British Army units routinely deploy to the Falklands for six weeks at a time, maintaining an Army presence on the islands. This force, commonly known by its acronym 'The RIC' (phonetically: 'The Rick'), carries out patrols and other military duties at various bases across the Falklands.
While undertaking a live-firing training exercise at Onion Ranges, East Falkland, Major Andrew Roe, Officer Commanding C Company, said:
"We are down here meeting the operational commitment which the Falkland Islands asks us to meet, which is essentially a whole series of individual tasks, such as a quick reaction force, patrols and training for any tasks that we might be asked to fulfil at any time while we are down here."
Being deployed to the Falklands offers soldiers good training opportunities as Major Roe explained:
"I think it is superb. Onion Ranges is a truly terrific facility. We have our own camp here that we are using as a mock patrol base. We can use all the natures of ammunition out here on the range and we can do pretty much everything here on this range that we would do on operations. I can really move the company around and achieve some first-class training.
"It's a great place to be and particularly demanding. It has four seasons in one hour, you can go from rain to sun to sleet in 30 seconds, so the weather conditions make it particularly tough for the soldiers but they're rising to the challenge."
For Private Filimone Lacanivalu, aged 29, from Fiji, being deployed to the Falklands was a rare opportunity to see the terrain where one of his family members served in the 1982 conflict. Private Lacanivalu's uncle, Amani Ratini, was a corporal serving in 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment:
"He told me this was his most demanding tour, because of the landscape, the terrain, the weather," said Private Lacanivalu.
"He told me you get four seasons in one day here - and you do. Being here has made me realise just how hard it was for him. It was a sad time for him - he saw so many of his mates killed."
But Private Lacanivalu added: "He is still fit and does his PT [Physical Training] every day now [back home in Fiji]."
Sergeant David Lightfoot, the Platoon Sergeant of 10 Platoon C Company 2 YORKS, said: "It's been good to come out here, my first time on the Falklands. When the invasion went ahead, in 1982, it was my fourth birthday. We had a tour of Mount Longdon the other day - the lads in my platoon are pretty cheeky and have a lot to say for themselves, but that day they were all quiet, humbled, thinking about what the guys must have gone through in 1982."
He also reflected on his recent operational tour in Helmand province. After revealing that his team had endured 89 'troops in contact' (or enemy contacts) in just over four months, including mortar attacks and grenade launchers being fired at his base, Sergeant Lightfoot swiftly added:
"I would go back tomorrow. Our role was to mentor the ANA [Afghan National Army] and get them to stand on their own two feet. They were very proud and very grateful people."
He recalled incidents when his team was involved in saving the lives of local civilians: "This guy had been shot at a local wedding - they all fire up into the air and what goes up must come down. An accident, but he was shot through the chest. We also had young kids who'd been badly injured while playing with a rocket propelled grenade. We had our trauma kit, so we dealt with the casualty as best we could and then called for helicopters to extract them to the [military] hospital at Camp Bastion. They all survived. We would give them the aftercare treatment, because we were able to change their dressings, things like that. They were very grateful for all that."
"The best bit about it all was the guys you are with - it is just a big band of brothers. As a platoon sergeant, you go through everything. You have to look after them all - and they are all characters!
"I've been in the Army for 12 years and to actually have our first war fighting role, it's a long time to put all your basic drills and skills into action. Afghanistan was a real eye opener, from skills and drills to the people, as I said I would go back tomorrow. It was a very good experience."
The Yorkshire Regiment was formed in June 2006, with the amalgamation of three infantry regiments. One was The Green Howards. The new regiment has four battalions, known as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions. The name 'The Green Howards' lives on in the full title of the 2nd Battalion - full name 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards).
2 YORKS returned from their six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in April 2008, operating in difficult, austere conditions 'on the front line' in Helmand province. The soldiers of 2 YORKS were spread across the province, including in Gereshk, Lashkar Gar and Kajaki.
The battalion, which recruits its soldiers from across Yorkshire and the North East, is based at Weeton Barracks near Blackpool.
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