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Joining the ranks: Mr Howard meets OBG (W) 2 soldiers in Iraq.
Photo by Sgt John Carroll |
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Coming to grips: Prime Minister John Howard warmly shakes the hand of Pte Scott Brown, 6RAR, during his visit to Afghanistan to thank 1RTF members.
Photo by Capt Lachlan Simond |
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TASK WELL DONE
By Capt Lachlan Simond
A SURPRISE visit from Prime Minister John Howard has reinforced the achievements of soldiers in the MEAO and given them the personal and professional satisfaction of being thanked by the country’s leader.
Last month’s visit by Mr Howard and CDF ACM Angus Houston could not have come at a better time for 1RTF as its six-month deployment in Afghanistan was coming to an end.
“You have gone a long way to creating a new Afghanistan. I thank you and the Australian nation thanks you for that,” he told the troops.
During his visit the Prime Minister saw first-hand the training that the task group is providing to local civilians and army engineers. He spent much time meeting and personally thanking the troops for their efforts.
In scenes more reminiscent of the visit of a pop star, the men and women of 1RTF took the opportunity to meet Mr Howard and snap many a photograph with him.
From Tarin Kowt, the PM and CDF flew to Kabul where Mr Howard met with the Australian Headquarters in Afghanistan, coalition partners and Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai.
The official party then flew by RAAF Hercules to Iraq, where the Overwatch Battle Group (West) 2 received the Prime Minister’s congratulations.
“I do greatly respect the professionalism of the men and women of the ADF. I respect not only their military skill, which is world renowned, but I also respect the capacity you have to win the confidence of people.”
He said the soldiers demonstrated a particular Australian brand, “which is very distinctive and composed of goodwill and a decency and a respect for the customs of others, but it’s also a brand that, where necessary, carries a wallop”.
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| Preparation: Cfn Dwayne Boon pressure-cleans a rotor blade before it is transported back to Australia. |
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| High tech: A loadmaster kitted out for a mission. |
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| Mission complete: Australian Commander Lt-Col Kevin Humphries welcomes his men home from their last mission with some non-alcoholic champagne. |
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| In the thick of it: A dusty lift off for an Australian Chinook from an landing zone in southern Afghanistan. |
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| Midnight toil: Cpl Simon Ramsay and Cfn Jason Buttigieg work throughout the night to dismantle a Chinook for return to Australia. |
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High achievers
Words and images:
Capt Lachlan Simond
The Australian Chinook detachment in Afghanistan has flown its final mission. The last operational flight was made on March 30, a year after the Australian Aviation Task Group deployed to the country.
The Task Group, which consisted of two Chinooks and just over 100 personnel, was based at Kandahar Air Field in southern Afghanistan.
The Chinook is the coalition work-horse in Afghanistan. Classified as a medium lift helicopter, it is suited to the high-altitude environment. With twin rotors and large cabin area it has an awesome capacity for loads of all types, both inside and underslung.
To ensure the aircraft were ready for combat in the high-threat Afghanistan theatre, $35 million was spent before the deployment to equip the aircraft and crew with state-of-the-art navigation, communication, electronic and ballistic protection and Minigun weapon systems. The Aussie Chinook has been the aircraft of choice in southern Afghanistan.
The final task was a 7½ hour mission, which involved both Australian Chinooks and an US Army Apache escort.
Moving personnel and equipment between various forward operating bases, the helicopters manoeuvred through the treacherous mountains of the Kandahar and Zabul Provinces as they have for the past 12 months.
As they touched down at Kandahar Air Field, a waiting fire truck produced a celebratory fountain through which the helicopters taxied on their way to their Afghan pads for the last time.
The fountain was drowned by the storm that had threatened to break throughout the mission as even Mother Nature put on a final show for the Australian helicopters and their crews.
The final mission capped off what has been an incredibly successful deployment for the aviators and their support elements.
Lt-Col Kevin Humphreys, who commanded both the first and last rotations in Kandahar, said the “professionalism and work ethic of the men and women of the Chinook detachment has earned the respect and admiration of our coalition partners”.
“Our aircrew, support personnel and aircraft are world class and second to none, they have proved this time and time again.
Pound for pound we have flown more missions than our coalition partners, carried more material and personnel,” he said.
He said the monumental achievement was a result of the close working relationships with the US Army Aviation Task Force and other International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) coalition partners.
“By plugging into a larger force, we achieve economies of scale unobtainable if we had gone it alone,” he said.
The fact that the Task Force experienced no major incidents or accidents is testament to the professionalism of the 300 personnel who deployed over the 12 months that the detachment supported the NATO mission to help build a stable and secure Afghanistan.
The environment in which the Task Group operated was high threat, not only from the Taliban, but the treacherous weather and landscape in which it had to operate.
“Of course the Taliban was a threat, but the environment was definitely a far greater one. Flying in Afghanistan tests pilots, machines and maintenance crews, a test which the Task Group passed with flying colours,” Lt-Col Humphreys said.
Initially operating as part of the US Army Task Force Knighthawk, the Australians were present for the transfer of authority to NATO and have operated since as part of the ISAF.
Once the storm had passed, the final mission was celebrated with a “podium style” showering of champagne (in this case, the non-alcoholic variety).
With the flying over, the Technical Support Troop wasted no time “tearing down” the birds in preparation for their return to Australia and their home base in Townsville. Working in 12-hour shifts, the Troop dismantled the medium-lift helicopters which, like giant mechano sets, store the majority of their dismantled components inside their own cargo areas.
The Chinooks returned to Australia on a pair of US Air Force C17s and will undergo deep maintenance before being ready for future missions.
“Our coalition partners treated us as one of their own. We have some unique capabilities and experience, and we were regularly in command of our combined missions. They trusted our decisions, abilities, and methods,” Lt-Col Humphreys said.
“Our tasks covered the full spectrum of operations from combat service support delivering beans and bullets, through to combat missions that assaulted enemy compounds. The statistics speak for themselves – everyone involved in the Task Group and the people who supported them personally and professionally, should be proud of the sensational achievements of a relatively small force.”
Most of the detachment’s members arrived back in Townsville on April 8.
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All present: The members of 1RTF assemble with their equipment for a photo before heading home from southern Afghanistan after a job well done.
Photo by Capt Lachlan Simond |
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Friendly smile: Pte John Fillingham, 7RAR, makes friends with an Afghan child.
Photo by Capt Lachlan Simond |
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A force for good
By Capt Haydn Barlow
SOLDIERS of 1RTF have handed responsibility for reconstruction efforts in Oruzgan province to a new rotation of troops.
The Task Force’s first commander, Lt-Col Mick Ryan, passed the reins to a fellow engineer, Lt-Col Harry Jarvie, earlier this month after an extraordinary experience leading this important mission.
The ADF’s commander in the Middle East, Brig Mick Crane congratulated 1RTF on a job well done.
“When they entered the MEAO in September 2006, they confronted a daunting range of tasks,” Brig Crane said.
“Before they could commence operations, they had to establish themselves in an austere forward operating base. They also had to develop a working relationship with a new partner, The Netherlands, and form an understanding of the International Security Assistance Force environment in which they would be working.
“Only then would they be free to focus on the complex engineering reconstruction missions assigned to them.
“The men and women of the RTF succeeded magnificently in these endeavours, they quickly came to grips with their surroundings and learned to work with their Dutch counterparts.”
He said before they were fully settled, they had already established a Trade Training School for Afghans, which continued to generate a skilled workforce for the local economy and was now housed in a purpose-designed facility.
“They built trust in the villages of Oruzgan with their Backyard Blitz approach to quick impact projects. And they delivered a range of more complex engineering works while initiating others for their successors to complete.
“They have been outstanding ambassadors for Australia and have made a key contribution to restoring security and stability in Afghanistan.”
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