Our weekend warriors

BY RACHEL TAYLOR

New Zealand soldiers play a key role on the international stage. For many, it all begins with territorial training in their home towns.

It's drizzling. A light mist is rising off hills ringing with early-morning bird song. The bush on either side is hanging with damp foliage and the ground is soggy.

Muddy boots tramp in single file up the steep track.

It is slippery and not easy to manoeuvre wearing a pack, a utility belt strapped to the waist, and one hand carrying a weapon.

But everybody is sure-footed and no-one slips.

Up ahead, a fist is raised.

Everything stops.

Somebody moves up to find out what the problem is.

While the officers discuss options in whispered tones, the rest of the party disappears silently into the bush on either side of the track.

A minute passes. Nothing happens.

The hand goes up again, a beckoning motion is made, and the sentinels reappear, continuing their ascent.

It's a Saturday morning in September, and the South Canterbury 7th platoon is on a weekend training exercise.

They are joined by soldiers from the North Canterbury platoon.

Gunns Bush, usually Department of Conservation land, is today a simulated training ground for the Solomon Islands arena.

Second Lieutenant Brad Cottam breaks the silence.

"This is pretty much exactly what it's like there, wet bush. Except it's not this cold."

New Zealand's military history in the Solomon Islands is a long one, and since the inception of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (Ramsi) in 2003, there has been a 44-strong platoon on the ground.

They volunteer for the four-month rotations, working alongside soldiers and police from Australia, Fiji, Tonga and Papua New Guinea, to assist with security and stability in the Solomons' fragile political climate.

And they are good at it.

New Zealand soldiers interact with the communities they protect, forming pragmatic relationships with the people who live there.

And not just in the Solomons.

It has been the same in other conflicts the New Zealand Defence Force has played a part in, like Bougainville, East Timor, and now in Afghanistan.

These men and women are motivated by the thought of representing their country.

"We get to rock out the uniform and represent the country every day. That's pretty awesome," Second Lieutenant Cottam says.

"The All Blacks only do it once a week."

This is what they are training for, in the rain, on a cold morning in Gunns Bush.

The top of the track opens out into a clearing.

Someone near the front raises the alarm, and soldiers throw themselves on the ground shouting "Front!", while others behind them move back in line with the bush, weapons cocked and ready to engage with the invisible enemy.

This is the first part of the drill on reacting to enemy fire, Second Lieutenant Cottam says.

The second part is to locate the enemy and engage in a firefight, the aim being to see them and engage them before they see you.

Men with more experience move around, repositioning some of the other men, explaining how to use the tree line for cover, and how to crawl and keep your weapon ready to fire.

"It's about concealment, or seeing the enemy first", Second Lieutenant Cottam says.

"There's a saying in the army, `No plan ever survives contact'. That's where a lot of skills come into play."

He grins.

"Assaults are quite emotionally charged. There's lots of swearing.

"We practise for any situation that we might encounter anywhere, ever."

The drill lasts for about 15 minutes, and then everyone gets up and takes off their packs.

The ground in the clearing resembles a marsh.

Matted grass sinks down and sucks back as soldiers stride across it to the various training exercises.

There are three main posts and people break off into groups: first aid in the field, obstacle crossing, and capturing a prisoner of war.

There are two groups separate to this, one involving the new recruits in weapons training, and another giving the officers practical instruction on how to analyse a mission and write up a set of orders.

Private Dan Heather teaches the new recruits how to check their Steyr assault rifles or C9 light machine guns to see whether the safety is engaged, and drills them, over and over, and over, on checking to see whether there is a magazine or a round in the chamber.

"The most important thing we do is weapons safety training," Second Lieutenant Cottam says.

"We spend a whole week on this. The last thing we want is an unauthorised discharge."

The first-aid lesson is focusing on buddy aid. Lance Corporal Honor Preston, the only woman present at this exercise, is teaching everyone how to perform first aid when there is a life-threatening wound that has to be dealt with immediately.

The example is when a hand is blown off in an explosion.

Private Jason Hayman is standing in front of the group with a round, red, plastic prosthetic stump attached to his arm, which is dripping fake blood.

Lance Corporal Preston outlines wound compression, bandaging, and how and where to apply a tourniquet.

Everyone breaks off into pairs to practise wrapping their buddy's hand in an Israeli pressure bandage, with mixed results. For some, field dressings are not straightforward.

The next instruction is on hypothermia, a very real threat and something many of those present have experienced.

Lesson over, and the group rotates with those who have been obstacle crossing.

The "obstacle" is not the river itself, but leaving the safety of the bush cover in order to cross it.

Corporal Steven Pye explains the fundamentals of how to cross, while checking lines of sight up and down river so as not to get shot by some concealed enemy while crossing.

Then they come across, one at a time.

Having crossed successfully, they move on to tracking and capturing a prisoner of war.

The soldiers are familiar with effective methods of detention, how to disable their captive, how to search them, what items to take away and what they are legally required to leave.

They are also practised in how to position themselves during this so as to shoot the POW if he poses a threat to their lives, without shooting each other.

Now hiding somewhere in the bush is Corporal Tim Rae, the POW.

The soldiers start the search. It has the potential to get heated and vicious.

As they move up the track, they are told that if they hear the word "rugby" they are to stop whatever it is they are doing immediately, because they are using too much force. This is just an exercise.

"As much of our practice is as real as possible – scoping a dude so that it's not weird, shooting and killing – this is so that when we get into a combat situation for real, nobody bats an eyelid," Second Lieutenant Cottam says.

When the exercise is over for this group they sit, talking and joking together on some relatively dry ground.

"Timaru is a solid unit. Our guys have been together for a long time. I'm the second-least experienced, and I've been here for three years. The garrison helps with that too. It helps with bonding," Second Lieutenant Cottam says.

Section commander Lance Corporal Paul Godden agrees.

"There is a big diversity of people – teachers, plumbers, electricians. The 7th platoon is a good, close-knit group of people and they socialise outside the army as well," he said.

Lance Corporal Godden is a prime example of the kind of man you find in the territorial forces – one of life's good guys.

Where other men have smeared their hands and faces haphazardly in the greasy war paint, Lance Corporal Godden has applied his in a recognisably camo pattern, suggesting he is a patient man who pays attention to the details.

Early on in his life, Lance Corporal Godden wanted to join the regular forces.

"I was accepted, but they weren't taking people and I had to wait for a slot. I never really got in, so I went overseas."

He spent 10 years with the Royal Marine Reserves before returning to New Zealand in 2001 and enlisting here.

"In the Territorials we do a lot of productive training. We have all got to do 20 days a year to become efficient. We do a battle efficiency test, a pack march, a swim test, the assault course at Waiouru, and weapons qualifications every 18 months."

Lance Corporal Godden is a source of pride for the South Canterbury 7th platoon, coming second in the annual army shooting contest, aggravating the natural rivalry between the territorial and regular forces.

"Every year we have a shooting competition and I got a marksman's badge.

"We shot with the Steyr the first time, and the second time carrying a machine gun."

The contest starts at 600 metres, shooting at a pop-up target, before moving forward to the 500m mark, where the target pops up again, and so on to 50m.

"It's testing your fitness and skill with the weapon, loading and unloading. I really enjoyed that."

In his civilian life he is a plumber, and his employer benefits from the training Lance Corporal Godden receives in the army.

"As a lance corporal, I went on a junior non-commissioned officers' course, which taught me how to teach people.

"I can take the apprentices and train them easily. The army has ways of instructing things you can use on civvy street.

"I met the best man at my wedding, Lee Tindal, who was in the Solomons, in the Territorials. You form friendships that last forever. That's how I've met all my friends."

He married Dawn a year ago, and they are expecting their first child. Dawn has also spent time in the territorial forces and doesn't mind sharing her husband with the army.

Lance Corporal Godden volunteered for duty in the Solomons before they met, spending 4 1/2 months there in 2006.

"Our job was to assist the local government in keeping the rule of law, backing up the local police so militant factions can't come back into town.

"It's not a very stable country. There are lots of factions who want power. There was a load of rioting in 2006, but the Solomons was pretty cool."

Sitting in the grass is another Solomon Islands veteran, Private David Bay, who says people should put aside preconceived ideas when thinking about the Territorials.

"It's a good experience, and if anyone wants to come along and try it out, they should come along."

It is after 2pm before the last group finishes tracking the POW. The equipment is put away and packs are hoisted on to backs.

Wet, tired and happy, the soldiers start the slippery climb back down the track to the waiting unimogs.

The rest of the afternoon will be spent preparing for tomorrow's tactical training exercises.

- © Fairfax NZ News