By CPL John Ryan, PTI, Gyro 8
All deployed personnel need to have a high standard of physical fitness, so that if called upon they can complete any task without undue strain or fatigue. Physical Training Instructor (PTI) Corporal John Ryan is currently on deployment in Timor-Leste to make this happen.This is his story.
Stairway to heaven
In early December 2009 I arrived in Timor-Leste for a six month deployment. I’m the PTI for the OP KORU, Task Group Gyro 8 contingent which is currently made up of 150 New Zealand Defence Force personnel—NZ Army from 16 Field Regiment and 2/1 RNZIR, with a few Royal New Zealand Air Force and Royal New Zealand Navy personnel thrown in.
I am one of only four Air Force personnel here so it has been an interesting time seeing how the Army operates and go about day-to-day duties in an operational environment. I am thankful for my tri-service PTI training, which has made the transition to the Army way of life a lot easier. As the Contingent PTI, it is my primary role to ensure all deployed personnel remain "fit to fight".
Whenever possible all Gyro personnel conduct three PT sessions a week with me. The type and intensity varies from month to month and varies from ‘clean’ fatigue PT to conducting PT with all our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on. The PPE type classes are very important to ensure personnel are comfortable undertaking high intensity activity wearing such equipment.
PT is a big part of the deployment here in Timor-Leste, with a lot of personal PT being conducted in the evenings or when personnel have spare time. As a PTI it is pleasing to have so many people after advice on training and trying to improve their personal fitness in their own time.
It’s a gas
The first PT session here was one I will always remember; and I think a lot of other people will too—perhaps not in the most positive way! PT is a great way to acclimatise to a new environment and especially one as hot and humid as Timor-Leste. Day One in theatre we strapped on the running shoes and headed off around camp. It was only a light jog with a few exercises along the way. Nothing too strenuous, but the heat hit everyone hard. Breathing was not an easy task as it felt like you had to chew through air that was best described as thick and hot. Twenty minutes is all we needed and the majority, if not all of the group, were shattered. Now we are five months into the deployment and while everyone is still drenched in sweat after a PT session, it is nowhere near as bad as the first day.
To break the monotony of the seven-day work week, sport and welfare activities are conducted on a regular basis. I am in charge of entertainment for our welfare committee and, over the past months, individual sections within the contingent have organised welfare events such as quiz nights, a tabloid top town style competition, a ‘Kiwiana day’; and numerous sports competitions.
One great sporting challenge we have here is against the Australians—the "Little Bledisloe Challenge", which started on Gyro 7. It is a friendly competition cup we play for every couple of weeks. The challenging country picks the sport or contest and when it is to be played. The Aussies challenged us—as we held the cup from Gyro 7, and unsurprisingly still do—to a running race in the second week of our deployment. They must have seen all our ‘big boys’ walking around camp and thought they would beat us with ease. As a good PTI, I ensured we had our best possible team, which consisted of a few fine young 2/1 boys who could run like the wind. Needless to say, we cleaned up and retained the cup with no trouble at all!
During my time here in Timor-Leste, I have had the chance to experience first-hand all aspects of a deployment:
- what it’s like to be away from family and friends for a long period of time
- how to make the most out of every situation that is put in front of you, and
- the interaction between different cultures:
- the NZ Army
- the friendly and open Timorese people, and
- the Australian military.
I count myself very lucky to have been deployed as a PTI. As any PTI can tell you, this is a rare occurrence but certainly a most pleasurable one and I would put my hand up again in a heart beat to experience another deployment.