Hamilton soldier, Jason is back from big army exercise in Kenya

Jul 9 2009 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON soldier Colour Sergeant Jason Craig has returned from a gruelling military exercise in Kenya.

Jason, a member of the Penicuik-based The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS), spent six-weeks on a training exercise to prepare the battalion for overseas deployments.

The 37-year-old said: “It was very hot during the exercise and the conditions were basic, but it was exactly the right environment for us to train in as it is so similar to Afghanistan and other parts of the world where we will be expected to deploy.”

Colour Sergeant Craig joined 2 SCOTS in 1994 and has served in Iraq, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Germany and Poland.

He is married to Maureen and they have four children - Stephanie (19) Kieran (13) Daryl (11) and two-year-old Aimee.

Jason is a former pupil of Lanark Grammar School, and his mum Mary Harkins lives in Burnbank, Hamilton.

2 SCOTS Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Borton explained the reason for the exercise.

“The men we have in this Battlegroup all joined up to be professional soldiers and to seek adventure and excitement and when they are deployed on operations that is exactly what they get,” he said.

“They train very hard and it’s very rewarding for them to get the opportunity to go overseas to Afghanistan or elsewhere and actually conduct live operations.

“Although the operations are demanding and very tough, they are also rewarding and it’s great to put into practice what we train so hard to do.

“When we were in Kenya, we were conducting normal foundation training for any potential conflict.

“Future training can be based on this and we would expect to do a big training exercise like this every two years.”

Lt Colonel Borton added: “The army is a very broad organisation and we have a huge range of people from all different backgrounds doing a wide variety of tasks.

“At the end of the day, the key thing you need is a sense of duty and service to your country but also the ability to work with a team and look after your mate.

“It’s teamwork that makes the army the special organisation that it is. It is fine and honourable to be a Scottish soldier.”

While in Kenya, the Battlegroup’s days were long – up to 12 hours in the field – and exhausting.

The climate and conditions in Kenya are very similar to those that are found in Afghanistan so it is an excellent training environment for those units who are preparing for a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The British Army have a ‘memo of understanding’ with the Kenyan Government and as part of that, the Kenyan Army are involved in the training.