Tour De Force 9

Two of our people, Lieutenant Andrew Stokes and Petty Officer Cassandra Mohapp were selected for LONGLOOK exchange and are currently enjoying the hospitality of Her Majesty’s Royal Marine Band Service. Fortunately for us, we welcomed Major Tony Smallwood (RM) and Musician Jennifer Coupland take up their vacant positions. Both members are excellent ambassadors for the Royal Marines and have readily contributed to our mission in a very positive way. We regularly bring volumes of good news stories to Navy and our people are, without exception, very positive ambassadors. The level of goodwill generated within Navy towards the Navy Band has been significant; however, Navy faces significant financial challenges. Let’s hope that we will be able to continue to generate many ‘good news’ stories as Navy seeks to prioritise activities. I will be doing my best on your behalf to secure the best financial outcome possible in the current financial circumstances. Reflecting over the past six months, I am very proud of the way in which all of our musicians have performed their duties. Thanks to all for the sterling contribution to Navy and to the history of the Royal Australian Navy Band.

TOUR DE FORCE 9

Article by Lieutenant Commander Paul Cottier, RAN

On the 25 March 08, 12 Navy musicians boarded the weekly sustainment flight heading for the Middle East and Tour De Force 9. After a week of rehearsal in Sydney there was much anticipation and excitement. After a 26 hour flight including refuelling stops in Darwin and the Maldives, we landed at Kuwait International Airport. After a 40 minute bus trip we arrived at Ali Al Salem air base which was to be our home for the next four days. During this period we were required to undertake RSO & I training which is compulsory for all Australian military personnel posted to the Middle Eastern area of operation. This course involved presentations on current security issues as well as being issued with our armoured vests, weapons and ammunition. As part of this training we went to the firing range to zero in our weapons and ensure that we were confident and efficient on the Styer F88 rifle. Another interesting aspect of this training was visiting Camp Buehring medical facility to have a refresher in first-aid. We were able to use computer operated mannequins to fine tune our medical skills. Our first two days in Kuwait also saw us experience severe sand storms and give us a reality check on life in the Middle East. After our in-country training, we were fortunate to fly by a commercial airline to a neutral Middle Eastern Country to perform for RAAF personnel and more importantly help them celebrate the RAAF birthday. There was an increase in temperature with the daily high reaching 43.9 degrees. This was also a great opportunity for us to perform and ensure that all of our equipment was serviceable after the flight over. This commitment included a cocktail party followed by three brackets of entertainment. We were made to feel extremely welcome and a good night was had by all. The following day we headed back to Kuwait to meet up with the civilian artists who left Australia a week after us. On our return to Kuwait the rest of our touring party arrived. The party included Amy Williams, Brielle Davis, Fred Lang, Angry Anderson, The Wolverines and Tania Zietta. We also had a three person ABC film crew from Australian Story who were to film our tour for a two week documentary. With three members of the Force Advisory Council of Entertainment, the 26 person touring party was formed and ready for action. On 3 April we went to board our C130 Hercules transport aircraft dressed in all our protective body armour and weapons bound for Afghanistan; reality set in and the adrenaline started pumping. After boarding the aircraft the first disruption occurred. Our aircraft had a mechanical problem so we had a five hour delay. Second time lucky; we boarded again and off we went. It was to be a six hour flight however, due to bad weather and the closure of the airstrip in Tarin Kowt our plane was diverted to Kandahar. This was a disappointing start to the tour as all we wanted to do was perform. Our unexpected arrival in Kandahar saw us move into transit accommodation. The next day 3 April, was to bring more disappointment as the airstrip was still closed and we had to spend a second night in Kandahar. We had heard a lot about Tarin Kowt and it was looking as if we were not going to get there.

To utilise our time we held an impromptu concert at Camp Baker the Australian compound. This was an ideal opportunity for us to run through the show and get in a rehearsal session. The Australians based in Kandahar were invited to attend and the show was greatly appreciated. Saturday, 5 April saw us arrive in Kabul. The weather was a lot cooler with snow on the mountain tops. The terrain was very mountainous. With the high altitude it was very noticeable even when breathing. Due to the high risk in the area, it was decided that we perform at the airport and that it was safer for the Australian troops to be transported to us rather than us to them. We performed in the Dutch recreation area which was a very homely building with a bar computers etc. The audience was made up of mainly Australians and Dutch with a few American troops. Our first official show went over extremely well. The placed rocked and we received a lot of positive feedback from our first Blues Brothers Show. Sunday 6 April saw another change to our itinerary. Instead of returning to Kandahar we were diverted to Tarin Kowt. Everyone was excited with the news. Tarin Kowt was home of most of the Aussie troops in Afghanistan. The base is in a valley surrounded by impressive mountains and the terrain was hilly with powder like dust. The weather was a lot hotter than Kabul. We rigged up on the back of a large semi-trailer. On Monday 7 April was one of the many highlights of our trip. In the morning we visited a Trade School which was set up by Australian troops who taught Afghan children trades in carpentry and plumbing. We spent a couple of hours mixing with the local kids and watching them at work. The Trade School is one of the success stories of the work which is being carried out in Afghanistan. A tour of the Tarin Kowt area and a weapons and vehicle demonstration was organised. It was very informative and gave us the opportunity to experience the life of a soldier. Our second show in Tarin Kowt started well however 10 minutes into the show we had a problem with the power. After a 40 minute delay and a lot of luck it was show on again. The show went over very well with a lot of complimentary feedback. It was hard to believe that our time in Afghanistan had come to an end. Everyone was so happy to have had the opportunity to visit Tarin Kowt. We had the opportunity to view the rugged terrain and the conditions that our fighting troops live in every day. After a refuel stop in Kandahar we left Afghan airspace and headed to our next destination. After arriving in our new destination it was all hands on deck. Time had got away and we only had one hour to set up and sound check. The base is the main airbase for the American Air Force. We played to approximately 2000 servicemen who loved the show. After the show we were invited to the Australian compound for a cocktail party. We departed AM the following day heading for Kuwait. Twenty minutes into our flight we had engine trouble and we had to return to our original destination. After a two hour delay we were back in the air heading for Kuwait. Returning to Kuwait was like coming home. We had spent so much time in and out of Kuwait and because we were able to keep our accommodation it was very comfortable returning there. It also marked the end of the first leg of our trip. We rigged up in fat alley which is the fast food area of Ali Al Salem airbase. We played to yet another very enthusiastic audience. Thursday 10 April saw the start of the second leg of the tour into Iraq. There was much excitement as we boarded the C130 for the 90 minute flight into Baghdad. We stayed at Camp Victory which houses nine of Saddam Hussein palaces and is the Headquarters for the American and Australian forces. The area is made up of man-made lakes surrounded by impressive buildings including the War Cabinet Room of the Iraqi Army. We were fortunate to tour the Palaces including the Al Faw Palace which is now the Headquarters of the American forces. A lot of the buildings have been affected by bombs in the initial attack in 2003. Another highlight was a tour of the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) training facility. This facility trains soldiers in identifying IED’s as well as responding and defusing these dangerous devises.