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NDJ-E01-S2

The Journal Thursday July 28, 2011 33

Toni is helping to take on the Taliban

LIFE in Afghanistan is slightly tougher for Toni Scoins than most. As well as being away from her family for six months, Sergeant Scoins is one of only two women serving in Afghanistan with Chivenors 24 Commando Engineer Regiment. And as the only women from the regiment based in Camp Bastion, life can be quite lonely for Sgt Scoins. The 31-year-old told the Jour nal: I turned up here on the first day and had no idea what to do or where to go. I had to share all the facilities with boys for the first month, which was a bit weird. When you join the Army as a girl, you expect to be in a minority . But there are no other women around, which I really ters and admin issues. One of the favourite parts of her job is collecting the post and rifling through the abundance of warm-hearted messages sent from home. She said: I can sometimes collect up to 100 parcels per day for the engineer group. You think youre not that supported as the armed forces. But then you come out here and the amount of cards and packages we receive from normal people is amazing. There are cards which just say things such as to a hero, which is so nice, especially as people have spent their own money on it. Having enlisted in the Army in 2002, Sgt Scoins has served in Cyprus and Iraq, which she says are starkly different from Afghanistan. She said: It is a lot more intense here in Afghanistan. For a start, there have been more deaths and we work much longer hours. People seem a bit more miserable, but I think its because some people are on their third or fourth tour now, which is getting harder and harder on the families. To bring some normality into her life, Sgt Scoins goes to the gym and for a hot chocolate each day at the camp caf. She has also made friends with some women from different regiments one of whom is back in Afghanistan just six months after giving birth. Sgt Scoinss mum Margaret Scoins lives in Bideford. Her brother Peter Taylor and sister Gillian Webber both live in Roundswell.

Injured medic aims for more front line duty

I IN THE MINORITY: Sgt Toni Scoins is one of only two women. miss. I am just looking forward to wearing normal clothes and having some girl company . The former Pilton Community College student from Barnstaple, who now lives in East-the-Water, Bideford, is the regiments clerk. Within her role, Sgt Scoins deals mainly with finance mat-

Handover time for marines

THE imminent hand over from ISAF to Afghan security forces is one of the most talked-about parts of the Afghanistan conflict. Journal reporter Steph Cockroft spends time with Chivenor troops who are playing a pivotal role in this transition.
THE security of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province and the centre of UK operations in Afghanistan, has now been handed over to the Afghan government. The landmark move is a significant and strategic step, which will pave the way for the start of ISAFs disengagement from the war. But the success of the move will largely depend on the capabilities of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. Which is why the role of Chivenor troops, who are mentoring soldiers from the Afghan National Army, is so vital. It is the job of Major Dave Miller to train the Afghan soldiers in all areas of logistics, from transport to communication, in a bid to reflect the role carried out in Afghanistan by Chivenors Commando Logistic Regiment. Major Miller said: This mentoring has become a very important part of why we are here in Afghanistan, as it was in Iraq. The spotlight is on progressing. It is hard work but it is essential it is carried out. Major Miller heads up the Combat Service Support Kandak Advisory Team of the Brigade Advisory Group. The majority of his team is from Chivenor. Camp Shorabak, where the training takes place, is worlds away from the fighting, gunfire and front-line action associated with the war in Afghanistan. It is home to about 2,000 Afghan soldiers, who are being trained in everything from infantry to engineering. And the Chivenor marines, most of whom have never mentored before, say it is the understanding of the basic cultural differences which is the key to the success. Corporal Duncan Potts, 23, who grew up near Eggesford, said: It was certainly a learning curve when we started. It is still frustrating at times and you have to be really patient. For example, the soldiers will stop and have lunch wherever they are, regardless of whether they are in the middle of a patrol. There is also the language barrier and the heavy reliance on the quality of the translator. But it is just the cultural differences. I see the way Lashkar Gah has changed since Herrick 9, when insurgents had complete freedom of movement, and hope it can spread out elsewhere. Corporal Dave Green, who lives with his wife Wanda and two children in Landkey, has the job of teaching the ANA to use sophisticated communications, rather than mobile phones, which are easily intercepted. He said: Thats all they know at the moment, so it is a real challenge. But I am really enjoying it and I feel like I am making a difference. The Chivenor troops say signs of progression are evident since the start of their tour in March. As we drive along Highway 1, a ring road linking the major cities in Afghanistan, Captain Tim Howard highlights how the Afghan-manned checkpoints have improved the safety of the route. For the first month, Chivenor troops had to patrol the route, alongside the ANA. Now, the ANA has taken complete responsibility . And the main aim of running joint vehicle convoys between the ANA and Chivenor troops, which deliver essential goods throughout Helmand province, has already been achieved. The ANA now conduct patrols on its own. Acting Corporal Al Hardwick, 27, who is married to West Buckland woman Karen Passmore, said: Although the ANA can be really frustrating, we have made good progress in

I DETERMINED: Medic Krystle Sharratt. A MEDIC who continued patrolling for three days with a broken foot says she is desperate to return to frontline action in Afghanistan. Krystle Sharratt, 27, a medic with Chivenors Commando Logistic Regiment, broke her foot two-and-a-half weeks after joining patrols with 4 Scots, as the designated medic. After two frustrating months at home, MA Sharratt returned to Camp Bastion this week, determined to carry on her vital role. She has since found out her foot is still broken and is unlikely to be allowed out into the field for at least another month. She said: Its so frustrating. I was at home for eight weeks and all I wanted was to be back here. If I dont go back out, I feel like Im seeing off the other medics. The patrols are getting much tougher and I want to help. At med squadron, we are all one big family I want to start and finish together. Not realising she had broken her foot, MA Sharratt continued patrolling, carrying heavy equipment and taking part in arduous patrols. She took part in patrols with 4 Scots through the green zone, including wading through water-filled trenches, climbing walls and yomping for up to five hours at a time. This was all done while carrying more than 40lbs worth of equipment well over half her body weight. She said: I never thought in a million years I would be sent back to the UK. I had prepared for such a long time to come out here and I wanted to do a good job. MA Sharratt did not have any casualties to deal with and spent most of the time dealing with hygiene issues and coughs and colds. But she said the 22 men she was with took her under their wing straight away . She said: The biggest thing I was worried about was fitting in, especially being the only girl, as well as the only medic. But all those things went away on the first day They . made me feel so welcome. Medics are important for their well-being and the guys know that.

I LOGISTIC CHALLENGE: Major Dave Miller briefs soldiers in the Afghan National Army. what we have done and it feels good to play a big part. When you look back from the start of the tour, there are definitely month-to-month improvements. The frustrations felt by the hardworking men are mainly in relation to the speed of the progress. Cpl Potts claims as much is achieved in a month in Afghanistan as a year in the UK, largely due to cultural differences. Maj Miller said many of the ANA will obey Ramadan during August, which is likely to wipe out a month of work. Time is the issue which is being pushed by politicians, who want to achieve complete withdrawal of troops by 2014. And once the mentoring is complete, there are still hurdles which will be difficult to overcome such as the huge gap in resources between ISAF and ANA forces. Maj Miller said one of the biggest hurdles is medicine, with the ANA currently unable to carry out medical evacuations by air. Troops also feel a crisis of conscience when the ANA turn up for patrols in nothing more than a work-style truck, compared to the almost IED-proof vehicles used habitually by British forces.

I TEACHING ROLE: Lance Corporal Artyom Jackson and Sergeant Trevor Michael are passing on their experience to Afghan troops. Complications have further arisen from a small number of tragic incidents over the past five years, in which Afghan soldiers have opened fire on foreign troops. This weekend, Lance Corporal Paul Watkins from 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Waless) was shot dead in Helmand province while on a routine patrol with the advisory team. Investigations as to whether he was shot by an ANA soldier are now taking place. At Patrol Base Jahan Zeb, the Journal also caught up with two soldiers from 24 Commando Engineer Regiment, also based at Chivenor, who have been pulled away from their core group to train the ANA in engineering. Lance Corporal Artyom Jackson, a brigade advisory group engineer, said the Afghans were brilliant engineers to start with, but were difficult to motivate. And Sergeant Trevor Michael, a recce sergeant from Fremington, is training the ANAs route clearance team, which will become the Afghan equivalent of the UKs talisman. He said they will start doing their own clearance in September, which he said was a landmark move. He said: The bottom line is, the faster we mentor them, the quicker we are out of here.