burials, no other war cemetery in the world contains more Australian war dead.

Also buried in the war cemetery are six New Zealand servicemen, all RNZAF:

1. NZ 417011 FO S. Broadbent, RNZAF. Died 7 May 1944, aged 26

2. NZ 429153 FO O.W. Davies, RNZAF. Died 30 Jan 1945, aged 22

3. NZ 4213267 F/Sgt R.T. Mathieson, RNZAF. Died 1 Jul 1944, age unknown.

4. NZ 2425184 F/Sgt A.F. Walker, RNZAF. Died 1 Jul 1944, aged 33

5. NZ 428782 FO B.T. Clarke, RNZAF. Died 26 Mar 1945, aged 23

6. NZ 436860 F/Sgt W.C. Crosby, RNZAF. Died 11 Apr 1945, aged 22

Four RAAF Blackhawks complete a flypast at Bomana War Cemetery

Twins WO 2 Paul Forsyth (left) and SSGT Shaun Forsyth at the graveside of Eric Batchelor DCM and Bar in Waimate on Anzac Day. With them are two returned servicemen from the Waimate RSA, Bob Boswel and Doc Welsh.

12armypeopleissue 442 | MAY 2013

By Geoff DaviesCorporal Cyril Bassett was the only New Zealand soldier to

win the Victoria Cross at Gallipoli. But he wasn’t the only Kiwi.Of the nine Australian soldiers who received the supreme

award for gallantry there, the seven awarded at Lone Pine included Wellington-born and raised Captain Alfred John Shout, who was serving in the Australian Inperial Force.

Alf Shout was, in fact, the most decorated Australian soldier at Gallipoli – he also received a Mention in Despatches and the Military Cross, in less than four months on the peninsula.

Throughout his military career, citations and eye-witness reports reveal constant themes of outstanding leadership, exceptional courage, and of caring for his mates and later, as an NCO and an officer, for his men.

As Brigadier (Rtd) Rick Ottaway, general manager of Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand, told the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Gallipoli this year: “Captain Alfred Shout was in some ways the quintessential Anzac . . . a New Zealander by birth and an Australian by choice, Shout’s courage stands as an example of Anzac’s finest traditions.”

Alf Shout was born in Wellington in 1881, the first of nine children. The family lived in Tinakori Rd, and while records say he was privately educated, family sources believe he would have attended a Christian Brothers school.

At 19, Shout and his half-brother William McGovern (his mother had been married before) sailed to South Africa and enlisted in the Border Horse to fight in the second Boer War (1899-1902). Some sources suggest that he enlisted here in New Zealand first, but this has never been confirmed. However, Shout Barracks at Linton camp, opened in 2008, is named after him.

His courage in action was quickly apparent in South Africa. At the famous Siege of Mafeking, under the command of Colonel Robert Baden-Powell, later of Scouting fame, Trooper Shout was wounded twice and got his first Mention in Despatches: “Under heavy fire he brought out of the firing line a wounded man . . . and took him to a place of safety.”

Ending the war as a sergeant, Shout stayed in South Africa and served in that rank in the Cape Field Artillery till 1907. He married there and the couple had a daughter, Florence, who was Shout’s only child.

The family emigrated to Australia in 1907 and settled in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Darlington. Shout worked as a carpenter and quickly picked up his military career by enlisting into the territorial 29th Infantry Regiment (Australian Rifles).

As World War 1 loomed in 1914, Alf Shout went back into the army full-time. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and was posted to 1st Battalion 1st Division Australian Imperial Force a few weeks after the outbreak of war.

When the battalion landed at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, Shout, now a lieutenant, immediately distinguished himself, going to the aid of men needing help back to the beach, and then in the action in which he received several wounds and won the Military Cross. The citation reads:

“On 27th April, 1915, during operations near Gaba Tepe, for showing conspicuous courage and ability in organising and leading his men in a thick, bushy country, under very heavy

fire. He frequently had to expose himself to locate the enemy, and led a bayonet charge at a critical moment.”

One witness described his actions that day as “the bravest thing I ever saw”. Another soldier wrote that “ . . . just to see him walking calmly along the trenches in the thick of an attack, or stalking through the undergrowth as if there were no such thing as bullets, was enough to give a man good heart for fighting”.

Back with his unit after a spell on the hospital ship Gascon, Shout was wounded again in early May and spent another fortnight out on the ship. In July he was promoted to captain and received the second Mention in Despatches of his career, for his dedication to duty and courage.

Alf Shout won the VC on 9 August, three days after 1 Brigade launched its assault at Lone Pine, part of a major offensive at three points on the peninsula. He and Captain Cecil Sasse, a fellow officer with whom he had served since leaving Australia, and eight volunteers, charged down a Turkish trench, Shout yelling encouragement to his men and cracking jokes while hurling bombs (actually jam tins stuffed with explosive), and Sasse firing his revolver. Eight Turks were killed.

After securing the captured section with sandbags, they did the same thing later in the day, then once more. But this time it went wrong. Shout took three bombs with him and was just about to hurl the last of them when it exploded, blew off his right hand and inflicted other serious wounds on his face and body.

Despite the wounds he continued giving orders until he passed out. Although he came to on the way to a hospital ship, he died aboard two days later and was buried at sea, aged 34. His posthumous VC was gazetted on 15 October 1915.

Captain Shout’s heroism was marked that year by a plaque erected in Darlington, the Sydney suburb where his widow and daughter were still living. It was later held in the Army Museum of New South Wales at Victoria Barracks, Paddington, until early this year when it was put on display as part of a commemorative wall at the Redfern RSL – the RSL closest to Darlington.

His sacrifice is also recorded on the Australian memorial at Lone Pine, the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the New Zealand Victoria Cross Memorial in Queen’s Gardens, Dunedin.

For many years Alf Shout’s VC was the only one of the nine won by Australian soldiers at Gallipoli not held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, but when his grandson put it on the market in 2006, media millionaire Kerry Stokes paid $1.2 million for it and donated it to the museum.

One of the sources for this article was the book Gallipoli, by Australian journalist Les Carlyon. Carlyon’s view of Shout makes the best “last word” in this issue of Army News with all its coverage of this year’s Anzac observances:

“Shout was the casual hero with the cheery manner; he made hard things look easy and made men around him feel better. He deserves to be seen as one of the larger figures of the Gallipoli campaign, and it doesn’t much matter whether Australia or New Zealand claims him.”

‘the casual hero with the cheery manner’

The author’s sons, Rhys (left) and Nick Davies in front of the plaque.

Captain Alf Shout

armypeople13issue 442 | MAY 2013

By Lieutenant Colonel nathan Baker, CO 3 CSS BnEvery year a number of our soldiers leave to pursue civilian

apprenticeships and trade training; their motivations for this change are varied, however a key stimulus is surely to up-skill and earn industry recognised qualifications.

Many therefore may not consider the potential benefits of gaining that qualification through one of the NZ Army’s Trade Schools. Although the process of applying for and starting a new trade can seem daunting, it can also offer many rewards. NZ Army tradespeople receive top quality training and a variety of work that the civilian sector would find difficult to match. Tradespeople are issued a toolbox full of new tools, and all training costs are covered.

Although trade training through the NZ Army won’t be for everyone, it can be a thoroughly worthwhile solution for those interested in continuing their military career while gaining industry-recognised qualifications. For further information on the process of trade changing see DFO (A) Vol 3, Chap 3, Sect 6. Here soldiers from within 3 CSS Bn who have made the change share their experiences.

I hope these glimpses of other soldiers’ experiences have shown you the opportunities that remain within the military for personnel with the ability to think longer term, reassess their options, and then have the drive to follow through on their decisions. PTE Hill, PTE Mishra, and SGT Renata all make extremely valuable contributions to 3 CSS Bn and we welcome others who are prepared to trade change and do the same.

Pte Bodie Hill, rifleman to maintenance fitter “I joined the Army in early 2004 as an infantryman. I was

posted to 1 RNZIR at a time when it was going through a major change; LAV had recently been brought into the NZ Army. It was quite a busy time with new tactics and strategies being introduced, trialled and changed. Although I enjoyed the Infantry and have no regrets about my time spent there, I found it to be quite repetitive and boring after a while. Often there were times when I would find myself simply waiting for the day to be over so I could go home. After four years I decided a new path in life was what I wanted.

I left the Army for three years before re-enlisting as a maintenance fitter. I believe this trade has been one of the best choices of my life. I had never done any training in this area before, but from what I have seen from civilians who follow a similar trade with other outfits, the training offered by the NZ Army is second to none, with knowledgeable instructors who do a good job of passing on their experience. The work is always interesting and there is always something to do, with

new challenges everyday, from fixing up the Army's UBRE fuel transfer systems, to manufacturing equipment for the gym.

I have enjoyed learning so many different things that I would have never learnt anywhere else. I think anyone else considering a trade change would do well to pick maintenance fitter. “

Pte Savinesh Mishra, information systems operator to vehicle mechanic

“I am currently posted to 3 Workshop Company as a vehicle mechanic. I have been in the trade roughly 18 months and enjoyed every bit of it. However my great journey in the military started five years ago as SIG Mishra in 3 Signals Squadron.

My trade in Signals was an information systems operator (IS Op). This meant my job consisted of setting up computers for internet and providing DIXS capabilities, sometimes involving setting up servers and clients which required some serious programming. Most people in this trade had some form of skill in computers, however my expertise was limited to loading computer games and pressing next multiple times until the game worked. In my personal opinion, I learnt a lot from my time with Signals, it has given me the confidence to interact with computers and technology and also a few good mates.

After roughly two years in Signals my interest had grown in vehicles and motors, which had started in high school during my mechanical studies course. This led to spending most weekends tinkering with my car and my mates’ cars as well. This habit soon moved into the IS work bay where I started making plug-in radios for extramural use. Even though it was extremely awesome, it wasn’t what I was paid to do. I was losing interest in my job and my work colleagues suggested a trade change to vehicle mechanic as the way to go. The process of trade changing was intimidating but ultimately rewarding. It was relatively simple, with easy paperwork to fill out and a small heart-felt discussion with the platoon commander. Once the paperwork was completed, a month- long TOD at workshops commenced. At the end of the tour I was pleased to hear my trade change was accepted.

Life now in workshops is great with plenty of hands-on experience and good mates. I feel privileged to be a soldier in the NZDF as a tradesman, and the thought of having national qualifications under my belt when I finish my apprenticeship is a good feeling. It’s totally worth being called a traitor by my Sig friends, especially when asked to quote and service their cars.”

SGt Andre Renata, rifleman to electrical fitter (electrician)

“One day whilst out and about serving as a recruiter, I began to think about my own future. I needed to decide whether it was with the Army or whether to pursue a career in civi street. After much thought, many discussions, research and a very nervous frame of mind I plucked up the courage and applied for a trade change to the Electrical Fitter Trade. Why do an apprenticeship in the Army and not in civi street? I guess there were a number of reasons why but the most obvious reason for me after weighing up both sides, was that I had security within the Army with a unique lifestyle and an environment that I was immensely proud to be part of.

I was accepted for a trade change to electrical fitter and as a current serving SNCO, I was to revert to PTE (pay protected), posted to TTS (Trade Training School) Trentham until the end of 2008, with a subsequent posting to 3rd Workshop Company, Burnham.

In May 2008 I travelled north and for the next seven hours questioned the very essence of what I was doing. Arriving at my palace, and under the cover of darkness, I was given the keys to the most luxurious suite within B Block multi-storey barracks where I met my new peer group of 17 - 18 year olds. A shock in itself as some looked and stood as tall as my 11 year old son. What have I done?!

During the next seven months we were subjected to many courses. Then finally the relief of a posting to Burnham and being reunited with my family. For the next two years we were to return to Trentham Camp each year to attend more six week block courses at Weltech and electrical fitters courses at TTS and four month civilian TODs to complete our training.

The culminating points of my apprenticeship were the electrical trade theory certificate and regulation exams. Once those were under my belt, I made another transition from a PUT (Personnel Under Training) to a qualified tradesman and began my return of service to the Army.

All in all my journey is not for every old dog; but those who do decide that they too enjoy the service for the opportunities and lifestyle as much as I do, and believe that they can add value through their experiences and knowledge, why not challenge yourself?

It hasn’t been an easy road. There were negativities expressed along the way about a SNCO trade changing however that was some of the driving force I needed to succeed. I only hope that although it was a very controversial decision to allow me to change, that I have in some way shown that it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks and totally enjoy himself doing it.”

teaching an old dog new tricks - experiences oF changing trades

14armymissionissue 442 | MAY 2013

By Luz Baguioro, Defence Communications Group For 10 years New Zealanders helped guide Afghanistan on

the path to democracy. The Taliban still operate in certain areas of the country but

Afghanistan has, experts believe, ceased to be a sanctuary for violent Islamic groups.

NZDF personnel say perceptible changes, especially in Bamyan, affirm that New Zealand’s decade of commitment has helped improved the quality of life in a country that has been mired in a civil war for almost 40 years.

“My first impression of Afghanistan was that it was a very harsh land, very arid. There was no green to be seen,” recalled Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Cliffe, one of three NZ Army intelligence officers deployed to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Bagram in late October 2002.

The ravages of a seven-year drought were evident everywhere, and the infrastructure bore the legacy of the Soviet invasion and the civil war.

“The people looked very hardy and lived in extreme poverty. Many of them were nomadic herders who went up and down the country on camels or donkeys. Few homes, even in the cities, had electricity,” he noted.

Although many Taliban leaders had either escaped or been killed or captured by then, a significant number of their followers were still around, mounting sporadic attacks and violence in the areas close to the border with Pakistan.

Bagram Air Base was regularly targeted with rockets and rocket-propelled grenades. The Afghan capital, Kabul, witnessed its first deadly suicide car bomb attack on the international security force in June 2003, killing four German soldiers and wounding 29 others who were on their way to the airport to fly home.

“There was very little central control at that time, and warlords and powerbrokers had their own private armies. This meant that obtaining agreement or approval from authorities in Kabul was not an assurance that the provinces will follow,” said LTCOL Cliffe.

In 2002, the Americans were just starting to establish Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) to provide security and

help with infrastructure and other “nation building” projects across the country. Coalition forces had also started a training programme for the Afghan National Police and the Afghan National Army, which were comprised mainly of people who helped the US overthrow the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

“Our mission was to provide a secure environment for development to take place,” says Brigadier (Rtd) Neville Reilly who, as Commander of CRIB 1, took over the reins of the Bamyan PRT from the US in September 2003.

“I cannot forget the hospitality of the Afghan people. We were welcomed warmly and offered food by the villagers wherever we went. What struck me too was the ability of New Zealand soldiers to engage with other cultures.”

The 110-strong NZDF contingent conducted regular patrols in Bamyan province, assisted in defusing local tensions, and helped in UN disarmament and mine clearing programmes and in facilitating the registration of voters for the first presidential elections in October 2004.

Eighty per cent of the 10 million Afghans who registered voted on election day, an impressive turnout given the Taliban’s reported attempts to intimidate voters and sow violence.

“In those days, there was a lot of tension between local warlords and provincial authorities and a lot of land ownership disputes,” says BRIG Reilly, who was appointed New Zealand’s first resident ambassador to Kabul in 2010.

“We had villagers asking us to help them recover the land that the Taliban had seized from them. With all land records destroyed by the Taliban, it was impossible to establish ownership. But we facilitated discussions with the local authorities.”

Major John Lawrey, who was Security Platoon Commander of CRIB 1, said land mines and unexploded ordnance from the Soviet occupation were a major hazard. Snowcapped mountains and sweeping plateaus belied the dangers of a heavily mined terrain.

“It was a harsh operating environment and we were not fully equipped for the extreme temperature swings – from 40 degrees when we arrived in August 2003 and between minus

20 and 30 degrees when we left five months later. “My platoon of about 27 men lived in tents for four months.

Some later moved to a hut, which was insulated before we completed our deployment. But when we went on patrols in remote villages during winter, we would either stay overnight in the open or in what is called a roadhouse, which is essentially a building made out of mud with a kitchen attached to it. Roadhouses have no toilets and bathrooms so we just had to cope. It was like being transported back to biblical times,” he recounted.

Due to the extremely cold temperature during winter, flying in from Kyrgyzstan to Bagram in the US Air Force’s C-130 Hercules was a four-hour edge-of-the-seat experience for NZDF Senior Advisor Alan Hurst, who was deployed by the Navy as Finance Officer of CRIB 2 in December 2003. “Before we flew over the mountains, the crew were busy chipping ice off the plane.”

By the time CRIB 2 arrived in Afghanistan, suicide attacks were on the rise especially in Kabul, according to LTCOL Stefan Michie, who was the Operations Officer for the 110-strong contingent.

“Drive-by shootings of the ISAF headquarters in Kabul were frequent. In Bamyan, local politicians and other people who were influential during the Taliban regime and who felt they were not supported by the PRT threatened to use mines against our personnel.”

“Most of our vehicles were unarmoured and they frequently broke down. So our patrols had to be fast-paced and alert. Patrol vehicles had improvised machine-gunner seats in the back, which essentially consisted of a vehicle seat bolted to a board. This made for a great view but a very interesting ride over rough terrain.”

Bombed-out roads and collapsed bridges, coupled with either stray donkeys, heavy snow or a bus crash, turned the drive from Kabul to Bamyan into an agonising 18-hour journey, recalled LTCOL Michie.

Using funding from international aid agencies, coalition forces fixed hundreds of kilometres of roads including the 483-km strip of smooth asphalt from Kabul to Kandahar, ending transport woes and accelerating economic growth.

“You don’t want to get stuck in a traffic jam especially in

nzdF’s decade oF commitment leaves ‘a positive legacy’ in Bamyan

armymission15issue 442 | MAY 2013

Kabul,” said Mr Hurst. “In those days, we were just using unmarked Toyota Hilux

vehicles so we tried to keep moving all the time. After a while, we got used to the fact that many Afghans were carrying guns and AK47 rifles. Of course, we felt anxious and worried when we heard of suicide bombings targeting coalition forces.”

Dealing with Afghan suppliers previously vetted by the US military was easy though, according to Mr Hurst. “They can all speak English and they all wanted to be paid in US dollars.”

Officials from NATO countries including New Zealand acknowledge that transforming Afghanistan into a stable democracy is a monumental task that is not yet complete. But at least in Bamyan, there is no doubt that the NZDF have made a difference.

“I saw a lot of improvements especially in Bamyan when I got back,” said MAJ Lawrey, who was deployed again to Afghanistan from October 2009 to April 2010, as Brigade Liaison Officer of CRIB 15.

“The local market, which was mostly shut down when we were there in 2003, was bustling and shops were selling cars, computers and cellphones. It was a huge economic improvement, given that it was hard to find hammers and nails when we first went there.”

However, in light of the evolving security challenges, “there was less interaction with people on the street as coalition forces were now moving around in armoured humvees and LAVs,” MAJ Lawrey observed.

“We can be proud of the way Bamyan has developed. We’ve assisted in introducing improvements to the economy, health system, education and governance of the province,” said BRIG Reilly.

“Of course, we haven’t done it all but we have assisted in providing a secure and stable environment.”

By helping build schools and a university in Bamyan, NZDF personnel have also contributed to the continued drop in illiteracy rates, said LTCOL Brett Wellington, Commander of CRIB 19, which was deployed to Afghanistan from September 2011 to April 2012.

“Under the Taliban, girls were not allowed to go to school. Brigadier (Rtd) Neville Reilly with the Provincial Governor Dr Habiba Sorabi.

The building of new schools and new universities have helped bring education to girls in rural areas, and will enable them to make valuable contributions to their communities when they grow up.”

“Our mission in Afghanistan has enhanced New Zealand’s

reputation as a reliable coalition partner. NZDF personnel are seen as honest brokers and they are known to demonstrate empathy for the Afghans,” according to LTCOL Wellington.

“Significant sacrifices were made but they had not been in vain. We are leaving a positive legacy in Bamyan,” he added.

16armymissionissue 442 | MAY 2013

If you find a house move daunting, spare a thought for those who are packing up and bringing kit home to New Zealand after 10 years in Afghanistan.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Weston is organising and supervising the task, which he concedes is “significant”.“It has been a significant task for a number of reasons. Upon our arrival, the state of the account was not good for a variety

of understandable reasons, and we had loaned and bought a great deal of equipment and supplies that were necessary to sustain the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team operations. In addition, NZ was not the only member of the PRT so we had to ensure the drawdown of services and materiel was coordinated with the other resident agencies. We had limited transportation means to move out of Kiwibase and had to place a significant reliance on support from the US forces in Bagram – this necessitated a degree of understanding of their processes and procedures, and gaining appropriate authorisations in order that we could plug into their land and air transport systems.”

Concurrently, the PRT was required to maintain operations right up until they returned home which meant they needed to use the equipment that LTCOL Weston was trying to account for, pack and move out.

“The final endstate for Kiwibase changed late in the piece, moving from total destruction to a transfer to local security forces. In many respects this made the withdrawal and extraction easier, but introduced some unknown elements as Govt of the Islamic Republic of Afghan (GiROA) was still developing its transfer processes with ISAF. Underlying all of this was the insurgency and threat posed by it to our safe withdrawal,” he said.

The withdrawal and extraction was broken down into stages; consolidation, reduction, tactical then strategic movement and reconstitution. This required a great deal of coordination with all NZPRT members, our in-theatre HQ and HQ JFNZ. This also included liaison with GoNZ, via HQ JFNZ for MFAT and other political guidance. The significant milestones were the withdrawal of the US training elements, final tactical LAV patrol by the PRT, movement of unserviceable light armoured vehicles to Bagram, the Governor General’s visit for the closure of Kiwibase, and the tactical withdrawal on 10 Apr. Underscoring all these were the concurrent accounting, movement and receipt in Bagram of 100 trucks and 35 x C130 loads of materiel. This has been one of the largest logistics operation completed by the NZDF in recent years.”

The Afghanistan-based team liaised extensively with HQ JFNZ. This proved difficult at times due to the timezone differences, the reliability of the communications systems and, understandably, the Christmas closedown period. Once the plan was set HQ JFNZ provided support and a significant amount of freedom to get the mission completed. There was also a great deal of liaison completed in Bagram in order to gain access to transport and other services required for the withdrawal and extraction. The Kiwis relied very heavily upon the US forces throughout and relationship management played a significant part in the Bagram TET’s role.

Only the materiel that had to be brought back to New Zealand and that which was cost-effective to bring back was packed up. Effectively this meant all LAV’s, weapons, communications equipment, surveillance, target acquisition and night observation devices will return to New Zealand, with the remainder at LTCOL Weston’s discretion. Some items were identified for gifting to the local authorities, including some vehicles and a host of lesser stores (cots, medical consumables, cleaning stores, computer screens etc), and some were deliberately destroyed due to the potential for harm to the user if not trained correctly.

On arrival in Auckland, a NZ based theatre extraction team(TET) will receive the materiel, transition it through customs and MAF, then transport it to Trentham for reconstitution and re-issue.

The remaining materiel was either destroyed in theatre or gifted to the National Security Directorate (NDS) – a local security force.

LTCOL Weston says it has been challenging sometimes gaining access to transport and the synchronising all aspects of the Kiwibase closure. The isolated nature of Kiwibase, reliance on the airfield and weather were also challenging and necessitated a requirement for contingency plans with all things, and as much flexibility as could be afforded.

He said the final day and tactical withdrawal went very smoothly. “This was testament to the professionalism and dedication of skilled staff, and the overall effort and enthusiasm displayed by the TET personnel throughout the deployment.

“It pays to have a good team. The TET had a number of subject matter experts who were relied upon from the start to provide the detail in the overall plan. This extended to PRT staff who were also used in the latter stages when the TET transitioned to the lead element in Kiwibase.. All personnel were motivated and enthusiastic about their role in the withdrawal.”

moving Back home a “signiFicant” task


HuMAn inteLLiGenCe (HuMint)HUMINT is a category of intelligence collected from and

provided by people. This is done by talking to appropriate people with the aim of finding out information of intelligence value.

Imagine the following scenario: Your patrol enters a village. You’re met by a villager, introductions are exchanged and you learn the man is the village elder. He tells you that a hostile element moved through the village less than 24 hours ago. Through detailed conversation you learn how many men there were, what weapons they were carrying, where they were headed and what activities they carried out while in the village. You take down the contact details from the elder and arrange for someone to meet with him in a few days.

Now imagine this: You walk into a cafe. You order a drink and find a seat. While waiting for your drink you turn to the stranger next to you and strike up a conversation about the cafe and the local area. Soon enough the banter is flowing and you’re joking like old friends. In the course of your meeting you decide it’s time to leave. You exchange contact details with your new friend and agree to meet up again for a drink in the near future.

Both of the scenarios above contain the essence of HUMINT operations. Put simply, HUMINT is talking to people to gain information. In the first scenario, the information of intelligence value is obvious; however in the second it might not be so apparent.

FieLD HuMAn inteLLiGenCe SeLeCtiOnField Humint Selection is designed to assess a candidate’s

suitability for further FH training. Candidates can expect to be conditioned physically and mentally before being placed into a variety of scenarios to test their mental agility, ability to communicate and problem solve.

FH Selection is designed to find the right people from within the NZDF to undertake further HUMINT training. It is important to remember that FH selection is not about making it to the end. Candidates are selected based on the personal attributes required to do the job. Some people are suitable and others are not. The person we are looking for is:

• Capable of talking to others• Has a mature outlook• Self thinker• Able to listen and process information quickly• Remain calm in stressful situations and function

effectively when tired• Confident in their own abilitiesnZDF tRi SeRviCe FieLD HuMint (FH) COuRSeThis is a Tri-service course open to all ranks up to and

including Army Captain (equivalent) who have successfully completed FH Selection. The course is broken down into phases, with candidates required to pass each phase before advancing to the next. If unsuccessful, students will be given formal qualifications in the phases they have completed, and will be removed from the course. The course is broken down as follows:

1. Tactical Debriefing Course (qualified as a Tactical Debriefer),

2. Close Quarter Battle (CQB) and shooting package, 3. Source handling (advanced debriefing), 4. Source operations / security and survivability.On successfully completing the nine week FH Course,

Operators will be posted to 1 (NZ) Military Intelligence Company in Trentham for a 2 – 3 year period, where they will further develop their FH skills, deploy on operations and attend various courses around the world with other Armed Forces and Government Agencies.

HOW tO APPLyIf you’re interested in becoming an FH Operator, the first step

is to talk to your Career Manager and Command Chain. You will need a verbal agreement from them to be released from branch / trade / unit prior to attending FH Selection.

If this is obtained, you should email us or register your interest on line at the web site below. Application paperwork is available at the web site, or we can send it to you if you are unable to access the web site.

BeneFitSAlthough you will be out of your parent service/trade for a

number of years, you will return with improved written and verbal communication skills, greater confidence, a higher threshold to pressure and stress, a high level of weapon systems competency and the ability to plan and deliver complex orders.

Being an FH Operator can be difficult, but it is rewarding work and there is no other job like it in the NZDF.

Think you have what it takes or want more information? Visit: http://org/l-smis/default.aspxOr Email: [email protected]

Field humint recruiting now


By Lt Paris de Boam, Commander 1 Combat engineer troopCombat engineers from 1 Troop, 2 Field Squadron recently

spent an action-packed fortnight in the upper North Island conducting military engineer training. In what was a high tempo two weeks the sappers developed and tested their skills in dismounted mobility support in urban environments.

The first week consisted of engineer search training with the aim of developing skills to tackle the contemporary IED threat within occupied and unoccupied structures. To kick things off the troop received a brief from the sappers in the Specialist Search Team at Papakura. This provided a valuable insight into high risk engineer search operations. With this as a basis the troop then worked through four days of training which included an unoccupied building search at Kauri Point and a rapid offensive search through a tunnel system at Whangaparaoa Naval Range.

The newly arrived explosive detection dogs were put to work and proved a valuable tool in the detection of concealed explosives. The search phase culminated with an overnight battle handling exercise where the troop executed a strike and rapid search task on Kaipara domestic lines. Spr Fraser Graham found the training interesting and noted that “it provided a really good opportunity to develop my confidence in urban search procedures and improved our understanding of current TTPs. It was good learning to work with the dogs which was something new for me.”

In the second week the troop undertook training in explosive breaching at the Kaipara Air Weapons Range. The aim of

this activity was to develop skills in rapid mobility support to dismounted forces in an opposed urban environment. Following a period of safety revision and testing the sappers spent a day on the range employing specialist charges designed to achieve a range of effects.

For this the targets ranged from protective wire obstacles, reinforced walls and heavy sandbag barriers to bridge panels, steel, concrete and timber problems. The sappers successfully met the challenge of constructing a variety of specifically designed charges to achieve cutting and breaching effects. The following day safety distances were reduced to seven metres and the training ramped-up with light urban breaching. Here the sappers employed specially constructed charges to make entry through walls and doors in a pre-made structure.

Spr Alex Purchase enjoyed this phase saying “the dems training was really good, especially the light breaching. There are not many jobs where you get to blow through doors standing at seven metres! It was exhilarating training and also

gave us a good understanding of different explosive effects at close range.” This phase culminated in a BHE where the troop conducted an overnight patrol into a breach and clearance task on a hardened objective. Here the troop was tested across a broad range of skills including night patrolling, heavy and light demolitions, mechanical and manual methods of entry and rapid urban search.

Overall the training saw sappers develop important light mobility skills relevant to modern kinetic operations. The training focused on contemporary scenarios and recent operational lessons and was an exciting and enjoyable outing for all involved. Corporal Alistair McIntyre aptly summed up the training with his thoughts - “The type of training conducted allows us to maintain our technical skill sets. This is valuable in the current global context where combat engineers are continually called upon to solve a broad range engineering problems.”

2 Field sQuadron engineers go oFF with a Bang



By Major Geoffrey FaradayExercise Bold Alligator is a series of amphibious exercises led

by the US aimed at developing their own integral amphibious capability as well as coalition integration.

While the 2012 exercise was live , the most recent one was computer based on the USS Bataan, which remained portside throughout. We soon clarified our roles on the exercise with a diverse array of nations taking part including Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, to name but a few.

The hardest concept from my perspective was the size of the Amphibious Task Force . The easiest way to guage the size is to understand the Battalion Landing Team (BLT) roughly comprises of the following (please note this is not a definitive list and is purely aimed at giving an approximation of the size of the organisation);

An infantry battalion consisting of a Rifle Coy (Air),a AAV Coy (Mech) and a Boat Coy (Mot), a Headquarters and Support Coy (H&S) consisting of Snipers, a Logistics Team (4-8 vehs), HQ fwd (step-up) HQ Main,and HQ Jump (Tac);

A Weapons Coy consisting of 16-20 HMMVs with a mix of .50cal, TOW and Javelin;

A 81mm Mor Pl; a Tk Pl, a LAR Coy (or Pl) (LAV(Recon)),An Engr Pl;A Recon Pl; An Arty Bty (towed 155mm); and A Shore Fire Control Party (Co-ordinate Naval gun fire)All in all the BLT has about 1200 personnel able to effectively

split into three raid forces in support of which is the following; A Composite Air Squadron consisting of Assault Support -

Osprey and Super Stallion;Rotary Wing - Cobra and Huey;Strike – Harrier; and

The Combat Logistics Battalion (250-300 personnel) consisting of; Services,Transportation, Maintenance;General Engineering, and Supply Coys.

Over all this is a Marine, Air, and Ground task force headquarters which combines all the elements required for the successful prosecution of the mission. Once you have grasped the size of the BLT just multiply it by three to get the RLT, then add the Carrier Strike Group, the two Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU), the Navy Expeditionary Force and the shipping required for the two Amphibious Ready Groups and you have the got the size of force, some 24,000 troops on approximately sixty vessels.

The exercise allowed the marines to continue to develop their doctrine and standard operating procedures as to how they operate in an amphibious environment. The tactics of focusing on building forces up on the beach prior to launching the operation belongs to a previous era. The focus is now on ship to objective, using the sea as manoeuvre space and not stopping at the beach, utilising the littoral environment to provide penetration points. With the introduction of the Osprey the next development will be an Over The Horizon (OTH) ship to introduce a fundamental change in current tactics.

Bold alligatorexercise

2013

Food poisoning is one of the New Zealand Army’s most dangerous enemies, and to combat it the armed forces have adopted a new weapon: a Food Control Plan (FCP).

“The catering unit is probably the only one that is capable of immobilising a whole battalion at once so food safety is crucial to the Army,” quips Staff Sergeant Aaron Tregoweth who oversees the daily running of the kitchen at the Trentham

Military Camp.An FCP is a written set of procedures which identify

potential food safety risks associated with all aspects of food production, from receiving and storing goods through to preparing, cooking and serving food. Step-by-step information and checklist-style tools, such as a diary, show staff how to manage any risks so that people who eat their food won’t end up sick.

Each year the Army serves more than a million meals at its five bases and from field kitchens on the move, whether in Waiouru or Afghanistan. The FCP helps ensure all those meals are produced to the same food safety standard .

“The Army has always followed a written protocol for the various activities that go on in our kitchens, like checking refrigeration and reheating temperatures. However, each camp used to make up their own system for use in their kitchen,” he says.

“We had planned on developing a universal system for all the camps, but the FCP has done it for us.”

Kitchen team leader Lance Corporal Greg Allen says the FCP contains food safety guidelines and provides a sequential way of documenting the daily activities in a kitchen, like checking

temperatures and cleaning. “There’s a lot of useful information in the FCP document,” he says.

Because the activities in the FCP are part of the daily tasks at the Army’s catering school, Allen explains that trainee chefs become familiar with it from the go. “By the time they start working in the kitchen it’s become second nature.”

The document also makes it easy to get casual civilian kitchen staff up to speed with the kitchen’s protocols. “It takes the pressure off the person running the shift,” Allen says.

Allen’s message to anyone who has put FCPs in the too-hard basket is that they are straight forward and far preferable to working under the current rules.

“Some of current requirements are just ridiculous, and people often have to rebuild their kitchens for the sake of complying with them. FCPs are not about getting people to change the set up of their business – it’s about giving them the tools to manage the risks that are there.”

Food control plan the army’s secret weapon


pilot course good value For sw commandersBy Lieutenant Dan AldridgeA pilot RNZIR Fire Support Group (FSG) command course was

held recently, and was. the first time the old DFSW and Javelin command courses have been conducted as one.

This was done to better reflect the way manoeuvre elements are typically employing support weapons, both in camp and in the field.

The pilot course was also the first time the new H&K GMG has been employed tactically in the field. This brought a new aspect to the DFSW capability and also gave the operators and commanders a chance to see just how effective (and heavy)

the weapon system was in a tactical environment.The course itself was split into three modules, initially

covering safety and planning of training, followed by DFSW, Javelin, then culminating with FTX ‘Debecka Pass”, the terminal phase testing students in the command of a Fire Support Group.

Overall the course seemed to strike a good balance between testing under pressure and development of students’ theoretical knowledge. It’s safe to say that all students walked away with not only the skills and knowledge to employ support weapons in a tactical environment, but also now possess

a higher level of understanding with regards to tactics and mission appreciation.

The next course is in August, and with a few minor improvements and changes to the programme it promises to be worthwhile for any current or future Support Weapon commanders.

Lastly a big thanks to the numbers from both 1RNZIR and 2/1, without you carrying some heavy gear the course wouldn’t be possible.

The late SAS trooper Lance Corporal Leon Smith, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on 28 September 2011 has been posthumously awarded a New Zealand Gallantry Decoration.

On 19 August 2011 Lance Corporal Smith, as a member of the NZSAS Task Force, responded to an insurgent attack on the British Council Offices in the centre of Kabul, Afghanistan. Five insurgents used a Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device to gain entry into the British Council Offices. Having made entry into the compound they manoeuvred themselves into a strong defensive position where they could rain down small arms fire and rockets and ultimately detonate suicide vests against the rescue force. This incident was complex in nature. Not only was the enemy determined and well-equipped, five British nationals were also isolated within the compound.

LCPL Smith arrived on the scene with other members of the NZSAS who were supporting the Afghan Crisis Response Unit (CRU). As part of a supporting plan LCPL Smith moved into an over-watch position 30 metres away from the insurgents’ stronghold. The NZSAS personnel, including LCPL Smith, began to prepare a plan to rescue the hostages and to assist the CRU to clear the compound of insurgents.

At approximately 11.35 am (local time) Corporal Grant, another member of the Task Force, moved across the backyard of the target building to link up with other NZSAS members. Whilst rushing up a stairwell CPL Grant was mortally wounded by insurgent fire. Initially it was not known where he had fallen or what condition he was in. With no concern for his personal safety, LCPL Smith pushed into an exposed position to view and confirm Corporal Grant’s exact location. He saw Corporal Grant lying inside a small structure slightly above him at the top of some stairs. Without hesitation he requested to move to Corporal Grant’s position in order to render first aid, but was told by his Troop Commander to wait for a ballistic shield. During this period Lance Corporal Smith’s position was receiving a significant volume of insurgent machine gun and rifle fire.

Once Lance Corporal Smith received the ballistic shield, he took two deep breaths, gave his Troop Commander a positive nod and the ‘GO’ call was issued. Covering fire from over-watch positions was directed towards the insurgents as LCPL Smith jumped into the fray. Once again without thought for his personal safety, he leapt over a wall and across exposed and open ground and up the same stairs where CPL Grant had been

shot. All the while, insurgent bullets were impacting around him. LCPL Smith threw himself into the room where Corporal Grant lay and then, with cool and professional resolve, began providing immediate medical treatment. CPL Grant was not yet confirmed dead and LCPL Smith, an SAS medic, applied first aid to the wound and commenced CPR, which he continued to administer until CPL Grant was evacuated from the building in the care of the Task Force medic. To evacuate CPL Grant safely, LCPL Smith had to call for other Task Force members to knock a hole in the brick wall of the building that he and Corporal Grant were in. He then calmly returned to the fight. During this stage he again exposed himself to enemy fire so that he could engage the insurgents effectively. He then took part in blowing a large hole in the outer wall of the compound so that he and other members of the Task Force could minimise the open ground they had to cover to get to the panic room where the British captives were hiding. LCPL Smith then provided covering fire as the captives were rushed to safety through the compound wall.

Throughout the entire incident LCPL Smith displayed extreme calmness under pressure, tremendous personal bravery, and the utmost professionalism whilst under continuous insurgent fire. As a result of LCPL Smith’s actions Corporal Grant received the best medical treatment possible, the Task Force was able to recover all five British nationals alive and the insurgent threat was neutralised.

tHe neW ZeALAnD GALLAntRy MeDAL (nZGM)Staff Sergeant Dean Rennie, Royal New Zealand Army

Logistics Regiment, has been awarded with the New Zealand Gallantry Medal.

From October 2010 to April 2011, Staff Sergeant Rennie (then in the acting rank of Warrant Officer Class Two) served in Afghanistan in the Combined Explosive Exploitation Cell at Regional Command-East situated at the Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost Province. He was the only non-US serviceperson attached to the US Brigade that operated from this base. This was SSGT Rennie’s second tour in Afghanistan.

He was heavily involved in dismounted patrols supporting special coalition task forces deployed from the Base in searches of high risk compounds. His particular role was to provide advice on Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and, where a device had been activated, to determine its type, construction, and means of initiation, from the results of the explosion and the recovered components. He attended many incidents of this type and often came under enemy fire. From the information he gathered on these patrols, which included over 450 individual pieces of evidence, he was able to identify individual builders of IEDs by their different construction methods, and the different patterns of placing these devices. This intelligence led to the detention and prosecution of many insurgents for possession of illegal weapons and IED construction materials, and the lessons learned were able to be shared throughout the theatre.

SSGT Rennie frequently took part in route clearing patrols. These dangerous missions were specifically designed to locate and deal with IEDs, and on numerous occasions his patrol was struck by these devices or came under direct fire from insurgents. In one of the most active IED environments in the world, and in one of the most dangerous appointments in the theatre, he constantly placed himself at risk in order to protect Coalition forces and local civilians, and to disseminate potentially life-saving intelligence about insurgent operations in Afghanistan. SSGT Rennie has since retired from the NZ Army.

gallant deeds recognised


An exercise focused on self and team leadership in a field environment, an introduction to section level command and the further development of personal field skills learned during Initial Officer Training kept Army officer cadets busy last month.

Exercise La Basse Ville (LBV) required each officer cadet (OCDT) to perform each section level role, including the role of Section Commander. Taking on the role of Section Commander was essentially the OCDTs’ first experience of leading troops in a tactical and field environment.

Preparation and training were conducted prior to LBV in order to prepare the OCDTs for their first leadership role. This included a tactics and orders package, and Exercise Cadet Marathon, a ten hour navigational assessment conducted around the Waiouru Training Area prior to LBV. Integral to the preparation and training were learning and practising Section Tactics, Techniques and Procedures on how to perform the tasks that would be expected of a section operating in an open country operational environment.

During LBV, OCDTs covered several section level tasks, including; clearance patrols, ambushes, observation posts, prisoner of war handling and counter vehicle ambush drills. Each task was planned, initiated and controlled by the OCDTs in their 24 hour period as a Section Commander. After action debriefs were conducted by staff and pertinent teaching points from each activity were soon assimilated by the OCDTs. As a result, there was continual individual and team development throughout the course.

LBV was also an introduction to operating wearing full kit for an extended time. Over the course of the exercise upwards of 60km was covered across the features of the western areas of the Waiouru Training Area. The views from the summit of Flat Top were a highlight of the exercise for many of the OCDTs. As always the terrain of the training area proved to put OCDTs under both physical and mental pressure.

Ultimately, LBV was an introduction to the numerous leadership tasks and assessments that lie ahead for the OCDTs 2013 throughout the rest of the year. The experiences and lessons learnt during LBV will no doubt have developed the potential these OCDTs have for becoming leaders in the New Zealand Army.

Officer cadets hone their skills in Waiouru wilderness

By OCDT L. Judge and OCDT J. Malouf

An exercise focused on self and team leadership in a field environment, an introduction to section level command and the further development of personal field skills learnt during Initial Officer Training kept Army officer cadets busy last month.

Exercise La Basse Ville (LBV) required each officer cadet (OCDT) to perform each section level role, including the role of Section Commander. Taking on the role of Section Commander was essentially the OCDTs’ first experience of leading troops in a tactical and field environment.

Preparation and training were conducted prior to LBV in order to prepare the OCDTs for their first leadership role. This included a tactics and orders package, and Exercise Cadet Marathon, a ten hour navigational assessment conducted around the Waiouru Training Area prior to LBV. Integral to the preparation and training were learning and practising Section Tactics, Techniques and Procedures on how to perform the tasks that would be expected of a section operating in an open country operational environment.

oFFicer cadets hone their skills in waiouru wilderness


RSA AnZAC OF tHe yeAR AWARDeD tO COuSinS

WORLD SMOKeFRee DAy – FRiDAy 31 MAy

CHuRCH BeLL On tHe MOve tO neW PAPAKuRA HOMe

The Governor-General has presented the RSA’s prestigious Anzac of the Year Award to New Zealand’s youngest-ever recipients,Will White and Sergio Schuler.

At a ceremony in Waihi Beach, cousins Will e and Sergio, both aged 12, were honoured for their remarkable courage and selfless commitment in the rescue of 32-year-old Vincent Shao at Bowentown Beach in Waihi last December. When Vincent Shao lost his footing and became caught in a rip, the boys’ used their surf lifesaving training, teamwork and sheer bravery to navigate the crisis, showing maturity beyond their years and ultimately risking their own safety to ensure Vincent’s survival.

Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae presented the award at the Waihi Beach Memorial RSA, with the boys’ family and friends, school representatives, members of the Waihi surf lifesaving club, Police and the local RSA present.

“Will and Sergio exemplify how the Anzac spirit, which was showcased nearly a century ago at Gallipoli, is still alive and strong in even our youngest New Zealanders,” Sir Jerry said.

“These boys embody the Anzac spirit of camaraderie, compassion, courage and commitment in looking after their mates.”

RSA National President Don McIver congratulated the boys, saying their ability to keep calm in a crisis was a critical factor in ensuring Vincent made it ashore alive.

“It’s inspiring to see such a display of compassion and courage in such young people. It is our great pleasure to honour Will and Sergio’s bravery with this Award. Their families and their community should be very proud of them,” said Don.

The Anzac of the Year Award was established in 2010 and last year was awarded to members of the Student Volunteer Army for their selfless and compassionate service to the city of Christchurch following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

Previous recipients of the Award have been ex-military personnel Brigadier (Retd) Dr Brian McMahon in 2011 and the late Lt Col (Retd) John Masters ONZM MC JP in 2010.

Are you a smoker who wants to stop? Why not take the challenge of World Smokefree Day to spend the first day of the rest of your life smoke free?

Stopping can be a really big challenge. Having supportive people and services around you when you decide to stop smoking can make all the difference. So World Smokefree Day is a good time to stop smoking with increased community support at the ready.

As Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, Patron of The Quit Group says, “Quitting smoking is a commitment to those things New Zealanders hold dear – health, wellbeing and family.” Now

would be a great time to act upon that commitment. The Quit Group, with support from the Ministry of Health, provides free confidential services to

support people who want to stop smoking. More information about The Quit Group is available on their website www.quit.org.nz or by calling 0800 778 778.

Alternatively, you can look to the NZDF for support through your Defence Health doctors and nurses.

All these services are committed to support your efforts for better health and wellbeing.

A church bell with a history was the centre of attention when a group of former and serving Army personnel, several clergy and a large group of locals gathered at a Wellington church recently.

A special service was held at St Mary’s Church in Karori, Wellington on Sunday 28 April 2013, to mark the gifting by Karori Anglican Churches (KAC) of a bell to the Papakura Military Camp (PMC) for use at St.Mark’s Chapel there.

The bell dates back to 1957, and was used at St Philip’s Church in Karori West until that church was deconsecrated. Rev Keith Elliott VC was vicar at St Philip’s, and several KAC parishioners who had been posted to PMC.spoke of their recollections of Papakura during the service.

Local youth, represented by members of the Order of St John, Karori Scouts and KAC’s

Crossfire group, took the opportunity to parade their standards, adding to the colourful occasion.

The event was a good example of cooperation between New Zealand Defence Force Chaplains, several of whom attended, and the Military Christian Fellowship (MCF) which coordinated the transfer of the bell. Mike Scrivener, from MCF, is a St Mary’s parishioner and was the conduit between the military and the church.

1 NZSAS Regt Commanding Officer (CO) LTCOL Karl Cummins said the chapel is a place where people commemorate, commiserate and celebrate. “It is an important part of who we are and what Papakura Camp is. We are grateful the bell is going from one long and committed community to another.” Former SAS CO, Vice Chief of Defence Force, Major General Tim Keating said the gifted bell would be very well looked after in its new home.

Story courtesy of the RnZRSA.

Padre Ra Koia with VCDF, MAJGEN Tim Keating and the gifted bell.

Anzac of the Year winners Will White and Sergio Schuler with Lt Gen the Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae and RSA National President Don McIver. Photo: Mike Hill photography.

24armypeopleissue 442 | MAY 2013

military mind shapes advanced academic studies

When a senior officer told Major Josh Wineera that a posting to Massey University could make it very difficult to remain competitive with his peer group for promotion, he weighed up the pros and cons of accepting such a proposition. Three years on and Major Wineera has no regrets about taking up the challenge in what some might consider a deep emersion into another (academic) culture.

“I don’t really have an academic streak, and actually I think I have been bluffing my way through this secondment,” jokes Major Wineera. “Truth be known, I imagine my 5th Form English teacher from Rangitikei College would be shell-shocked to know that I am a lecturer and researcher at a university. Certainly my School Certificate results never indicated a future tertiary role!”

“When I started at the Centre for Defence Studies in 2010, many people perceived the programme to be heavily orientated towards Army, land operations and even by some as being just a military history department.”

“In my time here the Centre has undergone what can only be described as monumental transformation. In just three years the entire programme has been restructured, with the inclusion of the security studies field and a major effort to incorporate other security agencies into the Centre. There are now seconded members from the NZ Police and NZ Customs on staff, and strong connections with international universities and regional agencies with expertise in such fields as terrorism, criminology, international security and global trade. At a recent staff meeting the acting Director, retired Lieutenant Colonel Nick Nelson, informed us our activity and enrolments had risen 250% in just two years,” says Major Wineera.

Renamed the Centre for Defence and Security Studies (CDSS), CDSS now boasts an influential advisory board. Members include the chief executives from the Security Intelligence Service, Department for the Prime Minister and Cabinet, NZ Customs, NZ Police, Chief of Defence Force, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Commander of the Royal Bruneian Forces.

Major Wineera says that while the Centre is clearly orientated towards contemporary security issues and professional studies he is glad that a number of history subjects still remain in the programme. “It’s all very well following the latest fad or trend in any field, but unless you know where it came from or how it evolved then your understanding can become quite superficial. Knowing where you came from is just as important as knowing where you want to go”.

SO WHAt ARe yOuR ReSPOnSiBiLitieS?Currently my teaching responsibilities include three undergraduate papers in the Defence

studies programme and assisting with a post-graduate paper in the International Security programme. I have lectured at the NZ and Bruneian Command and Staff Colleges. I also supervisor and examine post-graduate dissertations.

WHAt CHAnGeS HAve yOu MADe tO tHe PROGRAMMe SinCe yOu HAve Been WitH CDSS?In late 2011 I was tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of the undergraduate

programme. Many of the recommendations were accepted, such as instituting new papers and making existing ones more contemporary and appealing to new students. This seems to have worked as the enrolments keep climbing.

When I arrived the undergraduate tactics papers were essentially an academic version of the Grade 3 and Grade 2. A frequent criticism was the papers were solely Army, land-focused. I have since rewritten the first year paper, which is now called ‘An Introduction to Military Operations’, and covers all three Service environments and includes a Joint and Multinational component. I am currently teaching this paper, the first time it has been offered, and it is proving really popular. There are 50 students enrolled, with only two having any kind of connection with the military.

About half of the students are distance students, or what some people might remember as extramural students. Gone are the days however, of boxing up a heap of readings and mailing out study guides and simply waiting for their assignments. The blended learning environment is such that the distance students have electronic access to the full suite of multimedia content for the curriculum through a platform called Stream. Stream enables me to upload the internal class lectures, articles, and video clips. It also lets me post short pod-casts or video blogs about the topic and also hold online teaching sessions through Adobe Connect and Adobe Presenter. My distance students outside of New Zealand, such as those in Australia, Indonesia and Hong Kong, find the learning environment really helpful and pretty cutting edge.

A new second year paper is in the final stages of development. Called ‘Irregular Warfare’ the paper examines some of the history and more recent examples of this style of warfare. The paper considers counterinsurgency, counter-piracy operations and the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles. The paper will be taught later this year and the expectations are that it will also be a popular area of study. It will be the only paper of its type offered by a New Zealand University, and there are very few papers of this sort offered within the Asia-Pacific region.

ARe yOu OnLy invOLveD WitH MASSey teACHinG?No, to keep myself current with real world military matters I regularly engage with the NZDF

and NZ Army. I speak to contingents during PDT, I talk to various LOTC Schools and have been a member of Commander Joint Forces Operational Research Working Group – Afghanistan. At the end of the day, understanding conflict and being able to impart that knowledge in an academic sense is all very useful, but for me translating and applying that to the profession of arms is what counts.

Actually I have to confess to one academic activity with the NZDF. I’ve been running voluntary night workshops in Linton for those Defence personnel undertaking tertiary studies. Basically, I provide the perspective from what the lecturers are looking for in academic essays and assignments. People have even travelled from Ohakea to attend the workshops, which is really pleasing to think that they are willing to make an effort, in their own time, to be successful.

nuRSinG OFFiCeR ReCeiveS AWARD in KABuL

Army nursing officer Major Simon Ainsworth (right) was presented with the Contributor of the Month award from Deputy Commander 455 Expeditionary Wing in Kabul recently. Simon was chosen from the CRAIG HOSPITAL Wing which effectively represents the USAF north of Kabul.

His Commanding Officer noted that Major Ainsworth had increased throughput through one area by forty percent, and was a great ambassador for NZ.

Major Josh Wineera.

armysport25issue 442 | MAY 2013

The NZ Army Cycling Club fielded its first ever team in the Open/Elite grade of the road national championships, held in Queenstown recently.

The three soldiers in the team were selected after dominating the “A Grade” at a recent cycling Inter-regional competition in Ohakea. The step up to elite level competition was a bold move, but valuable experience was gained by our riders and it was by no means premature given the strong results.

Race day was cool, clear and still to begin with but a steady breeze was affecting the course by mid morning. The race was won by Gordon MacCauley, a seasoned professional with no relation to Jock MacCauley. The elite race was 154km, consisting of six laps of a challenging 25km circuit with two significant hills each lap. It was a battle of attrition, with the first attack occurring 3km into the event, and the entire race being characterised by surges, sprints and attacks, with each surge leaving the weak behind. Nineteen of the 43 elite riders did not finish due to being dropped off the back with no chance of recovering, and the “peleton” at the end only consisted of six riders. Sapper Andrew Simpson worked a bit hard during the early stages of the race and ended up withdrawing, although lasting longer than 9 other elite riders. Captain Shanon Stallard achieved 23rd and Major Brett Grieve was 20th.

The team objective was to stick with the peloton for as long as possible, and to prove that it deserved to be riding at this level. This goal was achieved, and it is an important step in the development of high performance riders within the NZ Army Cycling Club. All three competitors relished the opportunity and enjoyed the stunning scenery of the Queenstown/ Arrowtown area in autumn. They were grateful for the support of Army Sport, and their dedicated support crew Elizabeth Grieve and Glenn Kirk.

Of note the Tour of New Zealand transited through Queenstown during the weekend, and words of encouragement were passed between the two Army Cycling teams in each competition.

NZ ArmY CYCliNg Club –roAD NAtioNAls for the first time

WhAt is the siNgApore fuND?In January 1990, the Welfare Funds administered by Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force South-East Asia were remitted to New Zealand and paid out on a pro rata basis to the single

services. The Singapore Fund was established by the Chief of General Staff on 1st April 1990 to administer.Since then a capital amount has been maintained to provide a separate identifiable source of income to the fund, and the only income derived from this account by way of interest is

available for distribution. To protect the capital 10% of the total income from interest is retained in the capital investment account while the remaining interest is divided into two other accounts, the Sports account and the Adventurous Training account.

The aim of the fund is to provide financial assistance to individuals and teams participating in an approved activity. Disbursed income from the fund may be made available by way of a grant, a loan or a combination of both to assist eligible persons.

Applications for funds are to be forwarded through the applicant’s chain of command to the Secretary of the Singapore Fund, (Mr. D. Pilgrim), Army General Staff.The guidelines for applications to the Singapore Fund can be found in the NZ P20 Chapter 9 Section 5. The Secretary is also available to answer any inquires (DtLn: 347 7180).

All three Army riders are in the background, and they were travelling at approx 90kph at that stage.

A scenic shot of the course.The elite field climbs the steepest hill on the course at over 12% gradient. Brett Grieve is in bottom right of shot

26armysportissue 442 | MAY 2013

Ever thought that golf was a leisure activity for old men who have retired or are members of a distinguished gentlemen’s club or can no longer play Rugby? Then think again. The New Zealand Defence Force has a growing abundance of young golfers coming out of the rough and making a real name for themselves, both in the NZDF golf scene and also regional representative competition. This is more than likely as a result of the previous successes of young New Zealand golfers starting with Sir Bob Charles, continuing with Michael Campbell and now Lydia Ko, New Zealand’s No1 amateur women’s golfer.

The 2013 Inter Services Golf tournament was held at Manawatu Golf Course with such an increase in the number of younger players the ‘old and bold’ were starting to feel the pressure on the course. In some cases the wise old heads prevailed for a narrow win, and in other cases the young players took the matches convincingly.

PLAyeR PROFiLe: CPL LeAnne CORBettCaptain of the Emerging Players, CPL Leanne Corbett (2nd Health Services Battalion (NZ)) had heard rumours of great results

that have been achieved by the Emerging Players back in Waiouru Golf Course in 2002 and was determined to repeat this result. Leanne set her sights on achieving that glory inspiring her team in the lead up to the match play competition.

Leanne has been playing golf for as long as she can remember and is currently a member of a country club nestled on the back roads between Feilding and Marton in the Manawatu district - the Hawkestone Golf Club.

In the last five years Leanne has reached a very distinguished level of golf for a ‘part time’ amateur. She has twice won the Women’s grade in the NZ Army Championship (winning it four times in total), made representational teams (Canterbury, South Canterbury and the South Island Teams) where ‘Army Life’ enables her to be able to undertake such representational honours.

Amongst all of this Leanne has attended numerous regional events in both the North and South Islands establishing herself as an ‘up and coming young golfer’ in the New Zealand amateur golfing environment.

As a result of her dedication to continuing to play at the highest level Leanne has been selected as either a NZ Army or Emerging Player at the NZDF level of golf more than once. What is more is she has taken the lead in the Central region as a point of contact for all golf players to encourage growth in the sport – particularly women golfers.

Leanne retains her focus as a medic within the New Zealand Army undertaking deployments, coursesand exercises as part of being a member of 2 HSB (NZ), 1 (NZ) Bde and the NZ Army.

She is a good point of contact for all players wanting to undertake the sport or just unsure if they want to or not and just need a little encouragement to take the next step – drop her an email or go and see her at 2 HSB (NZ) when you have a spare 15 minutes.

nZDF inteR-SeRviCeS ReSuLtS 2013

Just as an aside, the overall winners of the 2013 NZDF Inter-Services competition are the NZ Army.

Service Champion Winner – Best Gross score over 36 holes was CPL Roy McLean, NZ ARMY.

Service Champion Runner Up – PTE Ben Cribb, NZ ARMY.

Ajax Plate Winning Team – for best team nett aggregate score, NZ ARMY.

IGA Cup Winner – for best individual nett aggregate score, Mr R. Thomas, RNZAF.

Carter Cup Winner – Team trophy for match play, NZ ARMY.

Manager’s Competition Cup – for best stableford aggregate score over three matches MAJ Aaron Couchman, NZ ARMY.

ReGiOnAL POintS OF COntACt FOR nZ ARMy GOLF

Southern – Mr Jon Berry and Mr Graham Sweetman

Wellington – MAJ John Govan and WO1 Mike van der Mespel

Central – CPL Leanne Corbett and LCPL George O’Brien

Northern – SSGT James Turipa

NZ Army Code Chairman – MAJ Aaron Couchman

‘young Blood’ in deFence golF

From left, MID J. Hancock, RNZN; LCPL G. O’Brien, NZ Army; SGT J. Moore, RNZAF; CPL L. Corbett, NZ Army

CPL Leanne Corbett – Captain of the Emerging Players

armysport27issue 442 | MAY 2013

nz army FootBall 2013

Playing your first game for the Army is something special for most rookies, but, playing your 100th game, is something else.

On Day 2 of the 2013 Inter-Services Softball Tournament at Whenuapai, Jenni Mumm (3 Catering and Supply Company, Burnham Camp) stepped out onto the diamond for her 100th game for Army against the Navy to rousing applause from her team mates and other Service team members.

LCPL Jennifer “Jenni” Mumm (a Reserve LCPL) first represented the Army women's team at Woodbourne in 1998 and has been a regular member of the team since then.

Players normally play five to six games per year for the Army team at an Inter-Service Softball Tournament. So, reaching 100 games is not easy.

Jenni has won the women’s top pitcher or MVP or both awards every year since she started playing for the Army. She is one of the main reasons the Army women’s team has won 13 championships in the past 15 years.

“Army Softball is like no other, they are family and wearing the red jersey is always a proud moment for me”. During her time in the Army, Jenni has played for a number of civilian club teams, such as United Softball Club in Nelson, Braves in Wanganui, Burnham softball Club and currently Papanui in Christchurch.

In 2003, she was selected into the Southern Pride Team for the Women's National League Competition and in 2007, she was drafted into the Canterbury Red Hawke's Team. In April 2007, the Red Hawke's attended the Southern Cross Challenge in Brisbane Australia, which was a fitting return to the place where Jenni began playing softball.

soFtBaller hits 100 games

CALLING ALL PLAYERS FOR 2013 REGIONALS AHEAD OF NZ ARMY SELECTION RF, TF or Civ - Its anyone's game!!!Mens, Womens & Over 35 Mens

8–12 July Regionals trentham Military Camp 12-14 July nZ Army training Camp 15-19 July Services Auckland2 – 12 nov nZDF tour to Sydney

Sport Nominations are now open

For further information contact your local Regional Rep Now!!

We are also seeking Managers, Strappers for Regional and Army Teams, Men, Women and Over 35s

Army Football Chairperson: Capt Gene Fenton (369) 7764

Army Womens Football: Mrs Lorraine Bowring (347) 7183

Army Mens Football: SSgt Steve Parry (345) 6131

Army Mens Over 35s Football: Over 35s Requires Volunteer

Northern Football Regional Rep Trentham – SSgt Steve Parry (345) 6131

Auckland – Cpl Tim Medland

Waiouru – OCDT Hamish Ellis (367) 7331

Southern Football Regional Rep Maj Ian Barrett (337) 7423

Central Football Regional Rep Capt Jimmy Russell (369) 8564

http://communities/Sport/ArmyPages/Sport/Football/football.aspx

Jenni Mumm receives a round of applause from her fellow players.

28armynewsissue 442 | MAY 2013

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