Hello and thank you for your question.

I joined the training in Nov 2000, coming from a broken home and with not much to do in terms of employment.

I conducted my Army Assessment at Glencorse to then start training at that same base, some time later.

I conducted phase 1 training at Glencorse, learning to be a soldier and then moved to Catterick to conduct phase 2 training, learning to be an Infantry soldier (both phase 1 and 2 are now conducted at Catterick).

Once I passed out of training, I was then posted to my unit which was based in Cyprus. Until this point, I had never been on a plane or been abroad so it was quite exciting to experience both on my own.

I was based in Cyprus for two and a half years, doing exercise on the island, in Jordan and the UK. While I was based in Cyprus, I managed to get promoted to a Fire Team leader (Lance Corporal) after only serving one and a half years in the Army.

From there, the unit moved to North Luffenham where we deployed to Northern Ireland and Iraq. While I was in Northern Ireland, I was in charge of giving the patrols their briefs and when we were in Iraq, I was a scribe for the search team.

I was then posted to ITC Catterick where I trained potential soldiers. It was good to be back there doing what I had done to me, five years prior.

I have then been a Corporal, leading a section of eight soldiers. A platoon Sergeant, managing the welfare and discipline of a platoon of 36 soldiers and also a role in recruiting, helping to get potential soldier into the Army.

In total, I have been in the Army for 21 years and I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

I hope this has helped answer your question and it isn't too long winded and if you have any other questions, please ask.

-Danny

02 September, 2021 10:34