Northern Ireland

Captain Doug Beattie discusses his recent operational tour of Afghanistan

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Back in September, 73 TA soldiers from Portadown deployed on Op Herrick 13 alongside their regular colleagues in 1 Royal Irish. Six months later they are coming home and among the first to touch down on Irish soil is Captain Doug Beattie who has just completed his 13th Operational Tour.

Soldier and author he left the regular army in 2009 and joined the TA.

During his career he has served in operational areas around the globe from Sierra Leone to Iraq where he served alongside Colonel Tim Collins as the RSM of the First Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.

No stranger to Afghanistan after tours in 2006 and 2008, this time he found himself in the Nad-e Ali South region of Helmand Province in a ground holding role at Syedabad.

He explained how the Battalion has achieved its objectives on Herrick 13 thanks to the positive attitude of the troops on the ground but that success has come at a price and the deaths of Ranger Aaron McCormack and David Dalzell and more recently that of LCpl Steven McKee which struck a very personal note.

Well known as a military author personal accounts of Doug’s experiences on Herrick 4 and Herrick 8 can be found on bookcases round the world but he has no plans to add to the collection this time round.

There is no stopping Captain Doug Beattie, reluctant to hang up his Caubeen he is not ruling out a 14th operational tour.