Navy Today May 09 | Issue 143 - Royal New Zealand Navy

PEACEKEEPERS
SUDAN, EAST TIMOR &
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Changeover
On 14 April a contingent of 133 NZDF personnel departed from Christchurch for a six month deployment in Afghanistan.
The majority make up the fourteenth rotation to serve in the Provincial Reconstruction Team, in Bamyan Province. The others
will work in roles within the International Stabilisation Force HQ, the Canadian Multinational Hospital in Khandahar, and
with the British Army training unit for the Afghan National Army.
The Navy contingent in
this rotation are:
LT J C Packham
Mr L A Fletcher
LCH S A Behl
LCH C M Henderson
ACO KD Hobson
AEW(S) J M Landers
CPOEWS C S McKeieich
POSCS B L Whitmore
Coming home this month
from ‘CRIB 13’ are:
LT G M Goodridge
LT G R Marshall
WOEWS WTJ Teweehi
WOCSS L J Jamieson
POPTI M W Kennedy
LSA K E Jury
POMED SAL Vissers
POWTR J R Crook
LCH A L Growcott
LMED L K Johannsen
ACH B U West
ACO A B Young
ACO J Sorensen
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ACO Adam Young and SSGT Tim Sorensen
at the top of Shatu Pass, 3422m high
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A Club Swinger’s VIEW
By POPTI Mike Kennedy of CRIB 13
Leading a foot patrol to an altitude of over
3350 metres in the mountainous region of
Bamyan, Afghanistan, is not routine for a
Navy PTI, who would be more at home
taking circuits on the deck of a frigate in
the middle of the Indian Ocean. But here
in Bamyan this Clubswinger had an opportunity
to ply his trade – and without
a drop of salt water in sight! In August
2008 I was offered the chance to deploy
to Afghanistan as a PTI. This once-in-alifetime
opportunity couldn’t be turned
down. So two and a half months later with
Pre-Deployment Training, a bit of leave,
and a week in Dubai under my belt, I set
foot on Kiwi Base, Bamyan.
The first order of business was to get
dragged up what is known as ‘PT Hill’, 2½
km higher than the Devonport Wharf! The
high altitude in Bamyan makes physical
activity much more difficult, since there’s
less oxygen in the air. New Kiwis on the
ground usually take a couple of weeks
to acclimatise to the additional strain on
the body and training sessions are eased
back until the body ‘catches up’.
As well as being a PTI, I also had the job
of Canteen Manager and Kiwi Base Fire
Officer. The Canteen Manager role presents
its own interesting challenges. Much of our
stock is purchased from the local Bazaar.
With my interpreter by my side I get to barter
away with the local shopkeepers trying to get
the best price possible, a job not too foreign
to a sailor after trying to get the best deals
in Singapore. And, since part of my job is to
promote health and fitness, I have to turn a
blind eye when buying sweets, chips, and
cigarettes for the patrons back on base.
Patrol work, however, has provided the
highlights of my deployment. I have been
able to see a lot of the Province and mix,
work with, and employ, local people. Driving
here is interesting – my days as a kid spent
driving my Old Man’s Land Rover have paid
off as the roads here are not for the fainthearted.
Our accommodation while on patrol
has ranged from tents, to local restaurants
and police stations.
Into the second half of the deployment our
focus on physical training was strong. The
Rugby players wanted to ready themselves
for the coming season, some were trying to
balance all the free chocolate bars and goffas
(soft drinks) they had been scoffing from the
fridge, while others just want to be in good
POPTI Mike Kennedy on patrol
shape before coming home. Hence we
held the 'Bods from Bamyan' 12 week
challenge. A number of the Kiwi Base
team took part, eating healthily and
training their way to the ultimate beach
body (which won’t be much use because
we will have missed summer when we
get home!)
All in all it has been a rewarding experience
and as a sailor I have had opportunities
to do things I never thought I
would do. To help the people of Bamyan,
whether it be by supporting the local
shop owners or stacking rocks in gabion
baskets for flood protection, it all made
being here very worth while.
SUDAN
LT Vivienne Orr RNZN and FLT LT Ivan Green
RNZAF are posted as UN Military Observers
to Rumbek, in the Sudan. They are seen
here with a Sudanese local. MAJ Liam Jones
is another UNMO and also NZ SNO, working
from Khartoum as the Senior Staff Officer
The NZDF contributions in Afghanistan
• 123 personnel in the NZ Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan Province.
• Two non-commissioned officers assisting with the training of the Afghan
National Army.
• Five officers in International Security Assistance Force headquarters positions
• One military liaison officer with the United Nations Assistance Mission.
• Two medical specialists with the Canadian Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar.
• In addition, 3 NZ Police are also based in Bamian with the PRT
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Plans of the UN HQ. Their role is to monitor
and verify the compliance of the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement between the northern
and southern parts of Sudan. Along with the
monitoring and verification aspect of the
UNMO’s, they also collate information such as
the current humanitarian situation in a particular
village, any grievances, security matters,
and anything else of interest. The tempera-
As at 1 May there was a total of 717 NZDF personnel deployed on 14
peacekeeping operations, UN missions and defence exercises around the world.
ACH Brock West meets some
of the children in Bamyan
ture has averaged about 40°C by day and 30
at night and will soon be coming into the wet
season – complete with mossies!
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