I'm a soldier.......Get me out of here!

IT’S the heat that gets to you. A constant clamminess that leaves you soaked to the skin. The jungle of Brunei quite literally gives the visitor a warm welcome – so it’s not surprising the British Army has selected this small but inhospitable patch of South East Asia as a proving ground for its jungle warriors.

The environment may be harsh but Army top brass have also ensured a stay at the Brunei Garrison’s Jungle Warfare Wing (JWW) is anything but a picnic.

Conditions at base camp are downright medieval – there are no toilets, no running water and certainly no soft beds. Soldiers snatch whatever sleep they can in covered hammocks, trying their best to ignore the din created by the ever-present nocturnal wildlife. Both the command post and classroom are built from branches and leaves covered with plastic sheets, while logs make poor substitutes for chairs.

It’s a scenario that would leave the cast of I’m A Celebrity shaking with fear. But it is this no-nonsense regime that produces some of the best jungle warfare training in the world.

The Brunei Garrison hosts the jungle leaders’ course and the jungle tracking course, each five weeks long and aimed at teaching soldiers, senior NCOs and officers how to live, operate and, above all, succeed in one of the most unforgiving environments on the planet.

What takes place ensures an intense experience for all involved.

“It’s a daily challenge to wake up, put on your wet clothes and crack on,” said WO2 Dave Wilson, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment.

Normally, a jungle warfare instructor in Belize, Dave is currently instructing on the tracking course in Brunei.

“We always carry a dry set of clothing which is purely for sleeping,” he explained. “When you’re patrolling, you get soaked from sweating. There are also waterways and rivers in the jungle so you are always wet from the knees down.

“If you sleep in wet clothes you start to get rubs, open sores start to appear and you deteriorate very quickly.”

The JWW is certainly no place for raw recruits. All students are experienced infantry soldiers.

“We don’t teach them how to soldier,” he said.“We are here to teach them how to use the environment and the difference of working in this environment over any other.

“If they don’t listen to us that’s fine but they’ll soon learn the error of their ways.”

It’s all about getting back to bare, basic soldiering. “Your cam cream is always sweating off and you have to constantly re-apply it,” he said.

“You’ve got to be on the ball and if you’re not you could very quickly be in front of the medic and extracted out of the jungle.”

You have to rely on your map, your compass and your ability to judge the distance you’ve covered.
“If you can navigate in the jungle you can navigate anywhere,” said Dave with a wry smile.

As we talked a group of soldiers started to appear silently at the fringes of the jungle carrying full kit.
Dave explained they had been deep in the jungle for weeks and had come back to base camp for the last leg of their course.

The students, still in warfare mode, talked in murmurs, their low tones in stark contrast to the loud hum of insects all around them.

Most of the men were Gurkhas, but it was impossible to tell just how many there were because of their uncanny ability to conceal themselves in the thick vegetation.

One of the many lessons students learn is how to track their enemy visually.

For example, knowing how a broken twig will look after two days and how it will have aged in the Balkans compared with the jungle.

They are also taught how a footprint can be spotted in different types of grass or how to identify the smallest disturbance on the jungle floor.

Students also learn how tracker dogs can be used to pursue a target through the undergrowth.
 

The base camp is located on the edge of the jungle with the deep nasty stuff only a few hundred yards away. However, to an outsider even the undergrowth in Brunei is thick enough.

“I’ve been in the Army for 21 years and my body is tuned to this environment,” said Dave. Getting into the trees and passing his knowledge on to students is what he loves doing.

“It’s a great feeling when you see the lads with a good pass or recommendation – it makes my job worthwhile.”

As the sun began to drop, it was time for the students to take on the jungle once more. The Gurkhas silently picked up their kit and melted away into the foliage like ghosts.

Reproduced by kind permission of Soldier Magazine

Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this information, personnel must confirm details through the chain of command or with their Administrative Office before taking any action or making any commitment. Last Reviewed: 6 Jul 04