by Andy McNab
Finally, soldiers carry a number of essential items such as a weapon, a Personal Role Radio, spare ammunition, a multi-purpose tool (including wire cutters, screwdriver, pincers, wood-cutter and file), a torch and a spade. They also carry a poncho, which can be used for sheltering from sun or rain, and even as a makeshift stretcher.
Stamina Secrets
Stamina is your ability to keep going, even when there’s nothing that you’d like to do more than sit down with a cup of tea.
The bad news is that there’s no easy way to build up your stamina, and it can be affected by things like your age and even your sex.
Here’s some advice from the Army’s own fitness experts:
Running
Invest in a good pair of trainers and hit the road. If you gradually increase the distance and speed you run over a period of time, you’ll find that your stamina will increase.
Add variety
Boredom is the enemy of getting and staying fit. So if you’re tired of running, try swimming instead. Or get your bike out and go for a ride.
Get your mates involved
It’s much easier to exercise if you’ve got someone to do it with. Get a friend to come for a run with you or get involved in a team sport.
Cut out junk food
Unhealthy foods like burgers and chocolate might give you an instant energy boost, but it won’t last and you’ll feel hungry again quickly. Eating wholewheat pasta and bread, fruit and vegetables and lean proteins like chicken breast will provide you with more energy for longer.
Stay hydrated
When you exercise, drink plenty of water or sports drinks.
Fighting Fit
Soldiers need to be physically fit to take on the challenges of Army life. After all, performing a vital task in hot and exhausting conditions takes stamina. So if you’re looking to get fit, try a basic fitness regime like the one below. Follow it three times a week, and you’ll quickly see the benefits.
Preparation is vital
It’s important to warm up before any physical exercise. It loosens your muscles and gets your joints moving. Cooling down afterwards is also essential – it helps prevent injury. To warm up, spend five to ten minutes stretching your muscles. Then, to cool down, combine light jogging with a longer stretching session.
Go running
Running is a vital part of your exercise programme. Plan to run a route twice a week that will take you on the flat, uphill and downhill, to build up your stamina.
Work the upper body and trunk
Try these two exercises to strengthen your stomach muscles and upper arms, and develop your chest:
Sit-ups
- Wedge your feet under a fixed object (like your bed, if it’s low enough)
- Bend your knees at 90° and lie down
- Then, from a lying position, raise your body from the waist to 45°
- Aim for three sets of ten
Tricep dips
- Bend your knees, keep your arms straight and rest your hands on a solid surface behind you
- Lower your body and bend your arms at 90°
- Push up to return to the start position
- Aim for three sets of ten
Get strong lower limbs
Try these two exercises to strengthen your calves and thighs, and get your heart pumping:
Squats
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Squat down steadily by bending your knees until they are at 90°
- Push up to return to the start position, keeping your back straight
- Aim for three sets of ten
Step-ups
- Step up with one foot on a raised platform or the first of a wide flight of steps
- Bring the other foot up next to the first
- Step back down with the first foot, keeping your back straight
- Repeat twenty times, then change which foot goes first
Life in the Army
Here are some answers to frequently-asked questions about Army life.
Q: Do soldiers get paid?
A. Yes. All soldiers get a wage that is closely linked to what they might be paid in civilian life. Extra allowances for things like going on operations or for doing certain types of job can help increase soldiers’ wage packets even further.
Q: Where do soldiers live?
A: The Army makes accommodation available for all its soldiers. Many people live in one-person rooms with en-suite bathrooms. This is called Z-class accommodation and new blocks of it are being completed all the time. The soldiers all pay rent, but this is at a much reduced rate compared to civilian housing.
Q: What do soldiers eat?
A: When they’re based in barracks, soldiers have plenty of options. They can eat in one of the restaurants on the base or they can cook in one of the communal kitchens in their accommodation block. If soldiers live off the base in their own houses, they can eat on the base or cook for themselves.
Q: What types of food are available?
A: Soldiers can eat exactly the same range of food as you get in civilian life. The restaurants on Army bases do everything from healthy options to occasional treats like chips and burgers. When soldiers are away from proper catering facilities, they eat from nutritionally balanced ration packs. There are many different types of these available, including halal, kosher and vegetarian.
Q: Do all soldiers have to go on operations?
A: The chances are that anyone who joins the Army will have to go on operations at some point in their career. Soldiers work and train hard and the logical next step is that they put their skills to the ultimate test. They might need to use their soldiering or trade skills, but everyone will have a part to play.
Current Campaign Medals
OPERATIONAL SERVICE MEDAL FOR AFGHANISTAN
Photograph © Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
QUALIFYING CRITERIA: Various lengths of service required depending on the operation and location.
SYMBOLISM: The obverse side features a crowned image of Her Majesty the Queen. The reverse features a union flag surrounded by four compass points with four coronets: Royal (top left), Naval (top right), Mural-Army (bottom left), and Astral-Royal Air Force (bottom right).
RIBBON: A broad central red stripe, flanked on each side by a stripe of royal blue and one of light blue, to represent the three services. There are stripes of light brown at each edge, to reflect the landscape of Afghanistan.
IRAQ MEDAL
Photograph © Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
QUALIFYING CRITERIA: Currently awarded for 30 days of consecutive service on Operation Telic Iraq. Air crew are awarded the Iraq Medal for ten sorties into Iraq.
SYMBOLISM: The obverse side features a crowned image of Her Majesty the Queen. The reverse bears the image of the ‘Lamassu’ (a sculpture dating from the Assyrian period), with the word ‘Iraq’ underneath.
RIBBON: Equal-sized narrow stripes of black, white and red in the centre (to represent the Iraq flag). There are wide stripes of sand colour at each edge, to reflect the landscape of Iraq.
Honours and Gallantry Awards
LEVEL 1: VICTORIA CROSS
Photograph © Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
QUALIFYING CRITERIA: All ranks and civilians can be awarded the VC for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. May be awarded posthumously.
SYMBOLISM: A lion on a crown with a scroll underneath, bearing the words ‘For Valour’. The reverse is engraved with the rank, name and ship, regiment or squadron of the recipient.
RIBBON: Pure crimson.
LEVEL 2: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER (FOR COMMAND AND LEADERSHIP)
Photograph © Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
QUALIFYING CRITERIA: Awarded for distinguished lead
ership during active operations. Although open to all ranks, it is most likely to be awarded to senior officers.
SYMBOLISM: A gold cross overlaid with white enamel, with a raised laurel wreath in the centre. In the middle of the wreath is the Imperial Crown.
RIBBON: Crimson, with narrow blue stripes at each edge.
LEVEL 2: CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY CROSS
Photograph © Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
QUALIFYING CRITERIA: May be awarded to all ranks of the RN, RM, Army and RAF in recognition of acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy.
SYMBOLISM: A cross mounted on a wreath of laurel leaves. In the centre there is a medallion depicting St Edward’s crown.
RIBBON: White, with a central stripe of crimson and narrow stripes of dark blue at each edge.
LEVEL 3: MILITARY CROSS
Photograph © Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
QUALIFYING CRITERIA: May be awarded to all ranks of the RN, RM, Army and RAF in recognition of acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy.
SYMBOLISM: A silver cross ornamented with Imperial Crowns. At the centre of the cross is the Royal Cypher.
RIBBON: A central stripe of deep purple, flanked by equal-sized stripes of white.
LEVEL 3: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
Photograph © Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
QUALIFYING CRITERIA: May be awarded to all ranks of the RN, RM, Army and RAF in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy in the air.
SYMBOLISM: A silver cross flory, with the horizontal and base bars terminating in bombs, and the upper bar terminating in a rose. The front of the medal features aeroplane propellers on the vertical arms and wings on the horizontal arms. In the centre of the cross is a laurel wreath around the RAF monogram, surmounted by the Imperial Crown. The reverse of the cross has at its centre an encircled Royal Cypher above the year ‘1918’.
RIBBON: Alternate narrow diagonal stripes of white and deep purple.
GLOSSARY
50-CAL – Browning M2 machine gun, firing a .50 round and used extensively as a vehicle weapon and for aircraft armament by the United States from the 1920s to the present day
AK47 – assault rifle, first developed in the USSR by Kalashnikov
ammo – ammunition
Apaches – attack helicopters; gunships
ASM – Anti-Structure Munition; a rocket launcher carrying enhanced explosives to penetrate the outer wall of a target structure
basha – a shelter, often made in an A-frame shape
BFS – Blank Firing System; used in training to simulate the noise of live firing and to practise weapon handling drills
camel bak – a large water reservoir that can be carried in a soldier’s backpack
Camp Bastion – a fortified base for the Coalition Forces in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan
Chinook – helicopter, most often used for transporting equipment or troops; known by soldiers as ‘cows’
contact – any action involving the enemy and the discharge of weapons
CSM – Company Sergeant Major
EDIP – Explain, Demonstrate, Imitate, Practise; an Army way of teaching new skills
FOB – Forward Operating Base
GPMG – General-Purpose Machine Gun, nicknamed the ‘Gimpy’; belt-driven
Hellfires – missiles predominantly fired by Apache
IED – an Improvised Explosive Device, which can be placed on the ground or used by suicide bombers; sometimes activated by remote control
Infantry – the British Infantry is based on the tried and tested regimental system, which has proved successful on operations over the years; it consists of a number of regular and reserve battalions. The British Infantry has a strong tradition of courage in battle
JDAM – unguided gravity bomb; can have a guidance system bolted on so that it can be guided to a target by GPS
Kevlar – synthetic fibre added to clothing to make it more protective
LASM – Light Anti-Structures Missile; a rocket launcher designed to be discarded after launch
LSW – Light Support Weapon
Mastiff – a six-wheel-drive, heavily armoured vehicle
medevac – emergency evacuation of a casualty from a war zone
multiple – group of soldiers numbering approximately 8–12 men
NCO – Non-Commissioned Officer, like a corporal or a sergeant
RPG – Rocket-Propelled Grenade
SA80A2 – semi-automatic rifle made by Heckler & Koch, the standard British Army rifle
sangar – sentry post
SUSAT sight – this gives a 4x magnification and has tritium-powered illumination, thus allowing a soldier to carry on fighting when the light is low at dusk and dawn
Taliban – insurgents/tribal groups fighting for power in Afghanistan, nicknamed ‘Terry’ by the Army
theatre – field of operations within a war
tour – period of active service; a normal tour in Afghanistan would be approximately six months
Warrior – armoured fighting vehicle
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FROM DIRECTORATE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE:
Lt Col Crispin Lockhart
FROM ARMY MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS:
Mr Charles Heath-Saunders
Captain Simon Vannerley
ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE STAFF AND JUNIOR SOLDIERS OF:
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Infantry Training Centre, Catterick
The Army Foundation College, Harrogate
About the Author
Andy McNab was a covert ops commander in the SAS and the British Army’s most highly decorated serving soldier.
Besides his writing, Andy now advises intelligence agencies in the UK and US.
For more information about Andy and his books, visit www.andymcnab.co.uk
Also by Andy McNab
DROPZONE
Dropzone
Dropzone: Terminal Velocity
BOY SOLDIER (with Robert Rigby)
Boy Soldier
Payback
Avenger
Meltdown
For adults:
Bravo Two Zero
Immediate Action
Seven Troop
Spoken from the Front
Novels:
Aggressor
Brute Force
Crisis Four
Crossfire
Dark Winter
Dead Centre
Deep Black
Exit Wound
Firewall
Last Light
Liberation Day
Recoil
Red Notice
Remote Control
War Torn (with Kym Jordan)
Zero Hour
THE NEW RECRUIT
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 12074 1
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company
This ebook edition published 2013
Copyright © Andy McNab, 2012
Front cover artwork and design © Stephen Mulcahey, 2012
Cover photography © Jonathan Ring, 2012
Map artwork © Julian Mosedale, 2012
First Published in Great Britain as a digital serialization by RHCP Digital, 2012
The right of Andy McNab to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions un
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