Duty in a land full of danger

WHEN Sean Bateson flies out to Iraq early next month, it will be his second tour of duty in the country in less than a year.

Kingsman Bateson - Kingsman is a rank equivalent to Private - only returned to the UK in April following a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.

Now he is to return with his unit, the Catterick-based 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

"I volunteered to go back again," he said. "I enjoyed it last time!"

That was despite at one point being ambushed by Iraqi insurgents just north of Basra.

The 19-year-old was with a convoy of armoured Land Rovers late at night when machine guns opened fire.

Bullets slammed into the lead vehicle, and a rocket-propelled grenade also went off with a huge bang.

The British soldiers returned fire. Fortunately, no-one was injured - and it was the only serious action Kingsman Bateson saw during that first tour of duty.

But it does indicate the dangers that the 5,500 soldiers from the Catterick-based 19 Light Brigade who will be flying out to Iraq in the next few weeks will face.

The Catterick soldiers will be in southern Iraq, in Maysaan and Basra provinces, which are traditionally less volatile than US-controlled northern and central Iraq.

Just how dangerous the situation is in US-controlled parts of the country were revealed yesterday, however, when the Los Angeles Times claimed a new report due out next year may recommend the large-scale withdrawal of US troops from the country.

Seven American troops died in fighting on Sunday, raising the US toll to 58 killed in the first two weeks of October.

A roadside bomb in a city west of Baghdad killed five Iraqi soldiers on Monday, as US troops helped Iraqi security forces contain sectarian fighting in Balad that has killed close to 100 people.

The bomb struck the soldiers' convoy as they were passing through Karmah, 50 miles west of Baghdad. Iraqi deaths also are running at a high rate. According to an Associated Press count, 708 Iraqis have been reported killed in war-related violence this month.

Last week, the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said British troops should come home from Iraq within two years.

He warned that the Army could "break" if British soldiers were kept too long in Iraq.

"I want an Army in five years time and ten years time. Don't let's break it on this one. Let's keep an eye on time," he said.

Sir Richard had previously warned that the continuing presence of British troops "exacerbates the security problems" in Iraq.

"But that is not a reason for us to leave," he said. "I'm a soldier - we don't do surrender, we don't pull down white flags. We will remain in southern Iraq until the job is done - we're going to see this through."

Brigadier Tim Evans, commander of 19 Light Brigade, stressed yesterday that it would be "morally wrong" if British troops were to pull out of Iraq before peace and security had been restored.

He said the majority of Iraqis in southern Iraq welcomed the presence of British troops. The soldiers' job would be to join with the Iraqi army, police and customs in ensuring stability and security in the region, with the aim of ultimately handing over control to the Iraqi government.

"This is an interesting time in Iraq," he said. "The Iraqi authorities have already taken over responsibility for security of two of the four provinces in south east Iraq, Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar. We will be working alongside the Iraqi security forces with the aim of handing over control of Maysaan and then Basra to Provincial Iraqi control."

Kingsman Bates is single - but will be leaving a father and brother behind in the UK.

So how do they feel about him returning for a second, potentially dangerous, tour of Iraq so soon?

"They are really proud," he said.

"You never know what is going to happen"

IT is frightening for Corporal Michael Doherty to think he will be in Iraq next month. But he is excited as well.

Cpl Doherty, 28, from Strensall, York, has had a year to get used to the fact he will join his colleagues in Iraq and has spent six months training for it.

Some of the younger boys in his unit - Ist Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment - are definitely scared, he admits, and it has been a team effort to make sure everybody keeps their chin up.

This is his 12th year in the Army, but he knows nothing will prepare him for what he will see there.

"I've spent time in Bosnia and Sierra Leone and Ireland, but everywhere is different with completely different cultures," he said.

"I find it quite interesting to be honest. I found the poverty in Sierra Leone quite hard, but it will be completely different to Iraq."

The first and last patrols will be the worst, he expects.

"The first because you never know what's going to happen and the last because you just want to get home safely," he said.

"You can only prepare yourself so much in the UK. You never really know what's going to happen."

Cpl Doherty expects to spend seven-and-a-half months in Iraq. His wife, Sgt Leona Doherty of the Royal Army Medical Corps, has just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. She worked in the operating theatres and saw how frightening it can be.

Naturally, she is worried about him.

"She saw everything that came in and she knows exactly what goes on because she saw people come in through the surgery doors," he said.

"But then I suppose it's the same as anywhere else I've been. I have to get on with the job; it's what I get paid to do."

Cpl Doherty knows he will miss his wife and their two-year-old daughter, Faye. Quite possibly, he will miss the birth of their second child in March. But he lives day to day.

"I try not to worry about that at the moment," he said. "When I get down when I'm away I go for a run or go to the gym.

"It's really hard being away from home."

His tour of duty will mean he misses Christmas. But he has two weeks leave in January. "We'll have a late Christmas when I get back on leave," he said. "Without a doubt."

News of posting was no surprise

THE 19 Light Brigade includes units from across the country: among them the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (formerly the Prince Of Wales's Own) which recruits in York and North Yorkshire.

The soldiers will be taking over from 20 Armoured Brigade and will spend six-and-a-half months in Iraq, returning on June 1 next year. Yesterday's announcement that they are to be deployed to Iraq came as no shock.

"We were warned for operations over nine months ago and have spent the last six months preparing ourselves for the demanding tasks ahead," said Brigade Commander, Brigadier Tim Evans.

That training included preparation for counter-insurgency and peacekeeping operations, as well as reconstruction, and training of Iraqi security services.

Parts of Catterick garrison itself were used to enable soldiers to practice their urban patrolling skills, and there were major training exercises on Salisbury plain in June and September.

Every effort will be made to enable families at home in Yorkshire to remain in touch with their loved ones, however.

British troops serving overseas get 20 minutes of free calls a week over secure satellite telephones. Families can also keep in touch with loved ones serving in Iraq via the internet and email, and by post. "Blueys" - special blue airmail letters - can be sent free of charge from UK post offices, and take between four to six days to arrive. Electronic blueys can also be sent free over the internet using a special address.

All families get a special guide - Panther's Pride - advising them how to keep in touch.

Soldiers on tour in Iraq will get 12 days of leave at home during the six months, with two days travelling time.

Most of the troops have been given a couple of weeks leave, and will then be flying out to Iraq in early to mid November.

They will take with them the latest equipment and vehicles, including the new Bulldog armoured fighting vehicle and the Mastiff six-wheeled patrol vehicle.

Will I be up to the job?

Captain Ollie Pile, of the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, will be serving with Brigade staff in Basra.

His girlfriend isn't too thrilled at the prospect of him being away for Christmas, he admitted. "I would like to spend time with my family and my girlfriend at Christmas," the 31-year-old said. "But we need to make the best of it. She understands."

Christmas in Iraq will be "dry", he says, with no alcohol, but that doesn't mean the troops will have no fun.

"Decorations will go up, there will be Christmas cards from the family. We'll be able to have a laugh."

There is, inevitably, a risk in any tour of duty to Iraq, Capt Pile said. Is he afraid of what faces him?

"From a personal perspective, it is whether I will cut the mustard," he said. "Will I be up to the job? That's my greatest fear."

There to maintain the peace

GARY Smith admits he doesn't know what to expect of his six-and-a-half month tour of duty.

"I'm just expecting the normal patrols," the 20-year-old, who holds the rank of Kingsman (private) in the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment said. "But I'm excited. This is what we've been trained up for."

With no wife or children left behind at home, he is not too upset at the prospect of spending Christmas in Iraq. His two weeks leave fall in March when he will be celebrating his 21st birthday.

"So I can't complain about that!"

"We expect to get a decent welcome. We're there maintaining the peace."