Ministry of Defence
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Royal Navy Falkland’s veteran flies against Taleban
A Royal Navy reservist and veteran of the Falkland’s conflict has volunteered for a tour in Afghanistan with 663 Squadron Army Air Corps, flying the Apache attack helicopter. Lieutenant Commander Bill O’Brien, 54 and from the South West, retired from active service in 2005, having originally joined the Royal Marines in 1971.
His first operational tour as a Royal Marine was in Northern Ireland in 1973 and then he flew during the Falkland’s conflict and the Gulf War in 1991. Lt Cdr O’Brien will be one of some 600 reservists from all three Services in Afghanistan, but the only one currently piloting a helicopter. Before signing on for this deployment he was a helicopter instructor at the School of Army Aviation in Middle Wallop, Hampshire and 1500 of his total of 6000 flying hours are on the Apache.
He said, “The Apache had not been deployed when I retired so there is an itch yet to scratch. I’m grateful for the hard work the Royal Naval Reserve and the Army have put in to make it happen. I believe I have a contribution to make; there is still some life in the old dog”.
Lt Cdr O’Brien has more than 30 years’ flying experience. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in the Falkland’s conflict while flying a Gazelle at the battles of Darwin and Goose Green, conducting a number of CASEVACs [casualty evacuation] and re-supply missions at the very front line. He will be at Camp Bastion for 4 months as part of the 155-strong team from 663 Squadron, whose base is Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk.
Lt Cdr O’Brien was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for his actions during Operation Corporate, the 1982 Falkland Island conflict. At that time he was a Royal Marine sergeant and flying ammunition to, and bringing back casualties from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment at Goose Green. His citation read: “Sgt Obrien displayed exceptional courage and considerable flying skill in the face of the enemy.”
He said: “We flew a number of sorties mostly at night in an armed Gazelle, not that we ever used the rockets in anger. I am not sure how effective they would have been if we had – they had a fairly basic aiming system just a chinagraph cross on the aircraft windscreen. It was the early days of night vision devices. They were fairly rudimentary and we taught ourselves how to use them on the way down embarked [training on this equipment was completed onboard ships transporting them to the South Atlantic].
Since 2005 he has been one of a handful of ex-military helicopter instructors who work alongside their Army counterparts at Middle Wallop to convert Army pilots from the Squirrel training aircraft onto the world-renowned Apache. At the same time he joined the Royal Naval Reserve Air Branch, where he is an operations officer with the Commando Helicopter Force at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton.
The father of three said, “My wife Helen deserves a lot of credit; after all the sacrifices she made during my Regular service, she did not blink and has been positively supportive to me from the outset.”
This is 663 Squadron’s second operational tour with Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan) in 2 years, the first being 6 months long.
The Squadron Commander, Major Jason Etherington, said, “Although Bill joined the Royal Marines a year after I was born he still has the enthusiasm and dedication to match the younger members deployed to Afghanistan. Well known as an excellent QHI [Qualified Helicopter Instructor] throughout the Army Air Corps, Lt Cdr O’Brien can claim to have assisted in the training of almost every AH pilot within the Sqn; his technical knowledge, experience and maturity are well valued. He is a hugely popular individual who brings a great deal to an exceedingly professional organisation”.
When asked what is it like flying in Afghanistan as opposed to the Falkland Islands, Lt Cdr O’Brien said: “The intensity is more than I was expecting and is more than I recollect from the other place. It is full on all the time”. He added: “I fly an Apache so I don’t feel terribly threatened, although the flying environment is quite hard work sometimes”.
He added: “We are here to support the guys on the ground. We are here to support the Afghan people. I believe the average Afghan, like any other human being, just wants to put food on the table, send his children to school, know that his family is safe and that the rule of law prevails. The job needs to be done properly and I believe I can make some small contribution to that”.
Lt Cdr O’Brien’s Co-pilot/gunner Captain Chris Vosper, 31,
explained what it was like flying with the elder statesman of the
Squadron: “It is awesome, it is a privilege. Bill is a very
experienced pilot and we have become a good team. I am the
Squadron Operations Officer which is a very busy appointment and
Bill offloads a lot of the hassle and the peripherals before each
flight. He is very good and patient; his age isn’t a factor – he
just gets more respect because of his experience. It is just a
shame he is so slow running to the aircraft! I think his Zimmer
gets in the way. [said with a broad smile]”.
Captain Vosper
continued: “As an ex Royal Marine, Bill is happy to banter with
the boys. He fits in really well into Squadron life – he is an
optimist with a healthy positive attitude; he is very good for morale”.
As one of only 2 Naval officers in the squadron he is treated with respect. Lt Cdr O’Brien said: “It is exactly as you would expect but they do treat me with a degree of respect and they seem keen to look after their Uncle Bill. There are 2 Naval Officers on the Squadron at the moment. The other one was called Shippers before I arrived. Now there has been realignment and he is called Shippers Minor and I’m called Shippers Major”.
He added that they were good to him and that “despite my Flight Commander not being born when I went to the Falklands. The Squadron have a RN Petty Officer engineer working on the engineering staff so they are well used to working with naval personnel. We have exchange officers on Apache and the other fleets, as do the other services, so there is a healthy cross fertilisation of ideas and practices; although some members of the Squadron seem a little confused by ‘JackSpeak’ [the peculiar language used by members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines]”.
When asked if he was still enjoying flying, Lt Cdr O’Brien replied: “Very much so. There is just so much going on all the time, no two days are the same. The platform is so capable that you have to be on your mettle all the time and it seems that every day I learn something new or remember something I had forgotten – and I don’t think that is just an age thing”;
And when he was going to hang up his flying boots: “I can’t say – probably if I were to lose my medical category – then there would be no choice”.
Lt Cdr O’Brien described his job: “It’s great. I’m loving it”.
Notes to Editors:
1. Lt Cdr O’Brien arrived in Afghanistan in early September and
has been busy flying tasks ever since: He has flown over 30
missions. On a busy day he could start tasking at 0300 and not
finish until 2100 with tasking that can last many hours. He is not
the first or last reservist to fly in Afghanistan, but at this
time is likely to be the only one flying helicopters.
2. The
squadron fly the Apache attack helicopter. The role is split
between providing an armed escort for the lightly armed support
helicopters and to provide armed ‘overwatch’ and support for
friendly ground forces. When escorting the big twin-rotor Royal
Air Force Chinook transport helicopter and the smaller Royal Navy
Sea Kings, the Apache will circle the area to ensure that no
hostile forces attempt to fire at their more vulnerable charges.
The Apaches also escort the Chinook Medical Emergency Response
Team and US Pedro medical evacuation helicopters when they go to
pick up casualties. As the ground action may still be ongoing as
the medevac [medical evacuation] helicopters arrive, the Apache
may be called to suppress enemy gunmen. When supporting troops on
the ground, often the very presence of the menacing Apache is
enough to persuade hostile fighters to leave the area. ‘Overwatch’
could be for a convoy or a patrol of troops. The Squadron do not
just support British forces; they can be called to any ISAF
nationality.
3. After 28 years in the Royal Marines, rising to
become a senior non-commissioned officer, he received his
commission and retired from the Royal Marines as a Major before
transferring to the Army Air Corps for his final 6 years of
military service. Lt Cdr O’Brien transferred to the Royal Naval
Reserve from the Army Air Corp. As part of this transfer a
decision on his eligibility to retain rank would have been made
and his rank would have changed from Maj to Lt Cdr because of the
change in Service.
4. For more information and specifically
regarding his award of the Distinguished Flying Medal, contact Lt
Cdr David Jackson (0207 218 4947) in the MoD Press Office.
Official information on this medal can be found at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceFor/Veterans/Medals/DistinguishedFlyingCross.htm
Contacts:
Ministry of Defence
NDS.MOD@coi.gsi.gov.uk
