Home support takes the sting out of a desert deployment

By CPL Cameron Jamieson

CPL Sacha Leschinski.

FOR Air Force logistician Corporal Sascha Leschinski, the flat, lifeless sands of the Middle East are a long way from the lawns of home.

Yet life in this harsh landscape can be agreeable and rewarding, especially if you have a secret weapon – a boyfriend named Paul.

After 10 years’ service she has finally been deployed on an overseas operation, an opportunity she is grateful for. Her temporary home is a sprawling collection of tents and portable buildings in the Middle East.


It is here that the troops of the Al Muthanna Task Group assembled before to moving into Iraq.

Life at Camp Virginia is basic, but the pace of her job leaves her with little time to worry about a social life anyway.

“It means that all the training I’ve done is being put to good use,” she says.
“Everything that transits in and out of [the] country goes through us.”
“It’s a fairly busy job – somebody is always waiting for something to be delivered.

“It’s also very challenging because there are a lot of different people and personalities to deal with.
“But you also get to meet a lot of interesting people, which allows you to develop on a personal level.”

But like any job, there needs to be a balance between your work and your personal life, and this is where CPL Leschinski’s secret weapon comes into play.

Modern telecommunications make regular telephone calls home a possibility, despite the remoteness of Camp Virginia.
This allows her to talk to her partner, Squadron Leader Paul Saker, who by all accounts must be the secret weapon of the century.

“Paul is fantastic,” she says. “He sends me parcels every fortnight.

“We try to talk on a daily basis, but he understands if I can’t ring.

“However, the most important thing is that when I do ring up he’s always in a good mood – he’s always happy to hear from me regardless of whether he’s had a bad day or not.

“He always makes me feel like my day’s been special, and that’s a bonus.”

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