Surrounded by soldiers

By Corporal Cameron Jamieson

At Camp Smitty in south-east Iraq there are just three members of Air Force assigned to the 450-strong Al Muthanna Task Group. From left: FLTLT Daniel Armstrong, FLTLT Prudence Buckton and SGT Paul Garfath.

Photo by CPL Cameron Jamieson

MANY things in Iraq can test your sense of humour. There’s the 50 degree heat, the sandstorms and the basic food. Then there are all the soldiers – hundreds of them.

For three Canberra-based Air Force personnel, the reality of serving with the Australian and British soldiers assigned to the Al Muthanna province in southern Iraq is not quite what they expected when they enlisted.

But like all good Service personnel they have approached the situation with good humour and have found the experience enjoyable, except perhaps for the heat.

The communications and information systems specialists have been assigned to the Al Muthanna Task Group (AMTG), the 450-strong cavalry and infantry combined-arms unit sent to southern Iraq as part of Operation Catalyst.

The AMTG shares Camp Smitty, located near the Euphrates River city of As Samawah, with the British Army’s The Light Dragoons, and together they make up Task Force Eagle, the Coalition group assigned to assist the Iraqi security forces in the Al Muthanna province.

Flight Lieutenant Prudence Buckton said it was great to be out of her office and in a field environment.

“I’m surrounded by people from different countries, specialties and backgrounds,” she said. “We work pretty closely with the British, and since we got over the language barrier of them talking English and us talking Australian, it’s been a great experience.”

Sergeant Paul Garfath said he found translating the Army language into Air Force words was his first big challenge, but he enjoyed the minor comforts available that made life easier on the base.

“It’s certainly very different here,” he said. “I’ve had to get used to the Army way of doing things. While it is a joint-service environment, there is the Army paperwork and regimental appointments, such as adjutants, to deal with.

“But the air conditioning makes life easier, and there are some basics shops where you can buy a cold drink. We have a welfare tent to relax in, or you can hang out in your room, which is thankfully air conditioned too.”

For Flight Lieutenant Daniel Armstrong, the opportunity to work in a real-time environment has been a career highlight.

“You can see the results of your work,” he said. “At home we do a lot of exercises, but here our work impacts directly on the operations being conducted, and that’s been very satisfying.”

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