An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 15 up and manage the fire while the others slept. This was important to keep warm but also to prevent an uncontrolled fire. While the instructors kept a close eye, they also remained out of the way so the students could put their skills to work. One of the main points of this exercise was learning to deal with the effort-versus- reward problem. This emerges as energy levels get lower and decisions have to made, weighing up the reward of doing something against the effort required. Burning unnecessary calories will only makes things harder. The build up to the end of the exercise focuses on the participants being prepared for the most important part, the extrac- tion. Capt Jones summed up the impor- tance of the extraction at the end of all the other effort by saying: "If you don't make the extraction it's like going to the effort of walking to the bus stop but forgetting to put your hand out to get the bus to stop." Vox Pops We spoke to the students at two different stages on the course, firstly during their class- room training and secondly on the third day of their final exercise. Sgt Clive dunne, Cadet Sch, dFtC (In class.) "I have 18 years service in the DF and my interest in SERE came from recruit training and also the Cambrian Patrol. It's an important skill to have in my role in the Cadet School as there is a shortage of instructors and knowledge at the moment." (During the exercise.) "I'm really enjoy- ing the course but the hunger is the worst part at the minute, even though there are a lot of edible plants around, like wild garlic and sorrel." Cpl derek moore, 2 Cav Sqn (In class.) "I have applied for this course for the last five years as it's something that interests me. With the new Cavalry recce syllabus including survival train- ing, it's important to have instructors within my unit." (During the exercise.) "I found the second day the hardest, with the 20km march from our first location; it was very tiring and I really felt it. Another challenge is purifying water when on the move - especially with your energy levels being low. I'm enjoying today, though, and getting the chance to put some of our skills to good use." l/Sea darren Buckley, naval Service (In class.) "I'm among the first from the Naval Service to go on this course and I'm excited to be on it as it will be a new challenge for me. I'm also looking forward to bringing back all this experi- ence to the navy and passing it on." (During the exercise.) "It's a great achievement for us all so far. The exercise has had some hard moments, like the shock of the cold water. You just have to get your mind back into it and continue on. The hunger is really on our minds at the minute, but we're staying focused."

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