An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 29 how weapons perform under those conditions. After KFOR I returned to Cathal Brugha as a Senior Sgt employed in Admin Duties as Acting CS and Unit EOD NCO until I was approached about a vacancy in Ordnance Base Workshop as a Civilian. I was coming up to 33 years' service at this time, so after a long think over a couple of months I went for an interview and was successful. I retired and started working as a Civilian Armourer in OBW DFTC doing 3rd echelon repairs to small Arms. I took part in the Field Evaluation of the 5.56mm gun trials, awarded to the Steyr AUG in the 80s, and then in OBW in 2014 we upgraded the AUG 1 to Mod 14, over 6000 weapons modified by a team of 7 Civilian Armourers and Military extras. The work continues upgrading and repairing existing weapons and New Weapons coming into service. I'm due to retire March 2027 after 53 years in combined service. What made you decide to join the Defence Forces? I was always interested in the Army as a young boy. I was in the Scouts and Hiking and Camping out were interesting to me and challenging at the time, so that really put my mindset in action, as well as attending Easter parades back in the day. The quick way in was to go to the Apprentice School in Naas as you could go in at 15yrs old instead of waiting until you were 17 as was normal. What was your proudest moment in the Defence Forces? My proudest moment was probably on my NCOs course— there was a Guard of Honour and the one I did was for Pope John Paul 2 when he visited Ireland back in 1979. I was in the front rank and to see him up so close, that was very special. Why did you choose to specialise as a Fitter/ Armourer? I'd done Metalwork in Vocational school, so Fitter was my call, and The Armourer part sounded interesting at the time as both are complex and challenging. Can you tell me about completing the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)course? EOD is a very complex and interesting subject, and as part of duties carried out by Ordnance personnel, Officers are classified as No 1s, NCOs as No 2s. Both courses are the same and put you through rigorous training to reach a level of competence to dismantle unexploded Ordnance, military ammunition or IEDDs (Improvised Explosive Device Disposal). The course covers theory and practical skills through instruction and coaching to handle a variety of tools and equipment, including Robot assistance. What was the most challenging part of your role, especially when working on overseas missions? On overseas deployment you were in support of the Batt so EOD/IEDD call outs were continuous, especially after Grapes of Wrath in Lebanon. War debris had to be cleared from farmland and homes, mortar rounds embedded in walls had to be extracted with our special kit or blown up in situ. We protected the local population and our own troops, often going in first to make an area safe before humanitarian aid could get through. Looking back over your 53 years of total service, what advice would you give to young soldiers starting out in the Defence Forces today? To anyone contemplating joining the Irish Defence Forces I say this: We all have to do Recruit training. It's not for everyone. Infantry is front line, but there's a Logistics and Support team needed as well - Medics, Catering, Drivers, Mechanics, IT, Armourer, Signals, Engineer, etc. There's a job for you if you want it, and it will benefit you when your time is up. When the time comes to retire or leave, times can be challenging—loss of commitment, friends, going out to Civvy St, the unknown after many years in uniform -but there is assistance nowadays. I personally took up Reiki and am now a Reiki Master. A lot of men are doing it nowadays; it helps with de-stressing, letting go, and adjusting to civilian life. I'd just like to extend a very special thank you to my family for the support and understanding of the Army Life. EOD Call Out – UXO, preparing a charge for disruption with Comdt Sean O'Shea Kosovo 29TH Inf Gp Spanish Camp Ishtsak EOD Conference Repairing HoBo robot for EOD, checking all electrical connectors. 74th Batt 1993-1994 UNIFIL 74th Inf Bn Medal and Shamrock parade, St Patrick's Day

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