E85 - Personal Stories: Afghanistan - Part 3 - Out on Patrol!

One of the most interesting aspects of my tour in Afghanistan was the opportunity to get outside the base perimeter and patrol with the Royal Air Force Regiment.  

This wasn't just gratuitous on my part.  I believe passionately that leading by example is crucial as a commander and I needed to put some "skin in the game" alongside those that I was asking to take very significant risks.  I also needed to conduct key leader engagement with local tribal elders and so roughly every 2 weeks I would go out on a patrol, mostly by day but occasionally by night as well.

In this episode, I seek to give you a flavour of what those patrols were like by describing the process that we went through to get ready, the equipment we carried and some of the missions we would conduct.  I could discuss this topic for many hours but I hope this short session gives you at least a feel for what it was like to be out amongst the population in the surrounds of Kandahar Airfield.

Do please let me have your feedback; I would be fascinated to know if you want more detail on this type of topic or whether I have already said too much!