In part 2 Sam and Steve Discuss, raw close combat, Bravery and Sam gives fantastic advice to new platoon Commanders. 

Sam commissioned from Sandhurst in 2005 and then completed the Platoon Commanders Battle Course. He arrived at 1 Royal Anglian and took command of 10 Platoon C (Essex ) Company on day one of TESSEX which was a large test exercise conducted prior to being operationally signed off, this meant he got three weeks in the field with the blokes straight away. 

Sam then moved on to a full year of Pre Deployment Training (PDT) including 6 arduous weeks in Kenya  which culminated in deploying on Operation Herrick 6 in April of 2007 for 6 months. 10 Platoon deployed with 40 blokes and flew home with 24. 

Sam Finished  platoon command and successfully attempted UKSF selection serving in 22 SAS as a troop commander for 3 years.

Sam went on to deploy on numerous sensitive Operations and Exercises all over the globe during his time with Special Forces but ultimately Sam considers Herrick 6 to comfortably be the most enjoyable, rewarding and formative 6 months of his life. 

Sam left the Army in 2013 and has had a successful transition out of the army via the University of Oxford business school and into 11 years at BT Group in various large leadership and commercial roles. 

In part 1 of this 2 part episode, Sam and Steve talk in depth about Leadership in Combat and their personal journeys throughout an arduous 6 months in Afghanistan.

Glossary of terms:FOB

Pre-H Fires – H Hour is the time an attack starts. Pre H means the use of fire support weapons such as mortars and artillery

Wadi – a dried up river bed

RAMC – Royal Army Medical Corps

TIC – Troops in Contact

Rog – Rear Operations group (Those that did not deploy)

PE – Plastic Explosives

CQB – Close Quarter Battle

IED – Improvised explosive device

OC – Officer Commanding

FLOT –  Forward line of own troops

FLET – Forward line of enemy troops

LMG – light machine gun

CSM – Company Sergeant Major

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