Andrew flies to see his troops in Basra
5th March 2007
Colonel in Chief: Falklands War veteran Prince Andrew (on the right) visits troops in Basra. He is the Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Batallion The Yorkshire Regiment. The regiment formed only last year.
The Duke of York donned full military gear as he was given first-hand accounts of the dangers facing troops in Iraq.
Prince Andrew wore desert camouflage, body armour and beret when he met members of the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, of which he is Colonel in Chief, during a short visit to Basra.
The trip came only hours before insurgents launched an attack on a multi-national base in the southern city.
The new Yorkshire Regiment became active in June 2006.
The duke inspected a military base and field hospital as well as nearby Shaibah logistics base.
He finished with a trip to the Iraq joint helicopter force, where Royal Navy Sea King helicopters are based.
Prince Andrew, who served with the Navy for more than 20 years, flew Sea Kings during the 1982 Falklands conflict against Argentina.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Jackson, commanding officer of the 1 Yorks Battlegroup, said:
"This is the first visit the Duke of York has made to a battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, and therefore the first opportunity he has had to meet the soldiers since we formed last year.
"It's very important for him to see us doing our work on operations. For many of the soldiers it's the first time they have met a member of the royal family and I believe it's vital that they meet their Colonel in Chief."
The visit came as it was revealed that Prince Harry (Prince Andrew's nephew) will undergo hostage training this week, before he goes to Iraq.
He and his men will take part in training and role-playing exercises where "armed enemy kidnappers" take hostages. Other drills will involve troops using tear gas and stun grenades.
dailymail.co.uk
5th March 2007
Colonel in Chief: Falklands War veteran Prince Andrew (on the right) visits troops in Basra. He is the Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Batallion The Yorkshire Regiment. The regiment formed only last year.
The Duke of York donned full military gear as he was given first-hand accounts of the dangers facing troops in Iraq.
Prince Andrew wore desert camouflage, body armour and beret when he met members of the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, of which he is Colonel in Chief, during a short visit to Basra.
The trip came only hours before insurgents launched an attack on a multi-national base in the southern city.
The new Yorkshire Regiment became active in June 2006.
The duke inspected a military base and field hospital as well as nearby Shaibah logistics base.
He finished with a trip to the Iraq joint helicopter force, where Royal Navy Sea King helicopters are based.
Prince Andrew, who served with the Navy for more than 20 years, flew Sea Kings during the 1982 Falklands conflict against Argentina.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Jackson, commanding officer of the 1 Yorks Battlegroup, said:
"This is the first visit the Duke of York has made to a battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, and therefore the first opportunity he has had to meet the soldiers since we formed last year.
"It's very important for him to see us doing our work on operations. For many of the soldiers it's the first time they have met a member of the royal family and I believe it's vital that they meet their Colonel in Chief."
The visit came as it was revealed that Prince Harry (Prince Andrew's nephew) will undergo hostage training this week, before he goes to Iraq.
He and his men will take part in training and role-playing exercises where "armed enemy kidnappers" take hostages. Other drills will involve troops using tear gas and stun grenades.
dailymail.co.uk
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