An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 24 | By CPl lEE CoylE l/sEa HEnry MoonEy, duBlin unit "originally from Castleknock in Dublin I joined the nSR over nine years ago, despite having no family in the Defence Forces or prior maritime experience. "The nSR has provided me with a means of exposure to life in the Defence Forces and a greater ap- preciation for our maritime history. Training is realistic and rigorous and is a distinct change from my civilian career as an aviation consultant. "All sea-going personnel must be qualified for damage control, fire fighting and sea survival tech- niques, and training is conducted alongside our PDF counterparts in the nMCI. Training within this highly authentic and effective environment prepares sailors for the challenges faced at sea. "Every year the Dublin nSR has to fulfil a set number of patrol days within our designated area of operations and also supports an annual training exercise with the Air Corps' pilot cadets, who must perform their sea survival drills in open water. The latter are conducted with the aid of our RIBS and the MTL LÉ níamh. "on my Pot nCo course, we were tasked with producing a dossier for use in the southern Mediter- ranean. of the six nSR personnel on the course, two were merchant marine engineers and two were merchant deck officer cadets, each of whom had already worked in the southern Mediterranean. Such first-hand experience and knowledge is extremely valuable to the naval Service and demonstrates how civilian skill sets can be utilised for operational support. "The dossier was presented to oCnoC who will personally evaluate the project for future use. This represents a strong endorsement and belief in the nSR and the meaningful contribution we can make under the single-force concept. "Promotion to nCo has demanded a higher level of standards and leadership and I have found instructing recruits and ratings to be as rewarding as it is challenging. "Presently, I am completing the Specialist Instructors course (SIC 2), which aims to harmonise proce- dures and practices, and to ensure that the highest quality of standards in training and education are maintained throughout the organisation. "A sizeable contingent from the nSR will be with the Defence Forces' representatives in this year's new york St Patrick's Day Parade, as guests of the 69th Infantry Regiment ('The Fighting Irish'). This will be my second time to new york for this event, which provides a wonderful opportunity to meet the Irish diaspora within the uS armed forces and understand how proud they are of their Irish heritage. "My role in the Defence Forces provides me with a job satisfaction that is simply not replicated in my civilian career. There is no substitute for the camaraderie that work and training in the Defence Forces provides and it is my intention to continue to serve for many years to come." The T he naval Service Reserve (nSR) trains men and women to supplement and aid the naval Service. these reservists carry out paid annual training onboard nS ships on operational patrols in Irish territorial waters. they are trained in many aspects of nautical and military training, including motorboat handling, sail training, navigation, marine communications, weapons training, fire fighting, and sea survival. The NSR also carry out land-based security duties at the Naval Base on Haulbowline at weekends. Other functions include ceremonial duties and carrying out liaison duties with visiting foreign naval ships, to name but two. The NSR, which has units based in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, is open to men and women between the ages of 18 and 35. All members are volunteers and training takes place on local weekly parade nights, weekends, or during paid annual training (usually two weeks). After enlistment candidates join a recruit class to carry out initial training, which con- sists of military training in a barracks and nautical training at the local NSR facility. All re- cruits then undergo a two-week training course at the Naval Base, where they are trained in fire fighting, sea survival, foot drill and handling the Steyr assault rifle. For further details on nSR recruitment, visit: www.military.ie/reserve/organisation/ naval-service-reserve/ Here are the personal experiences of three naval Service reservists.

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