42 Commando RM
‘From the Bayou to the Highlands: A Tale of Boots and Blizzards’
by Mne Madams
Fresh from a six-week Mississippi deployment, J Coy barely had time to drop their bergens before being whisked off to Garelochhead, Scotland, for a three-week mountain training package to continue their path towards forming a Special Operations Maritime Task Group later this year.
Joining forces with M Coy, CLRRM and ASG, the lads embarked on a whirlwind of lectures and kit issuing, before yomping up rugged Scottish peaks. Gone were the warm breezes and urban tactics of their last deployment; now it was all about grit, maps and the peculiar joy of November drizzle.
Why the sudden shift to the Highlands? For the Corps, being mountain-ready isn’t just a tick-box exercise; it is a vital and fundamental skill. Whether scaling rocky outcrops or navigating snow-covered ridgelines, it ensures our forces can deploy and operate effectively in any terrain. For J Coy, it was also a warm-up (pun absolutely intended) for their next challenge, Norway in January.
Honing navigation skills in mountainous terrain
From day one, the lads displayed an outstanding level of fitness and navigation skill, even taking it upon themselves to race other teams back to the drop-off point for added training benefit. What began as a brisk start quickly escalated into a gruelling three-week mountain training package. This wasn’t just yomping for yomping’s sake; all ranks knew that each step was helping to reduce the likelihood of injury in Norway, preparing the body for the arduous climes of the Arctic.