Prince Harry back in Afghanistan as Apache helicopter pilot

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ComputerMKII

Banned
Prince Harry back in Afghanistan as Apache helicopter pilot

Captain Wales begins four-month tour of duty with British army in command of Apache helicopter based at Camp Bastion

Prince Harry has flown into Afghanistan to begin a four-month tour of duty with the British army, during which he will command one of the UK's Apache attack helicopters.

The prince, who is known as Captain Wales within the armed forces, flew into the conflict zone from RAF Brize Norton along with hundreds of other military personnel as part of the regular rotation of forces.

The 27-year-old who is third in line to the throne looked relaxed, if slightly tired on Friday, and gave a thumbs-up after a long journey on a standard troop flight from England.

During his stay, he will be based at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, the biggest military base in the country and the UK's logistical and support hub.

The prince's commander said on Friday he hoped he would be "left to get on with his duties", though the media interest is likely to be intense.

As a recently qualified co-pilot gunner with 662 Squadron, the 27-year-old royal will be in charge of one of the two-seater Apaches. The army has 67 of the aircraft in total, but the number being used in Afghanistan is a closely guarded secret.

Prince Harry has wanted to return to the country ever since his first tour in 2008 ended in farce when an agreed – but controversial – media blackout was inadvertently broken by an Australian magazine and he was rushed back to Britain for his own safety.

Once he successfully completed his 16-month training in February this year, the Ministry of Defence made it clear there was every likelihood the prince would return to Afghanistan as part of normal duties, and probably before the end of the year.

Though critics have raised concerns that his presence in Afghanistan could encourage insurgents to target both him and his colleagues, and have accused the MoD of putting good PR before common sense, commanders believe Harry's new role, and the base from where he will fly, will offer him and those around him adequate security.

The UK has not lost any Apache helicopters during the campaign against the insurgents, and Camp Bastion is generally regarded as safe.

On this deployment the MoD decided again to work with the UK's major media organisations, including the Guardian, but this time to publicise it rather than keep it secret.

An agreement involving 800 news outlets allows the media to report on the prince's activities, as long as the stories do not compromise "operational security". Editors have agreed to act responsibly and to inform the MoD when any potential issues arise.

At the end of his tour, the MoD is expected to release pooled footage of the prince on duty and an interview. It will be given to those organisations that have stuck to the deal.

Given the prince's proclivity for buffoonish behaviour, the military knows that publicising his deployment is a potentially risky strategy.

It is only three weeks since the most recent embarrassment, when Harry was photographed naked at a private party in Las Vegas on what appears now to have been a last drunken "hurrah" with friends before his deployment.

On Thursday, the Press Complaints Commission concluded that an investigation into the Sun's decision to publish nude photos of Prince Harry would be inappropriate at this time.

However, the prince, who will celebrate his 28th birthday in less than two weeks, is a popular figure in the armed forces, and personnel serving in Afghanistan leaped to his defence during the most recent furore, posting naked photos of themselves on Facebook.

The army's top brass also believe it inconceivable that Capt Wales, who is now considered to be responsible enough to take on royal duties on his own, would repeat "in theatre" the kind of high jinks and misjudgments that have drawn criticism in the past.

The prince has been training for the tour at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk, home to the 3 Regiment, Army Air Corps. His co-pilot, who has not been named, has been with him since the spring and will accompany him throughout the tour.

When he qualified on the Apache, the prince was awarded the prize for being "best front-seat pilot" – an accolade to "mark out the student whose overall performance during the course is assessed as the best amongst his peer group".

Lieutenant Colonel Tim de la Rue, deputy commander of the Joint Aviation Group (JAG), which provides helicopter support to Nato forces, said: "Captain Wales is a serving soldier and a qualified Apache pilot having completed the Apache conversion to role course earlier this year.

"As such, and after further flying experience, he has deployed along with the rest of the squadron as part of a long-planned and scheduled deployment to provide support to ISsaf and Afghan forces operating in Helmand."

Captain Jock Gordon, commander of the JAG, said: "Working alongside his colleagues in the squadron, he will be in a difficult and demanding job and I ask that he be left alone to get on with his duties and allowed to focus on delivering support to coalition forces on the ground."
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/07/prince-harry-afghanistan-apache-helicopter
 
V

Vyroxis

Banned
Any man who is willing to give up the safety of his castle to join his troops in battle is a man worthy of ruling.

Two thumbs up to him for going back.
 
D

Dennis

Banned
Vyroxis said:
Any man who is willing to give up the safety of his castle to join his troops in battle is a man worthy of ruling.

Two thumbs up to him for going back.
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Yeah, how long before Obama straps on a flak jacket to do the same in one of the many areas of conflict that America is involved in?
 
C

CrankyJay

Banned
From what I hear he's a damn good apache pilot, but I don't how much of that is media fluff. He's either the real deal or as good at it as Kim Jong Il was at golf.
 
C

Cosmonaut X

Member
CrankyJay said:
From what I hear he's a damn good apache pilot, but I don't how much of that is media fluff. He's either the real deal or as good at it as Kim Jong Il was at golf.
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There are other positions to find for a Royal if they were looking for a cushy, "sounds-good-but-a-shaved-ape-could-do-it" job for him. Whatever you think of his private exploits (albeit funded by the public purse) I think he's the real deal when it comes to that side of things.
 
V

Valkyr Junkie

Member
siddhu33 said:
Of course they do. whether they have ammo is another story. But they could just make some ammo anyway
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Aren't Stingers a single-shot device? Years ago I recall hearing that the big issue is that the batteries on Stingers have a very short shelf-life for this very reason. You'd think that would be an easy challenge to overcome though.
 
N

noah111

Still Alive
Vyroxis said:
Any man who is willing to give up the safety of his castle to join his troops in battle is a man worthy of ruling.

Two thumbs up to him for going back.
Click to expand...
Dat avatar quote.... tempting.

Hint: This man doesn't 'rule' jack shit; welcome to modern monarchy. But good on him all the same.
 
C

Cheerilee

Member
CrankyJay said:
From what I hear he's a damn good apache pilot, but I don't how much of that is media fluff. He's either the real deal or as good at it as Kim Jong Il was at golf.
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It's likely that he had the best learning experience money can buy.

IIRC, either William or Harry (I can't remember which) was taught woodworking by the finest wood craftsman in Europe, and they showed off that the prince had made a wooden jewelry box that looked utterly fantastic, but the kicker was that it had a secret compartment that opened from the face, but even with upclose inspection, you can't tell that a secret door in the wood even exists, nor can you easily figure out how to open it.
 
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Kinyou

Member
I wonder if that Fahrenheit 9/11 scene where Michael Moore asks the congressmen if they would like to enlist their sons (and everyone responds with no) is still accurate.
 
D.Lo

D.Lo

Member
1. It's a terrible idea to do this, he just made everyone in his unit a much more valuable target if the news gets out where he is

2. It's not his fault, but he's still a publicly funded rich-kid who does whatever he wants, and gets public praise for the smallest good deeds.

I simply don't understand how anyone can accept a royal family in this day and age.
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
Kinyou said:
I wonder if that Fahrenheit 9/11 scene where Michael Moore asks the congressmen if they would like to enlist their sons (and everyone responds with no) is still accurate.
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God damn, that part was so fucking dumb. You can't enlist your kids against their will, and even if you could, that would be super unethical.

I bet he had to cut 5-6 instances where the representatives said "My sons are already fighting in Iraq."
 
D

daviyoung

Banned
How can you be comparing a president who actually has a job, to a Royal who's just keeping up appearances until he can get married off?
 
B

Bregor

Member
Kinyou said:
I wonder if that Fahrenheit 9/11 scene where Michael Moore asks the congressmen if they would like to enlist their sons (and everyone responds with no) is still accurate.
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Didn't Moore edit out one guy who did have a son in the Military?
 
N

NaturalHigh

Member
I didn't even know UK was still in Afghanistan.

When was it they bailed in Iraq? Because when I was over there two years ago their camp was a ghost town.
 
F

Fergie

Banned
Vyroxis said:
Any man who is willing to give up the safety of his castle to join his troops in battle is a man worthy of ruling.

Two thumbs up to him for going back.
Click to expand...
Might have been do-able in the time of shields and swords but not when guns/projectiles came to be.
 
K

Kinyou

Member
Bregor said:
Didn't Moore edit out one guy who did have a son in the Military?
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He mentions that there's one congressmen who has a son in the Military, maybe it was that one. Though sure, always gotta take those Moore documentaries with a grain of salt

vas_a_morir said:
God damn, that part was so fucking dumb. You can't enlist your kids against their will, and even if you could, that would be super unethical.

I bet he had to cut 5-6 instances where the representatives said "My sons are already fighting in Iraq."
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Obviously, put I'd bet that William and Harry also got sort of pushed into the military. They weren't forced but it was sort of expected from them.
 
M

Messypandas

Member
TurkishEmperor said:
How many US presidents or any president at all did that?
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3HrFF.jpg
 
W

Wes

venison crêpe
Handy PR timing aside, going purely on all past interviews I've seen and read with him he is very passionate about serving in the armed forces and I'm sure he's been wanting to go back there for a long time.

Good for him.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
TurkishEmperor said:
How many US presidents or any president at all did that?
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really?

George Washington
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ulysses S. Grant
Andrew Jackson
William H. Harrison
Zachary Taylor
Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Franklin Pierce
Andrew Johnson
Benjamin Harrison
Theodore Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
James Monroe
William McKinley
Gerald Ford
John F. Kennedy
George H. W. Bush
James Buchanan

Where all in the military with combat experience. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidents_by_military_rank
 
C

CyclopsRock

Member
FYI his helicopter training was entirely through the military, none of it acquired especially for him. It took him over 3 years to get battle-ready, and on this tour's he's co-pilot/gunner, though he has his wings too so he can fly them.
 
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