“For every door that closes another one will open. If you stay at the same job too long, you become stale. You have to look forward, not backward.”
That was the verdict of Lieut Col Oliver Clear in Dublin Airport on Friday as he arrived home with the 68th Infantry Group, having led Ireland’s last peacekeeping tour in Syria.
For 10 years, the Defence Forces served as the quick reaction force for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (Undof) in the Golan on the volatile border between Syria and Israel.
Last year, the Government decided to withdraw the vast majority of Irish troops due to manpower pressures on the Defence Forces and the need to free up personnel for the EU Battlegroup which begins training this year.
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The decision has been controversial. Sinn Féin called the withdrawal “deeply regrettable” and said it represents the failure of successive governments to properly invest in the Defence Forces. The party’s defence spokesman, Matt Carthy, said the withdrawal is happening at a time “when a commitment to peace in that region is more important than ever”.
Others have noted with concern that fewer overseas missions will make a military career less attractive to potential recruits, at a time when the Defence Forces is badly understrength. There are just 7,500 members out of an establishment of 9,600.
“The legacy of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in Government is a weakened Defence Forces and the squandering of the opportunity presented by the Commission on the Defence Forces,” said Mr Carthy. “That legacy is crystallised by the Irish of the Defence Forces from a critical peacekeeping mission.”
Such political concerns were far from the minds of the 120 troops who arrived at Terminal One on Friday afternoon. They were just glad to see their families again. There was applause, cheers and tears from relatives as the soldiers entered the arrivals hall. These were followed by long hugs and more tears from children who in some cases had not seen their parent in six months.
“It was a great mission with a great crew from the top down,” said armoured personnel carrier driver Pte Eric Purtill from Athlone.
It was Pte Purtill’s third tour and he would “100 per cent” go out again. “Not for a little while though. I think she has a few jobs for me at home. I’m going from the army routine back to the family routine,” said the soldier as he held his son Jonathon.
The soldiers were also relieved to have completed one of the largest logistical operations in recent Defence Forces history. As the last Irish deployment, they were responsible for bring home 280,000 pieces of equipment, including 30 vehicles, worth close to €23 million.
All of this had to be brought over the border between Syria and Lebanon, one of the most militarised frontiers in the world, and on to the port of Beirut for shipment home.
“The plans came off better than we could have hoped,” said Lieut Col Clear. “We were anxious about crossing the border from Syria into Lebanon. If you get one serial number wrong the vehicle doesn’t go home or the container doesn’t go home.
“For us to succeed without a glitch and to have everything in place three days early and at sea before we get back to Ireland is a significant achievement.”
Another challenge was training up troops from Kazakhstan who are replacing the Irish deployment as the quick reaction force. The language barrier was “interesting”, said Lieut Col Clear. “But they were very professional, keen, and eager to get involved.”
Asked if it was bittersweet bringing home the last Irish Undof deployment, he gave a considered response.
“We are soldiers. We go where we’re told to go and do what we’re told to do. Syria is an interesting country, a beautiful and historic country and a great place to serve. We have a very interesting mission out there. We’ll miss that.”
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