An Cosantóir

22 | Earning BY SGT GERRY DUFF, CADET SCH, MIL COL, DFTC the Infantry Battle School (IBS) in Brecon, Wales. The course, which is also open to overseas students, is designed to qualify NCOs to take up roles as infantry platoon sergeants. Having applied for the course, I T was informed of my selection in June. This left me six weeks to pre- pare for this very physically demand- ing course. I was quite nervous prior to travelling, due to my age (nearly 37), knowing how arduous the course is, and being aware of some of the excellent NCOs from the Defence Forces who had taken this path before me. The course started on 14th August with the first event on the training programme being the combat fit- ness test, consisting of an eight-mile march carrying 55lbs (CEFO, day sack, helmet and SA80 rifle). The test must be completed in less than two hours and anyone who fails receives an im- mediate RTU. I didn't have a problem with the test but I was struck by how fast the pace was. I soon realised this was going to be a constant aspect of the course. There were 90 students on the course, with varying degrees of service, ranging from corporals who had just completed 'Juniors' (Pot NCO Cse) to L/Sgts with 12-14 years experience. Most of the students he British Army run their Platoon Sergeant Battle Course (PSBC) three times a year from had at least two or three tours of duty to Iraq or Afghanistan. I was the only foreign student on the course, and I was also the oldest! However, when I was put into 2 Platoon, I got on very well with all the other students, who treated me as 'one of the lads' throughout the course. Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), the main training area for the IBS, consists of approx 45 km/sq of un- populated land, comprising forests, tracks, roads, old farm buildings/ barns and Ceilini Village, a purpose- built town for FIBUA training . The first two weeks are the foundation phase of the course and consist mainly of various lectures, ranging from the combat estimate to casevac procedures. It was at this early stage that I realised how much emphasis is put on casevac. (Later, during the tactics phase, every exercise would include a casevac sce- nario.) This is due to the amount of casualties that have been sustained by the BA in Afghanistan (390 to date, mostly due to IEDs). Also during the first fortnight more fitness tests (two-, three-, and five- mile) were conducted, again carrying 55lbs. These were very difficult but I gained a great sense of achievement when I passed them. Week three was to be one of the hardest weeks on the course with Exercise 'Hard Pounding', five days An Cosantóir March 2012 www.dfmagazine.ie BATTLE STRIPES your of constant platoon-in-attack during the day and patrol harbour drills and recce patrols at night. Both physically and mentally demanding, this exer- cise would set the bar for the rest of the course. Week four consisted of defence and patrolling during which we occu- pied various defensive locations and launched offensive ops. It was another hard week but quite enjoyable. The next week covered 'operating in complex terrain' and started with the dreaded 'Fan Dance', a platoon competition that comprises a 24km march/run over the Brecon Beacons, incorporating the summit of Pen y Fan (886m), carrying platoon weap- ons and kit. The advance onto Pen y Fan was tough but the weather was clear, which helped. Each platoon also had to carry a loaded stretcher weighing 18-stone over the last 4kms, which included a 160m climb. There was no hiding and I can safely say that those four kilometres seemed more like forty and it was definitely one of the hardest physical tests I've ever completed. We then deployed to Ceilini Village for three

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