Paderborn Blog

10/04/12

Working with a brigade as they deploy you really go through a mixture of emotions and as impartial and distanced you try to stay as a reporter it’s hard not to feel involved sometimes. From the forces families that I have been lucky enough to meet or work with I’ve seen the ups and downs of a six month tour but now with many soldiers starting to return to Germany it will be fantastic to be there for the homecomings and medal parades.

35 Engineer Regiment were the first to go through this process but over the next few weeks I hope to be there for every medal parade and at least one homecoming for all the units of 20 Brigade. From the homecomings I’ve filmed already, it really its something special to witness and as someone who doesn’t have a loved one in the forces I can only pretend to imagine what it must feel like.

But each homecoming is tinged with the memory of those who don’t come home. The Engineers remember Sapper Elijah Bond who died in December, as other regiments come back to Germany they will pay their own tributes to the soldiers they have lost.

Today the MoD announced the death of Corporal Jack Stanley, from the Queen’s Royal Hussars, who died as a result of wounds caused by an explosion in February. I am thinking of his family and friends, and hoping that the next few weeks will see no more soldiers lose their lives.

01/03/12

Whether or not we’ll admit it, many of us have probably downloaded films, TV shows or songs from dubious sources once upon a time. But after finding out what I have recently, it’s definitely not something I would ever even consider doing in Germany!

This week I’ve been learning about the perils of illegal downloading by interviewing the 35 Engineer Regiment Unit Welfare Officer and the Commander of Army Legal Assistance in Germany. In the UK copyright owners generally don’t pursue those who illegally download material for loss of copyright. But in Germany, an aggressive and thriving group of law firms have sprung up who will track downloads from your IP address and then threaten you with huge fines for loss of copyright, and legal fees.

For families receiving these letters, demanding sums of around 900 euros and written in German, it can be a scary experience. And 35 Engineer regiment in Paderborn, whose partners are currently deployed on Op Herrick 15 have been among those affected. Their Unit Welfare Officer Major Tyke Stevenson was very clear in his advice – go straight to your Unit Welfare Officer and then go straight to Army Legal Assistance in Bielefeld.

The key message for those who do receive these letters is don’t panic and do not sign anything or return any money until you’ve sought legal advice. You may not need to pay anything near the amount these letters demand.

To protect yourself there are several things you can do. Firstly make sure your Internet connection is password protected. There have been cases in Germany of people sitting outside homes with a laptop and using their Wifi to download files – if someone does download from your IP address you are held liable so passwords are a must! Secondly, if you have file-sharing software already on your computer or laptop when you come to Germany make sure it doesn’t make your files available to others. If you downloaded a file legitimately, but then your computer offers it for free to others without you knowing, you are still responsible. The third tip from ALA is to watch what your children are up to online – make sure they know not to download illegally and that they don’t already have file-sharing software on their own computers when they come home for the holidays. Because it’s mums and dads who will have to fork out.

If you have been affected by one of these letters you can contact Army Legal Assistance in Bielefeld on mil 94 881 3191/3196, civilian 0521 9254 3191/3196 or visit the BFG net website: http://www.bfgnet.de/ARMY_LEGAL/Army_Legal_Home.html

17/02/12

The role of a reporter is to make the complicated simple, to draw in lots of random threads surrounding a story and make it concise, clear and easy to understand. But sometimes it’s pretty hard! Last week I visited the team at the Command And Staff Trainer (CAST) and the Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT) in Sennelager. And I won’t lie; it did baffle me quite a bit!

CAST is a huge room of maps, computers and radios, where scenarios are planned out, with Exercise Control playing a massive game where they can throw in a rebel attack, a famine or a flood into any scenario and it’s up to Battlegroup HQ to plan their next move and make the right decisions. Because if they wrongly send their troops down that bridge or across that road, inside exercise world, those moves could be fatal.

I filmed 2nd Battalion The Royal Tank Regiment being put through their paces and seeing the link up between the decisions made in CAST and how they are acted out in the 90 odd simulators of CATT was fascinating. Each solider is playing their own game inside the simulator, acting out the plan their commanders have decided but they are also part of a collective whole and like in real life, armoured vehicles can cross each others paths and meet up in virtual reality world.

For the soldiers I interviewed the simulators were really great because they allowed them to test their thinking and their reactions and also to work with other soldiers from the Battlegroup like 1RRF and 4 RIFLES. Being based in various locations it’s not something they often get to do, so this experience was great.

The 2RTR Battlegroup are in Hybrid Foundation Training at present, before they later move on to Mission Specific Training ahead of their next Afghanistan deployment in 2013. And although inevitably most Army training at present is geared towards the needs of Afghanistan, it seems that the chance to go back to basics and test the reactions of your soldiers to any conflict scenario is vitally important.

I came away from CAST and CATT with a better understanding of how it all works, but also with the realisation that I sadly not a computer wiz and sometimes a basic overview of the technology is best!

http://www.bfbs.com/news/germany/2-rtr-exercise-sennelager-54931.html

14/02/12

Since September last year I have been following two forces families, visiting them once a month to talk about how they are getting on during deployment. During my visits to them I’ve seen their kids playing at home, been to the zoo, the fair and nearly got myself covered in jelly and ice cream. It’s been great.

For someone who doesn’t come from a military background and who had little experience of the forces before I joined BFBS, it’s been an eye opening experience for me and one that I feel extremely privileged to have been part of.

To me, forces families are the bravest people I have ever met. To be able to get through months and months apart from your husband or wife, to be able to pick yourself up on the bad days, keep your kids occupied, run a home and hold down a job whilst worrying about your partner in Afghanistan – I don’t know if I could do it myself.

The thing I most admire about forces families I suppose is their adaptability, the way they just get on with things and cope with whatever life throws at them, when many other families would crumble. It’s also been great to how the confidence of the two wives I have been following has grown whilst their partners are deployed, and how they have proved to themselves that they can manage far more than they thought.

With the recent overnight success of the Military Wives Choir I think that the forces wife has been pushed finally into the public consciousness and I hope it stays that way. For as much as their partners are doing an incredibly brave and crucial role out in Afghanistan, at home their wives have to face battles of their own and they still come out smiling.

http://www.bfbs.com/news/germany/families-during-deployment-54779.html

02/02/12

It was pretty nippy in Meribel this morning! First thing this morning it was minus 17 at the bottom of the mountain and minus 20 something at the top – lets just say the double thermals came out of my suitcase!

Light wise though it was a beautiful clear day, perfect to hold the Telemark Sprint in the stadt here in Chaudanne. The Telemark Sprint – a similar looking event to yesterday’s Telemark Classic but with a slightly shorter gruelling uphill climb to reach the finish line. Yesterday Officer Cadet Anna Morrissey had a bad crash in the loom and was forced to retire from the race, but today she was in fine form, beating off most of the male competitors to come 3rd overall. As the only girl in the Telemark competition this year she did amazingly well and hopefully next year more women will get in involved in the sport.

In the men’s competition it was Major Andrew ‘Nobby’ Clarke who got the hat trick and won his third Telemarking gold. The silver medal went to the Army’s Capt Alex Kealey, a step up from his bronze in the Telemark Classic the day before.

The afternoon saw the Snowboard Slopestyle up in the Moon Park. What I like about the snowboarding events is that because each one requires such different technical skills you can have different forerunners for each, which is what makes them so exciting.

In the women’s category Sgt Sarah Marriott surprised everyone by competing after her crash on Monday when she injured her ribs in the BFBS Border Cross. And considering that she did fantastically well coming second in the forces competition for the Army.

But today was all about the Navy women. In the earlier events this week they didn’t do well at all but today OM Melanie Southern got off to a very good start for the Navy, coming in 3rd overall and her team mate LPT Lucy McKenna taking the top spot with an impressive 71.50 score. She told me she’d only been boarding for a year which is pretty amazing! The Navy team are investing a lot in their female boarders and next year they hope to give the Army a run for their money.

In the men’s title AET Ross Taylor, who won bronze in the Border Cross and Parallel Giant Slalom had a fantastic first run with a score of 86.00, followed by the RAF’s Mark Wecki with 77.25, and the Army’s SSgt John CraIg with 76.75.

Unfortunately the 2nd run of the men’s race was stopped due to bad light this afternoon and at the time of writing this blog we were still waiting for a decision on what would happen with the competition and whether the second race will be held tomorrow. This will also have an impact on whether the Big Air trial event will run, which is something I really want to see so fingers crossed!

Ali

31/01/12

Now you would think snow in the Alps was a good thing. But when it’s on the Day of the downhill, and skiers are supposed to be hurtling down the slopes at speeds of up to 80 miles an hour, it’s not so welcome.

So Day 2 of the 2012 Inter Services Ski and Snowboard competition in Meribel didn’t run exactly to plan. The slope teams made the decision to cancel the downhill this morning as conditions were nowhere near safe enough to run the event. So in the end the event was decided by the qualifying scores on Monday – so Maj Nicky Jordan won the women’s event and Capt Matt Shepard also took gold – both for the Army.

The heavy snow also caused the Telemark Sprint Classic event to be postponed – and fingers crossed, it will now be held tomorrow.

But the one group of people who weren’t put off by today’s weather were the snowboarders who persisted with first their qualifying and then the final for the Parallel Giant Slalom. And what an exciting event it was!

Held under floodlights on the main slope two riders hurtle down the track navigating 20 gates on the way down. And it was a nail-biting competition with a few surprises on the way. In the men’s competition Capt Si Nicholson looked set to repeat his success in the border cross but he was pipped to the post by his fellow Army team-mate, Major Si Gough who took gold in an impressive final race.

In the women’s competition, Flt Lt Lindsay Hind (RAF) also wasn’t able to repeat her success in the BFBS Snowboarder Cross so the lady she beat in yesterday’s competition today took the top spot – Cpl Vicky Fox (Army). It was an extremely lively and fun competition and I’m really looking forward to the Slopestyle Final on Thursday and I’m even more excited about the trialling of the Big Air event on Friday!

Today I also did an interview with a pretty inspirational guy – retired Army Sergeant Mick Brennan. Mick is the lead adaptive skier for the Combined Services Disabled Ski Team and has big hopes for competing in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. And with the way his year’s been going he has a very very good chance. I spoke to him about his hopes for this week’s competition and his very nifty ski which is soon to be upgraded to an even better model. Mick is keen for more injured service personnel to get involved in skiing because as he says, it’s given him back his confidence. I wish Mick all the best for this week and for 2014!

http://www.bfbs.com/news/topics/meribel-2012

30/01/12

I’m writing this blog from Day One of the Inter Services Skiing and Snowboarding competition in Meribel and it’s been a really exciting day!

The competition opened last night with a torch lit opening ceremony at the bottom of the main downhill track, in front of a crowd of dignitaries and sponsors.

Today the competition opened with the BFBS sponsored Snowboarder Cross. And it is such a fantastic event! Unlike the other events in this competition when competitors go down one by one, in the border cross there are four snowboarders racing down the course at any one time which makes it extra exciting.

In the men’s competition the Army’s Capt Si Nicholson was hoping to repeat his success from last year and he got off to a really confident start, alongside his colleague Capt Jim Scott. Both men made it into the final alongside the RAF’s Flt Lt Jude Rushmere and the Navy’s AET Ross Taylor but it was Si Nicholson who took the gold again, with Jude Rushmere taking silver, and Ross Taylor taking bronze.

In the women’s competition last year’s winner Sgt Sarah Marriott looked set to repeat her success for the Army until a nasty crash in the women’s final left her being stretchered down the course. All the best to Sarah and everyone at BFBS is hoping you get well soon. The final therefore was left open but it was the RAF’s Flt Lt Lindsay Hind who took the top spot, winning her first border cross since 2006. In second place was the Army’s Cpl Vicky Fox.

In the Telemark Giant Slalom for the first time ever the RAF have entered a team and although they didn’t score highly this time around, by next year they should be building up a great foundation. The overall winner once again was Maj Nobby Clarke for the Army and he’s hopeful to do well in the other Telemarking events this week.

Tomorrow myself and Jon Knighton will bring you all the latest action from Day 2 in Meribel, including the Alpine Ski Downhill Final and the Telemark Sprint classic.

And to see all the latest news and features check out http://www.bfbs.com/news/topics/sport

27/01/12

Contrary to the start of this month, the last few days have been pretty hectic but that’s what I love about my job – you never know what you are going to be doing next!

On Monday I did a report about 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and their heavy weapons training on the Sennelager ranges.
http://www.bfbs.com/news/germany/heavy-weapons-training-2rrf-54341.html
It was a pretty miserable day when I filmed this and hence I look like a drowned rat in my piece to camera but it was also pretty fun. I’ve never seen that kind of firepower close up before so it was pretty impressive, expecially seeing the way the soldiers work as teams, directing each others fire to make sure it’s on target. 2RRF are also interesting because the battalion are in a state of change at present, as they will soon leave Germany to take up the Theatre Reserve Battalion role in Cyprus. I’m sure many of them will welcome the warmer temperatures but it’s an extremely challenging job. When 2 LANCS were TRB they had a company deployed almost constantly over their time, which must have been pretty demanding for all those involved. I wish 2RRF all the best of luck for the future.

This week has also been a bit sporty, thus emphasising the guilt about my own lack of exercise! Tuesday saw my report on the first day of an All Arms PTI course that’s been taught currently in Sennelager.
http://www.bfbs.com/news/germany/army-physical-trainers-put-test-54362.html
The fitness of these guys is so impressive, as they powered through the sit-ups and press-ups and made a mile and a half run look like a gentle stroll. But it was also eye opening to learn about the different roles a PTI has, the health and personal advice they give and how being a PTI can help you massively in your general Army career. The guys that I interviewed were so positive and keen to succeed on the course, so I really hope they do well. I’ll have another update on how they’re doing in February.

BA(G) rugby was also on the cards for me this week as I saw 28 Engineer Regt win the Community Cup by 14 points to 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery’s 13.
http://www.bfbs.com/news/germany/engineers-take-bag-rugby-community-cup-...
I hate using this excuse but as a girl, I admit I don’t know a lot about rugby and I had to watch a few ‘rugby for dummies’ videos on the Internet before I wrote my report but it was definitely a good match to watch. The closeness of the scores made it a nail biting game and it really could have swung either way. But the sappers seized the advantage in the last few minutes and took the cup, and they’re now hopeful they can do the double and win the overall Army Cup – good luck 28!

Finally I had a lovely afternoon at the 1MWD veterinary clinic learning about the changes to the rules about taking your pet back to the UK from Germany or Cyprus.
http://www.bfbs.com/news/germany/forces-pets-get-easier-trip-back-uk-543...
I was a bit worried as people tell you never to work with animals but Amber the dog was absolutely lovely – I think she definitely has an acting career ahead of her!

Next week I am reporting from the Combined Services Winter Sports in Meribel so I will be blogging and tweeting about all the results on this website. Stay tuned!

20/01/12

This week I got the opportunity to go out on the ranges with 20 Brigade’s Battle Casualty Replacements and Individual Replacements. These soldiers are on the reserve list for Afghanistan, so when numbers drop in theatre they have to be ready to deploy at very short notice. As such they are continually training and going over things they would have learnt in Mission Specific Training (MST) to make sure their skills are up to date and polished.

It’s a story I’ve wanted to do for a while and one that also surprised me. For those who have to stay behind on the BCR list it is a hard thing to do. All your friends deploy whilst you stay behind in a near empty camp, and you have the sad knowledge that if you do deploy it means someone has been injured in theatre.

But the optimism I found amongst the troops I spoke to was really admirable. They recognised the difficulty of the role but also knew that it was part of their job, this is their lot this time around and they accept it, and get on with what they have to do. It’s all part of the Army spirit I suppose, something which I would like to adopt more in my own life.

I was also surprised to realise that many of the BCR’s were new soldiers, who’d just finished their basic training and had only recently joined their regiments out in Germany. For them it is an extremely steep learning curve because they aren’t training with their whole battalion and all aiming for the same thing. Instead they are part of a select group, joining relatively empty barracks at a strange time. But again, as I asked them about their motivations and goals I found their answers positive, as they looked forward to the future and meeting the rest of their battalion some time soon.

As a relative newcomer to Germany like them, it made me also look forward to the months ahead and to 20 Brigade's return.

10/01/12

January is a weird time isn’t it? After all the rushing around and stress before Christmas, going back to work in the new year always feels a bit flat. In a deployed garrison, January in particular is also a very quiet time. Many people come back to work late in the month and so attempts at chasing story ideas often lead to ringing phones and out of office email replies. And then there’s the dreaded winter flu virus that seems to sweep around and take people down, me included!

For many families in my patch, it’s also time to get back into routine after many soldiers came home over the Christmas period for R and R. As they now head back to Afghanistan, at least most of them are on the homestretch, over halfway through their tour. The first of 20 Brigade’s troops start coming home in March and we all can’t wait for them to be back again.

January is also often a time for the launch of new rules and regulations, as I learnt last week when I visited the BFG test centre inside Normandy Barracks. From the 1st January this year the BFG car test became a bit stricter, with new checks being introduced to recognise changes in technology and to make sure cars driven in BFG are roadworthy.

http://www.bfbs.com/news/germany/shake-bfg-vehicle-inspection-test-54171...

As much as I hate to admit it, cars still baffle me. I recently went through the BFG process with my own car and at the time it seemed like a hindrance, another pile of paperwork to fill out for living in Germany. But after filming at the centre I definitely understand the process more, and why all the checks have to be done.

Many people, like me, probably don’t take their cars to the garage as often as they should. And whilst we shouldn’t treat the MOT or BFG test as a check up on our cars, often it’s the only way the authorities can check we are driving a car that meets all the standards and that won’t put other people on the road at risk. So my new years resolution this year is to get my car serviced more, funds obviously permitting….

22/12/11

As I’ve now been based in Germany for over 4 months as the BFBS TV and Radio reporter for Paderborn Garrison, I thought it’s probably high time I started a blog!

But where do I start? It's been a brilliant 4 months here and a completely eye-opening experience for me; whether it’s been learning about life in the mess, seeing the bravery of Army families who just get on with things when their partners deploy, or learning just how many things our soldiers do out on ops - from frontline fighting to operational support, be that movement control, post or medical care.

I came to Paderborn as a newbie in the reporting world and it’s been a steep learning curve – being someone who is super critical of her own work – I always look back at the footage I filmed wondering why I asked those questions, or why did I shoot my piece in that way and not this way? But with a strong team of other reporters and an experienced cameraman around me in Germany, it’s good to get feedback.

I have to admit that moving to Germany when a Brigade is about to deploy on operations is a very strange experience. One minute the town is full with soldiers, excited about their tour and keen to have a wild last weekend, the next you can drive around camp barely seeing another soul. But seeing the welfare programme kick into gear and the way Army wives and families rally round each other and support their friends during tour is a pretty amazing thing.

So what have I learnt about Germany so far? If you throw yourself into it Germany is still a great posting. The sense of community amongst the Brits here is really strong, and at the weekends people stick around and look out for each other. Everyone is really helpful and supportive because we are all ex-pats in a strange land – even people I have filmed with on stories are always willing to give you help and advice on how to BFG your car, or what insurance to buy etc.

But I’ve also been really impressed with the way the German community treat you here, we are like part of the family – they are patient with your attempts to order a table in broken German and events like the Anglo-German carol service in Paderborn show just how much local Germans support the families here and the soldiers deployed on operations. I feel privileged to be living here at this time, because by the end of this decade all the soldiers will have left under the plans made by David Cameron in the SDSR. It is sure to be a very sad time and have a huge impact both on those who leave and on those who are left behind.

In November the government announced the first set of regiments and squadrons that would be moving from Germany in the next two years. First up were 43 Close Support Squadron (part of 12 LSR) who leave Guterslöh by January 2012. Before I met with that Squadron, I was going through a homesick stage, and so I expected the soldiers to be feeling like me, keen to get back to the UK, where everything was familiar and there was no language barrier. But in fact those I interviewed mainly said quite the opposite – they were really going to miss Germany, miss the community and the way the squadron did things together at weekends. Even despite the cuts to LOA and other allowances, they still felt that Germany was a good posting, and one they were reluctant to let go.

When I last flew back to the UK at the end of November one of my friends was shocked to hear me call Germany my home, it seemed so alien for her to hear me say that. But for me, it already does feel like a version of home after only 4 months. I will always be a Londoner and there are things about England I miss, but like the soldiers of 43 Close Support Squadron, spending the weekends and evenings here with new friends and with the whole of Europe on your doorstep, it’s easy to feel part of the community.

You can follow Ali on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/aligibson