'Retired' Falklands veteran flying Afghan helicopter

A Falklands veteran has come out of 'retirement' to fly helicopters in Afghanistan - despite his comrades' jokes that he struggles to run to the aircraft.

Lieutenant Commander Bill O'Brien, 54, a Royal Navy Reservist has volunteered for the tour with 633 Squadron Army Air Corps, flying an Apache attack helicopter.

The father of three retired from active service in 2005, having originally joined the Royal Marines in 1971.

But he said his wife "did not blink" when he said he wanted to join the action in Afghanistan.

Although there are some 600 reservists from all three Services in Afghanistan, Lt Cdr O'Brien is the only one currently piloting a helicopter.

He said today: "The Apache had not been deployed when I retired so there is an itch yet to scratch. I'm grateful for the hard work the Royal Naval Reserve and the Army have put in to make it happen.

"I believe I have a contribution to make; there is still some life in the old dog."

With over 30 years of air experience, Lt Cdr O'Brien was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal while flying a Gazelle at the battles of Darwin and Goose Green in the 1982 Falklands conflict. His work in Operation Corporate involved rescuing casualties and delivering supplies.

He said: "We flew a number of sorties mostly at night in an armed Gazelle, not that we ever used the rockets in anger. I am not sure how effective they would have been if we had - they had a fairly basic aiming system just a chinagraph cross on the aircraft windscreen.

"It was the early days of night vision devices. They were fairly rudimentary and we taught ourselves how to use them on the way down to the South Atlantic."

Now he will be at Camp Bastion for four months as part of the 155-strong team from 663 Squadron, whose base is Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk.

Lt Crd O'Brien, from the South West, added: "My wife Helen deserves a lot of credit; after all the sacrifices she made during my Regular service, she did not blink and has been positively supportive to me from the outset."

He arrived in Afghanistan in early September and has already flown over 30 missions. On a busy day he comes on duty at 3am and does not finish until 9pm.

The work is split between providing an armed escort for lesser-armed helicopters and to provide armed support for friendly ground forces.

Asked about the differences between flying in Afghanistan and the Falklands Lt Cdr O'Brien said: "The intensity is more than I was expecting and is more than I recollect from the other place. It is full on all the time I fly an Apache so I don't feel terribly threatened, although the flying environment is quite hard work sometimes."

He added: "We are here to support the guys on the ground. We are here to support the Afghan people. I believe the average Afghan, like any other human being, just wants to put food on the table, send his children to school, know that his family is safe and that the rule of law prevails. The job needs to be done properly and I believe I can make some small contribution to that.

"It is exactly as you would expect but they do treat me with a degree of respect and they seem keen to look after their Uncle Bill. There are two Naval Officers on the Squadron at the moment. The other one was called Shippers before I arrived. Now there has been realignment and he is called Shippers Minor and I'm called Shippers Major."

When asked if he was still enjoying flying, Lt Cdr O'Brien replied: "Very much so. There is just so much going on all the time, no two days are the same.

"The platform is so capable that you have to be on your mettle all the time and it seems that every day I learn something new or remember something I had forgotten - and I don't think that is just an age thing."

As for the day when he hands up his flying boots, he said: "I can't say - probably if I were to lose my medical category - then there would be no choice. It's great. I'm loving it."

Before signing on for this deployment he was a helicopter instructor at the School of Army Aviation in Middle Wallop, Hampshire.

Squadron Commander, Major Jason Etherington, said: "Although Bill joined the Royal Marines a year after I was born he still has the enthusiasm and dedication to match the younger members deployed to Afghanistan.

"Well known as an excellent QHI (Qualified Helicopter Instructor) throughout the Army Air Corps, Lt Cdr O'Brien can claim to have assisted in the training of almost every pilot within the squadron. his technical knowledge, experience and maturity are well valued. He is a hugely popular individual who brings a great deal to an exceedingly professional organisation".

Lt Cdr O'Brien's Co-pilot and gunner Captain Chris Vosper, 31, said flying with the elder statesman of the Squadron was "Awesome. It is a privilege. Bill is a very experienced pilot and we have become a good team.

"I am the Squadron Operations Officer which is a very busy appointment and Bill offloads a lot of the hassle and the peripherals before each flight.

Capt Vosper joked: "He is very good and patient; his age isn't a factor - he just gets more respect because of his experience. It is just a shame he is so slow running to the aircraft! I think his Zimmer gets in the way.

"As an ex Royal Marine, Bill is happy to banter with the boys. He fits in really well into Squadron life - he is an optimist with a healthy positive attitude; he is very good for morale."