Troops prepare for Taliban fight
Soldiers from Kidderminster have been on special combat training in the Brecon Beacons to prepare them for a fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Soldiers from Kidderminster have been on special combat training in the Brecon Beacons to prepare them for a fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The troops are making final preparations for combat as part of the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, which is nicknamed the The Woofers, which is to fly to Afghanistan next month. The regiment, which recruits soldiers from across Worcestershire, will be joining the Nato special force in Helmand province. Their tour will last from mid-April until mid-October, although C Company members will be going out four weeks earlier. Read the full story in the Express & Star.
The troops are making final preparations for combat as part of the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, which is nicknamed the The Woofers, which is to fly to Afghanistan next month.
The regiment, which recruits soldiers from across Worcestershire, will be joining the Nato special force in Helmand province.
Their tour will last from mid-April until mid-October, although C Company members will be going out four weeks earlier.
Despite good equipment, the mission is not expected to be an easy tour as they try to help bring stability to an area where Taliban rebels are thought to be preparing for another upsurge in violence.
Part of their task will be to ensure roads, bridges and even schools can be built.
Soldiers taking part in intensive training on the Brecon Beacons included some from Kidderminster going on their first tour of duty and others who already know the harsh realities of the conflict.
Privates Oliver Bryant, aged 18, Glenn Bradley, 19, and Kieron Bragginton, 21, all from the town, are among those going out in April.
Private Bragginton, who has two younger brothers and a sister, previously worked at the local Argos shop but at 17 decided to join the Army.
He has been in Afghanistan before and said he "enjoyed seeing the world and new experiences". He hopes to pass on the knowledge he has already acquired to help younger soldiers on their first tour of duty.
Private Bradley, a former pupil at Baxter College, said he had wanted to be a soldier since he was 10.
"Going out to Afghanistan is a scary idea but I joined the infantry to go on tour. We have been kitted out with new body armour and everything has been supplied." Private Bryant, a former King Charles I pupil, is following in the footsteps of his uncle, retired Colour Sergeant Jack Bryant, and admitted to being "nervous but excited".
