An Cosantóir

on parade | 7 FLOOD REACTION WAS 'ADEQUATE' AT BEST; REPORT An assessment of the recent response by state agencies to severe weather conditions over the past two years has concluded… It also pays tribute to the Defence Forces - who answered 1,363 requests for assistance. Irish Examiner, August 11, 2011 SGT MAJOR SIR! The 104 Inf Bn greet the outgoing and incoming Force Sgt Major at Camp Shamrock. Pictured (l/r): BQMS Declan Flanagan, WO Owuse Dickson (Incoming), WO Ddong-Yure Willam's (outgoing) and RSM Noel O Callaghan. DEBENHAMS PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION WINNER FAREWELL TO A LEGEND! Congratulations to this month's Debenhams sponsored photo competition winner of a €100 voucher. RSM Francie O'Brien (Retired) has spent over 49 years as- sociated with the Defence Forces in both the Military (1962) & the Main Tech Stores (1985) to present. G.I. JANES WANTED The Meningitis Reserch Foundation is looking for fit young women to take part in its fundraising G.I. Jane Challenge in October. The event, which is to be held in Kippure Adventure, west Wicklow, will see teams of up to 10 girls tackle a range of outdoor tasks, including a gruelling assalt course. Real Irish Army bosses will be barking orders as the girls tackle 10-foot climbing walls, a zip-wire and other horrors. If you think yove got what it takes, sign up before Sept 5 at www. meningitis.org Sunday World, August 14, 2011 SIGNING OF CONTRACT FOR €37M COMPLEX The construction contract is being signed in Monaghan tomorrow for the largest school building project to be undertaken in the Republic in the present economic climate – a €37m campus on the 20-acre site of a former Irish Army base in the town. Sunday Independent, August 14, 2011 Francie is the last Congo veteran to have worked in Baldon- nel, and holds the record of being the only Air Corps RSM to have held the appointment of Battalion Sergeant Major with UNIFIL 3 times. Photos courtesy of RSM John McCor- mick (5 Sp Wing) 24/7 AIR AMBULANCE The authorities have finally responded to the public outrage caused by the failed attempt to fly liver-transplant teenager Maedhbh McGivern to London for an operation – but only after a second error was revealed. A dedicated 24/7 air ambulance service will operate from Dublin Airport, starting today. AeroMedevac, which has a contract to provide services to Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin, will move its medically equipped Cessna aeroplane to Dublin Airport tomorrow morning. The aircraft has previously been based at Weston Airport, outside Dublin, which restricted it to flying only in daylight hours, raising fresh criticism of a system that left the 14-year-old from Leitrim languishing on the transplant list. Irish Daily Mail, August 18, 2011 KEEPING THE IRISH ARMY FIGHTING FIT The pay isn't the best and you have to know how to treat everything from battle scars to headaches, but being in the Army Medical Corps is a real vocation Irish Times, August 16, 2011 CRUMLIN LANDS ITS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BAKU National Champion Ross Hickey (Grangecon) feels he did enough to challenge European champion Ray Moylette for the light welterweight berth with a 19-12 victory over Sonny Upton (Holy Family, Belfast). A member of the Defence Forces, he could not get time off to go to the European championships and Moylette ended up going and winning the Gold medal. Irish Examiner, August 15, 2011 THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE

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